[nelly1981]

Hi all, Im a Newbie here,

my wife and i have seriously been thinking of moving to southern spain or maybe the canaries. Im an operations manager (previously a builder) and my wife is a drugs counsellor (previously a Childminder). If we did move my wife would have to obviously give up her job. Ive been told i could work from spain for a while by my boss. really i want out of my job completely as we are looking for a more relaxed way of life and to spend more time with our 3 children. So a couple of questions:

1. Is there much work for builders or Chidminders in southern spain or canaries at the moment? on a recent visit it looked like things were moving again on the canaries but we are still all in recession i know its not booming.

2. Would you recommend state or international schools for the children? children are 5 month, 5 years and 12years looking at moving over next mid june.

thanks in advance

Wayne

 

[jojo]

Hi all, Im a Newbie here,

my wife and i have seriously been thinking of moving to southern spain or maybe the canaries. Im an operations manager (previously a builder) and my wife is a drugs counsellor (previously a Childminder). If we did move my wife would have to obviously give up her job. Ive been told i could work from spain for a while by my boss. really i want out of my job completely as we are looking for a more relaxed way of life and to spend more time with our 3 children. So a couple of questions:

1. Is there much work for builders or Chidminders in southern spain or canaries at the moment? on a recent visit it looked like things were moving again on the canaries but we are still all in recession i know its not booming.

2. Would you recommend state or international schools for the children? children are 5 month, 5 years and 12years looking at moving over next mid june.

thanks in advance

Wayne

Sadly, even if you were both fluent in spanish, you'd find those professions are possibly the worst to find work easily in, especially builders since the property crash five years ago. Millions of unemployed builders and as many half built and empty new builds around.

As for schooling tho, I think the 12yo would need an international schooll - but the younger one would settle nicely into a state school as would the baby - there are nurseries and preschools where s/he would flourish and become fluent in Spanish, to the point where that would be his/her first language

Jo xxx

 

[nelly1981]

thank you jo,

i thought as much maybe i could strike up a better deal with my boss or travel back for a week a month till the situation picks up.

Wayne

 

[jojo]

thank you jo,

i thought as much maybe i could strike up a better deal with my boss or travel back for a week a month till the situation picks up.

Wayne

It can be done. My husband used to commute, the children and I lived in Spain and he would come over at weekends, holidays etc., After three years he did get sick of it and we missed him when he wasnt there - especially as mine were going through teenage "issues", but it was ok and doable!

What we did was; I was the resident in Spain and he was simply a visitor - that meant he couldnt spend more than 182 days in Spain, but it also meant he paid UK tax and NI, so we could still claim child allowance and reciprocal healthcare

Jo xxx

 

[mrypg9]

thank you jo,

i thought as much maybe i could strike up a better deal with my boss or travel back for a week a month till the situation picks up.

Wayne

I think it will be very many years before the situation 'picks up', sadly.
Unemployment is running at over 34% in Southern Spain. The collapse of the construction industry has put millions out of work.
Life in Spain is 'relaxed' only for people who either have a secure, well-paid job or who don't need to work. If you do have a job in the trades you mention, hours are long and pay much lower than in the UK.
If you both have jobs in the UK it would be very unwise to give them up. There are no benefits in Spain as in the UK, no Child Benefit or tax credits. It's tough.
Your best course is to stay put and enjoy holidays in Spain.