# Moving to Spain! Sabinillas



## Sailor 36 (May 3, 2014)

My husband and I are hoping to move to the Sabinillas area of Costa del Sol in August What advice do you give to help us settle in to life in Spain? Where can we learn to speak Spanish, make friends and meet like- minded people in the area? 
I am a teacher and would love to continue teaching when we move to Spain - how easy is it to get a job in an international school and which schools are the best in that area?
We would love to get a dog when we move- would it be better to get a dog here or wait till we move out? 
Any other words of advice ?:fingerscrossed:


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

:Welcome:

I've moved your post to a thread of its own - it should attract more attention that way


we have a lot of posters on the CDS, so I'm sure you'll get some feedback


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## Sailor 36 (May 3, 2014)

Thank you xabiachica!
Forgot to mention that both my husband and I are keen golf ears and would love to meet people either on the golf course or at the 19 th hole!!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Sabinillas has a very high proportion of British immigrants and there are many golf courses in the near neighbourhood.
I'm not sure if the Local Town Hall offers Spanish lessons.
Teaching jobs in international schools are hard to come by. There are several in the area but vacancies are rarely advertised. If you are coming with the aim of finding work this could be a big problem.
Dogs - imo it's much much better to get a dog once you are here. There are sadly very many unwanted stray dogs roaming the streets of Spain and the dog rescue and adoption charity for which I am a volunteer has over a hundred, of all breeds and sizes, awaiting a home.
You can check this out by looking at our website, adana.es.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I meant to add....specific advice on 'settling in' is hard to give without knowing you. My own experience is that the settling in process was very easy, in terms of getting all the required documents, sorting the car out, that kind of thing.
I don't really know Sabinillas well but from a couple of visits I'd say it's a place where if you wished you could spend your whole life without needing to speak Spanish, which you may find helpful during your first few months until you've got your Spanish lessons sorted.
Estepona, which is a really lovely and very Spanish town is a very short drive away. It has beautiful, quiet beaches and the back streets of the old town, just behind the sea front, are delightful to stroll around.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

If you are fully qualified teachers, a job in an International School may be possible but unless you are young and still near the bottom of the pay scale, you may find the salaries pretty low. Most recruitment starts about January / February for the following September, so you should really be looking to have secured jobs before you arrive. Have you looked into the residency requirements if you arrive without jobs? 

If you are TEFL teachers the only jobs you might be able to get in International Schools would be teaching assistants and the pay is very low.


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## Sailor 36 (May 3, 2014)

Thanks for the advice about the stray dogs - will check out that web- site.
Have visited Estepona before and agree with you it is lovely.
Also know that quite a few people do speak English in Spain but feel it is only fair to learn their language if you are moving to their country!


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## Sailor 36 (May 3, 2014)

Thanks applied for a job in an international school that was advertised in the TES website but not heard anything yet. What would an average pay of a teacher be in Spain - do you know?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Sailor 36 said:


> Thanks applied for a job in an international school that was advertised in the TES website but not heard anything yet. What would an average pay of a teacher be in Spain - do you know?


Totally agree, if you can and want to you should learn Spanish. I learnt by working for the dog rescue charity, joining a Spanish political party and making Spanish friends. I now spend more time speaking Spanish than English some days!

Pay in these schools is nothing like in the UK. Much lower. My impression is that jobs are very hard to come by, especially in the Estepona area. As with so many things in Spain, it often comes down to who you know.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

After tax and pension contributions, ie net the average salary is about 1500 euros per month. In Madrid it is more to compensate for city life.
A one bedroom flat in Seville will cost around 450 euros per month and around another 50 per month for electricity and water.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

A pay could be a bit higher than Justina's estimate, depends on the school, but then again so could the rent! 600€ rent is quite realistic for a half decent one bed in Marbella.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

Well brocher ,let me know where the pay is higher cos my child would love to know. She certainly got paid a lot more in London, but didn't enjoy the lifestyle there and paid the same for one room while in Seville she has a very pleasant one bedroom flat for the same price. There is a very big con going on with these international schools where the owners make lots of dosh, the teachers work really hard and earn a very poor sum of money.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Justina said:


> Well brocher ,let me know where the pay is higher cos my child would love to know. She certainly got paid a lot more in London, but didn't enjoy the lifestyle there and paid the same for one room while in Seville she has a very pleasant one bedroom flat for the same price. There is a very big con going on with these international schools where the owners make lots of dosh, the teachers work really hard and earn a very poor sum of money.


Justina, I was merely pointing out that some schools do pay a bit more, but that rent could also be higher. 

As you rightly say, it is quite amusing to read of some of the schools who get good reports from parents, yet have shocking reputations among overworked, underpaid teachers. Perhaps if your daughter was willing to move around she may find somewhere a bit better paid.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

You are right Brocher, it is a little more and lunch thrown in if you keep an eye out for the weans.


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## Sailor 36 (May 3, 2014)

*Teacher' s wages*

Thank you- this is what I thought they would be


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Hi sailor, maybe I'm just being nosey but I wondered why you were set on such a specific area?

It might be easier just to look for a teaching job in Spain, or even CdS and go where the work is!


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## Sailor 36 (May 3, 2014)

We have an apartment in that area


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Sailor 36 said:


> We have an apartment in that area



Ah, nice! Hope it all works out!


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Sailor 36 said:


> We have an apartment in that area


It's quite a little Irish hotspot there isn't it? Nice place and well positioned for sea, campo, Gibraltar, Estepona...

I assume you have looked at Sotogrande International School?


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

jimenato said:


> It's quite a little Irish hotspot there isn't it? Nice place and well positioned for sea, campo, Gibraltar, Estepona...
> 
> I assume you have looked at Sotogrande International School?


I've heard the Sotogrande school has a good reputation.


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