# Work in Gibraltar / Live in Estepona ?



## Maz_Scot (Sep 4, 2013)

Hey All

Please bare with me, im new to this forum and at present completely clueless! 

Me and my husband have always intended to move abroad however we currently only know English, which is rather restricting. 
We fully intend to take Spanish classes (and im taking French aswell) but I know from studying Italian in previous years the only way to really "learn" a language is to live in the country. 

I have recently received my Chartered Accountant status and think this would be a good time for us to start to make plans to leave the rainy UK. 

I have went down the route many have before me and think Gibraltar is the easiest way for English speaking persons to get real employment in the sunshine! 

There seems to be plenty jobs for accountants however even an accountants salary cant cover the extreme cost of houses there! 
So im looking around the surrounding areas and trying to figure which would be best to move to. Estepona looks awesome, however im concerened about the daily commute to work.. does anyone have any experience of this and can advise how long this would take? 

Many thanks in advance!


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Hi.

Lots of people commute from Estepona to Gibraltar daily, also consider Sabinillas/La Duquesa which is a bit nearer.

It will take about half an hour to drive from Estepona to the border. Most people then park and walk over - getting over the border by car can take hours in each direction.

From a car park near the border to central Gibraltar might take about 20 - 30 minutes to walk.


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## Maz_Scot (Sep 4, 2013)

Hi Jimenato

Excellent thankyou for that information. 

I am only just beginning my search therefore I will definately be reviewing all the surrounding towns to see which suits us best. 
House prices seem very reasonable (outside Gibraltar which is ludicrous!), do you know if buying in Spain is a straight forward process for ExPats / of there is any information I should know? 
Many thanks in advance


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## zenkarma (Feb 15, 2013)

Maz_Scot said:


> House prices seem very reasonable (outside Gibraltar which is ludicrous!)...


It's not ludicrous. It's the current market price if you want to live in Gibraltar. Prices are governed by many different things but in this instance supply and demand is playing a very large part as is a buyers willingness to pay the market rate. Gibraltar is a very small place, there are only a finite number of homes available and there are plenty of people who are prepared to pay the prices being asked.

You only consider the prices to be ludicrous because you can't afford one. In a way it's designed that way—they don't want you living there. Thus the high house prices in Gibraltar create a natural barrier to all and sundry who fancy moving to live there. It's already one of the most densely populated places on the planet. As a bean counter I'm sure you appreciate the economics at play here!

I don't agree with it either by the way, but I don't make the rules.



Maz_Scot said:


> ...do you know if buying in Spain is a straight forward process for ExPats / of there is any information I should know?


Buying property in Spain is akin to crossing a minefield. One false step and BOOM you've made an expensive mistake.

You have a lot of reading, research and learning to do and I don't just mean in learning the language!

Fortunately a lot of the information you require is scattered throughout this forum.

Start reading!


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## Maz_Scot (Sep 4, 2013)

Thanks for your comments. 

We dont intend to move anytime soon as Intend to do the ground work/researching/learning and learn the language (as much as one can from a non spanish speaking country) before making any haste decisions.

I was just looking for some starting info

Many Thanks


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Maz_Scot said:


> Hey All
> 
> Please bare with me, im new to this forum and at present completely clueless!
> 
> ...


Chartered accountancy is a specialised status to just being an accountant. I think you should be researching how easily it may be to do that line of work considering the amount of chartered accountants there are working in Gib. It is not a huge place and getting started may not be that easy.
Nothing wrong with Estepona, it is a lovely place. Buying a house is not straightforward, or anything else to do with living in Spain. You have a lot to think about.


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## Maz_Scot (Sep 4, 2013)

Thanks Aron, 

I have been keeping an eye on the jobs and I wouldnt buy / move without a permanenet position. 
We have no kids and no debts at present though so if we dont look now I dont think we will ever escape the UK, recession or no recession. 

I am sensing a lot of negativity towards Spain in general on here though having read through a lot of the other threads on this forum. 

Im taking it none of you are very happy to be living there at present?!


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Maz_Scot said:


> Thanks Aron,
> 
> I have been keeping an eye on the jobs and I wouldnt buy / move without a permanenet position.
> We have no kids and no debts at present though so if we dont look now I dont think we will ever escape the UK, recession or no recession.
> ...


That's interesting. My position is that I am very happy living here and I don't want to go anywhere else. That's not to say there's nothing wrong - there's always something not right wherever you live.

One thing to bear in mind is that it's not necessary to buy here - at least not immediately. Rents are very affordable and it would be a good idea to do so for a time. 

For instance in our village I would expect there to be many houses for rent at under 500 Euros per month and some for half that. I guess the coast might be a bit more expensive but there are so many empty properties that I would expect some good deals.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Maz_Scot said:


> Thanks Aron,
> 
> I have been keeping an eye on the jobs and I wouldnt buy / move without a permanenet position.
> We have no kids and no debts at present though so if we dont look now I dont think we will ever escape the UK, recession or no recession.
> ...


Spain is a fantastic country to live in, but you asked about chartered accountancy which is a specialised subject. It's not ordinary accounting. You also mentioned about working in Gib and living in Spain. Spain has it's problems and it's not straightforward, but I never gave any indication of negativity. I just suggested you do more research into your project.
I didn't escape the UK, I went through countless recessions and came to live in this wonderful country after a lifetime of hard work. I didn't leave the UK because it was rainy. That is a poor reason to move and start a new life.


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

The property prices in Gib remind me of the difference between my neck of the woods and London, but if you're earning mega bucks, what the hell? Do employees working in Gib get a weighting similar to working in London, because if not, the Spanish tax regime along with the inconvenience doesn't seem worth the effort to me?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I live on the Canarian island of El Hierro, I am happy to be here. We get almost 360 days of sunshine and few rainy days and in our case the climate was one of the main reasons for moving here.


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## Maz_Scot (Sep 4, 2013)

Aron said:


> Spain is a fantastic country to live in, but you asked about chartered accountancy which is a specialised subject. It's not ordinary accounting. You also mentioned about working in Gib and living in Spain. Spain has it's problems and it's not straightforward, but I never gave any indication of negativity. I just suggested you do more research into your project.
> I didn't escape the UK, I went through countless recessions and came to live in this wonderful country after a lifetime of hard work. I didn't leave the UK because it was rainy. That is a poor reason to move and start a new life.


I am pretty sure I didn't ask any advice on chartered accountancy at any point. 
As for it not being an ordinary accountancy, I am very aware, I have worked in finance for 10 years prior to obtaining my charter with the intent of having something to offer to another country when I left the uk. 
I find your comments rude and unhelpful, presuming to known why I am leaving the uk is particularly offensive. I don't share my reasons with a public forum because it is my and m husbands business not yours. 
My mistake for coming on what I thought was a helpful forum for advice, I didn't expect cheek from a stranger


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## zenkarma (Feb 15, 2013)

Maz_Scot said:


> My mistake for coming on what I thought was a helpful forum for advice, I didn't expect cheek from a stranger


On the whole the forum is very helpful and there are many people here with a lot of experience of actually living in Spain and therefore understand the practical problems many people will face.

You're going to get some negativity I'm afraid.

Many dreamers come here, dreaming of a life in sunny Spain without really understanding all the problems they will face in making that dream a reality. Many are just not going to make it happen. And many just don't like being told their dream isn't practical or feasible.

Unfortunately many people seem to see living in Spain as a panacea for the miserable life they may have in the UK, It isn't a panacea, the problems in Spain can be just has tough as in the UK, in some aspects worse—there's no welfare or benefits safety net to catch you if you fall.

Thousands of Brits living in Spain are selling up and returning to the UK and there's many good reasons for why—it's tough economically in Spain right now.

That's not to say you are one of those dreamers, nor that you will never make it happen.

Just don't think it's going to be at all easy, because it isn't.

With research, planning, number crunching and understanding exactly what you're getting yourself into you can make it a reality. But it won't be easy.

I believe very firmly that if someone is determined enough to make something happen and create a better way of life for themselves and are prepared to put in the hard work of research and planning, they will ultimately be successful.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Maz_Scot said:


> I am pretty sure I didn't ask any advice on chartered accountancy at any point.
> As for it not being an ordinary accountancy, I am very aware, I have worked in finance for 10 years prior to obtaining my charter with the intent of having something to offer to another country when I left the uk.
> I find your comments rude and unhelpful, presuming to known why I am leaving the uk is particularly offensive. I don't share my reasons with a public forum because it is my and m husbands business not yours.
> My mistake for coming on what I thought was a helpful forum for advice, I didn't expect cheek from a stranger


With respect, you said there were plenty of jobs for accountants, but you are a chartered accountant and that is specialised field of accounting. I fail to see in the middle of a recession how you come to think there are plenty of jobs. I meant no offence and did stay to the content of your original question. You asked about the ease of buying a house in Spain and I said nothing in Spain is straightforward, but I was being realistic, not negative. 
Spain is a wonderful country, it needs the support of everyone. It is the most fantastic country to live in and to integrate into. The local people are the most generous I have ever met. 
I wish you well in your venture.


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## Gloverr (Sep 4, 2013)

Hello!

I'm currently working in Gibraltar and living in Spain. I live in La Linea so I can literally just walk into work and it takes about 30 mins. All but one of the people I work with live in Spain and we are all from the UK! Some live in La Linea but others live in Sotogrande, Duquesa and Santa Margarita. The furthest away drives for about half an hour and then parks in the car park at the border - this is one Euro a day. Then you can travel into the main part of Gibraltar either by bus (this literally takes 5 mins), taxi or walk. It's really not that far and you can get more for your money living further out into Spain.


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## Maz_Scot (Sep 4, 2013)

[
Many dreamers come here, dreaming of a life in sunny Spain without really understanding all the problems they will face in making that dream a reality. Many are just not going to make it happen. And many just don't like being told their dream isn't practical or feasible.

Unfortunately many people seem to see living in Spain as a panacea for the miserable life they may have in the UK, It isn't a panacea, the problems in Spain can be just has tough as in the UK, in some aspects worse—there's no welfare or benefits safety net to catch you if you fall.


Thanks for the reply. 
I do appreciate you probably get a lot of dreamers with ill thought out plans asking questions on here but I dont consider myself one of them.
For 10 years we have known we would be leaving the UK for several reasons and everything we have done up until now has been with that Goal in mind. 
Our life isn't miserable in the UK though, we have various reasons for leaving. 
We are only now in a position to start planning and fully understand it will take a long period of time to put any plan into action.. as I intend to do things properly.. but we have to start somewere.


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## Maz_Scot (Sep 4, 2013)

Gloverr said:


> Hello!
> 
> I'm currently working in Gibraltar and living in Spain. I live in La Linea so I can literally just walk into work and it takes about 30 mins. All but one of the people I work with live in Spain and we are all from the UK! Some live in La Linea but others live in Sotogrande, Duquesa and Santa Margarita. The furthest away drives for about half an hour and then parks in the car park at the border - this is one Euro a day. Then you can travel into the main part of Gibraltar either by bus (this literally takes 5 mins), taxi or walk. It's really not that far and you can get more for your money living further out into Spain.



Thanks Gloverr
That sounds encouraging. Iv noticed the further away from Gib you go the better the house prices. 
Thanks for the info!


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