# Moving away from Madrid



## vanillatwylight (Feb 17, 2012)

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if there's anyone out there who can compare living in somewhere like Madrid, to living on one of the canary islands?

I've been living in Madrid for a couple of years now, working in an English academy. Good pay, decent job, good piso, good friends. But I want to be by the coast, in a warmer place. I've been toying with the idea of Gran Canaria or Tenerife, one of the bigger cities on the island, but can't decide if it's gonna be worth leaving what I have in Madrid. Any experiences? or suggestions?

Will be nice to hear from anyone !

Amy


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Sorry, I cannot compare living in either Madrid or the Canaries.
But what I would be thinking about is work, accommodation, and friends.
Are you sure you want to give all this up to move?
Sure, you can find cheap accommodation all over Spain (and I think the Canary Islands are reasonable too) and you can make new friends if you move to the right area.
But what about work?
Is your job transferable?
As you work in an English academy, I'm assuming you would have to look for teaching work elsewhere.
That may not be easy, depending on where you move to, and almost certainly not so well paid.
But I'm sure that others from those areas will come along and answer your questions soon.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Gran Canaria is fantastic!!!!!!!!

I first went to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1962 and I have been returning ever since. The climate is wonderful, never too cold never too hot, the islands of eternal springtime. The capital of Gran Canaria is a bustling city with a very nice beach, plenty of bars restaurants, in fact there is everything one could wish for. The Canarian people are extremely hospitable, I have made lots of friends.

Gran Canaria would have been our first choice for retirement, but then we discovered Isla del Meridiano......

I would say go for it, while you can, and in your free time visit all the islands, all are different, see the link below for photos of here.

Hepa

P.S. The only thing I experienced in Madrid is the airport, however I shall visit one day.


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## AlexBramwell (Sep 24, 2012)

Las Palmas is a great city to live in. It has plenty of bars, cafeterias and restaurants. I don't think they compare to Madrid's because it's a much smaller place but there are enough to keep you going. It is livelier than Santa Cruz in Tenerife and has the fantastic Las Canteras Beach. 

Santa Cruz and La Laguna probably have slightly better food (Tenerife's restaurants tend to be better than Gran Canaria's, I think because of the number of French and Italian visitors and residents).

Academies here pay about 15 euros per hour but you can get 25 euros per hour or private lessons. A one-bed flat close to the beach is between 450-550 euros, less if you move back from the beach.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

AlexBramwell said:


> Las Palmas is a great city to live in. It has plenty of bars, cafeterias and restaurants. I don't think they compare to Madrid's because it's a much smaller place but there are enough to keep you going. It is livelier than Santa Cruz in Tenerife and has the fantastic Las Canteras Beach.
> 
> Santa Cruz and La Laguna probably have slightly better food (Tenerife's restaurants tend to be better than Gran Canaria's, I think because of the number of French and Italian visitors and residents).
> 
> Academies here pay about 15 euros per hour but you can get 25 euros per hour or private lessons. A one-bed flat close to the beach is between 450-550 euros, less if you move back from the beach.


It has to be said that altho I applaud your over optimism, you do seem to be talking Las Palmas u across the Spanish forum right now, where all others seem to know that Spain and its islands are in crisis - on our British forum, we've recently had this chap http://www.expatforum.com/expats/br...rmation-ive-been-collecting-about-london.html How about getting those Spanish and existing expats work there rather than encouraging newbies to risk their livelyhoods to move somewhere that, is "known" to be part of the country with the highest unemployment in Europe

Jo xxx


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## AlexBramwell (Sep 24, 2012)

Las Palmas has a thriving expat community working in the international schools and as private English teachers. I don't know anyone right now who can't find teaching work. 

Yes, Spain is all doom and gloom at the moment and in my opinion everyone is going a bit far with it. The pessimism has got to the stage where it is as damaging as the recession itself. The country coud do with a bit of optimism and drive:
snip/

The property bubble has burst and prices are back to sensible levels. For retired people and those with income or a job, it's an excellent time to relocate to Spain.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I dont disagree with you. Spain needs some hope. Retired folk and those with an independent income - fine. To suggest people can just pitch up, get a job and live happily everafter cos the Canaries are wonderful is foolish beyond belief. To be able to become a resident and be able to live legally in Spain, it is now law that you must prove income and healthcare provision within 90 days of arriving. That means expecting those who do need work to be able to get work WITH a proper contract within 3 months - if they dont, then they cant have a residencia or a permanent NIE, so they wont be able to use the healthcare system, make big purchases, use schools, have a bank account........

So yes, Canaries and Spain are lovely, but not if you are going there needing employment, So bare that in mind with your enthusiasm. Concentrate on getting all of that so called employment there to those who are already there and desperate

Jo xxx


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## AlexBramwell (Sep 24, 2012)

I agree! You can't just roll in and expect to work and be merry. 

There is teaching work available in Las Palmas all the time with academies but it is always best to arrange things in advance. It's not a job that unemployed Canarians can do as you need to be a native English speaker. 

There are also lots of people who work online and can be based anywhere. Gran Canaria is as good a place as any to live and work in this way. 

I'm a photographer and social media wonk by the way, not a teacher or an agency.

A couple of other reasons for optimism: The Canary Islands are the closest bit of Europe to Africa and trade is growing every year. The Las Palmas container port is aiming to double its volume over the next few years. Foreign firms and charity organizations are also using the city as a logistics base for their African operations.

None of this helps people planning to come to the island without a job, but it is a bright spot in the bleak Spanish story that is so popular at the moment.


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

For obvious reasons you will never find the amount of teaching work available in any other city than Madrid, better the devil you know.........


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