# Thinking of moving to Mallorca



## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

Hi Everyone,

I'm not sure if I'm in the right section of this website, so please tell me if I'm not!
I'm not yet living in Spain, but am thinking of it and am looking for some advice if anyone has the time..

I live in Glasgow with my husband Juan who is originally from Peru and our two daughters. To cut a long story short, Juan and I met in the States, got married there and moved back to Scotland where I was born to begin our life together and avoid the awful hanging on feeling of visas in the States.

Scotland is great, but doesn't fulfill either of us, especially my husband who misses Latin culture very much. It was always on the cards that the UK wouldn't be our permanent landing spot, but six years on now..we're still here..now with a young family..and we want to find somewhere that suits us both before the kids start school.

We are thinking of Mallorca for the following reasons: it's a short flight to Scotland where my close family is, crime is not the same as it is in Glasgow, the weather looks AHmazing, it has Spanish culture but is also cosmopolitan which would suit me, it just looks beautiful and we're sick of dreary outlook here, it's close to many European countries - we love to travel...I guess these are the same reasons as a lot of people, no big surprises.

You may think I'm mad but neither of us have been to Mallorca although we are trying to visit ASAP. We are both architects. I suppose we are risk takers - this is how we have succeeded so far and we are not put off by the unknown at all. We are just at the start of making things happen - we would love to hear from anyone living in Mallorca who has moved from the UK and any advice they may think is useful.

Gracias,

Lucy


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Hi Lucy, and welcome to the forum.

There have been a couple of threads about Mallorca recently, which you can find using the search function. I don´t think there are any forum regulars who live there but you might find something of interest. It isn´t the cheapest part of Spain, but it has something for everyone.

It looks to me like you have a good positive attitude and will make a go it if/when you move. You are obviously aware of Spain´s dire unemployment situation. As architects, can you continue to work wherever you live?


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## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> Hi Lucy, and welcome to the forum.
> 
> There have been a couple of threads about Mallorca recently, which you can find using the search function. I don´t think there are any forum regulars who live there but you might find something of interest. It isn´t the cheapest part of Spain, but it has something for everyone.
> 
> It looks to me like you have a good positive attitude and will make a go it if/when you move. You are obviously aware of Spain´s dire unemployment situation. As architects, can you continue to work wherever you live?



Thanks Alcalaina - will have a search. We are hoping that by the time we move, in the next 2/3 years, that the economy will have improved. Who knows though, we all hope so.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I do not know the Baleares, but I live in the Canaries.

The best advice I can give you is to thoroughly research your choice of destination, then visit as often as possible and finally rent a property. I rented for five years before purchasing and I ended up living on an island that initially was not my first choice.

Good luck with your decision,

Hepa


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

And check the year round weather . I always thought it had a lot of storms and flooding in some parts????


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Also check whether you can practise as Architects in Spain without having your qualifications homologated . That can take forever.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> And check the year round weather . I always thought it had a lot of storms and flooding in some parts????


I've witnessed some horrendous weather in Mallorca and the locals were quite blasé about it as, according to them it's always like that in the winter

Jo xxx


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

Lucy Brown said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I'm not sure if I'm in the right section of this website, so please tell me if I'm not!
> I'm not yet living in Spain, but am thinking of it and am looking for some advice if anyone has the time..
> ...


Lucy,
As you are architechts I'm guessing that this is the profession that you are both hoping to stick to when you move to Spain. Equally so I'm guessing that you will be looking at going down the self-employed/freelance route ?
- As Gus-Lopez says, the key to being able to work here (on top of the correct permits for your husband) starts with getting your qualifications validated or recognised here in Spain.
There isn't any one particular Agency that does this for your profession, but the Agency for the broader field of Engineering in General may be a good starting point - Contact details below :

Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia
Subdirección General de Títulos, Homologaciones y Convalidaciones
Paseo del Prado, 28
E-28014 Madrid
Tel: +34.1.420.16.93 and +34.91.701.85.00
E-mail: informació[email protected]
Fax: +34.1.420.33.25


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## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

djfwells said:


> Lucy,
> As you are architechts I'm guessing that this is the profession that you are both hoping to stick to when you move to Spain. Equally so I'm guessing that you will be looking at going down the self-employed/freelance route ?
> - As Gus-Lopez says, the key to being able to work here (on top of the correct permits for your husband) starts with getting your qualifications validated or recognised here in Spain.
> There isn't any one particular Agency that does this for your profession, but the Agency for the broader field of Engineering in General may be a good starting point - Contact details below :
> ...



Yes - I think we would stick to our trade if we can. I'm RIBA registered and I know this carries in Spain. However will probably need to fill out a million forms, as I have to in my own country! Thanks for your reply.


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

Lucy Brown said:


> Yes - I think we would stick to our trade if we can. I'm RIBA registered and I know this carries in Spain. However will probably need to fill out a million forms, as I have to in my own country! Thanks for your reply.


- Well if you need to fill in a million forms in your own country, you'd better be prepared for at least a few hundred more in Spain. The beaurocracy over here is in love with paperwork and has probobaly contributed to deforestisation more than any other country.
If your qualification is recognised in Spain then it may make things easier, but don't confuse that with meaning that it will also make the process quicker. This should be one of the very first things that you do to make sure that there is no hold up when you get here.
The next thing should be for your husband to look into his situation with a working residents visa, being a non-EU Citizen.
Finally, you should give some thought to how you will be classifying your business for Tax purposes ( IE Sole-Trader, Limited company etc...)


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## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

My husband is now a UK citizen, so thankfully we are at the end of waiting for visa applications to be decided..Thanks for the advice, our plan is to move in a couple of years, maybe longer as by the sounds of things it takes time to complete the whole transition of moving to Spain.


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

A UK Citizens, moving here is very simple so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Making a living over here is something totally different....


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## greenteen (Dec 6, 2010)

Hi Lucy
My family and I have just returned to the UK after 3 years in Mallorca. Its a lovely place and you will find the transition easier as your Husband speaks Spanish fluently. But I would say its not all rosy as like anywhere Mallorca has its problems. Yes you do feel safe there as when there is an event on in the towns and villages whole families attend until the wee hours, even the oldies which is not something you see much of here. Whilst we were there we read reports of South American gang clashes in Palma and there are the usual drug problems too. Every expat with children is concerned with the schooling and there is the whole issue of being taught in Catalan rather than Spanish, which is of course not a problem if you plan to stay in Catalonia. I had friends whose children were at secondary schools and they were concerned with drugs as children of 12 were participating, but that is the case here too. 
As far as the weather is concerned we were given a bumper pack of candles by our landlord when we moved in "for the storms" and sure enough 3 weeks later we had a humdinger - some say it was a tornado as so many trees came down along a route from the south to Santa Maria. All I know is it was very scary and all the electricity went off. We had other storms where the power went, but nowhere near as bad as that first one. It is damp in the winter as humidity is high, but you do get lovely balmy days in December too. Of course the summers are HOT !
As others have rightly said the economy and work is dire at the moment and one of the contributing factors to our return to the UK, all businesses are suffering there and although (expats especially, I found) like to look on the bright side and say they are getting by, speak to a Mallorquin and they will tell you it is terrible.
Things will change I'm sure and take a look at The Daily Bulletin on line or possibly El Ultima Hora (not sure if its online) but they are the local newspapers and will keep you updated.
Good luck and if I can help you with any more info, I will


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## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

greenteen said:


> Hi Lucy
> My family and I have just returned to the UK after 3 years in Mallorca. Its a lovely place and you will find the transition easier as your Husband speaks Spanish fluently. But I would say its not all rosy as like anywhere Mallorca has its problems. Yes you do feel safe there as when there is an event on in the towns and villages whole families attend until the wee hours, even the oldies which is not something you see much of here. Whilst we were there we read reports of South American gang clashes in Palma and there are the usual drug problems too. Every expat with children is concerned with the schooling and there is the whole issue of being taught in Catalan rather than Spanish, which is of course not a problem if you plan to stay in Catalonia. I had friends whose children were at secondary schools and they were concerned with drugs as children of 12 were participating, but that is the case here too.
> As far as the weather is concerned we were given a bumper pack of candles by our landlord when we moved in "for the storms" and sure enough 3 weeks later we had a humdinger - some say it was a tornado as so many trees came down along a route from the south to Santa Maria. All I know is it was very scary and all the electricity went off. We had other storms where the power went, but nowhere near as bad as that first one. It is damp in the winter as humidity is high, but you do get lovely balmy days in December too. Of course the summers are HOT !
> As others have rightly said the economy and work is dire at the moment and one of the contributing factors to our return to the UK, all businesses are suffering there and although (expats especially, I found) like to look on the bright side and say they are getting by, speak to a Mallorquin and they will tell you it is terrible.
> ...



Hi - thanks for your honest reply, it's definitely very helpful to hear the disadvantages of living in Mallorca from someone with your experience and I appreciate the response.

We are at the very early stages of considering moving abroad and we want to plan things carefully before taking the leap. I hope you don't mind me asking you a few more things, I have a lot of questions on my mind...

How long did it take you to prepare to move? We have a flat here in Scotland that we would need to renovate and sell to enable us to move. That in itself will probably take us a couple of years. Our goal is to move before our twins girls start school - they are 2 this year - what age to kids start school over there? 
I didn't realise all schools teach in Catalan - is Catalan spoken there more than Spanish? If it's a mixture then I'm not sure if it would be an issue for us as my husband speaks Spanish and I am learning, so hopefully our girls may learn both. 

We are both architects - I guess in the good old days the combination of our profession and speaking both languages may have had potential with the amount of expats on the island. Did you ever meet anyone over there that had a building project? It would be interesting to know how expats found renovating/building in a Spanish speaking country. Ideally, we could continue as architects and assist English speakers - I also studied and worked in Germany as an architect so have a good grip of German and I know that there are a lot of Germans on the island by the looks of there own 'Mallorca Forum' and TV channels??!

What was daily life like where you stayed? We are trying to be realistic and I think we realise that moving to somewhere like Mallorca is not 'The Answer' and we will still have to work, pay the bills and do the laundry like we would in the UK. However - it's more to do with the overall quality of life which does not completely fulfill us here in Scotland.

Would be great to hear back from you - thanks again.

Lucy


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

My daughter is 3 year and has just finished her first term at 'big school'. Although, she had the advantage in being born here in Spain, and attending a local Spanish nursery since being 6 months old she has learned the English, Castilian and Valencian languages equally. 2 to 3 years old is by no means too young to start learning a second or third language - the younger the better, but on the other side of the coin I have relatives who have moved to Spain with an 11 year old who has adapted very well.


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## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

Wow that's fantastic - amazing how they can absorb all those languages at such a young age


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

Lucy Brown said:


> Wow that's fantastic - amazing how they can absorb all those languages at such a young age


Thanks,

although it seems that I wandered off the point I was going to make.
- In our part of Spain (and many others, I believe) childeren start school during their between the age of 2 - 3 : ie. The term starts at the begining of September and the children who were born from Jan1st - Dec 31st of that same year can choose to start (the first 2 years of school are optional in Spain, but almost everybody chooses for their kids to start at this age).
- In other words, if you are hoping to put your kids in Spanish state school from the begining of their education you need to get cracking. I believe that the date for enrolling in most areas is around May time.


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## greenteen (Dec 6, 2010)

Hello Lucy
I am glad you found my reply useful and I will try to answer your questions. We actually lived somewhere else in Spain before moving to Mallorca, but both times we moved we went on a visit to look around and make preparations, as there are some things you find hard to do unless you are there. In our first location we had already bought a house so we had all our papers in place for that purchase - which include registering for an NIE number (a bit like an identity number or National Insurance number), which you need to do anything including registration at a local school. I think (but maybe someone else can confirm this) you have to have an address in order to get and NIE and you also need an address before you can register at a school. When we moved to Mallorca we did the same sort of informative trip before moving, just to look at houses to rent and was lucky enough to find somewhere that had just become available for 3 months later when we wanted to move (some places ask for 2 or 3 months deposit). When we first moved our daughter was 3 and so started school soon after. It was a good time as she started at the beginning with all the local children, so learnt all her basics in the language with them. In Mallorca they are very nationalistic and keen to keep their Catalan identity and traditions - which of course is part of the charm of the place - but this also means that the local schools are taught in Catalan and in the villages this can be Mallorquin (a local dialect), with Spanish being taught almost as a foreign language for 1 hour a week, as is English, but this doesn't happen until Primary. It is a big dilemma as I said before its fine if you are happy to stay in Catalonia, but some parents perhaps would like their children to go to college in Madrid. A lot of expat children end up back in the UK for their higher education. Sorry this sounds a bit grim, but I think all parents worry about it. Some expats go down the International School route, but again this has its drawbacks as parents worry their children don't learn enough Spanish and find it hard to integrate with the local children as they are taught in English and have Spanish classes every day, but Catalan only once a week - also its a big financial commitment. I have to say though we only spoke Spanish we managed to communicate as its widely spoken in Palma and by older people, the young speak Catalan.
I will have to continue later, but I can answer your other questions too. I think a good website for you to look at would be mallorcasolutions.com as they can help with all the paperwork - you can do it all yourselves of course and as your husband speaks Spanish it should not be too difficult, but their website will identify what you will need to sort out.


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## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

Thanks - that's a young age to start school! Don't think we'd move before our girls are 4/5 - so we'll have to be a bit late...


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## Lucy Brown (Dec 16, 2010)

I wouldn't want to limit my children to only Catalan - and I wouldn't want them to go to an International School - it is a dilemma. If my kids wanted to study on the mainland it sounds like it would be an issue for them. Thanks again, appreciate your view.


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