The Spanish and their degrees
There are two contradictory sides to the question of the desirability of university education in Spain, as there are with so many aspects of life here. One of the opposing poles in this case is the widespread "titulitis". Everyone wants a "título". This is nothing to do with the nobility, it's a piece of paper showing that you have a university degree or some other higher education qualification, and parents in particular are very keen on having as many of them in the family as possible. So everyone who can, goes to university, and if they can't get on one of the oversubscribed courses of their choice (currently, Health and Communication subjects and English are favourites at Malaga University) then they settle for something else, even if it bears no relation to what they first wanted. Of Spanish people aged between 25 and 44, 27.9 per cent of women, and 19.9 per cent of men hold a degree.
Once the "titulitis" is satisfied, however, a whole nine per cent of graduates (more than anywhere else in Europe) say they wish they hadn't bothered. It takes months for them to find a first job - 12 months on average for Humanities and Education graduates, six for graduates in Health Sciences or Technology - and when they do, they are paid miserable salaries. In the case of men who studied the latter subjects, the average is just over 1,000 euros a month, and they are the best off. Within Europe, only Czech Republic graduates are worse paid. And to add insult to injury, even when they do get a job, 70 per cent find that their talents are wasted, as they are either over-qualified, on paper, or they are working in a different field altogether. Or the sector is right, but they haven't been taught what they need to know. The educational level is high, but not vocationally focussed.
| The Spanish and their degrees | |
|---|---|
| Licenciarse en España no es muy rentable | Getting a degree in Spain isn’t very profitable |
| Los graduados españoles son los menos satisfechos | Spanish graduates are the least satisfied |
| Estudios universitarios | University studies |
| En la República Checa ganan menos | They earn less in the Czech Republic |
| La tasa de paro es alta | The unemployment rate is high |
| El nueve por ciento no volvería a estudiar una carrera | Nine per cent wouldn’t do a degree course again |
| Un doctorado, un máster | A doctorate, a master’s degree |
| Medicina, Enfermería, Fisioterapia, Podología y Terapia Ocupacional son las carreras más populares | Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Chiropody and Occupational Therapy are the most popular degree courses |
| En el apartado de Humanidades, el Periodismo está muy solicitado | In the field of Humanities, there are a lot of applications forJournalism |
| La nota de corte para Medicina en Málaga este año era 8,50 | To get into Medicine in Malaga this year a mark of 8.5 was required (in university entrance exams) |
| Para Filología Hispánica era 5,65, pero quedan libres 42 plazas | For Spanish Language and Literature it was 5.65 but there are still 42 places available |
| Para Filología Clásica era 5,85 y hay 18 plazas libres | For Classics, it was 5.85 and there are 18 places left |
Liz Parry's Spanish Phrase Book is available from http://santanabooks.com/node/52
