# Moving to Spain with kids



## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

My dream is to live in Spain.

However I don't know whether taking our 10 and 12 year old boys out of school now and relocating is the best thing for them.

Has anyone been in the same boat? I work online with my own company but what career options for our children will be available in Spain when they're older?

Also not sure now how this silly brexit deal is going to affect being able to move or not.

Finally if we moved to an area like Benahavis or around there would we be able to have a comfortable life over there for say 5-6000 euros a month?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Personally I wouldn't inflict such a major change on kids of that age just to fulfill your dream. How do they feel about it? Do they speak Spanish? With that sort of income you'll be fine emigrating after Brexit, so why not wait a few years?


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## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

They say they'd love to live in Spain. No they don't speak Spanish. None of us do.

The issue for me is that I absolutely despise living in the UK. So I've never going to move to Spain without my family so i'm faced with hating every minute of being here (I enjoy restaurants and pubs here and thats about it) for the next 10 years. 

My wife's good friend lives in Spain and my wife has said we will move at one point but at the moment whilst her mum is still alive and kids are younger that she won't.


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## Catalunya22 (Apr 25, 2020)

It would be a major change for your kids...If they were younger...say 4 or 5 then they would pick up the language easily. But at 10 and 12 it would be more difficult.
And you say while your wife´s mother is alive your wife won´t move, and I can see her point.


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## Catalunya22 (Apr 25, 2020)

As Alcalaina said....With that sort of income you should have no trouble getting in after Brexit...and yes, you could have a great life on that amount.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

As a father with a 14 year old who came when he was 10 my advice is dont do it. First your 12 year old will not learn Spanish fast enough to be able to complete their education. So that means a private English school which in itself kind of defeats the purpose. Secondly if you do not speak Spanish how will you be able to interact with the school and assist with homework?. It really is incredibly difficult doing this and at the end of the day it is you who wants the change not the children. Finally what makes you think Spain will be a better place to live than UK?


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## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

kaipa said:


> As a father with a 14 year old who came when he was 10 my advice is dont do it. First your 12 year old will not learn Spanish fast enough to be able to complete their education. So that means a private English school which in itself kind of defeats the purpose. Secondly if you do not speak Spanish how will you be able to interact with the school and assist with homework?. It really is incredibly difficult doing this and at the end of the day it is you who wants the change not the children. Finally what makes you think Spain will be a better place to live than UK?


Thanks for you reply. I hate the UK. It's mainly the weather but i hate the way of life whereby everyone is living for the weekend. 

I have a remote job where I can work no hours per day or a couple if I wish. I want to explore places in Spain. Do things with my kids outdoors after school instead of them being glued to a computer etc.


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## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

The other option is go away whenever the kids are off school but as you know prices are at their highest then. I've just worked it out and with a few other trips here and there in addition to school holidays like weekends away with my Wife to New York etc, it comes to £31,000 !


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I understand your frustration but I think it's really a case of grass is greener. However, I am no better at resisting it than the next person
What I can tell you is this: your kids will spend as much time ( maybe more if their friends are in UK) on a computer in Spain as UK. Spanish kids are the same as everyone else. The idea of nice weather appeals to adults more than teenagers. In July and August the temps are so high that you actually cant do that much, whereas in uk you can always go out on bikes or into the country for walks. You and your kids will, eventually tire of the beach if you live in the south as heat becomes as much hated here as cold in UK. I know it sounds strange but it is true.
As for jobs for your kids, well Spain has and has had for decades poor employment opportunities for young people, hence the reason many Spanish graduates move to UK! I cant see that changing. On other thing is that if your children did wish to return to UK at 16 they would not qualify for free education as that is only available if they had been resident there for 3 years prior. Sorry to negative but as a parent whose child is in Spain and came at 10 ( his mother was spanish speaking ) I can assure it wasnt a good move. My son speaks Spanish and does well at school but he quite simply does not identify with the culture here and the older he gets and learns about his friends in the UK the more he wants to return.


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## expat16 (Jun 11, 2016)

PDM31 said:


> My dream is to live in Spain.
> 
> However I don't know whether taking our 10 and 12 year old boys out of school now and relocating is the best thing for them.
> 
> ...


My family moved around quite a bit when I was growing up (including at that particular age). My 3 siblings and I all enjoyed it and it made us into very independent thinkers. 

As a child, it was really empowering to know that there are other 'worlds' out there. 

As to careers, yeah, Spain is not the best for that, but I assume your children would, for example, have access to UK universities as well as EU ones, which can work as a starting point for them settling down in another country if the Spain situation is not good or if that's what they prefer.

I live and have a good job in Spain, but this was only after acquiring competitive experience abroad.

ETA: Just wanted to add, since I see that weather is important to you: that I myself DO get out way more than when I live in the Netherlands or the UK (in both places I hated the weather). Spain has a range of climates, and where I am (Bcn) I find the temperatures good year round. I don't think it gets too hot or too cold and am certainly happy every day that I live here as regards the weather. There are so many different types of beaches and coves to explore as well as mountains and forests...sorry but I disagree with the other poster that you would get tired of doing this stuff. And in any case, even if I were to spend most of life in front of the computer I'd definitely prefer having all the options outside my door + nice weather than NOT having the options at all.


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## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

expat16 said:


> My family moved around quite a bit when I was growing up (including at that particular age). My 3 siblings and I all enjoyed it and it made us into very independent thinkers.
> 
> As a child, it was really empowering to know that there are other 'worlds' out there.
> 
> ...


Yes i agree. I don't think myself or my wife would have an issue with the heat etc and i know the kids would love the lifestyle but its the schooling and language issue now they're older. 

We'd certainly do a lot more family things aswell. I could always put the children in international school and pay the fees. Stumbling block is going to be my Wife i think.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

I guess you could try it for a year, if you can make sure your kids' current school would hold their places for that long. Your kids would almost certainly have to attend an international school in Spain. It's not just the language, but also the logistics of getting kids into Spanish schools at those ages can be complicated. The 12 year old would go to a secondary school, while the 10 year old would go to a primary school. Finding decent ones with places available, and near to wherever you choose to live might not be straight forward.

Another thing to consider is how much you really want to move to Spain. It sounds it's more a case of you wanting to leave the UK than wanting to move to Spain in particular. There will be lots of hassles and frustrations along the way, and the language barrier will weigh you down even more unless you are particular keen on learning Spanish and trying to integrate.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

I agree with a lot that has been said already, in particular:

Hating the UK is usually one of the worst motives for moving to Spain. Spain also has very many problems which you will (potentially) hate too (hating things in the sunshine is only marginally better than hating things in the rain).
Your kids will adapt eventually, but all these people who say that kids adapt really quickly are just saying that from an adult's perspective. A 35 year old person who takes a year to adapt thinks that this is quite OK, it is after all only less than 3% of their lifetime to date, but for a ten year old, that year seems like an eternity.
Jobs. You will have to accept that this is a major sacrifice that you are prepared to take for your desired lifestyle. If you want your kids to have a professional future they will have to leave your coastal paradise as soon as they can. What few poorly paid professional jobs there are in Spain are in Madrid, or possibly Barcelona, but as mentioned, most Spaniards are met with the choice of a menial job or leaving Spain entirely.
On the other hand, if you can transfer your business activities across and maintain the income levels, you'll be doing well economically speaking. The best career opportunity for your kids is to work for you.


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## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

My main concern is how the kids would adapt and the ages they are now.

I would learn the language and have no issues living there. I have my own company and I can work remotely anywhere so i'd never be relying on work in Spain anyway. My children could work for me but I don't want to limit their choices so that is why I asked the original question.

I have lots of spare time on my hands in the UK. And nothing to do that excites me. It's not like i'm bored of an evening etc, I could literally work 5 hours a week if i wanted but there's no point as everyone i know is in work and there's nothing else here I'd rather use my time for.

In Spain, i go out exploring, spend a lot more time outdoors. Take my laptop to cafes and work from there etc. Get the kids out more, my boys love the beach and the sea. 

I'd then just travel back to the UK once or twice a month to see friends and have nights out etc. International school sounds like the only option at the moment if things changed and my Wife would be up for it. And yes there is also the possibility of trying it for a year.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

What will your wife do in Spain? I feel that as a young family you need to be able to integrate into the country or else you end up as an isolated unit which will eventually lead to problems. Whilst remote working covers finance I am not sure how much it benefits you in terms of integration. But again, how will your wife fill her days?


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## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

kaipa said:


> What will your wife do in Spain? I feel that as a young family you need to be able to integrate into the country or else you end up as an isolated unit which will eventually lead to problems. Whilst remote working covers finance I am not sure how much it benefits you in terms of integration. But again, how will your wife fill her days?


One of my wifes closest friends lives the area we'd consider moving to. She's lived there for 15 years so I'm sure she'd be helping her integrate.

We spend a few days in Marbella earlier this year and she was already introducing us to all her other friends!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

PDM31 said:


> kaipa said:
> 
> 
> > What will your wife do in Spain? I feel that as a young family you need to be able to integrate into the country or else you end up as an isolated unit which will eventually lead to problems. Whilst remote working covers finance I am not sure how much it benefits you in terms of integration. But again, how will your wife fill her days?
> ...


If you already know people and have friends in the area that will obviously help but doesn't your wife need or want to work?


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## PDM31 (Sep 9, 2020)

kaipa said:


> If you already know people and have friends in the area that will obviously help but doesn't your wife need or want to work?


She's got a good career here in the UK as a management accountant working for the likes of Matalan and government bodies. I doubt she'd want to continue this in Spain nor would she be able to without speaking Spanish.

The children would keep her occupied and she could also work for me if she was bored.

Her friend does personal training in Spain. My wife is also into fitness so she could do that as a sort of hobby/job. We wouldn't exactly need the money with my income.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

PDM31 said:


> kaipa said:
> 
> 
> > If you already know people and have friends in the area that will obviously help but doesn't your wife need or want to work?
> ...


Well , I guess as you say it is more a question of what your wife might want than anything else and it is a very big decision so probably everyone needs to put their cards on the table.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

PDM31 said:


> She's got a good career here in the UK as a management accountant working for the likes of Matalan and government bodies. I doubt she'd want to continue this in Spain nor would she be able to without speaking Spanish.
> 
> The children would keep her occupied and she could also work for me if she was bored.
> 
> Her friend does personal training in Spain. My wife is also into fitness so she could do that as a sort of hobby/job. We wouldn't exactly need the money with my income.


I would be annoyed if OH had that suggestion for me.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Isobella said:


> I would be annoyed if OH had that suggestion for me.


I would suggest he wouldn’t be my OH for long


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## Max Rigger (Aug 2, 2020)

Why can't you get out and do more with the children in the UK? buy a tent, buy a campervan, explore Snowdonia/Brecon Beacons/Lake District/Scotland/Cornwall etc etc. I don't understand how some people think that they will uproot a family to a new country and all of a sudden be spending quality time with their children if they don't do so already in the UK. If you don't do it here you ain't going to do it in Spain after the novelty wears off.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

PDM31 said:


> I have my own company and I can work remotely anywhere.


You may be able to perform the work from anywhere but cannot just do it and say nothing. 

Also after Dec 31st. if are inending to work in Spain - even for your own UK company - you will not be entitled to the same 'Non Lucrative' visa you would if coming without intending to work so there's another can of worms for you to take into account and research.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MataMata said:


> You may be able to perform the work from anywhere but cannot just do it and say nothing.
> 
> Also after Dec 31st. if are inending to work in Spain - even for your own UK company - you will not be entitled to the same 'Non Lucrative' visa you would if coming without intending to work so there's another can of worms for you to take into account and research.


Yes, that. 

Although some consulates issue non-lucrative visas for remote workers, not many do. We have no idea if the Spanish Consulate in the UK will.

Unless they can move here before the end of this year, of course.


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## Glynb (Oct 6, 2016)

Here's a suggestion. Buy a 'holiday home' in the area of Spain you like kitted out with all you need. When you get too depressed with the UK, simply book a cheep flight and come out here for a couple of weeks on your own, work from home, and enjoy the outdoor sunny lifestyle doing your own thing. When the kids are off school you can all use it.

Once the kids are old enough (Uni age) you've the option to move permanently.


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