# looking to move to greece



## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

heyy all ,, im realy new to thisand never realy joined any msg boards like this before so i feel like a fish outa water at the mo,, i weny to alykes in zante in august for 2 weeks and absoloutly fell in love with the place,, so much so that went there again in october,, and am now contemplating moving out there im 21 and have a little boy aged 3 and im nevous for his schooling plus my familiy arent realy supportive and finding it hard to convince people its the ight thing to do,, any information or advice would be gratefully welcome particularly from engligh people who haved moved out ther looking frward to the replies thnks


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hi, I'm not in Greece, I'm in Spain, but two things you may need to think about before you start, one is employment/money, you need to know that you'll have an income and the other thing is that if you're wanting to do this on your own, you may need your sons fathers concent if his name is on the birth certificate, altho agewise, its a good age to take your son as at 3, he'll embrace the language, schooling and culture easily as he knows nothing much else - the younger the better! 

But you may miss any family support you have in the UK, so think about that too.

Hey I'm not trying to put you off by the way, just throwing some ideas at you lol


Jo xxx


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi Sorry I was just browsing other countries forum and came acroos this.

I lived in Alykes for 5 years so pretty much know what it is like.

There is only one school and that is in Katastari, you will find quite a few english people live either in Katastari or alykes/Alikanas. In the summer it is lovely but the winter is a different story, alykes closes throughout the whole of the winter and believe me there is nothing to do with very little money around. Olive picking is the only thing that happens. The weather is not to great either, cold and wet. Can I ask have you found a man out there??? if you want to know more please feel free to ask.

QUOTE=lkin4btrlyf;207668]heyy all ,, im realy new to thisand never realy joined any msg boards like this before so i feel like a fish outa water at the mo,, i weny to alykes in zante in august for 2 weeks and absoloutly fell in love with the place,, so much so that went there again in october,, and am now contemplating moving out there im 21 and have a little boy aged 3 and im nevous for his schooling plus my familiy arent realy supportive and finding it hard to convince people its the ight thing to do,, any information or advice would be gratefully welcome particularly from engligh people who haved moved out ther looking frward to the replies thnks [/QUOTE]


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## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

jojo said:


> Hi, I'm not in Greece, I'm in Spain, but two things you may need to think about before you start, one is employment/money, you need to know that you'll have an income and the other thing is that if you're wanting to do this on your own, you may need your sons fathers concent if his name is on the birth certificate, altho agewise, its a good age to take your son as at 3, he'll embrace the language, schooling and culture easily as he knows nothing much else - the younger the better!
> 
> But you may miss any family support you have in the UK, so think about that too.
> 
> ...


heyy  no thanks for the message back it nice to have an oppinion from someone who isnt involved 
tbh i met someone out there when i went on holiday and i have spoken to people out there and to him he has lots of family out there 2,, a secure job and a verry good inome,, sounds like a foolish little gurls dream but ive never bee more confident and serious i also have childcare qualifications so was hoping they would be helpfull in finding a seasonal job involving children and saving just incase that doesnt work out,,, and my sons dads name not on birth cert so i think im ok on that grounds... dont realy get on with my familiy much im somewhat of an outcast so even though it will break there heart and mine to take him away i feel like they will just have to learn to be supportive and realise im doing it for a better lyf for him x thanx again


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## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

hiya no i dont mind its nice to have comments from people not directly involved i met a few english people out there and made quite good friends with some of the locals 2 one english girl was my age and moved out 2 years ago she loves it and says she never looked back since,, that spurred me on abit,, and yeah we wen last week in october and the day before we left everything was closed down and alot before that so ive sort of experienced that side of it... and yeah i did meet someone out there wich is part of the reason im moving but not all as id pretty much decided i loved it there after 2 days and had thoughts of moving out there before i met him,, i know it sounds pretty risky and i can assure you ive heard evry doubt and critisism going haha but he has a very large friend circle out there and a good job as a mechanic so its not just seasonal but pays good money im hoping to get a seasonal job and save incase things go wrong and i cn support myself, i have qalifications in childcare so hope that will help,, JEASUS ive rattled on lol bet u wish u neva said anything,, well now ive sarted was just wundering do you need a visa to get over there?? and if so what do i do to get one?





micki moo said:


> Hi Sorry I was just browsing other countries forum and came acroos this.
> 
> I lived in Alykes for 5 years so pretty much know what it is like.
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi,

Its not a silly dream it can work, my friend met someone in Alykes and has been there for 14 years quite happy, so it does work.

Just be aware, my advice to you would be, if possible go out there for the summer months, your son is at an age that you could do so, believe me its easier to settle in when you have a chance of work in the summer. Who would look after your son if you did get a job there?

I really did love Alykes so please don't think I am trying to turn you off, I had my daughter there with me and it is a better life for them by far, but then comes the winter and you realise there is nothing for them or you to do, you end up visiting friends every day which sounds great but trust me it isnt. I managed to run up a huge telephone bill in the winter just to speak to friends and family back home.

What does his family think of you? It may sound a silly question but family out there are *very* important and if they accept you and your son your half way home.

I still have many friends there who are very happy and quite a few that are not. When I was there they filmed the Islands of Dreams, see if you can track it down. It was all the english wifes talking about Alykes and there life, you will find it very interesting.

Good luck to you

Micki



lkin4btrlyf said:


> heyy  no thanks for the message back it nice to have an oppinion from someone who isnt involved
> tbh i met someone out there when i went on holiday and i have spoken to people out there and to him he has lots of family out there 2,, a secure job and a verry good inome,, sounds like a foolish little gurls dream but ive never bee more confident and serious i also have childcare qualifications so was hoping they would be helpfull in finding a seasonal job involving children and saving just incase that doesnt work out,,, and my sons dads name not on birth cert so i think im ok on that grounds... dont realy get on with my familiy much im somewhat of an outcast so even though it will break there heart and mine to take him away i feel like they will just have to learn to be supportive and realise im doing it for a better lyf for him x thanx again


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi

No you don't need a visa, you can turn up at the airport, well you could I presumme it has not changed.

As I said before I met some great people over there and it is a good place. If you dont take some risks in life how will you ever achieve anything. This is coming from the girl who is going to live in Egypt and has asked a thousand questions.

The best way to look at it, dont put all your eggs in one basket just yet, if it doesnt work out then you have something to come back to. It really isn't one big holiday I worked there and working in 33 degrees is not fun but the whole point is to get money in the summer to store for the winter. Make sure he is genuine, there are quite a few boys out there that kamaki there lives away.

Micki


lkin4btrlyf said:


> hiya no i dont mind its nice to have comments from people not directly involved i met a few english people out there and made quite good friends with some of the locals 2 one english girl was my age and moved out 2 years ago she loves it and says she never looked back since,, that spurred me on abit,, and yeah we wen last week in october and the day before we left everything was closed down and alot before that so ive sort of experienced that side of it... and yeah i did meet someone out there wich is part of the reason im moving but not all as id pretty much decided i loved it there after 2 days and had thoughts of moving out there before i met him,, i know it sounds pretty risky and i can assure you ive heard evry doubt and critisism going haha but he has a very large friend circle out there and a good job as a mechanic so its not just seasonal but pays good money im hoping to get a seasonal job and save incase things go wrong and i cn support myself, i have qalifications in childcare so hope that will help,, JEASUS ive rattled on lol bet u wish u neva said anything,, well now ive sarted was just wundering do you need a visa to get over there?? and if so what do i do to get one?


[/QUOTE]


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

As long as you plan things very carefully, making sure you have a place for you and your son to stay when you get there and you have enough money to tied you over. Dont go there with the idea of relying on someone else - male, female, boyfriend whatever, do it on your own or you could get yourself terribly trapped, homeless or worse - AND make sure you have somewhere or someone to return to in the UK should it all go wrong - and dont be afraid of it going wrong, tell your friends and family that its an experiment, a trial so that you save face if you do return!

There nag over! But give it a go, but plan it, dont just do it, you've got a son to think about!

Jo xxx


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## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

yeah i am thats my main priority planning thats y i wanted to join this forum thing coz the more oppinions i get the better it will be for me and i can get a wider range of oppinions and resources and places to look didnt want to look solely on the net because it can be un reliable imm also going to visit there in may for a week and again in my six weeks holidays for 4 weeks doubt ill be moving until summer 2011 ivw started saving money here 2 so ill have a steady ammount to go with and hopefully bild on that wile im there and ill have someone to go to if i have to come back coz my parents are good like that and theyd never let my child go without a home  hope you dont think im trying to have an answer to everything its just that the more i support my case the more reassured i feel in myself... thanks so much for the comment sooo much appreciated 




jojo said:


> As long as you plan things very carefully, making sure you have a place for you and your son to stay when you get there and you have enough money to tied you over. Dont go there with the idea of relying on someone else - male, female, boyfriend whatever, do it on your own or you could get yourself terribly trapped, homeless or worse - AND make sure you have somewhere or someone to return to in the UK should it all go wrong - and dont be afraid of it going wrong, tell your friends and family that its an experiment, a trial so that you save face if you do return!
> 
> There nag over! But give it a go, but plan it, dont just do it, you've got a son to think about!
> 
> Jo xxx


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## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

thats a vrry good question who will look after harvey thts something i wouldd imagine i would have to work out over the visiting pocess for the next two years, m planing on going out in may fr a week and august for 4 weeks in the 6 week holidays and then at every school holiday after that,, im lucky to have my friend over there funding my trips so im just going to get as much experience and first hand planning wile im out there ive started making a portfolio of all informaton i will need and ticking it off my list and storing it as i find it thats y i joined this site dont want to just rely on the internet but if you do have any good websites with information it would be much appreciated thankyou x oh and his familiy that ive met so far are quite accepting of me and harvey and i get on with them all very well  so thats a plus 2 x






micki moo said:


> Hi,
> 
> Its not a silly dream it can work, my friend met someone in Alykes and has been there for 14 years quite happy, so it does work.
> 
> ...


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi

I would also advise a trip out in the winter months, get a feel for it in all seasons. Where is your boyfriend from??

Micki


lkin4btrlyf said:


> thats a vrry good question who will look after harvey thts something i wouldd imagine i would have to work out over the visiting pocess for the next two years, m planing on going out in may fr a week and august for 4 weeks in the 6 week holidays and then at every school holiday after that,, im lucky to have my friend over there funding my trips so im just going to get as much experience and first hand planning wile im out there ive started making a portfolio of all informaton i will need and ticking it off my list and storing it as i find it thats y i joined this site dont want to just rely on the internet but if you do have any good websites with information it would be much appreciated thankyou x oh and his familiy that ive met so far are quite accepting of me and harvey and i get on with them all very well  so thats a plus 2 x


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## juko (Nov 18, 2009)

Met my hubby on hol 15 years ago... 4 kids and 13 years of marriage later all still great BUT life in greek family not always easy and you are a long way out of real world especially in winter. Youd do well to get some kind of tefl qualification always loads of kids needing english lessons and you can work the hours you want. My advice is to keep a bit of money stashed away, at least enough to get two flights back to home if needed.


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## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

micki moo said:


> Hi
> 
> I would also advise a trip out in the winter months, get a feel for it in all seasons. Where is your boyfriend from??
> 
> Micki


origionally from albania but been living in greece/alykes for 11 years now since he was 14 .... hard to get out there at momet because of work and the way flights run just trying to make ost of the holidays from work but whant tospend xmas at home


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## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

juko said:


> Met my hubby on hol 15 years ago... 4 kids and 13 years of marriage later all still great BUT life in greek family not always easy and you are a long way out of real world especially in winter. Youd do well to get some kind of tefl qualification always loads of kids needing english lessons and you can work the hours you want. My advice is to keep a bit of money stashed away, at least enough to get two flights back to home if needed.


yeah ive got a savings account set up and will only move when theres enough in it to set me up securely,,, i have a hart time with some ov my familiy here so anything gotta be better than here just another reason to move x thanks for the advice xx


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## IaninParga (Nov 24, 2009)

lkin4btrlyf said:


> heyy all ,, im realy new to thisand never realy joined any msg boards like this before so i feel like a fish outa water at the mo,, i weny to alykes in zante in august for 2 weeks and absoloutly fell in love with the place,, so much so that went there again in october,, and am now contemplating moving out there im 21 and have a little boy aged 3 and im nevous for his schooling plus my familiy arent realy supportive and finding it hard to convince people its the ight thing to do,, any information or advice would be gratefully welcome particularly from engligh people who haved moved out ther looking frward to the replies thnks



Sorry to be so brutal, but how are you going to make ends meet? Remember Alykes is a holiday resort. If you speak fluent Greek there is a possibility (remote I think) that you could get a full time job. You MAY if you are lucky get a part time job in the Summer you may also get a full time job, but remember the pay is poor - €4 per hour and you will HAVE to work long hours SEVEN days a week from May to September. If you speak no Greek at all then forget it. 

So how do you get paid in the Winter? If you get a full time job in the Summer, and contribute from your salary to the IKA (Social Security system) then you would get some dole money but not for the first Winter (or maybe two).

If you didn't have a child then your situation might be slightly better.

We're retired out here and we have English friends, a lot older than you and with no children who thought they could come out here and just walk into a job. Some of them are quite happy to get by (just), others now regret what they have done.

On the other hand you might meet a rich Greek...................more likely not.

Again I repeat sorry to be brutal, but think of your child first - what sort of life is it going to have?

We live on the mainland whereas you're on an island. If you have a family emergency you cannot just get on a plane and fly back the next day.

I wish you all the best in whatever you do but you MUST do a lot more homework.

Ian


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## Integ (Sep 19, 2009)

i have friends that live there . its very expensive compared to the mainland . if you have the money thats fine. but consider the mainland or another isalnd as an alternative . look beyond the holiday .


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## lkin4btrlyf (Nov 15, 2009)

IaninParga said:


> Sorry to be so brutal, but how are you going to make ends meet? Remember Alykes is a holiday resort. If you speak fluent Greek there is a possibility (remote I think) that you could get a full time job. You MAY if you are lucky get a part time job in the Summer you may also get a full time job, but remember the pay is poor - €4 per hour and you will HAVE to work long hours SEVEN days a week from May to September. If you speak no Greek at all then forget it.
> 
> So how do you get paid in the Winter? If you get a full time job in the Summer, and contribute from your salary to the IKA (Social Security system) then you would get some dole money but not for the first Winter (or maybe two).
> 
> ...


No dont apologise brutal is good it helps me prepare myself better .. I think my main defence there would be tht i think you have asued tht ive taken this lightly and am just going to hop on a plain n hope for the best but that couldnt be further from the truth . With regards to a job im enrolling on a tefl course in rhe new year so that im qualified to teach english abroad and i also have a diploma in childcare and 3 years experience plus working with kids x and am going to do 4 weeks voluntry in a hotel were i stayed last summer doing a kids club with hopes that tht will get me a temporary summer job till i get a moee secure job in a school plus i have my partner out there whl has a secure job wich pays 1000 euros a month .. That doesent meen ill be expecting him to support me when i go out there as i am saving for the next 2 years at the very least before i move .. As for the putting my son first taking into concideration the area in which i live in and the state of society in england and the way cildren are brought up these days AND TRUST ME I HAVE HEAPS OF FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE i do concider this one of the best things i could ever do for him .. Hope i dont seem like ive droned on 2 much but i do like to defend myself as it helps me to be sure im making the right desicion so again thanks for the comments


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