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1816 Views 12 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Suenneil, 
K
Hi,

My name is kerry and i am 22 i currently live with my partner 25 in Birmingham and we are looking to move out to Moraira within the next 3 years.
I have been Visiting Moraira for the last 10 years as my Father has an apartment there and is due to move there in 3 weeks - He also has many friends who live there.

I am aware that there is a recession and lack of jobs out there at the moment but we are hoping this will resolve within the next couple of years as apparently Englands recession is now over.

My partner is due to be doing a course in air-con and refridgeration and will hopefully be qualified and been working for a year before we go, could anyone advise me on whether there is much work for this out in spain? maybe not now due to the recession but im thinking more when hopefully this recession is over

I am also willing to do a course which may benefit me in getting into work over there, any ideas on what kind of work is there for English women?

We are also planning on learning the language before we go. so hopefully will have that to benefit us

Also if you take a young child out with you aged between 1-2, is the cost of childcare expensive?

Alot of questions i know sorry, much appreciated if you can help

Thanks

Kerry xx :)
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kerry1 said:
Hi,

My name is kerry and i am 22 i currently live with my partner 25 in Birmingham and we are looking to move out to Moraira within the next 3 years.
I have been Visiting Moraira for the last 10 years as my Father has an apartment there and is due to move there in 3 weeks - He also has many friends who live there.

I am aware that there is a recession and lack of jobs out there at the moment but we are hoping this will resolve within the next couple of years as apparently Englands recession is now over.

My partner is due to be doing a course in air-con and refridgeration and will hopefully be qualified and been working for a year before we go, could anyone advise me on whether there is much work for this out in spain? maybe not now due to the recession but im thinking more when hopefully this recession is over

I am also willing to do a course which may benefit me in getting into work over there, any ideas on what kind of work is there for English women?

We are also planning on learning the language before we go. so hopefully will have that to benefit us

Also if you take a young child out with you aged between 1-2, is the cost of childcare expensive?

Alot of questions i know sorry, much appreciated if you can help

Thanks

Kerry xx :)
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Hi Kerry ... and welcome to the forum :)

Well, its pretty difficult to comment on what things may be like here in 3 years time. Obviously we are all hoping that the recession is most definitely over! but who knows!!

Given the length of time you have before you plan on moving over here, I would strongly recommend that you focus on learning the language. That in itself will increase your chances a thousand times of getting a job in Spain. Even without a recession, without the language your choices are severely limited.

If your partner is in the process of qualifying for a specific trade, its worth noting that his eventual qualifications may not translate over in Spain., Im no expert but I also believe that anything relating to electrics/maintenance can cause additional problems as the UK operates a different system to the one in Spain. Again, it is worth him taking some time to research the differences (if there are any) between UK and Spanish refrigeration/air con maintenance and installment etc.

Even with his new qualifications, and provided they are accepted in Spain, the language is a must! as he will be competing for work with native spanish speakers.

For yourself ..... It less a case of what jobs are available for English women - and more a case of what work is available for women who speak Spanish and English.

What is your previous experience work wise ? what do you enjoy doing ? and what do you want to do ?

I have no experience on child care costs - but Im sure one or two of my fellow forum members will comment on that when they see your post. But please bear in mind that 3 years is a long time and many things could change - good or bad in that time!

Focus on the spanish for now! and best of luck

Sue :plane:
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Suenneil said:
Hi Kerry ... and welcome to the forum :)

Well, its pretty difficult to comment on what things may be like here in 3 years time. Obviously we are all hoping that the recession is most definitely over! but who knows!!

Given the length of time you have before you plan on moving over here, I would strongly recommend that you focus on learning the language. That in itself will increase your chances a thousand times of getting a job in Spain. Even without a recession, without the language your choices are severely limited.

If your partner is in the process of qualifying for a specific trade, its worth noting that his eventual qualifications may not translate over in Spain., Im no expert but I also believe that anything relating to electrics/maintenance can cause additional problems as the UK operates a different system to the one in Spain. Again, it is worth him taking some time to research the differences (if there are any) between UK and Spanish refrigeration/air con maintenance and installment etc.

Even with his new qualifications, and provided they are accepted in Spain, the language is a must! as he will be competing for work with native spanish speakers.

For yourself ..... It less a case of what jobs are available for English women - and more a case of what work is available for women who speak Spanish and English.

What is your previous experience work wise ? what do you enjoy doing ? and what do you want to do ?

I have no experience on child care costs - but Im sure one or two of my fellow forum members will comment on that when they see your post. But please bear in mind that 3 years is a long time and many things could change - good or bad in that time!

Focus on the spanish for now! and best of luck

Sue :plane:
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Thanks sue :]

Yes we are definatly going to learn the language before we go that is our main priority.
My partner will also look into air-con and refridgeration in spain. I suppose the fact that my father will be living over there and working in the building trade, this might help us with having contacts ect

As for me i am a qualified beauty and massage therapist allthough i am not currently doing this at the momemt as the money is not great in the uk. Massage however is something i enjoy doing.
I suppose if i am looking at having children over there it will hve to be looking for part time work rather than full time.

Thanks for your help
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kerry1 said:
Thanks sue :]

Yes we are definatly going to learn the language before we go that is our main priority.
My partner will also look into air-con and refridgeration in spain. I suppose the fact that my father will be living over there and working in the building trade, this might help us with having contacts ect

As for me i am a qualified beauty and massage therapist allthough i am not currently doing this at the momemt as the money is not great in the uk. Massage however is something i enjoy doing.
I suppose if i am looking at having children over there it will hve to be looking for part time work rather than full time.

Thanks for your help
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Hi Kerry

If the money for beauty / massage is not great in the UK - believe me it will be a lot less here ! lol ;) even though the cost of living is becoming more and more similar between the two Countries - the salaries certainly arent! plus the working day tends to be longer here too!

There is a section on the UK Foreign Office website that has information, guidance and contact details for people wanting to check if their qualifications can be recognised in Spain ... I have posted the link below so you can take a look.

Qualifications

Sue :plane:
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jojo
In the area where I live, (which isnt Moraira!) there are squillions of air con people! "It is known" that if you have a problem with your air con you use a spanish company cos they dont charge anywhere near as much as a Brit. But if your partner can "get in" with someone to get him started that may help?

As for jobs for women, again there are squilions of beauty therapists out here, I have a friend who has a salon in her house, she is actually very highly trained and earnt good money in the UK, she now averages 20€ a week. But its not always what you know, but who you know and word of mouth, but the recession over here means that beauty treatments tend to be the first to go!

If you have no qualifications or a fluent grasp of written and spoken spanish, then I guess cleaning, housekeeping or waitressing... However, these jobs are rare and it seems they're only really available if you know someone.... maybe if your father is over here and knows people...????????????????

jo xxx
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jojo said:
In the area where I live, (which isnt Moraira!) there are squillions of air con people! "It is known" that if you have a problem with your air con you use a spanish company cos they dont charge anywhere near as much as a Brit. But if your partner can "get in" with someone to get him started that may help?

As for jobs for women, again there are squilions of beauty therapists out here, I have a friend who has a salon in her house, she is actually very highly trained and earnt good money in the UK, she now averages 20€ a week. But its not always what you know, but who you know and word of mouth, but the recession over here means that beauty treatments tend to be the first to go!

If you have no qualifications or a fluent grasp of written and spoken spanish, then I guess cleaning, housekeeping or waitressing... However, these jobs are rare and it seems they're only really available if you know someone.... maybe if your father is over here and knows people...????????????????

jo xxx
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Its not what you know but who you know applies over here in the uk at the moment also, As i should hopefuly have a child then i would be happy to do pretty much anything part time, it would be my partner we would rely on for the bulk of the income.

I suppose all we can do really is research as much as possible and learn as much as we can over the next couple of years, My dad has many friends over there that live comfortably so hopefully he or someone can help plug us in somewhere..

Thanks
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Pesky Wesky
Hello,
Bit too far in the future to predict, but obviously the more you do on the language front the better chance you have of appreciating life in Spain.
As far as child care goes it depends a lot on the area and a lot on the year. Sometimes you'll have to look for your own child care. A lot of Spanish families employ somebody to come in and look after their children, I mean it's not just the super rich aupair scene, it's a very usual situation. There are state run nurseries and the one my daughter went to was cheap and run to an excellent standard.
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G
Hi Kerry and welcome.
As everybody has already said the language is by far the most important thing to sort out.
We have a friend here in the Costa Calida who is a fully qualified HVAC engineer with over 18 years experience. He is very good at his job, but even he does not get much air con work. The work he seems to get is mainly re-charges and the work he would mainly like is installations. It’s a hard business out here and like somebody else said in the main we use Spanish people as the Brits have a reputation for being more expensive. Anyway just learn the lingo and you will have a much better chance
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K
Thanks for your info,

Is there any trades for men in particular that do well out there?

ie, building, electrics, plumbing?
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kerry1 said:
Thanks for your info,

Is there any trades for men in particular that do well out there?

ie, building, electrics, plumbing?
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To be honest every time a plane lands we get a new builder or plumber or electrician or other expert. There was a letter in our local paper congratulating the airlines on their in flight courses they run. You can get on a plane in the UK after stacking shelves and by the time you get to Spain you can be a fully qualified builder, electrician etc
Probably the most reliable trade out here as far as I know is qualified electricians who learn their trade properly and then learn the Spanish wiring system. The main thing is to remember Spain works by word of mouth. You need to be reliable, honest and hard working. The hardest thing our here for tradesmen is to get a good reputation and keep it. Unfortunately there is no shortcut to getting a good reputation; it needs to be earnt over a period of time.
Don´t be put off though learn the lingo, and get started. The world moves on all the time so who knows what it will be like in three years time
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jojo
the building trade in Spain is in crisis. The spanish builders are scratching around. Electricians in Spain apparently need to have a certain certificate (altho from the wiring over here I dont know why!) and plumbers, I dont know, I do know that spanish plumbing, like electricial wiring is a mystery to behold!

I'm not sure what trade would guarrantee you work out here at the mo, I had a locksmith out a few weeks ago who said business was good cos of the recession, there were a lot of break-ins and insurance claims requiring new locks?????

Sadly, Spain isnt like it was 10 or so years ago, when people could come over, get a job pool cleaning, building, gardening.. etc..., the cost of living was cheaper and it was easy. Today, I would liken it to you deciding to up sticks and move to Cornwall, accept that would be easier cos you know the language and the way things are!


Jo xx
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K
I suppose it just isnt the right time to ask about jobs as due to the recession its the worst time ever to get one.

The best thing for me and my partner to do is stick it out here for now until the economy picks up a little in spain, like its already been said in 3 years time things could be completly different and it may not be so hard to get employed, meanwhile we will learn the language and save as much money as possible. I will also be visiting the area a lot to visit my father and can look out for opportunities.

This is something that we feel strongly about i dont just want it for the holiday lifestyle, i understand it isnt all rosey but in my opinion going there will provide a better life for us and we are prepared to work hard just as we do over here.
we have a property to sell over here and will be buying in spain so its a case of a lot of reserch and waiting for the best time to move and not rushing into it.

:]
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kerry1 said:
I suppose it just isnt the right time to ask about jobs as due to the recession its the worst time ever to get one.

The best thing for me and my partner to do is stick it out here for now until the economy picks up a little in spain, like its already been said in 3 years time things could be completly different and it may not be so hard to get employed, meanwhile we will learn the language and save as much money as possible. I will also be visiting the area a lot to visit my father and can look out for opportunities.

This is something that we feel strongly about i dont just want it for the holiday lifestyle, i understand it isnt all rosey but in my opinion going there will provide a better life for us and we are prepared to work hard just as we do over here.
we have a property to sell over here and will be buying in spain so its a case of a lot of reserch and waiting for the best time to move and not rushing into it.

:]
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Good plan Kerry :D

You have plenty of time to get this right ... and believe me thats much better than rushing in and getting it very wrong!

Keep in touch and let us know how you get on!

Sue :plane:
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