# moving to the canary islands



## Anyalondon (Apr 30, 2014)

hello hello everyone! 
we are a family from london and we are considering moving to the canary islands (possibly gran canaria) 
I want to open either a small clothes and souvenirs shop or a coffee shop over there and my husband works in the building industry so he could work in the same job over there.
we have 2 kids one girl that is nearly 8 y.o and a little boy that is 8 months.
We are thinking that the lifestyle there could be better for them and they can always return to london for university .
what do you guys think? how is the economy there?
thanks


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Anyalondon said:


> hello hello everyone!
> we are a family from london and we are considering moving to the canary islands (possibly gran canaria)
> I want to open either a small clothes and souvenirs shop or a coffee shop over there and my husband works in the building industry so he could work in the same job over there.
> we have 2 kids one girl that is nearly 8 y.o and a little boy that is 8 months.
> ...


Over 30% unemployed, to obtain legal permission to reside here, you will have to prove that you have income and health care, you will need to prove this within 90 days. Without Residencia your child will not be able to attend school.

If you have a income in London, better staying there, and holidaying here, things will no doubt get better in the future.


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## tammy1202 (Apr 6, 2014)

If the question is: how is the economy? I'm sorry but there is only one answer to that: bad.
To be fair you've not said when you'd be planning to move, but right now things are tough. 
It's not the best time for finding work (especially if you don't speak Spanish) neither is it the most promising time for opening a business. 

If finances are not an issue then go for it, but if you are hoping to support a family of four based on finding work/setting up a business when you get here, the outlook is pretty grim. 

That being said there's always the lucky few that manage to work things out against all odds. And yes I think the lifestyle out here is much better than the UK (in my opinion). Don't give up on the dream it might just be a case of timing.


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## Anyalondon (Apr 30, 2014)

uhm doesnt sound too good does it?!
I tough the tourism was strong over there and therefore with a coffee shop or a small bazaar you could have a decent lifestyle...
we are happy in london but the housing cost is just ridiculous and the weather issue is always nagging otherwise london is london....
what are u guys doing over there? are you lot retired enjoying the sun?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Anyalondon said:


> uhm doesnt sound too good does it?!
> I tough the tourism was strong over there and therefore with a coffee shop or a small bazaar you could have a decent lifestyle...
> we are happy in london but the housing cost is just ridiculous and the weather issue is always nagging otherwise london is london....
> what are u guys doing over there? are you lot retired enjoying the sun?


If you are retired with a good income then life is very enjoyable here. It certainly is for me.
But there is more to the truly good life than 'sun'. It gets cold and it rains here too....
There is a lot of competition in the tourist trade and from what I have read it is the top end of the tourist market that is doing comparably well. Luxury boutique hotels and designer shops are doing better than coffee shops and bazaars.
People with money have done well out of the recession and can afford to spend.


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## maxd (Mar 22, 2009)

The Canary Islands does not really get cold. I have been in shorts and flip flops since January when we arrived.

The best way to live here is have a web based job that pays London wages or UK wages. My neigbour is an accountant, she goes back to the UK 4 times for meetings otherwise everything else is done via the web. They have a great life.

I have a company I control online, usually talking to managers etc about what the plans are and solving problems.

As for working here, my other neighbour left, a French guy, moved back to work for his father's factory in Morocco as he said the only work he could get here is being a supervisor or 1200 eur a month. Apparently he would love to come back.

So be smart, get UK Clients or have a business that you can work from anywhere with an international client base. A coffee shop/bar/restaurant are the usual dumb ideas and require long hours for not much money unless you invest in a swanky place that could become a hotspot but for that you need to be savvy.

I have thought about this, what I would do if I had to live here locally and the conclusion I came to is provide something really unique to the tourist industry that everyone would love to try when here. Secondly you could specialise in a niche tourist market. Another neighbour does cycling tours. Many cyclists come here for fun, also team sky come here for training because of the climate.

Have a look at some other tourist activities on Tripadvisor in many locations and see what some unique stuff that comes up at the top of the list.

Could be providing segways, biking tours, some contraption like paragliding. These are just some made up examples and your idea would have to be more unique  The thing is to be different so when people come here they say " you have to try XYZ when you are in Tenerife". 5 or 6 million tourists come to Tenerife every year, it would not be hard with decent multilingual marketing to make a lot of money from them with the right idea.


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## tammy1202 (Apr 6, 2014)

Anyalondon said:


> uhm doesnt sound too good does it?!
> I tough the tourism was strong over there and therefore with a coffee shop or a small bazaar you could have a decent lifestyle...
> we are happy in london but the housing cost is just ridiculous and the weather issue is always nagging otherwise london is london....
> what are u guys doing over there? are you lot retired enjoying the sun?


I would love to be more positive, but unfortunately the crisis is taking its toll here. A few people (outside of Spain) have said to me that they thought tourism over here was doing ok. But the Canary Islands have one of the worst rates of unemployment in the whole of Spain, that wouldn't be so if tourism was booming. Last summer I actually worked in a bazaar in a busy resort in Lanzarote and it was pretty quiet. The workers told me that before the crisis it was completely different, a lot more tourists and also less competition. 

If your heart really is set on it then I think maxd has given some really useful advice. I'd suggest maybe sending your husband out to see if he can find work first, and while you're in the UK you could look into work-from-home/online jobs and see if any would suit you. If you could get one salary sorted before taking the plunge you'd have a safer starting point.


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## maxd (Mar 22, 2009)

tammy1202 said:


> I would love to be more positive, but unfortunately the crisis is taking its toll here. A few people (outside of Spain) have said to me that they thought tourism over here was doing ok. But the Canary Islands have one of the worst rates of unemployment in the whole of Spain, that wouldn't be so if tourism was booming. Last summer I actually worked in a bazaar in a busy resort in Lanzarote and it was pretty quiet. The workers told me that before the crisis it was completely different, a lot more tourists and also less competition.
> 
> If your heart really is set on it then I think maxd has given some really useful advice. I'd suggest maybe sending your husband out to see if he can find work first, and while you're in the UK you could look into work-from-home/online jobs and see if any would suit you. If you could get one salary sorted before taking the plunge you'd have a safer starting point.


Record amounts of People in Tenerife last year. I met a French lady the other day who has been been on the Island for 22 years. She says it has always been easy to make decent money from tourism. Guess it depends on knowing where to look.


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## tommy.irene (Apr 5, 2013)

You should read this on Facebook.. Jobs and Help GC ..yes you should come here to the canarie isles and look for yourself ..an apartment would run you €500 all in..


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## cressrt (May 15, 2014)

Unless you have the language and the money to support yourself youand family for at least 6 months, you will not suceed. Schools are not free unless you are in the system, heatlth the same. There is no easy way to make a living any more. If you have work in the UK stay there and save your money.


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