Move to Spain???!?? Help!!!

mmschex · #1 (**permalink**) 5th August 2008, 08:49 PM

Hi All
I'm new here, just registered. Just returned from our hols in Spain. We go to the costa del sol every year at least once a year as my inlaws live there. I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK. We are considereing moving over there too now but are unsure where to start. We are both in our 30's and have 2 children aged 2yrs and 5yrs. Neither of us speak that much Spanish but I do class myself as a very quick learner! So anyway, a few questions:

Home - Would you suggest that renting is best to start?

Schools - How old are the children when they start school and how has everyone found spanish schools?

Work - this is a big question. I take it that it's better to look for work before we were to move but what would you suggest?

Areas - We always visit Competa and have been to canillas, frigilliana etc. Does anyone have any other ideas of great places to live?

Think that's it for now. We have always wanted to move to Spain but always thought it would be more like after our children had finished primary school. Really don't want to wait that long now!

Many thanks for reading all this.

mmschex

mr lee · #2 (**permalink**) 5th August 2008, 09:25 PM

Hi & welcome to the forum....taking the plunge is a big step,
first I would say renting is an absolute must, that way you can try out differant areas as and when needed, for example, you can follow the work depending on what you can do, its amazing how many over night builders are here...you can do a bit of gardening, painting, key holding, building etc etc....the same as every other expat that lives here, cos finding a real job can be tricky, if ya do little bits & bobs you are always looking for work always advertising ( at a cost & some times the phone never rings)...can you afford that in say ....10 years time, if you are lucky & I do hope so you could get a job with a brit company,,,,,pay will be around 1250e with tax & nat ins to pay out of that ..poss leaving you with around 1000e to spend on bills & more bills....I didnt make the big time myself im going back I know where my breads butterd, but a pal of mine has done very well, but he lost alot of friends in the making (watch out for the knives in yer back)
As for buying a house ...well, its a buyers market, find a house that you like & offer a silly price...if their skint and want a quck sale then there shouldnt be a problem, ..theres no need to go looking at the estate agents, houses for sale are all over the place ..youll save an awfull lot of cash without the estate agents, but a solicitor is a must......sorry this is long as i cant do shorthand...hope this helps. & best of luck.

mmschex · #3 (**permalink**) 5th August 2008, 09:39 PM

Thanks for our reply.
So sorry to hear that it hasn't worked out for you in Spain

Where abouts are you? What sort of work do you do and do you speak spanish?

mmschex

rjnpenang · #4 (**permalink**) 5th August 2008, 10:22 PM

Hi mmschex?, Now is not a good time to move to Spain, have a look at the "Frigiliana" thread, over 10% unemployment and rising (in the middle of summer).
"I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK", I know the feeling, one feels the sun can cure everything!, would you rather be unemployed here or have a job in the UK?. (ps, however, its a great place to raise kids, yours are the ideal age, in 6 months they would be teaching you Spanish!) Regards Robert

jojo · #5 (**permalink**) 6th August 2008, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjnpenang

Hi mmschex?, Now is not a good time to move to Spain, have a look at the "Frigiliana" thread, over 10% unemployment and rising (in the middle of summer).
"I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK", I know the feeling, one feels the sun can cure everything!, would you rather be unemployed here or have a job in the UK?. (ps, however, its a great place to raise kids, yours are the ideal age, in 6 months they would be teaching you Spanish!) Regards Robert

I agree with Robert, especially look at the "Frigiliana" thread. and yes its a great place to raise kids - the younger the better! Maybe you have a head start if you have in laws who live here

Welcome to the forum

Jo

chris(madrid) · #6 (**permalink**) 6th August 2008, 08:45 AM

Income is the key!

SunnySpain · #7 (**permalink**) 8th August 2008, 08:42 PM

Hi there,

"We are both in our 30's and have 2 children aged 2yrs and 5yrs. Neither of us speak that much Spanish"

Money is the big issue !

If you have enough money to rent or buy a property and to put 2 small children through school and not have to work because you have enough money coming in from the UK, then yes - go for it !

But if the answer to my question is no, then my next question would be what work are you qualified and experienced to do ?

2.5 MILLION un-employed in Spain, as we speak.

Regards, Dave

mackenziegray · #8 (**permalink**) 9th August 2008, 08:17 PM

hi, just new to site! my partner, my 14yr old son, and i are thinking of moving out to spain next april. I am 32 and my partner is 48. We were hoping to live (rented) in the Benalmenda area. We are worried about getting jobs though, as my partners age might stand against him, he has been a bar manager here in n. ireland for 10yrs, and has great references, so if anyone knows of any jobs that would be exc!! We are soooooooo excited, but very scared also, we are trying our best to save as much money as possible to be able to pay our rent for a few months incase we find it hard to get jobs. (and doing a spanish course at college)!! if anyone can give us any tips on....well anything really...we would be so gratefull.
donna x

jojo · #9 (**permalink**) 9th August 2008, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackenziegray

hi, just new to site! my partner, my 14yr old son, and i are thinking of moving out to spain next april. I am 32 and my partner is 48. We were hoping to live (rented) in the Benalmenda area. We are worried about getting jobs though, as my partners age might stand against him, he has been a bar manager here in n. ireland for 10yrs, and has great references, so if anyone knows of any jobs that would be exc!! We are soooooooo excited, but very scared also, we are trying our best to save as much money as possible to be able to pay our rent for a few months incase we find it hard to get jobs. (and doing a spanish course at college)!! if anyone can give us any tips on....well anything really...we would be so gratefull.
donna x

Whatever you do get your jobs arranged BEFORE you come out

I've just come back from spending an evening out in Benalmadena with friends who have lived in this area for 6 years - even they were shocked how quiet the area is - A saturday night in August should have been heaving, it wasnt, Most bars were only a third full. These friends of ours were telling us that apparently a couple of years ago the mayor of Benalmadena decided he was sick of the trouble caused by the British holiday makers and stopped most of the British bars from having music and was very slow at granting British bars from having licences for anything really. This has caused a lot of British bars to close and the area to quieten down significantly, This mayor has since gone, but the bars are not recovering and it seems the holiday makers are not returning.

anyway, these friends of ours, who are in fact estate agents (mainly domestic) said "you'd be financially better off if you were to put 100,000 euros cash into a paper shreader than to get a bar in the costa del sol right now" And judging by how quiet it was there tonight, they dont need many extra staff. The place we went to was being run by the owner (it was a Spanish bar) and he had 1 waiter, and 2 waitresses who were obviously working through their summer holidays from college and they certainly were'nt busy - food was good though, as was the wine ...hic!!!!

Jo x

SunnySpain · #10 (**permalink**) 9th August 2008, 10:53 PM

Hi there,

I think Jojo has pretty much said all there is to say, but for what its worth I would quite honestly forget buying or renting a bar on the Costa del Sol and unless you have specific transferable skills that the Spanish are in desperate need of right now, then I would have a major re-think if I were you !!

Many people seem to think its easy to find work in Spain, its NOT and on the Costas you are even less likely to find work. Most jobs are seasonal anyway and the pay is very poor. If you were a teacher or a nurse or an architect things might well be different, but if you have no idea what work you can do when you get here NOW, then I see very little hope for your dream becoming a reality. If you do not agree thats fine, but as they say, honesty is always the best policy and its also true that the truth can hurt sometimes !