# help needed please x



## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

hi everyone. i will explain my situation to you all so you know whats going on. in feb me and my fiance booked and paid for flights and train tickets to move to malaga, we was going to stay in his uncles villa whilst we looked for work. a few days after paying and packing we found out we was expecting our first baby. as it stands we stayed put in the UK he is now working or his mum and dad in their engineering company. we are now looking back into moving out to spain as we put alot of effort into the research and things we would have to sort out once we moved. my fiancee is 22 open to any job that would cover the expense of living. i am currently 3months pregnant and too would be open to working (although i know i wouldnt get leave) i just wondered if anybody could tell me how the job situation is going in the costa del sol area and any other information that may help us. 

many thanks
lauren


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

lil-lauren said:


> hi everyone. i will explain my situation to you all so you know whats going on. in feb me and my fiance booked and paid for flights and train tickets to move to malaga, we was going to stay in his uncles villa whilst we looked for work. a few days after paying and packing we found out we was expecting our first baby. as it stands we stayed put in the UK he is now working or his mum and dad in their engineering company. we are now looking back into moving out to spain as we put alot of effort into the research and things we would have to sort out once we moved. my fiancee is 22 open to any job that would cover the expense of living. i am currently 3months pregnant and too would be open to working (although i know i wouldnt get leave) i just wondered if anybody could tell me how the job situation is going in the costa del sol area and any other information that may help us.
> 
> many thanks
> lauren


The job prospects in the CDS are horrendous! Spain has one of the largest unemployment figures in Europe. Even if you're fully bilingual and have good qualifications it would be hard! The situation here has also brought down the wages, which were low to begin with. The only thing I could suggest is that your fiance (or both of you) stay with his uncle for a while (extended holiday??) and have a good look around? But dont burn any bridges in the UK, especially with a baby on the way

Jo xxx


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## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

jojo said:


> The job prospects in the CDS are horrendous! Spain has one of the largest unemployment figures in Europe. Even if you're fully bilingual and have good qualifications it would be hard! The situation here has also brought down the wages, which were low to begin with. The only thing I could suggest is that your fiance (or both of you) stay with his uncle for a while (extended holiday??) and have a good look around? But dont burn any bridges in the UK, especially with a baby on the way
> 
> Jo xxx



Thanks for your reply Jo, his uncle doesnt live in spain he has brought a villa and rents it out time to time. I understand about being careful and i and so thankful for you reply. we did look into other places like cyprus or malta before spain but because of his uncle we thought wed stick with spain. its such a tricky thing now because i am pregnant. i want to do whats best for my little one but would like to move abroad.

Lauren xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

lil-lauren said:


> Thanks for your reply Jo, his uncle doesnt live in spain he has brought a villa and rents it out time to time. I understand about being careful and i and so thankful for you reply. we did look into other places like cyprus or malta before spain but because of his uncle we thought wed stick with spain. its such a tricky thing now because i am pregnant. i want to do whats best for my little one but would like to move abroad.
> 
> Lauren xxx


If I were you, I'd wait until you've had the baby. The UK, for all its faults will look after you both financially and medically. Once you're sorted and used to the idea of being a mum. Then think about taking the plunge. By then things maybe a bit easier here??!

Jo xxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Hi!
Well firstly, congratulationsreggers: !!

Secondly, look at the info that's on the forum about Costa del sol, jobs etc. Here are some threads that might have useful info
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...amily-moving-spain-need-lots-info-please.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/44588-moving-costa-del-sol-area.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-un-employment-facts-figures-about-spain.html

Thirdly. IMO this might not be the right time. Perhaps it would be better, considering what Spain is experiencing at this point in time and your personal circumstances to leave it for a couple of years


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## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

jojo said:


> If I were you, I'd wait until you've had the baby. The UK, for all its faults will look after you both financially and medically. Once you're sorted and used to the idea of being a mum. Then think about taking the plunge. By then things maybe a bit easier here??!
> 
> Jo xxx



i thought about waiting myself but richard (fiancee) thinks it would be better for us to go now as he thinks we never will if we dont now xxxxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

lil-lauren said:


> i thought about waiting myself but richard (fiancee) thinks it would be better for us to go now as he thinks we never will if we dont now xxxxx


Yes, but...
The baby obviously has 2 parents, but only one of them is actually having it. Are you going to be happy about having a baby in Spanish !! And if there are any problems?? Or do you have an English speaking hospital in the area where you're going?


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## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

thankyou for your reply i just looking at the links you gave me. im happy to have my baby in spain but only if i could find an english speaking hospital or if my spanish speaking cousin came with me when i went into hospital. i havent looked into the hospitals yet as i thought getting your thoughts on the job front first would be more realistic xxxx


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2010)

If you have a true skill are a professional, hard working and extremely good at networking then there is work here. If you are looking for jobs in building associated trades, running/working in a bar, a full-time contract based role then you'll have a tough if not impossible task finding work on the CDS.

Expense wise, just two of us need to earn around 1500€ a month to live quite well in a "cheap" area of Marbella


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

ShinyAndy said:


> If you have a true skill are a professional, hard working and extremely good at networking then there is work here.


And do you need Spanish in your experience or not?


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## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

please be blunt, i will never get anywhere otherwise. do you think we could make it in spain or not? xxxx


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm working flat out (too much) with the IT support/consulting and don't need to speak Spanish for my job as every client is English speaking. The marketing side of the business again is flat out and is only just after two years starting to branch into requiring the Spanish media as companies slowly realise they should be targeting the Spanish market as well as expat. 

I guess we're lucky as we tend to mainly be dealing with fresh rose tinted people that are moving over with money and good intentions for their business idea. We're not trudging around in the quagmire of gloom and doom of failures, so are quite positive about things (much to go against the grain of most current forum thoughts)


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2010)

lil-lauren said:


> please be blunt, i will never get anywhere otherwise. do you think we could make it in spain or not? xxxx


If you're asking that question then no, definitely not


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

ShinyAndy said:


> I'm working flat out (too much) with the IT support/consulting and don't need to speak Spanish for my job as every client is English speaking. The marketing side of the business again is flat out and is only just after two years starting to branch into requiring the Spanish media as companies slowly realise they should be targeting the Spanish market as well as expat.
> 
> I guess we're lucky as we tend to mainly be dealing with fresh rose tinted people that are moving over with money and good intentions for their business idea. We're not trudging around in the quagmire of gloom and doom of failures, so are quite positive about things (much to go against the grain of most current forum thoughts)


But interesting to know, so thanks for telling us!


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## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

the reason i ask because me and richard are both very willing and hard working people. when we put are minds to it we can do anything. he is currently working as an engineer, he has never done a job like that in his life and his boss told he he has never seen someone excel the way he has. i understand the point of forums to get reviews which are always mixed. we are both yound and very capable. like i first said we already planned and paid to move but i found out i was pregnant. i know from previous research and from what shinyandy said there is jobs for english speakers and IT is something i am good at.


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> But interesting to know, so thanks for telling us!


It seems to count for a lot down here if you can actually do what you say you can do, do it on time, do it well (ie didn't just read a book on it/like to do it in your spare time/feel like you're good at it and suddenly are an expert) and on budget! People are so used to all the chancers and spongers that frequented the place that it seems a refreshing change to them if you actually start the job and not run off with their money!


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## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

ShinyAndy said:


> It seems to count for a lot down here if you can actually do what you say you can do, do it on time, do it well (ie didn't just read a book on it and suddenly are an expert) and on budget! People are so used to all the chancers and spongers that frequented the place that it seems a refreshing change to them if you actually start the job and not run off with their money!


as you know i am having a baby so we wont be doing any running off. if we decide to move then thats it our everything will be put in 100% not just for us but for the sake of our babys future


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2010)

You asked us to be blunt, based on what you've said then definitely do not move to the CDS. Think about it in 10 years time when your fiance has 10 years experience in engineering and if your chosen career aside from being a Mum is IT then you're more than just good at it


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## lil-lauren (Apr 23, 2010)

my mum said to me today that leave it for 10years also but by then my baby qould be speaking and learning a new language would be more difficult. if we moved now the baby would grow up how every other spanish child does and to me that would be important as the move will affect us all and the last thing i want to do it make it harder my my little one


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Lil-lauren,
Who knows how things will pan out in Spain? 

The only thing we know is that right now unemployment is the highest amongst all European countries right now except Latvia. OK, the figures in the UK and x other countries are probably manipulated and we're not getting told everything by the politicians, but that doesn't take away from the fact that there are huge numbers of qualified Spanish speakers looking for work. Even before the present crisis the average salary for many bright university graduates was 1000€. There's even a special word for it (which admittidley comes from Italy, but its *mileurista*).

Look at it from another point of view - what can you give Spain, that it doesn't already have? It *has* hardworking educated and non educated people. There may be openings for IT people, but before people have always said that they're in Madrid etc and not on the coasts. I don't know. There may be openings in the betting companies and internet betting places based in Gibraltar - they do advertise a lot. They also want doctors and I believe naval engineers...???

In the end you have to make the decision, but deciding to live in another country when you need to work and with children is different to coming here when you've retired, to when you're single etc etc.

PS I think you're right that you're probably better to bring a young child to Spain to pick up the language, but it doesn't have to be a baby. Any age under 6 is good and even up to 10


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## NorthernLass (Nov 9, 2009)

Hi

You can do so much before you actually arrive to Spain.

Your child could actually start learning spanish whilst living in the UK. With DVDs in spanish, music in spanish, private spanish lessons, books etc. When they are young they will absorb this language so when you do arrive, your child will have an excellent grasp of it according to their age.

You and your financee can learn spanish too before you arrive which will really give you an edge and better odds in getting work or having a business here.

I agree with what every one has already said. Have your baby at home where you have family and friends. 

Things are really dire here at the moment..the amount of Brits left here in Spain is just a fraction of what it was back in 2006.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

What you also have to think about is that while you're in England, if you or your partner lose your jobs, you'll get some form of income support/dole/benefits, you'll get child allowance, help with living costs etc. - a safety net in these uncertain times. In Spain, if you dont get a job you'll get nothing! Nothing at all. Not even child allowance.

But dont give up on the dream. you should come over for a fact finding mission and have a proper look, to gain info, to see if you can get works that will pay you enough, see how much things are in the shops, how much rentals are etc.......

Jo xxx


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