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Looking at your photo I would say YOU are FAR too young to be off exploring potentially dangerous countries alone !!  STAY home in Canada until you are at least 21 and know the dangers that could await a YOUNG gal like you
BE CAREFUL posting seductive photos such as that one also DAnger lurks Talk to your Mom and Dad..and see what THEY think about you putting such photos for the world to see!

Welcome to ½ûÂþÌìÌà KristinnnH !

Spain is definitely a great destination. The current problem is unemployment, I think 40+% of the young spanish professionals have difficulties in finding a job (thanks to the crisis).

I spent a year in Madrid and really enjoyed it

@ DebbieK:
Im 18 in less than a year, and my parents are quite aware of what I put as profile picture and I dont know what you find seductive about it, and why would I wait till I'm 21.. that's 3 years of my life wasted, not taking risks in life, and playing it safe in Canada. By the time I'm 21 I would like to have all my travelling done and start settling down with a good job. I currently live in a city that has the most murders per capita in North America. So I'm not escaping any danger by staying in Canada.

@ Julian:
Thank you for the information, I will definately need to check it out and plan a small trip there before making any long term plans on if I'd like to stay. How are the people there?

Julien*

It seems that we have changed our roles, i´m spanish and i love Canada!
if you´re thinking about coming to Madrid..don´t hesitate, Madrid is a multi-cultural city which welcomes all kind of people.
Additionally, there is always something interesting to do here, i´ve lived all my (short) life here and i still finding a lot of new things to do.
But we have also a negative part..due to economic crisis finding a job is every time more difficult

A friend of mine came to live alone in Madrid at age of 18. Her mother is spanish and living in Barcelona. Her father is french and living in Bordeaux.
Sure, she was mature enough to be independant at 18 in Madrid.

Debbie, I would not comment about the photo but I would be curious to know from where you are. I have seen so much american people not able to put Spain on a map or thinking you need vaccine againt yellow fever or malaria. I can understand your concern but your comment sounds as if Spain was a dangerous country.

Kristin: you are right to start thinking it at least 12 months before. How difficult is it to start a living ?
Well, if you come from Edmonton, you will probably find amazing the difference of temperature and the course of the seasons. People from Madrid say they have 2 seasons: invierno (winter) and infierno (enfer) as July & August are usually very hot (> 40) although July is unusually fresh currently.

I would recommand you come as a student. At 18, you will probably find studies that will interest you, and it will be incredibly easier to start a living after 1 or 2 years as a student than from scratch. I do not think that at 18 you can get a resident card without a job, and your chances to get a job without a resident card are close to nil.
You have to understand that Spain is a country with a lot of emigration, especially from South-America countries, previously spanish colonies. Before the crisis, someone from Mexico or Equator could always get in touch with some friend of a friend living in Spain, to ask for a job in the construction (building) industry, where workforce was lacking (before the crisis). Once there, he could get his wife or other family members come to live with him.
This means you will not even be able to find a job in a McDonald, as there are a lot of people able to work for a slave's income.

As a student, it will be easier to get a card, you can benefit from various programs, students are used to share rooms (2 or 3 students have their own room in an appartment they share, so renting is lower), it will be easier to integrate and have friends, etc...

FURISERN!
I dont know WHIICH Debbie you are referring to BUT I have been to Spain at LEAST 200 times I am originally from ENGLAND VERY CLOSE TO SPAIN ... and started traveling to Majorca etc at age SIXTEEN so I OBVIOUSLY I would not say SPAIN is dangerous
Unless this site has PHONY posts I think FIRST you should MAKE SURE who is posting WHAT on this site !!!!!!

furisern really hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, the economic crisis had a devastating effect upon labor. Do some Google searches for Spain's youth unemployment rate, and you'll see numbers topping 40%. Protest groups have set up shantytowns in Puerta del Sol in response, and it still exists to his day (I checked Monday night). If you really feel passionate enough about living in Spain, study while you're there. While I can't vouch for any of the student benefits furisern mentioned, you're setting yourself up for that good job down the road much more effectively. Depending upon your industry, you might have to finish graduate school before you start making any money.

There is merit to what DebbieK is trying to warn you about, but I think you're more in danger of being seduced and having your heart broken by a casanova. Spain is a safe country, but it's hard to predict what will happen to someone lacking a certain nuance that comes with age. You also won't have the support system of friends and family to rely on within reaching distance, and that makes a huge difference to anyone beginning to go out in the world. Still, the best way to learn anything is to jump right in with a healthy level of skepticism. Staying in Canada is potentially tantamount to sheltering yourself from the world for another 3 years. Continuing to live inside your comfortable little bubble won't prepare you for wherever your ambitions take you.

I'm ranting. If you're serious enough about it, then I'm sure you've already made your mind up and are just looking for moral support. Whatever happens, I hope you find what you're looking for in life.