# uk offshore worker and family



## texr (Aug 6, 2009)

Hi there, 

seems i'm in the same boat as gaz in another thread. It seems there are quite a few people on here who travel themselves, or their other half, back and forward to the UK.

My wife and I have a 15 month old and are seriously considering a move. I've always had itchy feet, fancied france initially, because I'm better with the language and the wife can remember some bits 'n pieces from school.

But we have talked more and more of Spain, problem being i have only been a couple of times to the mainland, and my wife is having her first trip there on our hols to Salou in a fortnight.

So, this brings me to our situation, and any advice you could offer would be great.

Now, before i start, i'm not asking for someone to tell me... oh you should live here etc, I'm merely after a little enlightenment and suggestions as to where may be suitable for our circumstances.

Working offshore in Uk waters on the rigs I will obviously be heading back and forward for my 2 weeks work, with 3 weeks off in Spain, hence we need to live close to an airport, 
I have been doing a bit of research in regards to flights, and its not a simple straight forward flight to aberdeen and back it seems.

anyhow, we would obviously like to live in an area with a good british expat community, we're 31 and my wife 24, and whilst when we're together i would try to integrate into the spanish community, when i'm working offshore i would imagine my wife would find some comfort in knowing there are other british folk around to mingle with initially. I suppose this would cover most coastal resorts anyhow?? right??

We would like to live close ( 10/15 min drive) from a good beach, and be in/near a town with good amenities and social scene. Our daughter would be attending spanish school, with this being probably the most important factor in our quest.
I would like to offer her the best education, and i appreciate this is a personal choice, but hints of areas with this in mind, would be great.

A good speed internet connection would be important to us also, for comms to back home in UK, and for my ps3
we would be renting initially for a year at least, to ensure we enjoy it, and also like the area.

I understand, now i've written this, that it sounds alot like many threads on here, 

I suppose i'm just asking for a few reccommendations on areas where , we're close to an airport, has good school, ADSL availability, and somewhere my wife will not feel too alone on the 2 wks i'm away....

thanks in advance folks....


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

texr said:


> Hi there,
> 
> seems i'm in the same boat as gaz in another thread. It seems there are quite a few people on here who travel themselves, or their other half, back and forward to the UK.
> 
> ...


sounds like you have your head screwed on!

where I live there are a lot who commute to one place or another

we are half way between Alicante & Valencia, on the coast - loads of beaches, & beautiful countryside just a few minutes drive inland

we have quite an expat community of many nationalities - & in this recession your wife will find that a great number of us who are hanging on are in the same boat - with an OH who commutes

the local state schools are good & there are 3 International primary schools & 2 International secondary schools should you decide to follow that route

it doesn't 'die' in the winter either, like some smaller towns


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

texr said:


> Hi there,
> 
> seems i'm in the same boat as gaz in another thread. It seems there are quite a few people on here who travel themselves, or their other half, back and forward to the UK.
> 
> ...


Welcome to the forum Texr

I could answer some of your questions regarding areas close to the airport, beaches, expat/Spanish communities etc - but I have no knowledge of the schools as my two are now grown up so its not something I ever had to consider here  So I will leave the school recommendations or suggestions to others more qualified!

Best of luck with your research and hope to follow your progess!

Sue :ranger:


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## spaceman (Aug 9, 2009)

Hi Texr,
I am also an offshore worker but work on the survey vessels. So my rota is generally 5 weeks on 5 weeks off. I chose to live abroard for a number of reasons. One of the reasons was the ease of flying from anywhere to work. I chose spain as opposed to another EU country for the lifestyle.
My wife was also worried about being on her own, in a foreign country. We chose an area a bit inland in a Spanish town. We are about 40 mins from the coast.
We have made many new friends in the 6 months we have been here. Not just English either.
We are about an hour from Valencia airport, and an hour from Alicante airport.
There are quite a few places that fit your general description of requirements along the coast between valencia and Alicante. 
I would checks to various threads on here about internet, as it is a bit of a nightmare depending on exactly where you live.
Language...... just in case you dont realise it, southern spain and northern spain have a nearly different language, something to check up on during your next visit.

We had our hearts set on a specific type of property and general location before we started really looking at properties in spain. What we have now does not resemble our initail ideas. We found so many wonderful properties in areas we hadnt considered. Odds are you will adjust what you are looking for when you start searching. Renting is the best idea initially.
We wanted a place near the beach, then we found a place with a big pool, so it didnt matter that the beach was a little further away than we initially wanted.

So far it has been the best move we ever made.
Good luck with your research etc

Spaceman


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## texr (Aug 6, 2009)

Thanks all for your swift replies, 

i think from speaking to a few guys at work too, it seems that Alicante would be the best option to fly to work, so i'm gonna start looking at a radius of about 60km or so from here and see where it takes in....

i've thought a bit more about the beach proximity, i reckon we would quite happily move further inland, if we had a pool. I'm trying to get out of the 'holiday' thinking and reminding myself that this is where we will be living, and most likely wouldnt be bothered about a beach for everyday use. thanks for the thought Spaceman!

xabiachica, i too forgot to think about the seasonal differences in population, and general buzz, i would hate to live somewhere which was reduced to tumbleweed in the winter months, again, another point i hadnt thought of, until coincidentally talking to a friend last night who visited spain in January and commented on the lack of people where he had been

Also the schools.... i had read another thread with regards to the schools, and will have to sift through again to find it, have you personal knowledge, xabiachica, of the state schools. how do they compare to british schools....
i believe they dont start until 6, having a sort of preschool beforehand, does anyone know what the cut off month is for them to start in september?
my daughters birthday is in may for example, 

here in scotland she will be 5 when she starts in september, as the cut off for them starting at 4, would be that they are to be 5 before february in that school year...... did i explian thet well enough??

i would hate to havent had offered her as good a start in her education, as we would have had back home and hamper her growth due to a) her starting later, and b) the schools arent as good (not that i'm saying they are of course!!)

anyhow, this is all really for next year, so its a while away, but i like to know what i'm getting into, and try and research as much as possible

Suenneil, thanks for your offer of help, i'm sure as we progress into this i will be pestering you for information 
Isee that you live in Estapona, I have passed there a couple of times. when working out ig Gibraltar for a few weeks i got the bus with a few friends up to benalmadena, its a nice part of the world. great views over towards Morocco, although, my only memory of those trips is a severe hangover...

i think our trip to Salou will help the wife get a feel for the country, albeit a very touristy feel. i take it as Spaceman pointed out that the language in Salou, would differ from that in the Alicante region? does it vary much? I cant seem to remember my Spanish teacher at school pointing this out....... maybe she did on one of many days i skived off to the park 

As for the internet, i'll have a better trawl for any help... it really is an important issue for us, well.... me, i'd still like to play my mates at the odd game online... do the speeds even make this possible.... i suppose i'll have to try and find out!


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

texr said:


> Thanks all for your swift replies,
> 
> i think from speaking to a few guys at work too, it seems that Alicante would be the best option to fly to work, so i'm gonna start looking at a radius of about 60km or so from here and see where it takes in....
> 
> ...



 Dont worry - you can still see Morocco from Estepona even when sober! so it is REALLY THERE! We have fabulous views from our apartment (front line beach) to Gibraltar and Morocco ... makes me feel very exotic telling people I can see "Africa" from my lounge window! lol


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2009)

spaceman said:


> Hi Texr,
> I am also an offshore worker but work on the survey vessels. So my rota is generally 5 weeks on 5 weeks off. I chose to live abroard for a number of reasons. One of the reasons was the ease of flying from anywhere to work. I chose spain as opposed to another EU country for the lifestyle.
> My wife was also worried about being on her own, in a foreign country. We chose an area a bit inland in a Spanish town. We are about 40 mins from the coast.
> We have made many new friends in the 6 months we have been here. Not just English either.
> ...


Hi there spaceman, I see that you that you work offshore and are onboard a vessel. If you dont mind me asking how does the spanish tax system work regards to payig income tax on your salary. Do they have the 183 day rule like how it was in the uk. So if you are out spain for more than 183 days with a forigne port you are clear of paying tax is this the case. Also do you need to pay any sort of national insurance while living in spain. this is the most important question I have to get answered before finally deciding wether to move out or not. thanks for any info and your time 
Marc :clap2:


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## texr (Aug 6, 2009)

Well, i'm back again....

we shelved our idea of moving for a year for personal reasons, but now things are back on. On my return home we are going to have the house valued and hopefully get it on the market within a couple of months.

so really it all depends on how long the house takes to sell. if its very quick we can live with my parents until we sort out the move.

we are going over for a look around the la marina area (alicante/ torrevieja) direction and have a look around there, and then hopefully before the winter again over to the malaga/estepona area for a look further south. The more i think about it, i would rather further south for the winter sun/temperature, but we will see what feel we get on the visit.

we will have to look further into schooling etc too and all the serious business about moving.

I will still be travelling back and forth from UK offshore, the wife will not be looking for work and will just be looking after child/ren.

I know the economy is in a bad way, unemployment etc, but if that doest affect us (with me earning in GBP) and wife not working, surely its not a bad move. in my mind then if we can live with poor exchange rate at the minute, life can only get better as the rate improves (if it improves). is this a good way of looking at it?? 


so, just the small matter of selling a 4 bedrom house.... boy we pick our moments


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

texr said:


> Well, i'm back again....
> 
> we shelved our idea of moving for a year for personal reasons, but now things are back on. On my return home we are going to have the house valued and hopefully get it on the market within a couple of months.
> 
> ...


Well, I think your situation is looking good!
You have a well paid job and your wife doesn't need to and/or doesn't want to work. Your child is really young and will fit in well to the Spanish education system in all probability. You have a house to sell which will hopefully generate the cash that will be needed to move and rent or buy over here. And you're able to come over and check out places before you buy.
Possible problems would be your wife getting lonely and bored until she makes friends so I would say find out as much as possible about activities for your son/ daughter as that's always a good way to make friends. Obviously expat clubs and also classes at the local town hall. They often have free or cheap Spanish classes and it's essential to get as much Spanish under your belt as possible if only to understand the world about you. I'm talking about language classes for your wife by the way. Your son/ daughter won't need them! There are also keep fit classes and the like at the local sports centres, swimming for parents and little ones etc. The classes may be in Spanish, but what the hell! You've got to get in there!
Good luck!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Texr,

If you want a warm winter, a large expat community, airport within 30 minutes, do not disregard the Canary Islands, yes we are part of Spain.

The South of Tenerife or Gran Canaria?

The downside is 4 hour flights


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## fourgotospain (May 4, 2009)

Hi,

Please come north on your trip to La Marina, and look at Calpe/Javea/Denia areas - it's so beautiful up here and very different. Ok I may be biased...

Planning several trips to look around is a great idea, and we drove from Malaga to barcelona to find the area we wanted before moving here - all in Feb so we could see what mid winter was like too.

We are about 1.5 hrs from the airport (Alicante), but we and our visitors get the very easy airport bus to Benidorm and then it's only about 45 mins for us to pick up. My m-i-l is today getting the bus down to Javea from Valencia which looks equally simple.

We appear to have lucked out with our local primary school - I simply can't think of a negative thing to say about the way our girls have welcomed and the level of education and pastoral care they are gettng there. Having only left the UK in January, we had very current experience of the uk system to mark it against!
School starts in the nursery class at age 3 - your daughter would be 3 and a bit, as the qualifying year runs from Jan-Dec - and they stay in the nursery for three years, starting in Year 1 at age 6.

re: living near the beach - I love it even though we work here, maybe more so - it's here all the time. not just on my holidays! On Tuesday I went snorkelling before my afternoon shift! :clap2: The beach in the winter here is a great place to sit with a coffee and the kids love the sand whatever time of year it is. They were in the sea (and the pool) in wetsuits by April...

Sounds like you are doing all the right things and hope you find a place that 'fits',
best wishes
Rachel.


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

Ok, you've had some good advice about the non-essential stuff but lets get onto the important thing.....the PS3.
I'm out in the sticks (near Arboleas, Almeria) and only on 0.5meg (aye, half a meg!) broadband but have no trouble with online gaming on the PS3. D/l times are obviously a bit slow for udates & the like but even here 4meg is available if needed so wherever you finally choose I think you'd be very unlucky not to be sorted broadband wise.



Doggy


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## geez (Apr 4, 2010)

Hi textr, The first thing I thought of was: why aren't people planning a commuting lifestyle worried about Eyjafjallajokull (yes, I freely admit to a cut n paste). Your delay in making the decision to move might get you around this, and I suppose your job would be difficult in any case if the volcano does its worst again. I wouldn't be relying on an area only serviced by one airline too. Routes come and go.

Looking at how young you both are, I was also wondering whether you might not be better off in or very near to a major city. Township life can be a bit slow for the young and the majority of expat communities tend to average several decades older than you two. I've been an accompanying spouse for some years and I've got to say I'm always happier in a city where there's loads more going on culturally. I grew up on the beach and Ive got to say the charms of a coastal life can pall if you are not really into sailing or something. And, as you observed, coastal areas can be dead in the winter. Good luck.


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## Wardsmiths (Jul 8, 2010)

Hi guys,
Where are you upto on your plans?

We are heading to Estepona area, near to my mother.
Husband is 33 and will be a HGV driver, I'm 27 and will be a SAHM with our 4 kids!
Had house valued, just waiting for training to end and Land to become available.
We are going mobile in our option of a home though, with static caravans.

We lived in Benalmadena, Torremolinos, Fuengirola and La Linea a few yrs back. Although young we realise that the fast pace of a city is not what we are after anymore and so away from the rat race with good friends and settled chilled out life it is.

Hope you find where you want to be. It truly is a lovely place to bring up children.
They are part of your life rather than expensive accessories, as some people in England forget!!


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## standfreelee (May 31, 2012)

hello,


Just wondered how you are getting on with your arrangements after all this time.

We are looking into doing exactly the same. My parents live in el Galan and we are thinking of renting in san miguel de salinas and are getting spanish lessons from a tutor to help us and our kids (5 and 8) with the transition.

Only difference is i work 2 and 2 rotation but i have four weeks holidays every year to take. That's what i'll have to think off when i get fed up travelling (losing) two days of my leave every trip!

all the best


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