# Move to Spain???!?? Help!!!



## mmschex (Aug 5, 2008)

Hi All
I'm new here, just registered. Just returned from our hols in Spain. We go to the costa del sol every year at least once a year as my inlaws live there. I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK. We are considereing moving over there too now but are unsure where to start. We are both in our 30's and have 2 children aged 2yrs and 5yrs. Neither of us speak that much Spanish but I do class myself as a very quick learner! So anyway, a few questions:

Home - Would you suggest that renting is best to start?

Schools - How old are the children when they start school and how has everyone found spanish schools?

Work - this is a big question. I take it that it's better to look for work before we were to move but what would you suggest?

Areas - We always visit Competa and have been to canillas, frigilliana etc. Does anyone have any other ideas of great places to live?

Think that's it for now. We have always wanted to move to Spain but always thought it would be more like after our children had finished primary school. Really don't want to wait that long now!

Many thanks for reading all this.

mmschex


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## mr lee (Jun 14, 2008)

*A little help*

Hi & welcome to the forum....taking the plunge is a big step,
first I would say renting is an absolute must, that way you can try out differant areas as and when needed, for example, you can follow the work depending on what you can do, its amazing how many over night builders are here...you can do a bit of gardening, painting, key holding, building etc etc....the same as every other expat that lives here, cos finding a real job can be tricky, if ya do little bits & bobs you are always looking for work always advertising ( at a cost & some times the phone never rings)...can you afford that in say ....10 years time, if you are lucky & I do hope so you could get a job with a brit company,,,,,pay will be around 1250e with tax & nat ins to pay out of that ..poss leaving you with around 1000e to spend on bills & more bills....I didnt make the big time myself im going back I know where my breads butterd, but a pal of mine has done very well, but he lost alot of friends in the making (watch out for the knives in yer back)
As for buying a house ...well, its a buyers market, find a house that you like & offer a silly price...if their skint and want a quck sale then there shouldnt be a problem, ..theres no need to go looking at the estate agents, houses for sale are all over the place ..youll save an awfull lot of cash without the estate agents, but a solicitor is a must......sorry this is long as i cant do shorthand...hope this helps. & best of luck.


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## mmschex (Aug 5, 2008)

*Thx Mr Lee*

Thanks for our reply.
So sorry to hear that it hasn't worked out for you in Spain 
Where abouts are you? What sort of work do you do and do you speak spanish?

mmschex


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## rjnpenang (Feb 20, 2008)

Hi mmschex?, Now is not a good time to move to Spain, have a look at the "Frigiliana" thread, over 10% unemployment and rising (in the middle of summer).
"I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK", I know the feeling, one feels the sun can cure everything!, would you rather be unemployed here or have a job in the UK?. (ps, however, its a great place to raise kids, yours are the ideal age, in 6 months they would be teaching you Spanish!) Regards Robert


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

rjnpenang said:


> Hi mmschex?, Now is not a good time to move to Spain, have a look at the "Frigiliana" thread, over 10% unemployment and rising (in the middle of summer).
> "I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK", I know the feeling, one feels the sun can cure everything!, would you rather be unemployed here or have a job in the UK?. (ps, however, its a great place to raise kids, yours are the ideal age, in 6 months they would be teaching you Spanish!) Regards Robert



I agree with Robert, especially look at the "Frigiliana" thread. and yes its a great place to raise kids - the younger the better! Maybe you have a head start if you have in laws who live here

Welcome to the forum

Jo


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

Income is the key!


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

Hi there,

"We are both in our 30's and have 2 children aged 2yrs and 5yrs. Neither of us speak that much Spanish"

Money is the big issue !

If you have enough money to rent or buy a property and to put 2 small children through school and not have to work because you have enough money coming in from the UK, then yes - go for it !

But if the answer to my question is no, then my next question would be what work are you qualified and experienced to do ? 

2.5 MILLION un-employed in Spain, as we speak.

Regards, Dave


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## mackenziegray (Aug 9, 2008)

hi, just new to site! my partner, my 14yr old son, and i are thinking of moving out to spain next april. I am 32 and my partner is 48. We were hoping to live (rented) in the Benalmenda area. We are worried about getting jobs though, as my partners age might stand against him, he has been a bar manager here in n. ireland for 10yrs, and has great references, so if anyone knows of any jobs that would be exc!! We are soooooooo excited, but very scared also, we are trying our best to save as much money as possible to be able to pay our rent for a few months incase we find it hard to get jobs. (and doing a spanish course at college)!! if anyone can give us any tips on....well anything really...we would be so gratefull.
donna x


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

mackenziegray said:


> hi, just new to site! my partner, my 14yr old son, and i are thinking of moving out to spain next april. I am 32 and my partner is 48. We were hoping to live (rented) in the Benalmenda area. We are worried about getting jobs though, as my partners age might stand against him, he has been a bar manager here in n. ireland for 10yrs, and has great references, so if anyone knows of any jobs that would be exc!! We are soooooooo excited, but very scared also, we are trying our best to save as much money as possible to be able to pay our rent for a few months incase we find it hard to get jobs. (and doing a spanish course at college)!! if anyone can give us any tips on....well anything really...we would be so gratefull.
> donna x


Whatever you do get your jobs arranged BEFORE you come out

I've just come back from spending an evening out in Benalmadena with friends who have lived in this area for 6 years - even they were shocked how quiet the area is - A saturday night in August should have been heaving, it wasnt, Most bars were only a third full. These friends of ours were telling us that apparently a couple of years ago the mayor of Benalmadena decided he was sick of the trouble caused by the British holiday makers and stopped most of the British bars from having music and was very slow at granting British bars from having licences for anything really. This has caused a lot of British bars to close and the area to quieten down significantly, This mayor has since gone, but the bars are not recovering and it seems the holiday makers are not returning. 

anyway, these friends of ours, who are in fact estate agents (mainly domestic) said "you'd be financially better off if you were to put 100,000 euros cash into a paper shreader than to get a bar in the costa del sol right now" And judging by how quiet it was there tonight, they dont need many extra staff. The place we went to was being run by the owner (it was a Spanish bar) and he had 1 waiter, and 2 waitresses who were obviously working through their summer holidays from college and they certainly were'nt busy - food was good though, as was the wine ...hic!!!!

Jo x


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

Hi there,

I think Jojo has pretty much said all there is to say, but for what its worth I would quite honestly forget buying or renting a bar on the Costa del Sol and unless you have specific transferable skills that the Spanish are in desperate need of right now, then I would have a major re-think if I were you !!

Many people seem to think its easy to find work in Spain, its NOT and on the Costas you are even less likely to find work. Most jobs are seasonal anyway and the pay is very poor. If you were a teacher or a nurse or an architect things might well be different, but if you have no idea what work you can do when you get here NOW, then I see very little hope for your dream becoming a reality. If you do not agree thats fine, but as they say, honesty is always the best policy and its also true that the truth can hurt sometimes !


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## rjnpenang (Feb 20, 2008)

hi, just new to site! my partner, my 14yr old son, and i are thinking of moving out to spain next april. I am 32 and my partner is 48".
Hi Donna, Its all been said above, but, please consider your 14 year old son, it will be VERY difficult for him to settle here, no friends?, unable to speak Spanish?, schooling?. Regards Rob


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## mackenziegray (Aug 9, 2008)

thank you soooo much for your replys, we honestly dont know what to do, we would so love just to be able to move tomorrow (never mind next march)!!
We have thought about what you said about Benalmadena and maybe its not such a good idea after all. 
We would be happy with even a job each in a bar or a resturant, just anything to keep the rent paid, we also havent got great knowledge of Spain, (having only been to the Costa Del Sol, and Mallorca)
My mother and father are going to look after my son for a couple of months back in ireland until we see if living in spain is what we really imagined it to be, we understand it will be long hours work, but we have talked about it for years, maybe by next year things might of picked up again.
I suppose we would have to go to tourist areas, were we might have a better chance of getting work........ but where?????
donna n stephen! x


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## rjnpenang (Feb 20, 2008)

Donna, In my old business, (a cafe with 14 employees), all the staff are now on a 5 day week (from 6), Its extremely doubtful if you can find work at the moment. Sept/Oct are the good months for British tourists but with the pound at 1-20? who knows what going to happen then. Regards Rob (Fuengirola)


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## mackenziegray (Aug 9, 2008)

*thankyou Rob!!*



rjnpenang said:


> hi, just new to site! my partner, my 14yr old son, and i are thinking of moving out to spain next april. I am 32 and my partner is 48".
> Hi Donna, Its all been said above, but, please consider your 14 year old son, it will be VERY difficult for him to settle here, no friends?, unable to speak Spanish?, schooling?. Regards Rob


thankyou Rob for replying to me, i really wish we knew what to do for the best, my son has actually fallen in with the wrong company of friends here and that sort of made our mind up about moving, although hes only 14 he looks about 19 and we thought maybe a change for him would be good also. At the minute, we are all (trying) to learn spanish (not to well) haha! He is not sure about moving, (we had an incident last month when we were on holiday, he had made friends with two spanish kids and had a great day, only at the end of the night they stole his money and mobile phone)!! Its getting him to understand that not everyone is like that. Its a big change for us all, maybe we will hate it or maybe we will love it, i thought if we gave it a year or two out in spain, whats to lose. If we dont do it now, we,ll never do it.
We would ideally like to go to somewhere where there is a lot of irish, english etc as if my son meets friends he will settle in a lot quicker
donna xxx


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## rjnpenang (Feb 20, 2008)

I agree with you, it can be a better life here, we raised 2 kids thought the Spanish school system, they loved it and made good lifelong friends!. But even so, we know that they tried all the usual things, soft drugs, smoking etc., (even growing marij. on our terrace). 14 is such a difficult age, not quite a child and not quite a man and with such temptations!. We moved here in 1983 and looking back it was a good place to raise kids. However, even if you both had jobs in Spain its not a good idea to leave him with your parents and he´s a little too old to enter the Spanish education system. I´m sorry I don´t have an easy answer, but the main criteria in my opinion is your son. Regards Robert (Why don´t you move over to the UK?).


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## bambi (Aug 9, 2008)

Hi 
we lived in Spain for 5yrs inAlmeria, we saw many young couples come and go, dont want to dishearten you but be careful. The children will be fine they adapt very quickly and will probably be speaking Spanish before you. I would advise strongly to rent beacause if you get the area wrong your stuck there until you can sell. Work can be tricky if you dont speak Spanish, then you will have to rely on the English for work and they dont pay well. You need to get onto the national ins system and this can be expensive you need to pay even if you dont earn. Please be careful a lot of Brits leave their brains on the plane when arriving in Spain and buy on impulse only to regret. Think long and hard and good luck.


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## mackenziegray (Aug 9, 2008)

*thankyou*

thankyou to everyone who left me a comment, you have all been a BIG help, and it has given us more things to think about, the good and bad. Maybe we should not even think about moving until my son has finished his schooling here, it will only be another two years i suppose..... but in saying that, my partner will be 50 then, even slimmer chance of finding a job then. AAARRRRGGGGG! god, i wish i knew what to do for the best! haha!
anyway, i love this site, it gives me lots of information and is a brill help. i dont know anyone who lives in spain so im taking all your comments on board.

thanks again! xxx


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## MDM_117 (Sep 21, 2008)

*Re Moving to Spain*

Hi there

I understand from your message you are serious about moving to Spain. What I am going to tell you now is just a few words of warnings to be aware of if and when you decide to make the move. 

I moved to Spain - Marbella Costa Del Sol 6 months ago with my partner from North West England. We researched our move and travelled down for 12 months planning the area which to live, and to buy a business that could generate a fairly decent living. I discovered that it is not easy to get a job in Spain that pays well, if you do not speak Spanish. We both had really well paid jobs in the UK and gave them up to make the move. 

We researched and found a business in Marbella. A Cafe bar situated in the business district of Marbella. We wanted a business that did not rely on tourism. The Cafe bar seemed perfect as many of its clients were local spanish people. We both did not speak a word of Spanish but learnt quickly. So I dont think you would have a problem learning the language as long as you intergrate yourself into Spanish life. 

We bought the business and rented an apartment just outside Marbella. Things then started to slowly go wrong. We were told, and shown figures of the businesses takings daily, these were offical documents (so we thought) and we based our decision to buy on this. After the first few weeks we discovered that the business was making no where near what we were told. We both have committments in the UK, i.e. we have to send cash back each month, this has been virtually impossible. We have lived on tips for the past 6 months trying to survive. 

We have put the business on the market and are hoping it will sell fast otherwise we stand to lose everything. We have had to sell our car to try and make ends meet. I have taken on another job in the evenings but it is commission only, most of the jobs on the coast are commission only. The salaries do not compare with that of the UK. 

Spain is very different from the UK in many ways. We were under the impression that the standard of living here was much less, but it is not. It is the same as the UK. Electricity bills are very high, more than that of the UK. The same with telephone bills. When you set up a bank account, and you have to pay utility bills, personal bills, etc, the money is debited from your account without prior warning. It is very difficult to manage your finances as you dont know what is going to go out of your bank account from one day to the next. 

I have spoke to a few expats that live in Spain. If you send your children to state Spanish school, they learn everything in Spanish. Therefore expats have to consider sending their children to have either part time private english reading and writing lessons, or pay for a private school full time. If a child goes to a private English school, they follow the UK curriculum. 

If you do decide to make the move, make sure you have available cash in bank should anything go wrong, and I wouldnt even consider the move if you havent got jobs in place beforehand. Do a search in google and type "jobs in Spain" Many recruitment agencies will come up. 

I regret moving to Spain and If I could turn the clock back I would. It was supposed to be a dream come true, and we are both trapped in our worst nightmare. I am not trying to put you off from making the move, but what I am trying to say is even with planning, it can still all go wrong. Spain is also on thr brink of a recession, so now is certainly not a good time to make the move. 

Living in Spain has made me appreciate why we pay high taxes i.e. council tax etc in the UK. We pay them for a reason, and its only after living here you see why. 

regards


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

MDM_117 said:


> Hi there
> 
> I understand from your message you are serious about moving to Spain. What I am going to tell you now is just a few words of warnings to be aware of if and when you decide to make the move.
> 
> ...


Gosh I'm really sorry things havent worked out for you. That "lets buy a bar in Spain" idea seems to catch people - even with careful planning! Mind you, I think the Marbella isd a very expensive area - although bar prices should reflect that too!

I will say one thing, my electricity bill is nowhere near what it was in the UK (less than half and I dont have gas here, I did in the UK) and my phone bill is only dear here cos I'm always phoning the UK, but I know what you mean about telefonica etc just taking the money out of the bank account without warning - that really annoys me!

I hope you manage to resolve your problems, cos sadly I dont think its easy in the UK either at the moment

Jo


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## cosmokramer (Jun 5, 2008)

*Renting versus Buying*

Hi,
just a quick tip, i´m not an expert but i would rent for sure until this price slump stops. In Empuriabrava where i live, the prices are dropping big time and rentals are getting harder to come by.

Don't jump up and down and try and get a mortgage that drains every penny you have, rent for a while.

Lee


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

jojo said:


> but I know what you mean about Telefonica etc just taking the money out of the bank account without warning - that really annoys me!


BUT IT SHOULDN'T, Jo - You signed an agreement, basically a DIRECT DEBIT. 

You could quite easily PAYG. But miss a payment - you'd be cut off AND have to then pay and wait for reconnection. My in-laws did this for YEARS whilst the old chap was unsure of earnings.

AND WHY ARE YOU CALLING THE UK ON A LAND LINE? - Look at SKYPE.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

chris(madrid) said:


> BUT IT SHOULDN'T, Jo - You signed an agreement, basically a DIRECT DEBIT.
> 
> You could quite easily PAYG. But miss a payment - you'd be cut off AND have to then pay and wait for reconnection. My in-laws did this for YEARS whilst the old chap was unsure of earnings.
> 
> AND WHY ARE YOU CALLING THE UK ON A LAND LINE? - Look at SKYPE.


Skype doesnt work in my village (I can use it to text, but it freezes when I try to audio or video call) as my connection is under 1mb - even though I'm paying telefonica for 3mb. My OH has tried to phone them about this, but they hang up when they realise he cant speak spanish!!! Any advice??


As for the paying thing, actually its something that annoys me. I get the bill about a week AFTER they've taken the payment and yes, I got cut off once cos my bank account was TWO WHOLE EUROS short - If I'd had the bill first, I would have tranferred TWO EUROS LOL!! How do I get the bill first?? Whats PAYG?


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

jojo said:


> Skype doesnt work in my village (I can use it to text, but it freezes when I try to audio or video call) as my connection is under 1mb - even though I'm paying telefonica for 3mb. My OH has tried to phone them about this, but they hang up when they realise he cant speak spanish!!! Any advice??


*DON'T TRY VIDEO BELOW 6MB - EVER.* 

I used SKYPE before on 1MB with no problems. The issue is MOST LIKELY NOT SO MUCH the 3MB RECEIVE its the SEND which is most likely 128 or 256K (this is normal) the 3MB btw is an upto thing! Officially this is TF's base tarif. You should look for a Telefonica office near to you and GO IN PERSON. But This is Spain and Spanish is a must.



jojo said:


> As for the paying thing, actually its something that annoys me. I get the bill about a week AFTER they've taken the payment and yes, I got cut off once cos my bank account was TWO WHOLE EUROS short - If I'd had the bill first, I would have tranferred TWO EUROS LOL!! How do I get the bill first?? Whats PAYG?


PAYG - Pay As You Go. and you've discovered the problem already. 

You maybe able to arrange with the bank that they advise you when you receive these bills. Ours will call. Getting the ADVICE first - this may be posible if you use the TF online service - I don't know - I make them send me paper.


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

Jo - Go to HERE and run against the nearest Pyramid - and also against one in the UK


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

jojo said:


> Skype doesnt work in my village (I can use it to text, but it freezes when I try to audio or video call) as my connection is under 1mb - even ?


For what its worth I use SKYPE regularly on a 512 rural connection


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

chris(madrid) said:


> *DON'T TRY VIDEO BELOW 6MB - EVER.*
> 
> I used SKYPE before on 1MB with no problems. The issue is MOST LIKELY NOT SO MUCH the 3MB RECEIVE its the SEND which is most likely 128 or 256K (this is normal) the 3MB btw is an upto thing! Officially this is TF's base tarif. You should look for a Telefonica office near to you and GO IN PERSON. But This is Spain and Spanish is a must.
> 
> ...


Chris made a comment a while ago relative to the wife and I moving to Spain, he said something like 'you will muddle through'. I took issue, but the more that I think about it that's just what we want to do.

No kids to bring up, so no schooling to worry about, no intention of working, so no great career changes, our state and private pensions and savings should see us through. We have a liking to live on an urbanisation with a mixture of different nationalities for neighbours, we don't live in the pockets of our neighbours in the UK so don't expect this to change in Spain.

We will quite simply retire to the sun as aversed to retiring in the rain. However if we were 30 years younger, with a young family, mortgage etc, I dont think either of us would me able to muster up enough courage.

I am very much an observer of people these days and note that the Brits that hang around bars touting their dubious talents are not earning, they are just spending. At my mates villa I see the pool man working (80 euros per month), he spends around I hour per week there. The couple that do the gardening (120 euros per month) spend around 5 hours per month there. The woman that does the full clean changeovers and half cleans charges circa 50 euros for a full clean and 25 euros for a half clean, this includes clean sheets and towels, however it is hardly ever rented these days irrespective of it being pure luxury. 

I replied on this thread because my mate has a land line with a small ariel screwed into the gismo. You dial a four figure number prior to dialing the actual number, this works both outwards and inwards and is supposed to be very reasonable, anyone know what system this is?


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

crookesey said:


> Chris made a comment a while ago relative to the wife and I moving to Spain, he said something like 'you will muggle through'. I took issue, but the more that I think about it that's just what we want to do.


Muddle I think - Muggle sounds very Harry Potter  - And whilst I'm a Wizard sort of chap - Magic I'm not. I was spared muddling by marrying a Spaniard.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

chris(madrid) said:


> Muddle I think - Muggle sounds very Harry Potter  - And whilst I'm a Wizard sort of chap - Magic I'm not. I was spared muddling by marrying a Spaniard.



I muddled quite a lot when I first came here


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> I muddled quite a lot when I first came here


I dont get in a muddle, I get in a mucking fuddle!

Jo


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

jojo said:


> I dont get in a muddle, I get in a mucking fuddle!
> 
> Jo


"Muddling with the muckers" - is that not a film


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

chris(madrid) said:


> Muddle I think - Muggle sounds very Harry Potter  - And whilst I'm a Wizard sort of chap - Magic I'm not. I was spared muddling by marrying a Spaniard.


The G is very close to the D though, well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 

There are two types of people, 1) those who can spell, 2) those who can't, & 3) those who can't count. 

I'll get my coat.


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## MDM_117 (Sep 21, 2008)

mackenziegray said:


> thankyou Rob for replying to me, i really wish we knew what to do for the best, my son has actually fallen in with the wrong company of friends here and that sort of made our mind up about moving, although hes only 14 he looks about 19 and we thought maybe a change for him would be good also. At the minute, we are all (trying) to learn spanish (not to well) haha! He is not sure about moving, (we had an incident last month when we were on holiday, he had made friends with two spanish kids and had a great day, only at the end of the night they stole his money and mobile phone)!! Its getting him to understand that not everyone is like that. Its a big change for us all, maybe we will hate it or maybe we will love it, i thought if we gave it a year or two out in spain, whats to lose. If we dont do it now, we,ll never do it.
> We would ideally like to go to somewhere where there is a lot of irish, english etc as if my son meets friends he will settle in a lot quicker
> donna xxx


Hi Donna

My Advice is don't make the move yet. Spain is on the brink of recession and finding work is really difficult. I bought a business - a Cafe Bar, the business is ticking over i.e. paying the overheads but we can't afford any staff or pay ourselves a wage. The business is supported by mainly local spanish customers. Most other cafe bars in the area are not doing well (what we have been told by the owners). Both myself and my partner - luckily were able to get another job working evenings (commission only) to help us through until we can sell the business and return to the UK. We planned the move for over 12 months and have spent a lot of money moving here. We moved for a better life and its worse. We are working more hours for less money! 

My advice is take into consideration what everyone else on the forum is saying. If I could turn the clock back I would have stayed in the UK. But you live and learn. Spain is a fantastic place to visit but living here is a totally different ball game. I think your son would find it extremely difficult to settle, many expats I have spoken to here in Spain who brought their children to Spain have returned to the UK. 

I think if you have made your money in the UK, i.e. have a good state and private pension to see you through and are at retirement age, or have won the lottery, then go for it as you wont have to worry about money. But if not, stay where you are unless you both can secure well paid jobs before you leave. 

Hope this helps

Mike.


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

MDM_117 said:


> Hi Donna
> 
> Spain is on the brink of recession and finding work is really difficult. We moved for a better life and its worse. We are working more hours for less money!
> 
> If I could turn the clock back I would have stayed in the UK. But you live and learn. Spain is a fantastic place to visit but living here is a totally different ball game.



I would like to add that think Spain IS in a recession NOW and there are not enough jobs for the Spaniards, nevermind an non-Spanish speaking couple from Ireland or anywhere else for that matter.

Many expats regret making the move and wish they could turn back the clocks, but the question surely has to be why did they make the move in the first place and why did it all go wrong ?

Could it be that many move through desperation to leave old blighty ?
Maybe they have just watched too many episodes of a "place in the sun"

1 answer might be:

Most expats return home for financial reasons as a direct result of not thinking things through properly before they made the move in the first place. Its all very well to dream about having some wonderful life in the sun, as if Spain is some kind of Utopia - but in reality its not like that at all.

I would like to thank Mike for sharing his story and whilst I understand things did not work out for you this time around; but just maybe you could give it another go in the future and things might just work out, although I'm not suggesting you open another cafe bar...but you could try something a bit different, something that not many people have done or even thought about doing.

Good luck Mike


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SunnySpain said:


> I would like to add that think Spain IS in a recession NOW and there are not enough jobs for the Spaniards, nevermind an non-Spanish speaking couple from Ireland or anywhere else for that matter.
> 
> Many expats regret making the move and wish they could turn back the clocks, but the question surely has to be why did they make the move in the first place and why did it all go wrong ?
> 
> ...


Well said Dave and good luck Mike. I'm sorry it hasnt been what you wanted, but if you'd stayed in the UK you would have always wished you'd tried and things may have been bad for the reasons you left in the first place.

I was like that before we moved here, I envisaged some kind of perfect, sunny world - utopia, a cheap, easy lifestyle, of course we'd get jobs, have money .. blah blah...... Yes, I watched too many episodes of "A place in the sun"!! I was totally blinded by that vision and nothing could make me change my mind. Fortunately my husband is a cautious person and thinks ahead. He used to use a phrase "Be a monkey in a tree, dont let go of one branch until you have a firm grip on another" And thats what we've done and so far its kept us financially secure. But when we were planning this, I was impatient and thought he was making excuses to stop us going. Many a night we'd argue as he would plan for this or plan for that. He'd worry about the "what ifs" and I'd just keep saying, "But Ehglands a dump and sinking fast, Spains better, it'll be sunny, it'll work out fine. IT'LL BE ALRIGHT"

I was all for selling our UK house, buying a place here for "nonepence" and living off odd jobs here and there. My husband is a fully trained electrician, PC programmer/ installer and mechanical engineer, so he could easily get a job if he really needed to - its easy I thought. In retrospect if we'd done it my way, we'd be totally sunk by now!

Jo


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## MDM_117 (Sep 21, 2008)

SunnySpain said:


> I would like to add that think Spain IS in a recession NOW and there are not enough jobs for the Spaniards, nevermind an non-Spanish speaking couple from Ireland or anywhere else for that matter.
> 
> Many expats regret making the move and wish they could turn back the clocks, but the question surely has to be why did they make the move in the first place and why did it all go wrong ?
> 
> ...


Hi there

When me and my partner moved here it was planned very carefully, we did not cut corners and thought we bought a successful business. My partner is a fully qualified accountant and he requested and was given accounts for the business through our lawyer, however, the figures we were given could not be correct as our takings and the previous owners takings were significantly different. We are seeing all the same clients apart from the odd few that went elsewhere. 

Anyway its done now and unfortunately we are stuck here until we can sell the business. I suppose we would have always wondered "what if" if we had not made the move. I can say this though, I won't make the same mistake again, this whole experience has been a massive learning curve for me and my partner. We will be glad to return to the UK and get jobs, fortunately for us our employers have agreed to take us back upon our return - whenever that might be!

Mike.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

MDM_117 said:


> Hi there
> 
> When me and my partner moved here it was planned very carefully, we did not cut corners and thought we bought a successful business. My partner is a fully qualified accountant and he requested and was given accounts for the business through our lawyer, however, the figures we were given could not be correct as our takings and the previous owners takings were significantly different. We are seeing all the same clients apart from the odd few that went elsewhere.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear that
We hear regular stories about misleading accounts, and poepl hiring people to sit in their bars when prospective buyers come along.

With all the misdeclaration that goes on with earnings here its very difficult to get an accurate set of books


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

Stravinsky said:


> With all the misdeclaration that goes on with earnings here its very difficult to get an accurate set of books


That's a little unfair imo. 

Sorry to read your problems Mike.

One thing I've learned here is that it's often necessary to bill for certain things that one might elsewhere do for free and visa versa. And you need to keep on top of it. Requires imo a VERY political mindset.

Professionals RAISED amongst the Spanish seem to cope better than outsiders.

Just about EVERY successful "small" businessman I know basically "works" 24/7 as they spend lots of their free time with their clients and a lot of work is done at social events. 

I know loads - some from privileged families and others from poorer origins. It's the same story except the privileged have more pleasant social environments. 

For some it's actually a drug - I've one particular friend who deals in classic cars. He's now 70, and simply cannot stop. 

I made a decision about 6 years ago it was a game I did NOT want to play. I've been offered membership of several of these "business clubs" - but it's not for me.


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## ATXIronHorse (Nov 13, 2008)

hey all,

I am from Texas but love Spain. I got it in my head one year and seriously considered moving out there. As we all know the lifestyle and carefree attitude of the people are just a blast. I've got great friends there and just had the time of my life.

So I went out there for a 3-month trail run with just a backpack and enough money to travel around the country. While it was still fun, annoyances surfaced which made me think twice about making the move. I noticed it took days and weeks to get things done that would be accomplished in 10 minutes back home. Just going to the bank for something was a fiasco. Customer service was awful. Service industry people even tried ripping me off, shortchanging at restaurants, etc. And the crowded concrete jungles of the cities got to me. I also noticed a lot of inefficiency, regulation, taxes, and low wages that chiseled away at what seemed like the best place on earth...

So when the party was over I decided to come back to Texas. Here I can build a house with one or two signatures and permits, taxes are low, regulation is low, and we've got the biggest sky you've ever seen. Granted, the bar parties don't run to 8 in the morning and 3 hour lunches are unheard of, but I think all-in-all its the better place to be to make a living, run a business, have a career and family or just deal with normal daily life. Although now and then I do get that pang in my heart and really miss Spain, so I'll just visit as much as I can.


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## lipstick (Nov 15, 2008)

*Rent don't buy*



mmschex said:


> Hi All
> I'm new here, just registered. Just returned from our hols in Spain. We go to the costa del sol every year at least once a year as my inlaws live there. I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK. We are considereing moving over there too now but are unsure where to start. We are both in our 30's and have 2 children aged 2yrs and 5yrs. Neither of us speak that much Spanish but I do class myself as a very quick learner! So anyway, a few questions:
> 
> Home - Would you suggest that renting is best to start?
> ...


Hi Guys
The only advice as far as property goes is to rent first.
There are many reasons but the most obvious ones are that if things don't work out then you've not committed to a mortgage, deposit etc and also prices are still dropping so hopefully when you decide to stay then you'll get yourself a better deal.
(SNIP)
Good luck
Deborah


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## Keidik (Nov 26, 2008)

mmschex said:


> Hi All
> I'm new here, just registered. Just returned from our hols in Spain. We go to the costa del sol every year at least once a year as my inlaws live there. I get very depressed when I have to return to the UK. We are considereing moving over there too now but are unsure where to start. We are both in our 30's and have 2 children aged 2yrs and 5yrs. Neither of us speak that much Spanish but I do class myself as a very quick learner! So anyway, a few questions:
> 
> Home - Would you suggest that renting is best to start?
> ...


Hi there,

Home - yes def start renting first so you get to know what area you want to end up living in. It is difficult to tell that if you lurch straight into buying a property. You could make a mistake.

Schools - they can start from age 3 and generally they are very good although there can be bullying issues with the Spanish kids.

Work - have you considered buying into a successful business opportunity ?

Areas - I live in El Morche, near Torrox Costa - look that one up I love it. if not Torre del Mar is another fave spot. The problme with the villages you mention is the distance from the coast. The jounrey can become a bit tedios up and down the mountains.

Dont wait any longer!!!


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## gulfcoast (Nov 21, 2008)

Newbie to the forum and it is very interesting reading about the trials and tribulations of many of the moves.

I have moved over from Florida to take a position as Western Europe Sales Manager for a US manufacturer and I am staying with family in the UK.

I am thinking of moving to Spain, mainly so I can learn Spanish and would like the flexibility of moving to different areas.

Maybe I am living in dream world but would like to house sit, condo sit, mansion sit etc if there are any opportunities out there.

Thank you.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

gulfcoast said:


> Newbie to the forum and it is very interesting reading about the trials and tribulations of many of the moves.
> 
> I have moved over from Florida to take a position as Western Europe Sales Manager for a US manufacturer and I am staying with family in the UK.
> 
> ...


House sitting equals renting a property, so it would cost you rent. You say you work in Western Europe - where abouts, cos it would need to be close enough to commute to spain and/or near an airport??????

Jo


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

And you'd need to show due cause if you were planning to reside here. Non-EU folk cannot simply "move about" within the EU except (sometimes) as tourists.


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