Am I mad to think about moving to portugal

[Johngerad]

Hi all,

I'm a 29 yr old father of 1 and my wife is pregnant again.

We are both fed up with life in Ireland, and I have always wanted to move abroad but never did and instead settled with a mortgague, job etc. problem is I never did setle and now my wife feels the same way so I'm starting to look into it to see if it's viable.

What would be the best area of portugal to move to for an english speaking family starting off, close to the coast, I hear alot about the Algarve but there must be others

The type of info I would need is

House/ appartment Rentals (what it would be a month)
employment in the accounts area (although I do have bar/hotel exp if necessary)
english speaking schools
healthcare (my wife is diabetic)

We would obviously wait until the baby is born, I might move over initially for work seeking etc, not sure yet

After we sell our house and tie up other loose ends we would have about 20,000 euro to move with.

Am i mad to consider this, is the quality of life over there good

Any kind of info would be greatly appreciated, especialy from someone that was in a similar situation and took the plunge

Regards

John

[Bevdeforges]

Why Portugal? If you don't speak the language, you could just as easily move just about anywhere in the EU. Is there something in particular that makes Portugal your choice? And if you're set on Portugal, it might be worthwhile to start taking some language lessons.

As far as employment in the accounts area, having the local language plus English would be a big selling point. Not having the local language will really limit your opportunities. The same can probably be said for bar/hotel work.
Cheers,
Bev

[Johngerad]

Thanks for your reply,

Like | say i'm only at the gathering info stage and would be open to any suggestions

what other member eu states do you refer to so I can investigate my options there also

[Bevdeforges]

I see you've posted also in the Spanish section. There's a language problem there, too, if you don't speak the language.

Not that I've ever been there, but it seems possible to get by with English in both Cyprus and Malta, both of which are part of the EU these days. (Oh, and we just happen to have forums here dedicated to both locations.)

Take a look at the EU website (europa.eu) where there is lots of information on living and working in the various countries of Europe. Also info on the health care systems, transfer of various qualifications and the school systems (which will be of interest to you very soon!).
Cheers,
Bev

[omostra06]

If you are thinking about a move to Portugal, take a look at the gekkoportugal website for info on living, working in the central Portugal region.
might give you an idea what its like to live there.

GekkoPortugal: A guide to Living, working and buying property in Central Portugal: Houses, Farms, Apartments, Cottages, Building Plots, Villas

[Mamacats]

Hello and Welcome to the forum,

I am American and took the plunge when our son turned 5 years of age so he could begin school with the rest of the neighborhood children.
We all spoke the lingo............which is required in my opinion.

15 years later and I believe we are all pleased with our choice to relocate, having made a fruitfull and happy life here.

Diane of Diane' Pride
Ragdoll Breeder
Portugal

[CJ Tyler]

Originally Posted by Johngerad

Hi all,

I'm a 29 yr old father of 1 and my wife is pregnant again.

We are both fed up with life in Ireland, and I have always wanted to move abroad but never did and instead settled with a mortgague, job etc. problem is I never did setle and now my wife feels the same way so I'm starting to look into it to see if it's viable.

What would be the best area of portugal to move to for an english speaking family starting off, close to the coast, I hear alot about the Algarve but there must be others

The type of info I would need is

House/ appartment Rentals (what it would be a month)
Algarve: rubbish apartment 400+, rubbish small villa 800+ add 50 - 100% to those prices if good location required.
employment in the accounts area (although I do have bar/hotel exp if necessary)
Bar work it is then: 300-500 per month depending on tips
english speaking schools
9,000 per yearhealthcare (my wife is diabetic)
God alone knows

We would obviously wait until the baby is born, I might move over initially for work seeking etc, not sure yet

After we sell our house and tie up other loose ends we would have about 20,000 euro to move with.
Ah, I knew there was going to be a snag. With a family, no work and rent to pay; a car to buy and run; bills to pay etc. Expect to be wondering what you spent all that money on in less than 6 months. And don't be surprised to find no-one wants to buy that car when you need it to get back again.

Am i mad to consider this, is the quality of life over there good
Only on the Algarve if you've bought your own property and have income or a big lump sum. Oh, and you like being hot all the time. And you don't like snow.
Any kind of info would be greatly appreciated, especialy from someone that was in a similar situation and took the plunge

Regards

John

...Now, please step up the 10,000 or so who vehemently disagree.

[yummymummy150]

It would be Cyprus for me almost year long sun warmar winter,
Tricia

[jellybean]

Originally Posted by Johngerad

Hi all,

I'm a 29 yr old father of 1 and my wife is pregnant again.

We are both fed up with life in Ireland, and I have always wanted to move abroad but never did and instead settled with a mortgague, job etc. problem is I never did setle and now my wife feels the same way so I'm starting to look into it to see if it's viable.

What would be the best area of portugal to move to for an english speaking family starting off, close to the coast, I hear alot about the Algarve but there must be others

The type of info I would need is

House/ appartment Rentals (what it would be a month)
employment in the accounts area (although I do have bar/hotel exp if necessary)
english speaking schools
healthcare (my wife is diabetic)

We would obviously wait until the baby is born, I might move over initially for work seeking etc, not sure yet

After we sell our house and tie up other loose ends we would have about 20,000 euro to move with.

Am i mad to consider this, is the quality of life over there good

Any kind of info would be greatly appreciated, especialy from someone that was in a similar situation and took the plunge

Regards

John

Hi John

Just came across your post as a newbie to this forum and wondered what you decided to do? I'm also from Ireland and can understand why you want out! If you're still around, I'd love to hear your news. Take care

[Mr.Blueskies]

Hi,

I am also from Ireland and took the plunge and came here in July 08. I was lucky though,
because I had worked in a job for 30 years (public sector) and I was able to avail of a v/r early
retirement package. This gave me the funds to come for a year and just rent first to see if we
wanted to stay. I am in the process of buying a house here now and the Irish house which I
own is now on sale. I wouldn't have been brave enough to try it though if I had needed to
find work to live here. €20,000 won't go far particularly if you send the kids to international schools. To be perfectly honest, it is wonderful here and the quality of life here far exceeds anything that you will ever find in Ireland, regardless of how much you earn or where you live
in my opinion.

The reality though, is that without substancial savings and at least enough
to buy a house for cash plus a pension or rental income from ireland to live on, I do think that
you will really struggle from day one, and the wife and kids will not thank you for it. Lots of
people come here, but to be honest the only ones that I see making it are those who are not dependent on finding work here. There are odd exceptions but they are very few and far between. The vast majority are forced to return when their money runs out. Two other points to remember is that wages here are very low (the minimum wage is about €440 a month) also there is no dole or social welfare payments available (they are a pittance here) if you should fail to get work. Australia is the place to go in my opinion, with a young family if
you have a trade and can get in. With the european recession, lots of people are now on the
move and the doors are starting to close as no country can afford to be overrun. Sometimes
the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.