# Relocating To Spain 2018



## agturner2016 (Aug 6, 2017)

Hello people

Hoping for some help please if you could. 

Next year myself and my family are planning on moving to Southern Spain, not far from the Rock. There will be a job opening in Gib in the industry I work in. The UK is too expensive for us to live in as we live close to London as well with our rent being 1250 a month for a 2 bedroom house.

Our family are young, little boy who will turn 4 next June and a 5 month old baby. So a perfect time IMO to relocate as the transition with schools etc will be ok. 

My wife is a lot more apprehensive than I am despite having friends living in Sotogrande. Her worries are regarding visits to doctors, visits to shops. Which obviously arent English speaking but she is planning on learning Spanish should we move. I speak basic Spanish and probably enough to get by, but am taking lessons already (even if we dont move, its a good skill to possess)

Basically can anyone help me with their ideas/tips/advise on moving to this region and how you found the move/transition. I would like to try and put her mind at ease, almost convince her its the right move. 

Would people recommend the move or shall we nip it in the bud? 

Many thanks for your time
Regards
Adam


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## yesican (Jan 18, 2016)

Hi Adam, 

I can't speak for other people but seeing as we have been staying in Tenerife for over a year now, i will tell you how we ended up here. 

When I met my husband over 14 years ago, all he ever talked about was his wish to move to Tenerife and I was like your wife, originally, I used to say nope, it wasn't for me. I was worried about my work, our child's schooling etc. 

Fast forward to 2016, I took the plunge and agreed that we should move over as a family of two adults and one 12 year old. It has turned out to be the best decision that we ever made. 

Language - We had to learn to speak the Spanish lingo after we moved (daily interaction with Spanish people) plus private tuition. 

Education - We asked ourselves one question, if we moved to the island as children (Our child's age), which school would we enrol in? As she was older and we could afford it, we chose private education. 

Work - I'm very lucky that I brought my work with me. The only rule for me is that I have to fly to UK every 2 month to catch up with my boss besides skyping etc. As for my husband, he still has active businesses in UK. We're lucky financially. 

Medical - We have a private medical insurance for all of us. 

Accommodation - Originally, we wanted to buy as soon as we had arrived (We spent a good amount of time in 2015 flying back and forth in search of a good location, a good property to stay in). I'm so glad that we chose to rent first as it has been an eye opener. We have decided to buy this year instead. 

Overall - IF we ever decided to go back to UK, at least we know that we did try the Spanish life. Right now, we are all so happy and the quality of life is amazing. We still struggle sometimes (We still miss UK in its own way) but so far, we are all happy with the move. Our daughter doesn't want to go back to UK now as she loves it here. 

My advice - IF you really want to live here, give it a try and if you don't like it, go back to UK. One thing for sure, don't sell your UK home just yet and you definitely need an income to live here.

Goodluck..☺


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## agturner2016 (Aug 6, 2017)

Thank you yesican! Pretty much all i wanted to hear! Thank you
Its a big jump admittedly but I believe it would be beneficial for all the family. 
for me, the pro's far outweigh the cons


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## yesican (Jan 18, 2016)

agturner2016 said:


> Thank you yesican! Pretty much all i wanted to hear! Thank you
> Its a big jump admittedly but I believe it would be beneficial for all the family.
> for me, the pro's far outweigh the cons


No worries.. ☺ 

Like I said, everyone's view is different but at the end of the day, the decision is down to you, your wife and your kids. 

You won't know until you try. 

Just PLAN before you move. 

Kindly note - As your kids are so young, it won't hurt to enrol them in a Spanish school (Your choice though). ☺ 

If you have any more questions, please ask away or pm me and I will get back to you ☺.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

If you are working in Gibraltar your whole family will be covered by your social security contributions and will be entitled to free healthcare even if your main residence is in Spain. I have friends in this situation.

*However this may change post Brexit.* Nobody can predict what will happen.

Don't worry about the language issue. There are so many Brits and other English-speaking residents and visitors in that area that it's pretty much become the official second language. I was in a DIY store in Los Barrios yesterday and even the customer announcements were in English!


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## agturner2016 (Aug 6, 2017)

Yeah i did think that regarding schools. Wont be too much of a shock for him. 

And as for planning, I have done nothing but plan already haha! Not that I'm excited or anything!


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## agturner2016 (Aug 6, 2017)

Thank you Alcalaina. That's good, especially for my wife. Is there a large amount of Expats then around the region? 
Are Doctors, on private healthcare or even state healthcare, able to understand English? I know some in England arent able to either actually thinking about it!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

agturner2016 said:


> Thank you Alcalaina. That's good, especially for my wife. Is there a large amount of Expats then around the region?
> Are Doctors, on private healthcare or even state healthcare, able to understand English? I know some in England arent able to either actually thinking about it!


Yes, there are thousands of British immigrants in the region. Many work in Gibraltar, many more have retired to the Costa del Sol. There are also a lot of tourists and holiday home owners, not just from Britain but other Northern European countries who speak English. 

So most Spanish people working in shops, bars, restaurants etc do their best to learn English. It helps them get work in an area of high unemployment.

Most health centres have a translator/interpreter on hand for patients who don't speak Spanish. You may have to pay for this service, it depends where you are.

Of course, that doesn't mean you don't need to bother learning Spanish, just that you can do it in your own time!


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