# Help Needed



## ScottC

Iv come to those crossroads in life n its time for a move.... instead of just moving to another hell hole in britian iv decided to join my mother in Spain. My only worry is she lives in the middle of no where (Castalla International inland from Alicante)... i see this as i right challenege to find work and to get out n about by myself and was looking for some guidence or just pointing in the right direction...... i dont drive as yet and i dont speak much spanish (only how to ask for gin!) but im a fast learner so they wont stand in my way. i have the base its the rest im stuggling with.


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## jojo

ScottC said:


> Iv come to those crossroads in life n its time for a move.... instead of just moving to another hell hole in britian iv decided to join my mother in Spain. My only worry is she lives in the middle of no where (Castalla International inland from Alicante)... i see this as i right challenege to find work and to get out n about by myself and was looking for some guidence or just pointing in the right direction...... i dont drive as yet and i dont speak much spanish (only how to ask for gin!) but im a fast learner so they wont stand in my way. i have the base its the rest im stuggling with.


Hi Scott, well if you´ve got nothing to lose and a stable base to come out to then give it a shot! I really dont hold out hope of you getting any employment at all, if only cos there isnt any out here. 17% unemployment and rising fast. But if you dont try you wont know!

Maybe give yourself a time frame and see how it goes, as long as your mother doesnt mind !!!??

Jo xxx


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## ScottC

damn world recessions!


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## jojo

ScottC said:


> damn world recessions!


Tell me about it! Damn exchange rate too. My husband has to work in the UK cos theres nothing here and so we´re paid in sterling which isnt going very far anymore!!! 

I still think you should maybe give it a go tho, even if you just have an extended holiday. your mum may know people around that could give you something??? but in anycase I´m sure would be pleased to see you ???????


jo xxxx


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## ScottC

well yeah she would be i think meant to be there now on holiday but couldnt afford it or the time off work... n now my jobs on the line may as well just do one. Castalla International is a new development full of Expats and i knew a few from last yrs holiday that had there own businesses so there are possiblitys i hope. just waiting on a reply from my mother now to say if i can come over for a while or not. told her she left me when i was 15 to live in spain now i want those couple of year back for her to look after me hehe.


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## jojo

ScottC said:


> well yeah she would be i think meant to be there now on holiday but couldnt afford it or the time off work... n now my jobs on the line may as well just do one. Castalla International is a new development full of Expats and i knew a few from last yrs holiday that had there own businesses so there are possiblitys i hope. just waiting on a reply from my mother now to say if i can come over for a while or not. told her she left mr when i was 15 to live in spain now i want those couple of year back for her to look after me hehe.


I bet she´ll be thrilled to see you then lol!!! I'm sure she´ll know people out there who can help you from what you´ve said and I bet after a week or so of waiting on you hand and foot, she´ll go out of her way to get you some work!!

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall

Castalla International?!?!?!? 

They closed Guantánamo Bay and left Castalla International open - must have been a tough choice! I don't want to worry you but have you ever been? I interviewed the mayor Castalla a couple of years ago and as a special treat he got a couple of the local police to drive me around the urbanisation? What a place!! 

Whoever designed, built and promoted it deserves to be sentenced to life imprisonment there. 

Without transport I would have thought that your chance of employment is pretty much zero but as I always say you only need one lucky break! 

(I am tempted to say...."....and that would be that someone gives you a one-way bus ticket out" Only when I went there were no buses! Tragedy is that Castalla itself 5/6 kms away is quite a pleasant little Spanish town) 

If you want me to be less blunt please feel free to PM me.


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## jojo

SteveHall said:


> Castalla International?!?!?!?
> 
> They closed Guantánamo Bay and left Castalla International open - must have been a tough choice! I don't want to worry you but have you ever been? I interviewed the mayor Castalla a couple of years ago and as a special treat he got a couple of the local police to drive me around the urbanisation? What a place!!
> 
> Whoever designed, built and promoted it deserves to be sentenced to life imprisonment there.
> 
> Without transport I would have thought that your chance of employment is pretty much zero but as I always say you only need one lucky break!
> 
> (I am tempted to say...."....and that would be that someone gives you a one-way bus ticket out" Only when I went there were no buses! Tragedy is that Castalla itself 5/6 kms away is quite a pleasant little Spanish town)
> 
> If you want me to be less blunt please feel free to PM me.


There are several ways of looking at it tho. And a young lad, who´s gonna be staying with his mum may well find something and get by, he should at least give it a try, cos now´s the time before he has commitments and ties to stop him!!

Jo xxxxx


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## jkchawner

SteveHall said:


> Castalla International?!?!?!?
> 
> They closed Guantánamo Bay and left Castalla International open - must have been a tough choice! I don't want to worry you but have you ever been? I interviewed the mayor Castalla a couple of years ago and as a special treat he got a couple of the local police to drive me around the urbanisation? What a place!!
> 
> Whoever designed, built and promoted it deserves to be sentenced to life imprisonment there.
> 
> Without transport I would have thought that your chance of employment is pretty much zero but as I always say you only need one lucky break!
> 
> (I am tempted to say...."....and that would be that someone gives you a one-way bus ticket out" Only when I went there were no buses! Tragedy is that Castalla itself 5/6 kms away is quite a pleasant little Spanish town)
> 
> If you want me to be less blunt please feel free to PM me.


steve i no you are a very clever man thats a 100% sure bet but your so negative why ? when i went in to business by myself my no bank would touch me with a barge pole no investor no one wanted to no at all. i done it the hard way. as im sure you have as well reading your previous posts etc.
you can work your way to sucsess very easy even in the situation the world is in now. im not having a go at you but it pi%%$s me off sometimes.
the forum is dieing big time hands up im still a newbe to it granted.
and even more hands up i pi%% people off sometimes for having a laugh and being a pratt (HANDS UP TO THAT TO).
and hey all the support you lot on here gave me when i was ill was more than you would imagine poss etc from people i did not even no in real life just internet chat etc
but there really is to much negative people on here to say the least.
and i think your poss the worst i have come across for a long time.
anywonder the forum is dieing a death quickly ?
you must have been bit a few times in life that does come across very strong. but for every newbee who comes on here i would say out of ten your putting 9 off why ? spain has got it bad granted. my tax bill alone was more than most people earn in a year. i still want to come to spain and will why because i have never let defeat stand in my way and will always make a good situation out of a bad one.
thats through being someone who never lie's down and gives in.
i read with some shall we say been there and done it bit about your past experiances in life. GOD YOU HAD IT EASY COMPARED WITH ME. and im not joking really. i will relocate to spain no matter how bad things are and no one on here is going to dampen that flame.
for gods sake give people a chance.
dont shoot everyone down in flames all the time. its killing the forum i love and breath now. this forum has learnt me so much about spain and many others who log in. i was a guest for a long time before i joined it. if u dont like what im saying fair enough but seriously its people like yourself who are killing it. yes you are stateing facts. and yes you are very aware of spains current situation and unemployment etc. but if we all thought like you then god help us. sorry but why are u in spain ? we all have are dreams and ambitions and im sure you had all this crap drilled in to you but your not doing so bad are you steve by the sound of it. others arent going to follow the path to spain with your shall we say very one way no matter what your situation remarks


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## SteveHall

Shawn, I have just come in from the hospital. I have been joking about Man Flu for a few days. Sadly I find it's more than that and after a session on an oxygen mask I don't really fancy responding but you raised some points that deserve a response. 


Life has been good to me - apart from some health issues- I have had everything I could possibly want. I wake up every morning and thank my lucky stars that I am not a Man City fan! I am an eternal optimistic person but you have to be realistic and as I ALWAYS say "You only need one piece of luck". I hope the OP gets it. 

Re Castalla Internacional: 

I was interviewing the mayor to try to get a balanced view of the urbanisation. The first stories out from the first people who moved in were grim. Constant problems with no water, electricity etc, crime was off the richter scale, questions about the legality of many of the properties etc etc. There was no public transport and there were horror stories of elderly pensioners/ widows/widowers being sold their "dream homes". They had no access to any services, there was no public transport etc etc The commercial centre was about as real as their four south facing views and Masters standard golf course.

If you have never been to Castalla Internacional you have not seen the absolute worst of "Spain". It is placed on a bleak mountainside in the middle of nowhere. When I went there was one bar open on the first roundabout at the top of the hill. The police were already monitoring drug activity there. There was absolutely ZERO leisure/cultural actvitity. no medical facility and NO shops. The nearest supermarket was I guess 5/6 kms away. 

The mayor openly admitted to it being a "them and us" situation as Castalla itself is a pretty enough little Spanish town 30kms inland from Alicante. The developers had bought land 5/6 kms away on the side of a hill and plopped down their EL Dorado. The properties were marketed exclusively to expats and a huge percentage were sold off-plan at prices well below what people were paying nearer the coast or in areas where there were services and facilities. He was asked about setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the town and his answer was fascinating. He would FORBID it in the town but he would have no problem on CI. He kindly invited the chief of the local police to join us who agreed 100%. "I know every lowlife within 20 kms of here. I know when Pedro is even thinking about "some activity." With CI I have no idea who the guy in the street is - the owner, the tenant, a holiday-maker and if I did know him I would not be able to communicate." 

The mayor asked him to take us around the town and then onto the urbanisation - a total eye-opener. In the town he'd point out every other person - friend, family, colleague, business owner, bus-driver etc. He'd say where they played snooker, sat in church or had crashed their scooter. In the urbanisation, we just row upon row of identical houses. Were the cars legal, were the residents on the padrón? (No) etc etc His plea was "What chance have I got?" I felt sorry for the guy and nearly as sorry as I did for those whose dream had become a nightmare. As I say, the intent was to balance all the negative press that the area was getting - the reality is that it was far worse than I had ever imagined! I think it was entitled "Sin ánimo De Ofender A Nadie..." (Without wanting to cause offence to anybody but ....) There are other expat enclaves that I do not like - Gran Alacant, Orihuela Costa and Camposol are three that spring to mind but I can think of redeeming features for all of them - CI? Sorry, not! 

I will help anybody follow their dream - I organised work for a young Welsh girl today (she had a BIG dream) - but expat life is difficult enough without stacking all the cards against yourself. 

Shawn, I want people to have a balanced view of expat life. I am not prepared to feed the agent's story of "Sun, sea, sand and sangria." 

You want me to be positive? As always, a HUGE thanks to the hospital staff tonight. I was admitted at 1,52. I was seen by a triage nurse at 1,58 and by a doctor at 2,07. That's what I call service! The Spanish Health System is one of the main reasons I stay here. In Sweden, I am almost 90 minutes away from my nearest 24/7 hospital (which happens to be in Norway) and yet again I can only commend everybody who treated me with professionalism. 

Have a great day, guys. I will


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## expatconnector

Hi Scott,

A few ideas:
Research what transportation is available in the city, and what activities exist - gyms, continuing education, clubs, sports, etc 

Participating in local activities and organizations are key to "getting yourself out and about", and who knows, maybe they have free bus service, or a shuttle service, or, maybe your mother is good friends with the neighbor who can drive you!

In terms of work, I imagine that's difficult everywhere these days, but that's not to say you can't network. You say you're a fast learner - so I suggest you get cracking on studying your Spanish - that's going to be key to getting yourself in the door for networking. If there's a UK Chamber of Commerce anyplace near your mom, you might want to attend one of their networking events as a starting point.

Hope that helps!

Heather


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## jojo

jkchawner said:


> steve i no you are a very clever man thats a 100% sure bet but your so negative why ? when i went in to business by myself my no bank would touch me with a barge pole no investor no one wanted to no at all. i done it the hard way. as im sure you have as well reading your previous posts etc.
> you can work your way to sucsess very easy even in the situation the world is in now. im not having a go at you but it pi%%$s me off sometimes.
> the forum is dieing big time hands up im still a newbe to it granted.
> and even more hands up i pi%% people off sometimes for having a laugh and being a pratt (HANDS UP TO THAT TO).
> and hey all the support you lot on here gave me when i was ill was more than you would imagine poss etc from people i did not even no in real life just internet chat etc
> but there really is to much negative people on here to say the least.
> and i think your poss the worst i have come across for a long time.
> anywonder the forum is dieing a death quickly ?
> you must have been bit a few times in life that does come across very strong. but for every newbee who comes on here i would say out of ten your putting 9 off why ? spain has got it bad granted. my tax bill alone was more than most people earn in a year. i still want to come to spain and will why because i have never let defeat stand in my way and will always make a good situation out of a bad one.
> thats through being someone who never lie's down and gives in.
> i read with some shall we say been there and done it bit about your past experiances in life. GOD YOU HAD IT EASY COMPARED WITH ME. and im not joking really. i will relocate to spain no matter how bad things are and no one on here is going to dampen that flame.
> for gods sake give people a chance.
> dont shoot everyone down in flames all the time. its killing the forum i love and breath now. this forum has learnt me so much about spain and many others who log in. i was a guest for a long time before i joined it. if u dont like what im saying fair enough but seriously its people like yourself who are killing it. yes you are stateing facts. and yes you are very aware of spains current situation and unemployment etc. but if we all thought like you then god help us. sorry but why are u in spain ? we all have are dreams and ambitions and im sure you had all this crap drilled in to you but your not doing so bad are you steve by the sound of it. others arent going to follow the path to spain with your shall we say very one way no matter what your situation remarks



hold on tho Shaun, I think thats why Steve and I make a good team, I´m the "thick", unknowing, inexperienced, but "give it a shot" kinda person and Steve is the more serious, more careful, (more boring??) I DIDNT SAY THAT LOL!!! kinda person! Between us both you should get both views to work from, take a bit of each of us and then what others say who may have more local knowledge or thoughts and there you have it!!! 

Thats how I see it!!

Jo xxx


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## jojo

SteveHall said:


> Shawn, I have just come in from the hospital. I have been joking about Man Flu for a few days. Sadly I find it's more than that and after a session on an oxygen mask I don't really fancy responding but you raised some points that deserve a response.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You want me to be positive? As always, a HUGE thanks to the hospital staff tonight. I was admitted at 1,52. I was seen by a triage nurse at 1,58 and by a doctor at 2,07. That's what I call service! The Spanish Health System is one of the main reasons I stay here. In Sweden, I am almost 90 minutes away from my nearest 24/7 hospital (which happens to be in Norway) and yet again I can only commend everybody who treated me with professionalism.
> 
> Have a great day, guys. I will


Gosh, busy night then!!

Jo xxx


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## jkchawner

SteveHall said:


> Shawn, I have just come in from the hospital. I have been joking about Man Flu for a few days. Sadly I find it's more than that and after a session on an oxygen mask I don't really fancy responding but you raised some points that deserve a response.
> 
> 
> Life has been good to me - apart from some health issues- I have had everything I could possibly want. I wake up every morning and thank my lucky stars that I am not a Man City fan! I am an eternal optimistic person but you have to be realistic and as I ALWAYS say "You only need one piece of luck". I hope the OP gets it.
> 
> Re Castalla Internacional:
> 
> I was interviewing the mayor to try to get a balanced view of the urbanisation. The first stories out from the first people who moved in were grim. Constant problems with no water, electricity etc, crime was off the richter scale, questions about the legality of many of the properties etc etc. There was no public transport and there were horror stories of elderly pensioners/ widows/widowers being sold their "dream homes". They had no access to any services, there was no public transport etc etc The commercial centre was about as real as their four south facing views and Masters standard golf course.
> 
> If you have never been to Castalla Internacional you have not seen the absolute worst of "Spain". It is placed on a bleak mountainside in the middle of nowhere. When I went there was one bar open on the first roundabout at the top of the hill. The police were already monitoring drug activity there. There was absolutely ZERO leisure/cultural actvitity. no medical facility and NO shops. The nearest supermarket was I guess 5/6 kms away.
> 
> The mayor openly admitted to it being a "them and us" situation as Castalla itself is a pretty enough little Spanish town 30kms inland from Alicante. The developers had bought land 5/6 kms away on the side of a hill and plopped down their EL Dorado. The properties were marketed exclusively to expats and a huge percentage were sold off-plan at prices well below what people were paying nearer the coast or in areas where there were services and facilities. He was asked about setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the town and his answer was fascinating. He would FORBID it in the town but he would have no problem on CI. He kindly invited the chief of the local police to join us who agreed 100%. "I know every lowlife within 20 kms of here. I know when Pedro is even thinking about "some activity." With CI I have no idea who the guy in the street is - the owner, the tenant, a holiday-maker and if I did know him I would not be able to communicate."
> 
> The mayor asked him to take us around the town and then onto the urbanisation - a total eye-opener. In the town he'd point out every other person - friend, family, colleague, business owner, bus-driver etc. He'd say where they played snooker, sat in church or had crashed their scooter. In the urbanisation, we just row upon row of identical houses. Were the cars legal, were the residents on the padrón? (No) etc etc His plea was "What chance have I got?" I felt sorry for the guy and nearly as sorry as I did for those whose dream had become a nightmare. As I say, the intent was to balance all the negative press that the area was getting - the reality is that it was far worse than I had ever imagined! I think it was entitled "Sin ánimo De Ofender A Nadie..." (Without wanting to cause offence to anybody but ....) There are other expat enclaves that I do not like - Gran Alacant, Orihuela Costa and Camposol are three that spring to mind but I can think of redeeming features for all of them - CI? Sorry, not!
> 
> I will help anybody follow their dream - I organised work for a young Welsh girl today (she had a BIG dream) - but expat life is difficult enough without stacking all the cards against yourself.
> 
> Shawn, I want people to have a balanced view of expat life. I am not prepared to feed the agent's story of "Sun, sea, sand and sangria."
> 
> You want me to be positive? As always, a HUGE thanks to the hospital staff tonight. I was admitted at 1,52. I was seen by a triage nurse at 1,58 and by a doctor at 2,07. That's what I call service! The Spanish Health System is one of the main reasons I stay here. In Sweden, I am almost 90 minutes away from my nearest 24/7 hospital (which happens to be in Norway) and yet again I can only commend everybody who treated me with professionalism.
> 
> Have a great day, guys. I will


sorry to hear about that and i hope all's well of course.
but a bit less of the victor meldrew one foot in the grave responses all the time may go a long way in the long run ! in helping to keep a happier forum for one and it could be as i suggested keeping people away from the forum.
yes if its the truth tell it of course.
but the no chance in getting work here (zero chance etc) is all a load of old tosh yes it may be hard yes it may be bad on the employment side.
but there are loads of people who have found jobs recently as well you no.
and just sometimes it does work for people who choose to move to spain like it did for yourself by the sounds of it.

ALL IM SAYING IS LESS DOOM AND GLOOM WOULD BE NICE 

theres more than one way to skin a rabbit !
god even victor himself would get deppressed listning to you sometimes steve.


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## SteveHall

Shawn - thanks for your kind wishes. All a bit scary but we go on!! 

I am active in the local Business 2 Business Club and I do NOT hear of people taking people on. In expatshire self-employment is king and at the moment never has that been more true. NO I don't know people who have got a job recently. I have just spent two days with tribunals, accountants. solicitors, organising redundancies etc. If you want more proof see the number of real jobs on offer in the Costa Blanca News this week - a paper that covers 150 miles - Sheffiled to London or Bristol to lLondon. This is the worst I have seen it since 1992. 

Shawn, to help people settle in, I have set up the Newcomers Club, organised Spanish lessons for regularly 800 people per week, set up a working in Spain website, set up one-day working in Spain seminars. I have a working in Spain web-site ...and had over 700 people work for me/with me here. I do have some experience. I have also spent over 30 years "Living on the edge" (=self-empolyed). 

As I always say, you only need one break here and I hope that those who come get it. At the moment I fear very much that this is the case. THIS IS THE REALITY.


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## ScottC

Well last time i went there must have been a change as they where in the mids of building a new set of shops cafe resurants and take aways which are all done now which leave the place with 2 bars 2 resuraunts and a pool a shop a bank the basic essentials which i think is fair enough. There where plenty of spanish people now living there as due to the downturn lots of the new build where left empty so what was buit was snapped up and the rest put on hold.
They also now have a neighbourhood watch with close links to the nearby oldtowns authorities. I stayed for a good while last year and not one person seemed unhappy with living there or complained about the crime etc.
Like the other lady said im not sure where all your negative engergy has come from with the place i know its not the ideal place but its a working progress and they are making a good life for themselfs there.
I certainly prefer this place to la marina where my mother was situated whilst castalla was being buit down there was fully developed and had been there a while and that place was riddeled with drugs sewage crime police running around all the time etc it was like ide taken a flight from leeds bradford airport back into bradford in la marina the state of the place mirrored places like bradford perfectly. 
So as for Castalla being horrid from what iv seen the rest of Spain is in the same situation. Even my night out in the old town castalla was an eye opener a small town like that shouldnt be like it is walking the streets at night was like walking around benidorm full of drunken idiots rioting around, fighting, smoking drugs on the street sick everywhere etc so the mayor there obviously has his eyes closed to the route of the problems.
im a very well traveled guy stayed in alot of places around spain and portugal and by far castalla international isnt a bad place at all.... calm quiet good veiws if you can drive a resonable location if not the expats here all help each other out like a proper community.


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## jojo

ScottC said:


> Well last time i went there must have been a change as they where in the mids of building a new set of shops cafe resurants and take aways which are all done now which leave the place with 2 bars 2 resuraunts and a pool a shop a bank the basic essentials which i think is fair enough. There where plenty of spanish people now living there as due to the downturn lots of the new build where left empty so what was buit was snapped up and the rest put on hold.
> They also now have a neighbourhood watch with close links to the nearby oldtowns authorities. I stayed for a good while last year and not one person seemed unhappy with living there or complained about the crime etc.
> Like the other lady said im not sure where all your negative engergy has come from with the place i know its not the ideal place but its a working progress and they are making a good life for themselfs there.
> I certainly prefer this place to la marina where my mother was situated whilst castalla was being buit down there was fully developed and had been there a while and that place was riddeled with drugs sewage crime police running around all the time etc it was like ide taken a flight from leeds bradford airport back into bradford in la marina the state of the place mirrored places like bradford perfectly.
> So as for Castalla being horrid from what iv seen the rest of Spain is in the same situation. Even my night out in the old town castalla was an eye opener a small town like that shouldnt be like it is walking the streets at night was like walking around benidorm full of drunken idiots rioting around, fighting, smoking drugs on the street sick everywhere etc so the mayor there obviously has his eyes closed to the route of the problems.
> im a very well traveled guy stayed in alot of places around spain and portugal and by far castalla international isnt a bad place at all.... calm quiet good veiws if you can drive a resonable location if not the expats here all help each other out like a proper community.



different views on the same place! I guess its all down to "horses for courses" and indivual experiences. 

Anyway I dont think theres much doubt that the job situation isnt good, so you know what you´re letting yourself in for, thats not to say you wont find anything, but you at least can go there warned and prepared that it probably isnt gonna be easy!!

Now we´ve all said that, you´ll get off the plane and march straight into something well paid and "cushy"!!!! LOL! well I hope you do!

Good luck and if you can let use know how you get on!

Jo xxx


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## ScottC

well ill be ringing my mother tonight and with pot of luck on a plane tomorrow ill keep you all posted. thanx for your words of wisdom xxx


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## SteveHall

Hi Scott, 

Thanks for the update. This is a classic situation of a new "town" coming of age or at least developing. Glad that Reg and his team got the NW up and running. They were always very focused and the fact there is little crime now may in some small way be down to them and the co-operation with the PL. 

Certainly when I was last there it is no way I place I'd want to be and I am delighted that progress has been made. 

I wish you every success there. 

PS I'd second your opinion re La Marina but not my beloved Bradford!


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## ScottC

SteveHall said:


> Hi Scott,
> 
> Thanks for the update. This is a classic situation of a new "town" coming of age or at least developing. Glad that Reg and his team got the NW up and running. They were always very focused and the fact there is little crime now may in some small way be down to them and the co-operation with the PL.
> 
> Certainly when I was last there it is no way I place I'd want to be and I am delighted that progress has been made.
> 
> I wish you every success there.
> 
> PS I'd second your opinion re La Marina but not my beloved Bradford!


im from near bradford myself (ilkley) i know exactly how bad the place is.


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## SteveHall

Wow, Ilkley is no Bradford!! It just shows that one man's meat is another man's poison! 

I have personally always had a soft-spot for Bradford but I may be looking through rose-tinted glasses.

Safe flight


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## stepper19

I appreciate this is an old post but i've just read it on the forum and wondered if Scott went to Spain and how he is doing?

I own 'half' a property (with my inlaws) on Castalla Internacional and lived there for 2 yrs. Myself and wife both had to find work and it would be interesting to find out how you got on Scott.

Cheers

Stepper19


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## ScottC

Well Stepper no i havnt got anywhere.... i have many a friend at Castalla looking out for work for me but as you probably know things are tight from what iv heard...

i did put everything on hold for a while but im looking again now see if anythings getting better!?

You will probabaly know my mother & her other half who are in Castalla now Joll & Tina?? (cowboy hats ;-p)


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## MidnightCowboy

Reading this brought back some of the happiest memories of my life albeit that I was only able to live in Castalla for 12 months.

During that time I spent quite a bit of time and drank quite a lot of wine  with Joll and Tina who are two of the best characters I've ever met.

Yes it is horses for courses but even before the shops arrived, Castalla was just the sort of environment I had searched for. Unfortunately my job in the UK (for which I worked remotely) finished when the company was taken over and without being able to find anything locally I had to give up. With a mortgage on the property and no means of paying it all I could do was walk away. 6 months back in the UK was even more depressing so I moved to Brazil where things have now turned around. I married my Brazilian girlfriend who lived with me for a short time in Castalla (Monica) who works here at the local university and I have a good job online. We are officially classified now as middle class here and have the lifestyle to match. Would I sacrifice part of this to live a reduced life back in Castalla? You bet I would, and so would Monica. 

Moving away from your home country is costly, traumatic and an "eyes wide shut" approach will land you in trouble wherever you end up. That said, even with the crisis in Europe still worsening, for many folks they have nothing to lose, everything to gain and the prospect of an extended holiday at least. 

The only other advice i will give is that there are some great folks in Castalla who I would trust with my life. There are also your typical human mercenaries. The biggest danger ex pats have of being ripped off is from other ex pats, and not the locals. 

Go for it and enjoy.

The former Dr. Glyn


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## Nignoy

*positive reply*



jkchawner said:


> steve i no you are a very clever man thats a 100% sure bet but your so negative why ? when i went in to business by myself my no bank would touch me with a barge pole no investor no one wanted to no at all. i done it the hard way. as im sure you have as well reading your previous posts etc.
> you can work your way to sucsess very easy even in the situation the world is in now. im not having a go at you but it pi%%$s me off sometimes.
> the forum is dieing big time hands up im still a newbe to it granted.
> and even more hands up i pi%% people off sometimes for having a laugh and being a pratt (HANDS UP TO THAT TO).
> and hey all the support you lot on here gave me when i was ill was more than you would imagine poss etc from people i did not even no in real life just internet chat etc
> but there really is to much negative people on here to say the least.
> and i think your poss the worst i have come across for a long time.
> anywonder the forum is dieing a death quickly ?
> you must have been bit a few times in life that does come across very strong. but for every newbee who comes on here i would say out of ten your putting 9 off why ? spain has got it bad granted. my tax bill alone was more than most people earn in a year. i still want to come to spain and will why because i have never let defeat stand in my way and will always make a good situation out of a bad one.
> thats through being someone who never lie's down and gives in.
> i read with some shall we say been there and done it bit about your past experiances in life. GOD YOU HAD IT EASY COMPARED WITH ME. and im not joking really. i will relocate to spain no matter how bad things are and no one on here is going to dampen that flame.
> for gods sake give people a chance.
> dont shoot everyone down in flames all the time. its killing the forum i love and breath now. this forum has learnt me so much about spain and many others who log in. i was a guest for a long time before i joined it. if u dont like what im saying fair enough but seriously its people like yourself who are killing it. yes you are stateing facts. and yes you are very aware of spains current situation and unemployment etc. but if we all thought like you then god help us. sorry but why are u in spain ? we all have are dreams and ambitions and im sure you had all this crap drilled in to you but your not doing so bad are you steve by the sound of it. others arent going to follow the path to spain with your shall we say very one way no matter what your situation remarks


its nice to hear a positive comment once in a while, everyone should be mature enough to come to their own decisions, and make their own path in life, as a real life victor meldrew type , I was encouraged to take up a job in australia, at the age of 52 starting in a new country without a pot to pxxx in, 15 years down the track a 350grand bungalow paid for!! nodebts , and the ability to take my wife anywhere in the world where I want to when to, all the nay sayers and clowns who said we would not succeed were wrong, to any newby wanderers, do your research and prep, be prepared to take the rough with the smooth and most of all dont be afraid to show any doom and gloom merchant the FU Finger:clap2:


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## mrypg9

At the end of the day, it all boils down to the kind of lifestyle you enjoyed (or didn't) in the UK and your expectations of your new life wherever you decide to settle.
But people who pretend that anyone can 'make it' in Spain with just the right amount of effort and perseverance is, frankly, living in cloud-cuckoo land.
Of course an apartment in a high-rise block in Benidorm, Alicante or some other Great Yarmouth with sunshine type resort is (marginally) preferable to a high-rise in Bradford or Grimsby. And of course some people manage to find some kind of work, usually at subsistence level wages and through sheer luck.
But the days when any chancer with a passport could make a half-way decent living in Spain or anywhere for that matter are long gone and may never return.
Spain is not a British colony and the Med is not an English lake. Four million plus Spaniards are looking for jobs and they will get priority, as has been pointed out so often.
To live a comfortable life anywhere in the world requires money and security that possession of some capital, however small, gives. A stable job helps too....
Telling people the truth is doing them a big favour. Pretending that opportunities are lying around simply waiting to be picked up is not.
Ask those many people who have already left or are desperate to go home but can't because they are stuck with property they simply can't sell at all or can't affotrd to sell at current prices.
There are lifestyles and lifestyles. I would rather live in the UK than in some of the hell-holes on the Costas where you lie on the beach gazing across the six-lane highway to the skyscraper hotels, inhaling the scent of hotdogs and burgers..
But as they say in Spain..Sobre los gustos no hay disputos....


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## Sky Marchant

*Confused*

My husband and I are seriously considering moving back to Spain (we lived there and ran our own business in 1988-1989). Back then it WAS hard work, Spain was not even a full member of the EU and we were importing, so you can imagine the paperwork. That said, we were a lot younger and as we all know, you are fearless when you are young. 
My choice to respond to this particular post is because we are interested in Castalla as a possible place to live, and after reading your comments, I am mortified. The reason we chose Castalla as a possible place is because we have been recomended by a Spanish friend (of 25 years standing) He said its a nice town and the property prices look reasonable.
We do not consider ourselves inexperienced or naive and feel we have a lot of knowledge of living in Spain, including the downside, so now feel really disheartened after reading your comments about Castalla.
Could you please advise, is this due to personal experience? Would you consider it a bad place to live? Is so..why? We do not particularly wish to live in a place where all the residents are English, we speak the language and have many Spanish friends, more than English, so we would like to avoid all the obvious British enclaves of La Marina etc... 
We really would love, as we did back in the 80's, to integrate and live alongside Spanish people. Also, to have some other nationalities close by, English, Dutch etc.. would be nice. We do not wish to particularly live close to the coast, and are willing to be inland but no more than about a half hour drive away.
We want to be near a town, with a doctor, dentist, post office, bank, small shops, that kind of thing. So any suggestions? We like the look of a few places but until we actually view the properties and get a feel for the places we have no idea. We used to live in Santa Pola in a large apartment right on the sea front, we did love it there except for in July and Aug  for obvious reasons. We are very familiar with Santa Pola, El Altet (where our friends live) Calpe, Javea, Denia. Obviously there are so many other places to choose from and any advise would be welcome


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