# moving to spain



## karen grant (Jan 27, 2013)

I have been wanting to move to spain for about 6 years. I am a childminder and would like to know if there is a demand for this over there at the moment. If there is what area would be best to live in and do you need to be registered over there to do childcare at home.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

karen grant said:


> I have been wanting to move to spain for about 6 years. I am a childminder and would like to know if there is a demand for this over there at the moment. If there is what area would be best to live in and do you need to be registered over there to do childcare at home.



To become a resident in Spain these days you must prove income and healthcare provision. Unless you have an alternative income or substantial savings, its unlikey that you could do it as things are at the moment


Its no longer easy to simply up sticks, move over and find work. Theres mass unemployment and sadly child minders arent in demand.

Jo xxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

karen grant said:


> I have been wanting to move to spain for about 6 years. I am a childminder and would like to know if there is a demand for this over there at the moment. If there is what area would be best to live in and do you need to be registered over there to do childcare at home.


Can you speak Spanish, enough to make yourself understood if a child is sick, has behavioural problems, has dirtied himself?


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

With rampant unemployment, there is obviously limited demand from working parents. Many more perhaps than in the UK, will have the help of family - or will use friends - certainly can't afford to pay.

All that, apart from the obvious thought that many parents will feel far more comforatble with a native/ very fluent Spanish speaker caring for their children.


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## karen grant (Jan 27, 2013)

I was told that in places like Malaga there are families that need someone to care for their children. I take it i have been misinformed and that this is not the case. I estimate that it is going to take 5 years before things have picked up enough for people to start moving back out there.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

karen grant said:


> I was told that in places like Malaga there are families that need someone to care for their children. I take it i have been misinformed and that this is not the case. I estimate that it is going to take 5 years before things have picked up enough for people to start moving back out there.


On what basis do you estimate that Karen. Was it the same person that told you that in Malaga people need their children looking after? The conservative estimate is that it will take at least 10 years before Spain shows a recovery. With over a million houses for sale and massive unemployment, 5 years is a hopeful thought 

Of course it is true that in most cities there will be families that need their children looking after, but as said ... the chances of gaining employment as a non spanish speaker are slim. Also, families tend to look after families in Spain a lot more than you see in the UK. Often you will find young families living with their parents, and that provides free child care


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Apart from proof of income and language you may well have trouble from a legal point of view, what are the Spanish regulations on child minders, have you checked that out? Also bear in mind that the extended family is still alive and kicking in Spain unlike the UK.

You'd more than likely need to be self employed so you'd be paying about £240 a month N.I. whether you have earned that month or not, so do a bit of maths

Rent €350
Food €200
Transport €100
N.I. €250

So €900 a month before you've gone out for a cheap menu del dia. You hourly rate would be low, lets say €6 (a lot of carers get less than that) so you'd need to work 150 hours a month just to break even.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

karen grant said:


> I was told that in places like Malaga there are families that need someone to care for their children. I take it i have been misinformed and that this is not the case. I estimate that it is going to take 5 years before things have picked up enough for people to start moving back out there.


I asked you if you could speak any Spanish because there seems to be a large number of nurseries around here who offer activities in English. Parents are desperate for their children to learn English as it's so necessary for Spanish people to be able to get almost any job from waiter to computer programmer to state school teacher. But the children and parents are Spanish and you'd need to speak to at least some Spanish. Also to set up the business (which can be a very long process) you'd need to speak the lingo. And yes, you do need licenses and inspections etc


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

karen grant said:


> I was told that in places like Malaga there are families that need someone to care for their children.


 Good heavens yes, you have been misinformed. There are lots of nurseries and preschools closing. international schools have nurseries attached that are suffering too. I would say even when there were jobs around, most Spanish people used family and friends as child minders. Expats who had work would invariably prefer their children to be immersed in the spanish language and would use Spanish nurseries as opposed to british child minders.

If you really want to live and work in Spain, now isnt a good time, but a few fact finding trips to get a feel for how things are, whats available etc and take some Spanish lessons. That way you'll be more knowledgeable with everything for if and when

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

bob_bob said:


> Apart from proof of income and language you may well have trouble from a legal point of view, what are the Spanish regulations on child minders, have you checked that out? Also bear in mind that the extended family is still alive and kicking in Spain unlike the UK.
> 
> You'd more than likely need to be self employed so you'd be paying about £240 a month N.I. whether you have earned that month or not, so do a bit of maths
> 
> ...


I'm intrigued by all these '350 euros a month' rentals....
I doubt you rent a garage for that around here. 
What can you get for 350 euros? We paid 900 euros a month for a two-bed ground floor piso when we first got here and we thought it was really horrible. 
The rent has probably decreased since then -just under four years ago - but there's nothing available for that sort of money.

Is there really such a huge variation in rentals/house prices/the general cost of living in different parts of Spain?
We ended up here merely because my son and dil have a house here in which we stayed briefly when we first arrived..We had no plans to stay in this area but have come to love it.....


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> I'm intrigued by all these '350 euros a month' rentals....
> I doubt you rent a garage for that around here.
> What can you get for 350 euros? We paid 900 euros a month for a two-bed ground floor piso when we first got here and we thought it was really horrible.
> The rent has probably decreased since then -just under four years ago - but there's nothing available for that sort of money.
> ...



I think rents have gone down - in fact I know they have....

I pay less now for a 5 bed 3 bath townhouse with underfloor heating & aircon, private double garage in the basement, small private garden & 3 huge balconies with access to gardens, 2 swimming pools & a gym......than we paid for 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1st floor apartment, no heating, pool etc., 9 years ago

in the same part of the same town


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Sorry your wrong mary
I pay 350 € for a brand new apartment 2beds seperate lounge kitchen and bathroom its very nice and comfortable and just in my block there are 9 more 1,2,3 bed apartments just waiting for tenants to move in from 200€ to max 400 per month


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

karen grant said:


> I was told that in places like Malaga there are families that need someone to care for their children. I take it i have been misinformed and that this is not the case. I estimate that it is going to take 5 years before things have picked up enough for people to start moving back out there.


1. You have been informed with untruths.
2. There will be a steady enough flow of people going to Spain to live. Most of these will be retired people seeking some more sunshine than is available in the UK.
3. If you dont have fluent Spanish your employment base is already cut by 60% at least.
4. Unemployment on the Costas is officially running at 36% (and probably unofficially much higher).


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

tonyinspain said:


> Sorry your wrong mary
> I pay 350 € for a brand new apartment 2beds seperate lounge kitchen and bathroom its very nice and comfortable and just in my block there are 9 more 1,2,3 bed apartments just waiting for tenants to move in from 200€ to max 400 per month


No, Tony, I'm not wrong It seems there is indeed a huge variation in rentals depending presumably on area. 
As I said, four years ago we paid 900 euros a month for a 2bed 2 bath piso which imo was horrible. As Xavia said, rents have gone down, I know that, but most 2 bed 2 bath places in the Estepona area are advertised at 600 -700 euros a month plus utilities.
We now pay 1200 euros plus utilities of roughly another 300 euros a month for water, electricity, phone/internet for a large, detached house with private pool abd lare garden in a 'nice' area. We pay for gardening and pool maintenance on top of that. When we moved here the rent asked was 2300 euros so yes, rents have gone down...But then we are very good tenants...we've just paid ten months' rent upfront. Spanish landlords are asking much higher rents for similar properties but many houses are empty and have been for months.
As I said, we like this village. It's quiet, not many extra inhabitants in summer..Just our bad luck that my son and dil chose to buy here twelve or so years ago. We won't be here forever, the house will eventually be too big, so we'll move into a smaller house or adosado, most likely in Estepona, which we both like.
We're settled here, know the area and have made many friends so we just have to bite the bullet and pay up. It would be daft to move and start again to save money we don't need to save - yet - and when we do we'll stay in this area as I said but in a town.
Rents for quite nice 2 bed apartments in Estepona are around 600 euros a month upwards from what I've seen in agents' windows.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

tonyinspain said:


> Sorry your wrong mary
> I pay 350 € for a brand new apartment 2beds seperate lounge kitchen and bathroom its very nice and comfortable and just in my block there are 9 more 1,2,3 bed apartments just waiting for tenants to move in from 200€ to max 400 per month


No, Mary is not wrong! Are you saying she didn't pay 900e for her 2 bed apt on the CdS - and much more for the house she lives in now?

I'm sure the prices you've quoted are correct for your area but there does indeed seem to be a huge variation in prices in different areas of Spain, and the CdS is one of those more expensive areas,as are some of the cities.

Those 350e always jump out at me, too. 600e just about gets you a half decent one bed apt where my daughter lives, close to Mary. That's a small one bed - more suited to holiday apts - pretty horrendous furnishing, tiny balcony, no garden, no parking, probably no AC, no dishwasher - in fact, pretty much no kitchen, just the tiny soace you get in a holiday apt!


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

brocher said:


> No, Mary is not wrong! Are you saying she didn't pay 900e for her 2 bed apt on the CdS - and much more for the house she lives in now?
> 
> I'm sure the prices you've quoted are correct for your area but there does indeed seem to be a huge variation in prices in different areas of Spain, and the CdS is one of those more expensive areas,as are some of the cities.
> 
> Those 350e always jump out at me, too. 600e just about gets you a half decent one bed apt where my daughter lives, close to Mary. That's a small one bed - more suited to holiday apts - pretty horrendous furnishing, tiny balcony, no garden, no parking, probably no AC, no dishwasher - in fact, pretty much no kitchen, just the tiny soace you get in a holiday apt!


Sorry brocher read the post i didnt say she was lying i said that there are places available for 300 to 400 and i would never say to anyone they are lying as im not a expert in everything spain like most posters on here i learn alot from the post and certainly dont comment just to sound off prices vary from city to city town to town. Village to village and who you know
So i hope i have cleared that up in the cds and all seaside areas prices sky rocket in vilages inland a lot cheaper i have a 2.5 four bed beautiful home in the country (catalunya) and will be renting for 400 a month mains electric water irrigation and well half an hour from Salou so there are cheap places if you are happy inland


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> No, Tony, I'm not wrong It seems there is indeed a huge variation in rentals depending presumably on area.
> As I said, four years ago we paid 900 euros a month for a 2bed 2 bath piso which imo was horrible. As Xavia said, rents have gone down, I know that, but most 2 bed 2 bath places in the Estepona area are advertised at 600 -700 euros a month plus utilities.
> We now pay 1200 euros plus utilities of roughly another 300 euros a month for water, electricity, phone/internet for a large, detached house with private pool abd lare garden in a 'nice' area. We pay for gardening and pool maintenance on top of that. When we moved here the rent asked was 2300 euros so yes, rents have gone down...But then we are very good tenants...we've just paid ten months' rent upfront. Spanish landlords are asking much higher rents for similar properties but many houses are empty and have been for months.
> As I said, we like this village. It's quiet, not many extra inhabitants in summer..Just our bad luck that my son and dil chose to buy here twelve or so years ago. We won't be here forever, the house will eventually be too big, so we'll move into a smaller house or adosado, most likely in Estepona, which we both like.
> ...


No mary i didnt say you personally was lying i said there are places cheaper than that i lice inland half an hour from Salou and different places cost more and some cost less
What was said was that posters keep mentioning 300 to 400 a month and they are dumps that is not the case mine is lovely and theres 9 more ranging from 200 to 400


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

deleting double post!


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

tonyinspain said:


> Sorry brocher read the post i didnt say she was lying i said that there are places available for 300 to 400 and i would never say to anyone they are lying as im not a expert in everything spain like most posters on here i learn alot from the post and certainly dont comment just to sound off prices vary from city to city town to town. Village to village and who you know
> So i hope i have cleared that up in the cds and all seaside areas prices sky rocket in vilages inland a lot cheaper i have a 2.5 four bed beautiful home in the country (catalunya) and will be renting for 400 a month mains electric water irrigation and well half an hour from Salou so there are cheap places if you are happy inland



Tony, I think it's you who needs to read the post - I did not say that you accused Mary of lying!

Again, if you read Mary's post she said "_I'm intrigued by all these '350 euros a month' rentals....I doubt you rent a garage for that around here. What can you get for 350 euros?"_

At no time did she say, you can't rent for 350e in some places .


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> I'm intrigued by all these '350 euros a month' rentals....
> I doubt you rent a garage for that around here.
> What can you get for 350 euros? We paid 900 euros a month for a two-bed ground floor piso when we first got here and we thought it was really horrible.
> The rent has probably decreased since then -just under four years ago - but there's nothing available for that sort of money.
> ...


Depends what you want and location

Villa for Rent - Long Term in Javea/Xabia (Ref: 1423883) €1,000
Javea

€200 a month
Townhouse for Rent - Long Term in Entre Naranjos (Ref: 1403471) €200

Go over to Gran Canaria
€2500 a month
Villa for Rent - Long Term in Playa del Ingles (Ref: 1880444) €2,500

Studio for Rent - Long Term in Playa del Ingles (Ref: 1803783) €560
€560 a month

Mainland Spain is certainly a lot cheaper overall than the UK.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

bob_bob said:


> Depends what you want and location
> 
> Villa for Rent - Long Term in Javea/Xabia (Ref: 1423883) €1,000
> Javea
> ...


If my son hadn't offered us the use of his house here as a base while we looked round we wouldn't be here.....We'd be living in a house similar or better to this but paying about a third in rent...I'd be driving around in a flash convertible as I could afford to again...
If if if.....
But we've settled here, as I said and really like this area. If we moved elsewhere we'd have to start all over again and I'm too old and tired to do that. I hate moving and we've moved five times in the past seven years.....before that I'd lived in the same house for decades.
But we will move at some future point within this area, probably into central Estepona where shops, bars and restaurants are within tottering distance.
When we first came we did explore the area a bit further afield - we looked at the Alhaurins and Coin - but we didn't like what we saw and anyway I was born by the seaside and have missed it all the years I've lived away. I love walking on our quiet local beach at any time of the day.

I have this theory that absence of a national coast can lead to small-mindness and inward thinking, a conclusion I came to after living in the Czech Republic......


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

tonyinspain said:


> No mary i didnt say you personally was lying i said there are places cheaper than that i lice inland half an hour from Salou and different places cost more and some cost less
> What was said was that posters keep mentioning 300 to 400 a month and they are dumps that is not the case mine is lovely and theres 9 more ranging from 200 to 400


No problem, Tony.
It's clear to me that there are quite large variations in rental costs and house prices and what you get for your money. As Brocher has pointed out, 300 euros won't get you anything round here.....But that's the so-called 'New Golden Mile' for you...


Tony, don't know why..but I thought you lived in Ibiza...


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> No problem, Tony.
> It's clear to me that there are quite large variations in rental costs and house prices and what you get for your money. As Brocher has pointed out, 300 euros won't get you anything round here.....But that's the so-called 'New Golden Mile' for you...
> 
> 
> Tony, don't know why..but I thought you lived in Ibiza...


Which sort of backups up what I have been saying for ages (often ignored) ... that the cost of living down South is seemingly higher than further North. Here, €300 a month is not unusual


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Mary you can take Ibuprofen 400 and a gram of paracetamol four times a day. Co-codamol is not bad, codeine phosphate with paracetamol if you can go for the 30/500. If your seeing your doctor he or she may well offer Tramadol but best not drive until you see how you feel with it. I take Tramadol and Indomethacin when my knees are giving me grief, a very effective combination.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

bob_bob said:


> Mary you can take Ibuprofen 400 and a gram of paracetamol four times a day. Co-codamol is not bad, codeine phosphate with paracetamol if you can go for the 30/500. If your seeing your doctor he or she may well offer Tramadol but best not drive until you see how you feel with it. I take Tramadol and Indomethacin when my knees are giving me grief, a very effective combination.


Are you sure about the Ibuprofen Bob? We have 600mg tablets here for emergencies which the spanish dentist suggested. However we can take only two of those a day (1200mg). I was however in Florida once and a Pharmacist there told me I could double the UK recommended dose safely, as long as I didnt do it for more than 7 days (I had tooth ache!)


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

bob_bob said:


> Mary you can take Ibuprofen 400 and a gram of paracetamol four times a day. Co-codamol is not bad, codeine phosphate with paracetamol if you can go for the 30/500. If your seeing your doctor he or she may well offer Tramadol but best not drive until you see how you feel with it. I take Tramadol and Indomethacin when my knees are giving me grief, a very effective combination.


I'm taking 4x1g of Paracetamol but it doesn't stop the pain...The 4x600mg Ibruprofen didn't help either.
I wake up around 5a.m. with pain and can't get back to sleep. Would you recommend taking a sleeping pill as well and if so, which?
This is the first time I've had such bad pain and I'm a right wimp...
Does this sort of thing come and go ?


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Stravinsky said:


> Are you sure about the Ibuprofen Bob? We have 600mg tablets here for emergencies which the spanish dentist suggested. However we can take only two of those a day (1200mg). I was however in Florida once and a Pharmacist there told me I could double the UK recommended dose safely, as long as I didnt do it for more than 7 days (I had tooth ache!)


You can take 800 x 4 times a day but it can be rough on your stomach so if 400 does the job leave it at that. If your taking it long term ask your doctor about something to protect your stomach, something like Omeprazole and try not to take it on an empty stomach. I find Indomethacin much much better but its strong stuff and not everyone gets on with it.

See your doctor Mary and ask for something like Tramadol or co codamol 30 500, but be careful with the co codamol as it can be addictive and it bungs you up like a good un so take something like senna to keep things on the move so to speak.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> I'm taking 4x1g of Paracetamol but it doesn't stop the pain...The 4x600mg Ibruprofen didn't help either.
> I wake up around 5a.m. with pain and can't get back to sleep. Would you recommend taking a sleeping pill as well and if so, which?
> This is the first time I've had such bad pain and I'm a right wimp...
> Does this sort of thing come and go ?



OK, well I suffer with neck pain quite a lot, and I found something that helps after having had it prescribed in the UK. Non prescription here in Spain. You'll probably tell me you have already tried them  Diclofenaco is the name, 50mg tablets


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

brocher said:


> Tony, I think it's you who needs to read the post - I did not say that you accused Mary of lying!
> 
> Again, if you read Mary's post she said "I'm intrigued by all these '350 euros a month' rentals....I doubt you rent a garage for that around here. What can you get for 350 euros?"
> 
> At no time did she say, you can't rent for 350e in some places .


I DOUBT you can rent a garage for that amount
I was just saying there are some nice places for 350 a month and quite a few
Dont be so defensive if i had said something out of turn i sure mary would soon put me right ;()


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> No problem, Tony.
> It's clear to me that there are quite large variations in rental costs and house prices and what you get for your money. As Brocher has pointed out, 300 euros won't get you anything round here.....But that's the so-called 'New Golden Mile' for you...
> 
> Tony, don't know why..but I thought you lived in Ibiza...


Wish i did loved the people and the place but it was thirty years ago me and my OH had just got married been a uphill struggle since ;()xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Thankyou Bob and Strav...
No, I haven't tried the tablets you mention, Srrav, but if I don't get prescribed something that works tomorrow I will.


Yes, Bob, it does have an effect on yer innards...

I can just about put up with the pain and discomfort in the day with the help of a lot of groaning, swearing and kicking things but I'm sick of waking up at 5a.m. and not being able to sleep....

This Forum really is excellent...


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

Maybe in Barcelona you can find job...however now is very complicate. try it.


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