# Young, engaged, want Spain



## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

Hi ladies and gents,
Me and my fiance would like to move to Spain in the future.
Our situation:
Ages: 21
Location: Yorkshire
Wanted location: North Spain

Why we want to move?
We both prefer the culture and lifestyle. My fiance is Italian and as we know Italian and Spanish cultures are 95% the same due to there Latin heritage. So she will have no problem fitting in.
Personally I see Spain as a much better place for starting a family than in UK. Plus the bonus of warmer weather (I hate coldness), more relaxed lifestyle etc.

What can we bring to Spain?
My fiance is fully qualified in Beauty Therapy but would love to teach English, a Spanish friend and cousin told me English is in high demand in Spain.
I am currently studying business and accounting which I will be fully qualified in the AAT in 2 years. After doing a quick search for accounting jobs in Spain I found alot of them and which required, fluent Spanish and English with UK accounting qualifications.

What we are looking for
North of Spain where its not too hot and closer to our homeland.
Easy access to airports
Must have businesses in the area that require accountants
A typical Spanish house with a bonus of fruit treas in the garden. The house must be semi or fully detached with room to breathe from neighbours.
The town/city needs to be friendly, Spanish and have life (I mean things happen, its not boring every day but not necessarily a big city)

We do not currently know the language however I know a Spanish teacher and my cousin who lives in the south of Spain teaches English there. So it will be no problem to learn it by the time we decide to move.

Thanks for any advice, let me know if I missed anything!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Civic89 said:


> Hi ladies and gents,
> Me and my fiance would like to move to Spain in the future.
> Our situation:
> Ages: 21
> ...


There isnt much work in Spain and the unemployment here is the worst in Europe, but if you know someone who can get you work then thats the route to take. Altho if you have any sort of employment where you are now, its probably not a good idea to give it up in this economic climate

However, I think firstly you should come over and visit the areas in which you plan to settle and see what employment, climate, lifestyle, properties are like and take it from there

jo xxxx


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

As a fellow Yorkshireman I can appreciate the appeal of Spain.
- You seem to have a sensible head on your shoulders, and the only thing I would really add (which basically repeats what Jojo has said) is to come to Spain for a few investigatory weekend breaks to make sure that you have found the area that you wish to be in. Spain does have it's cold periods - like right now, I had to de-ice the car this morning and my water pipes are still frozen at 11.50 - so you need to be prepared for seasonal weather.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Me too I am from the Broad Acres, I now live in the most southerly part of Spanish Territory, El Hierro. However I have visited Asturias in northern Spain an it is SOOOOO beautiful!!

I would suggest you check the weather forecasts and perhaps visit in the winter, my friend is working in the city of Leon at the moment and last week it went down to minus 11ºC.

You mention being close to your homeland. When you move to Spain and live here surely this will be your homeland, Yorkshire will just be the place where you were born.

Wish you well with your plans, keep firing the questions,

Hepa


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks for the quick replies.

Yes I understand we will need to explore and trial actual life in Spain rather than holidays.

As for employment, hopefully Spain will recover in the next few years when we start to get serious about this but from the demand of English teachers and amount of accountacy jobs available im sure we could be used over there somewhere.

Defrosting a car in Spain lol, not something heard of often, however with weeks on end defrosting my car over here im sure we can handle it.

Thanks for the heads up on Asturias I will check it out.

From what I have wrote are our expectations realistic from your experienced point of views?

Thanks again all.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Civic89 said:


> Thanks for the quick replies.
> 
> Yes I understand we will need to explore and trial actual life in Spain rather than holidays.
> 
> As for employment, hopefully Spain will recover in the next few years when we start to get serious about this but from the demand of English teachers and amount of accountacy jobs available im sure we could be used over there somewhere.


In the future they maybe a demand for english teachers, but I dont think there is at the moment - its more the other way round, Lots of english teachers desperate for work! Accountancy isnt something I know anything about, but I assume that you are trained in the "spanish" system.

apart from that, yes visits and fact finding are the way to go 

Jo xxxx


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

jojo said:


> In the future they maybe a demand for english teachers, but I dont think there is at the moment - its more the other way round, Lots of english teachers desperate for work! Accountancy isnt something I know anything about, but I assume that you are trained in the "spanish" system.
> 
> apart from that, yes visits and fact finding are the way to go
> 
> Jo xxxx


Ok thanks for the tips.
Im not trained in the Spanish system but looking at job posts in Spain, they actually require the same as here, including our UK qualifications and software knowledge which is great! Just need to learn the language


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

If you can eventually get work, you go for it. I am retired here in the Canaries, it is a fantastic life.

The only downside at the moment is the job prospects, but that is almost the same all over Europe and as always it will pick up,

Hepa


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

I know nothing about accountancy, but it 'could' be the case that the qualification you receive is not recognised here in Spain. (Note I say 'could'). If this turns out to be the case then you may wish to look into getting it validated with the appropriate authorities in Spain, in order to streamline the whole process of being able to find work quickly.
PM me if you want the details of the government agency here in Spain who take responsibility for that.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

djfwells said:


> I know nothing about accountancy, but it 'could' be the case that the qualification you receive is not recognised here in Spain. (Note I say 'could'). If this turns out to be the case then you may wish to look into getting it validated with the appropriate authorities in Spain, in order to streamline the whole process of being able to find work quickly.
> PM me if you want the details of the government agency here in Spain who take responsibility for that.


can you not post the info or a link?

it could be useful to other forum members


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> can you not post the info or a link?
> 
> it could be useful to other forum members


Ok, wasn't sure if his qualification need validating or not yet.

His first point of contact should be NARIC, which is basically an organisation that helps those moving to another country validate and cross-reference any qualifications they may have obtained in their own country, to the system of their new country.
As far as Spain is concerned the contact is as below :

M. Isabel Barrios, NARIC España / Spanish NARIC.
Ministerio de Educación, SG de Titulos y Reconocimiento de Cualificaciones, Paseo del Prado, 28-28014 Madrid, Spain.
Phone: +34 91 506 5593 
Fax: +34 91 506 5706
[email protected]
Portada > Universidades > Educación superior universitaria > Títulos > Homologación de títulos - Ministerio de Educación


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

djfwells said:


> I know nothing about accountancy, but it 'could' be the case that the qualification you receive is not recognised here in Spain. (Note I say 'could'). If this turns out to be the case then you may wish to look into getting it validated with the appropriate authorities in Spain, in order to streamline the whole process of being able to find work quickly.
> PM me if you want the details of the government agency here in Spain who take responsibility for that.


Thanks for the info djfwells, but the UK accountancy qualifications - AAT, CIMA, ACCA are all international and I've seen Spanish job posts asking for these (and english software experience) so I should be covered there.

Still if anybody has advice on an area to suit in the North of Spain that would be great!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

djfwells said:


> Ok, wasn't sure if his qualification need validating or not yet.
> 
> His first point of contact should be NARIC, which is basically an organisation that helps those moving to another country validate and cross-reference any qualifications they may have obtained in their own country, to the system of their new country.
> As far as Spain is concerned the contact is as below :
> ...


I'm sure it will be useful to other people - thanks


I'll copy this to the useful links thread


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Why the North? Its not a long haul flight from anywhere in Spain.


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

bob_bob said:


> Why the North? Its not a long haul flight from anywhere in Spain.


A few reasons really
Weather isnt too hot
Comfort of knowing we're nearer to UK (for family)
Being close to France means easy access to drive to the rest of Europe, especially Italy where the rest of the fiances family are.

I would of though the Spain/France border regions would be pretty good for industry and jobs (barring the current climate)?


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

Civic89 said:


> A few reasons really
> Weather isnt too hot
> Comfort of knowing we're nearer to UK (for family)
> Being close to France means easy access to drive to the rest of Europe, especially Italy where the rest of the fiances family are.
> ...


All valid reasons, but anyone who has lived here for a while will be able to tell you...

1) After the first year, you travel back to the UK less and less ( From maybe 4 times in my first year here, I now haven't been back in 18 months ) this becomes less of an issue
2) There are (probobly) more airports and flights and airlines flying into the areas away from the Northern Coast of Spain, which means greater choice of flights for you at more competetive prices. You could find yourself driving for a greater time to reach an airport near to you in the North, than the extra flying time from another airport in the South (in other words the 'door to door' time may be more just by living in the North)

3) You can still fly directly to many places in Italy quite cheaply, or even get a Ferry from Spain, Driving isn't the only consideration.

4) Take your point on there being more chances of work in the Industrial North though.


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

djfwells said:


> All valid reasons, but anyone who has lived here for a while will be able to tell you...
> 
> 1) After the first year, you travel back to the UK less and less ( From maybe 4 times in my first year here, I now haven't been back in 18 months ) this becomes less of an issue
> 2) There are (probobly) more airports and flights and airlines flying into the areas away from the Northern Coast of Spain, which means greater choice of flights for you at more competetive prices. You could find yourself driving for a greater time to reach an airport near to you in the North, than the extra flying time from another airport in the South (in other words the 'door to door' time may be more just by living in the North)
> ...


Good points here.

Maybe I'll do some research on mid to north regions of Spain then.
But with us being young we want our family to see our children when we have them. Which will mean frequent trips back to UK for many years.
It's more of a strategic decision to have children after we settle in Spain rather than in the UK then move over.

But yes anyway ill look into other areas and ask advice after im done, thanks.


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

Civic89 said:


> Good points here.
> 
> Maybe I'll do some research on mid to north regions of Spain then.
> But with us being young we want our family to see our children when we have them. Which will mean frequent trips back to UK for many years.
> ...


When me & my girlfriend moved from the Costa del West Yorkshire 7 years ago and Baby wasn't on the menu. Now we have a 4 year old daughter. Planning and research is good, butr don't plan too much or it makes you less able to change and adapt. What seems like a good idea now may turn out to be a silly idea later down the line. Trust me on that, I'm an expert on messing up and making mistakes but not much else.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

My advice is simple: get a secure and serious job offer BEFORE you move.
Spain has 20%plus unemployment as I'm sure you will know.
In some areas it's even higher. Four million Spaniards are in the queue in front of you!
I don't think the economic situation will improve within five years...but who knows?


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

djfwells said:


> When me & my girlfriend moved from the Costa del West Yorkshire 7 years ago and Baby wasn't on the menu. Now we have a 4 year old daughter. Planning and research is good, butr don't plan too much or it makes you less able to change and adapt. What seems like a good idea now may turn out to be a silly idea later down the line. Trust me on that, I'm an expert on messing up and making mistakes but not much else.


Costa del West Yorkshire  I like it.
Ok ill heed these wise words. 

Just looked at valencia properties, fantastic value for money, beautiful properties with fruit trees and a pool for under 220'000 Euros.
Whats business like in Valencia for the next few years? 

mrypg9 yes ill definately secure a job before we come over but its not for a few years yet.


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

Civic89 said:


> Costa del West Yorkshire  I like it.
> Ok ill heed these wise words.
> 
> Just looked at valencia properties, fantastic value for money, beautiful properties with fruit trees and a pool for under 220'000 Euros.
> ...


Trust me on this one, at this moment in time IF you had a budget of 220k you could have your pick of a lot of (inland) properties in the Valencia Region - I live there myself. The questions are :
- WHAT areas of Valencia (or anywhere else for that matter) are you looking at ?
- WHAT kind of property ( Apartment, Townhouse, Villa, Finca...) are you thinking of ?
- WHAT will the property market AND exchange rate be doing when you are finally in a position to move ?

..too early for you to answer those questions at this stage.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Civic89 said:


> Defrosting a car in Spain lol, not something heard of often, however with weeks on end defrosting my car over here im sure we can handle it.
> 
> .


Believe me, sub-zero temperatures in the UK with your cosy centrally-heated houses is a TOTALLY different experience from a cold snap in southern Spain, where the houses are built for the hot weather and not insulated. It catches everyone out, without fail!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Another area is Cataluña. I haven't seen much but the little I have impressed me especially the city of Barcelona,

Hepa


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## Guest (Feb 2, 2011)

Civic89 said:


> Thanks for the info djfwells, but the UK accountancy qualifications - AAT, CIMA, ACCA are all international and I've seen Spanish job posts asking for these (and english software experience) so I should be covered there.
> 
> Still if anybody has advice on an area to suit in the North of Spain that would be great!


I thought my Canadian university degree was international until I came here. In March, I'll be taking the Certificate of Proficiency in English in order to certify the fact that I speak english real good.  Being a native isn't enough in the field of work I want to go into. 

I'm up here in the north. You need to learn Spanish before you come here, and speak it well. It's not like down Alicante way. Regarding the cold, I've got wool socks on right now and my toes are still quite cold! Don't forget the rain which makes the green north so green. 

Life here is neat, but there's a LOT of crud too. Heck, life is life no matter where you are in the world. I too am quite young, and we're having a tough time finding our feet. Pay is low, mortgages are high. The frickin' Peugeot just broke AGAIN. Make sure to do you cost of life calculations, taking into account the variations between cities and regions in the north. (Eg. A beer in Galicia with a tapa and pincho is 1 euro. You'll have a tough time finding that here in the Bilbao metro area for under 3. And that's not the only thing.) 

Best of luck.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

halydia said:


> (Eg. A beer in Galicia with a tapa and pincho is 1 euro. You'll have a tough time finding that here in the Bilbao metro area for under 3. And that's not the only thing.)
> 
> Best of luck.


One Euro!!!!!!!

I'm on my way:clap2:

Hepa


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Civic89;452023.
mrypg9 yes ill definately secure a job before we come over but its not for a few years yet.[/QUOTE said:


> Hopefully things will have improved by then.
> If your Spanish is reasonably fluent by then, with your qualifications, you should be able to get a good post especially in a larger city.
> But at the present time the situation is , unfortunately, not good.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Civic89 said:


> Why we want to move?
> We both prefer the culture and lifestyle. My fiance is Italian and as we know Italian and Spanish cultures are 95% the same due to there Latin heritage. So she will have no problem fitting in.


Just to be pedantic - Northern Spain doesn´t have a Latin heritage. The ethnic origins of the northern provinces are Celtic, Germanic, Basque and Catalan. I don´t think Spain and Italy are culturally similar. Has anyone here lived in both countries?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

You're young, you're educated and you're enthusiastic so that's not a bad start, is it?
And you're asking questions and trying to get info, which is really important. And you do need to be more informed because there's a lot to find out about.
Spain is a huge country and the people, the economics, the weather etc, etc vary a lot.
Last week and this week I've had to scrape ice off my car 5 out of 10 days, and once I had to get the snow off! In the north they talk about the weather being "English". Well it's certainly different to to Málaga, but on the whole I find it sunnier and not as cold as the UK in Bilbao where my in laws live. Oh and there have been floods in parts of Andalucia this winter and most recently in the Canary Islands.
Lots of fish in both the north and south, but different types.
Desert areas in the south where the spaghetti westerns of the '70's were shot (think Clint Eastwood a lot younger) Lush green grass in the north 
Etc etc. You'll have to come over and travel around or just take a chance, but don't forget that places can change totally in summer and winter.
With regard to your qualifications, I'm surprised they are asking for those qualifications here. Don't the systems vary???
And Italy and Spain probably share some things, more than the UK and Italy, but again depending on the regions that you're comparing of both countries.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> .
> Desert areas in the south where the spaghetti westerns of the '70's were shot (think Clint Eastwood a lot younger).


We had a film studio in our village until about five years ago. It now stands empty.
Really weird.....a film studio in a village where donkeys roam.


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## yo_soy (Feb 18, 2010)

Hepa said:


> Another area is Cataluña. I haven't seen much but the little I have impressed me especially the city of Barcelona,
> 
> Hepa


Quick word of advice for anyone who's considering Cataluña: if you want to find work anywhere outside of Barcelona, it's imperative you know Catalan. You can get away with using Castellano day-to-day in shops, bars, buying train tickets etc. - your life won't suffer, but I sincerely doubt you'd find gainful employment without it.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

yo_soy said:


> Quick word of advice for anyone who's considering Cataluña: if you want to find work anywhere outside of Barcelona, it's imperative you know Catalan. You can get away with using Castellano day-to-day in shops, bars, buying train tickets etc. - your life won't suffer, but I sincerely doubt you'd find gainful employment without it.


True.


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

All the advice is appreciated everyone!

Basically the info im getting tells me:
Spain has big variences in its regions so I need to research a suitable one.
It can be very cold in winter due to houses being made to suit hot weather.
Plus the basics of learning the language and secure a job.

My advice to person with Peugeot that brakes down in winter, if you want a reliable car in all weathers, Honda can make all your worries go away 

Alcalaina, yes Spain has different heritages but Latin is by far the dominant even in the north, thats why their colonies are called Latin America.

Romans were the official Latin people who settled in Spain.

I've been to both countries and know Spanish and Italians here in UK they are so alike, the only major difference is a few of their dishes and Italians are generally more materialistic and snobby (Fiances family agrees )

But yes due to the many invasions of each country they will have some differences in their modern culture.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Civic89 said:


> All the advice is appreciated everyone!
> 
> Basically the info im getting tells me:
> Spain has big variences in its regions so I need to research a suitable one.
> ...


Well, the Moors were here for twice as long as the Romans, so does that mean Spain has an Arabic culture? There are many, many Arabic words in the Spanish language, just as there are many words with Latin roots.

Spain is a wonderful mixture of many cultures and customs and although I don't like cultural stereotypes, I suspect your fiancee's famly's observations might be right!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Civic89 said:


> All the advice is appreciated everyone!
> 
> Basically the info im getting tells me:
> Spain has big variences in its regions so I need to research a suitable one.
> ...


I think that's more or less the pointers you've been given up to now.

There's lots of info and advice on the forum about leaning Spanish.

This is a good one to start with
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...iving-spain/39430-my-spanish-lessons-lol.html

Then there's this one about getting a job
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...1186-maximising-your-job-prospects-spain.html

This link was originally given by halydia and is an excellent place to look for Spanish language schools
Aprender español en España. Base de datos del Instituto Cervantes donde se puede encontrar escuelas y cursos de español en España

And this thread is full of people's opinions about emigrating to Spain
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...g-spain/56434-do-you-want-emigrate-spain.html

Hope you like reading!


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Well, the Moors were here for twice as long as the Romans, so does that mean Spain has an Arabic culture? There are many, many Arabic words in the Spanish language, just as there are many words with Latin roots.
> 
> Spain is a wonderful mixture of many cultures and customs and although I don't like cultural stereotypes, I suspect your fiancee's famly's observations might be right!


Haha yes, I used to wonder why Spanish language has almost the same words as Italian but they pronounce alot of them with a "hhu" sore throat sound, must be the arab part of the culture.


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## Civic89 (Feb 2, 2011)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I think that's more or less the pointers you've been given up to now.
> 
> There's lots of info and advice on the forum about leaning Spanish.
> 
> ...


Excellent thanks for that Wesky.


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