# moving to spain



## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

hi there im new to this site and am after some good advice on moving to spain . we have been thinking about it for some years now and think its time . we have 3 children who we would like to go to public schools any names of public schools in the alicante or murcia area would be greatly apreciated as would love to be able to read up on them and email them for places and more info .. we also would like any one views on there move and sucess . also any other info u think we should no about ... my husband would be comuting untill he has found work as he has his own company in suspended ceilings and partitions . if u have info on this line of work or any in the building trade and contacts for him to get work that would also be great .. i am going to be travelling to alicante very soon to do a bit of looking around so contacts on long term rents would be great to .. we dont really wont to move to touristy areas .. we have visited altea and albea and they sort of appeal to us .lol but dont think we would settle there really not to sure on reasons but ill no when im there call it instink if u will .. thankyou for taking the time to read and look forward to any of u helpfull expats ..regards


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

When you say "Public" schools, do you mean state or international?? Maybe try googling schools in your chosen areas, 

Moving is never a pleasant experience wherever you're going to, the preparation is the key, once you've done that, the rest is just as awful as moving to the next town. We rent in Spain and have a house in the UK, so that made things a lot easier and my husband commutes, so we can always get things from the UK.

As for work, there is mass unemployment out here, the contstruction industry is on its knees, but if your husband can commute until things get better, then you should be ok. I didnt like the commuting idea to start with, but actually, its quite nice, instead of seeing my husband briefly ar bedtime and a tired wreck on Sundays (he worked Saturday too), which is how it was in the UK, we now have a good 10 days or so of quality time with him when he's here and being on my own with the kids isnt as daunting as I thought.

that said, my husband has had a hard time getting used to living in spain and I have to be honest, he still feels that he lives in the UK and isnt keen on Spain. He's just not here long enough to feel part of it here!!

Jo


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

hi and thanks for your reply yes it seems very daunting the thought of hubby being gone and me all alone in spain but we think thats the only way of keeping the home in england just in case .. schools i mean state schools really as it cost to much for private and id like my kids to mix with spanish startt the way we mean to go on so to speak .. calpe is the place my mum wonted to retire to but sadly she died of cancer i would like to visit to see if thats the place for us . have u been in spain long


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

Hi and welcome! 

There are a couple of good international schools that I'm aware of in the Murcia/south Costa Blanca area's. I did post website details on another thread recently, if you cannot find it, let me know and I'll post details again.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

We've been in Spain since February this year. We started our "adventure" about this time last year. The first thing we did was to decide on what practical things we wanted ie, near an airport, near possible job opportunities (hubby felt Marbella would be good for that??!!), ADSL in the house, near civilisation, not too off the beaten track, not too close to touristy bits etc. Anyway, we then went on google earth and looked at the areas near Marbella and its nearest airport, Malaga. We literally then drew a line from Malaga to Marbella and looked at all the towns on that line. We soon worked out that the nearer to Marbella, the more expensive, so we went nearer to Malaga. We then came over and had a look at several places and decided on either Coin, Alhaurin de la torre or El Grande. It was then just a matter of fine tuning, seeing what the rental prices were and what houses were available. Schools were'nt something I worried too much about, but we found an international school fairly close which is where we sent the kids, although my 11yo is about to start at the local state school.

You need to come over and get a feel for the areas, have a look at Calpe, Altea and Albea see which has the most of what you want. Then start planning what you want from a property ie price, appartment, pool, garden, number of bedrooms, near to brits, out in the sticks...... and then look on the net and see what agents have the best selection - dont be frightened to phone them, but they're all quite pushy, so dont be bullied - you have the upper hand and they're all desperate for business, but they can be helpful and useful

Jo


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

jojo said:


> When you say "Public" schools, do you mean state or international?? Maybe try googling schools in your chosen areas,
> 
> Moving is never a pleasant experience wherever you're going to, the preparation is the key, once you've done that, the rest is just as awful as moving to the next town. We rent in Spain and have a house in the UK, so that made things a lot easier and my husband commutes, so we can always get things from the UK.
> 
> ...


hi and thanks for your reply ... it does seem very daunting with hubby commuting , but thats the only way to keep the house in uk just in case .. i mean state schools as would like the kids to mix with spanish .. do u no the prices of villas to rent 4 bed or even appartments , villa would be nice but maybe thats just dreaming lol .. have u lived in spain long and has it been a pleasent experience . regards hayley


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

ps... if your husbands commuting, you need to be near a good airport!!

Jo


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

lainsy said:


> hi and thanks for your reply ... it does seem very daunting with hubby commuting , but thats the only way to keep the house in uk just in case .. i mean state schools as would like the kids to mix with spanish .. do u no the prices of villas to rent 4 bed or even appartments , villa would be nice but maybe thats just dreaming lol .. have u lived in spain long and has it been a pleasent experience . regards hayley


Google "rental properties in Calpe" etc and see what comes up, it'll give you an idea... and make you really excited about all this LOL!!!

Jo


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

jojo said:


> We've been in Spain since February this year. We started our "adventure" about this time last year. The first thing we did was to decide on what practical things we wanted ie, near an airport, near possible job opportunities (hubby felt Marbella would be good for that??!!), ADSL in the house, near civilisation, not too off the beaten track, not too close to touristy bits etc. Anyway, we then went on google earth and looked at the areas near Marbella and its nearest airport, Malaga. We literally then drew a line from Malaga to Marbella and looked at all the towns on that line. We soon worked out that the nearer to Marbella, the more expensive, so we went nearer to Malaga. We then came over and had a look at several places and decided on either Coin, Alhaurin de la torre or El Grande. It was then just a matter of fine tuning, seeing what the rental prices were and what houses were available. Schools were'nt something I worried too much about, but we found an international school fairly close which is where we sent the kids, although my 11yo is about to start at the local state school.
> 
> You need to come over and get a feel for the areas, have a look at Calpe, Altea and Albea see which has the most of what you want. Then start planning what you want from a property ie price, appartment, pool, garden, number of bedrooms, near to brits, out in the sticks...... and then look on the net and see what agents have the best selection - dont be frightened to phone them, but they're all quite pushy, so dont be bullied - you have the upper hand and they're all desperate for business, but they can be helpful and useful
> 
> Jo


hi jo
lol i just posted a reply to u thinking i answerd myself .. still learning ....... many thanks for that seems like u no the score well done u its such a big dissision but its got to be better than the life here in england as its all doom n gloom weather wise .. we slowly doing the research but good to get peoples views . are the rentals on villas expensive 4 beds with pool of course .. and do u find the spanish welcoming or are they sick of us brits coming over lol .. regards hayley


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

jojo said:


> Google "rental properties in Calpe" etc and see what comes up, it'll give you an idea... and make you really excited about all this LOL!!!
> 
> Jo


Hi there,

I have not been myself, but have had good reports about Denia and Calpe

As to rent, well there should be plenty of properties about, but I think you are more likely to be looking at 450-600 Euros a month for anything decent.

Good luck anyway


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

Pasanada said:


> Hi and welcome!
> 
> There are a couple of good international schools that I'm aware of in the Murcia/south Costa Blanca area's. I did post website details on another thread recently, if you cannot find it, let me know and I'll post details again.


hi sorry cant seem to find it .. have u lived in spain long and is it what u expected there .. we think we would like to be near alicante well within that sort of area ..


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

SunnySpain said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I have not been myself, but have had good reports about Denia and Calpe
> 
> ...


hi again thanks u been a great help my research goes on


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

lainsy said:


> hi sorry cant seem to find it .. have u lived in spain long and is it what u expected there .. we think we would like to be near alicante well within that sort of area ..


Hi!

I've been in Spain (up till I moved to the Middle East earlier this year) since 2002. I'm now back in the UK but still own a villa in the southern Costa Blanca.

Spain taught me many things, on a personal level and showed me a different way of life, should you wish to venture further than the Expat scene. Initally, I would say it's a good idea to make friends with Expats as it will help settle you in, however, beware that some are sharks and NEVER believe everything you're told, trust your own instinct.

I thoroughly enjoyed living in Spain, the people are initially aloof but once you speak a little Spanish, I found them to be warm, genuine and welcoming people. I only eat Spanish food and rarely venture into Expat bars. I adore the excitement and colour of the fiesta's, I've never experienced anything like it anywhere else in the world! The only downside was the redtape....it's adored in Spain! hahahaha!!

Here are the links to a couple of the international schools that I know of, hope this is of use to you should you wish to choose this option for your children.

El Limonar International School - A private fee-paying bilingual school in Murcia and Alicante (Spain) - Colegio bilingüe privado en Murcia y Alicante.

King's College, The British School of Murcia

If there is anything else I can help you with, please do not hesitate to ask. All the very best to you.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

lainsy said:


> hi sorry cant seem to find it .. have u lived in spain long and is it what u expected there .. we think we would like to be near alicante well within that sort of area ..


Sax?
I know of a lovely Finca in Sax that belongs to a someone I speak to on another forum


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

Pasanada said:


> Hi!
> 
> I've been in Spain (up till I moved to the Middle East earlier this year) since 2002. I'm now back in the UK but still own a villa in the southern Costa Blanca.
> 
> ...


hi thanks for those links thats a great help .. i am now looking for a place to stay i been looking for day n days but no joy yet .. we going to try and base our self in costa calida and then travel around many thanks we wish u well .. hayley


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

You're more than welcome, Hayley. Our place is on the border of the Costa Calida so I know the area fairly well.

All the very best and keep us posted on how you get on.


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

Pasanada said:


> You're more than welcome, Hayley. Our place is on the border of the Costa Calida so I know the area fairly well.
> 
> All the very best and keep us posted on how you get on.


hi me again lol is your place already occupied ..


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

Hi,

I'll PM you.


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

Pasanada said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'll PM you.


what does that mean lol it said some thing about my pop up blocker ???????????????//


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

Oh, it means I've sent you a private message! Lol Just go to your private messages (look at the top right of this page)


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## lainsy (Sep 7, 2008)

Pasanada said:


> Oh, it means I've sent you a private message! Lol Just go to your private messages (look at the top right of this page)


yey im getting good lol ive " pm" ed u back lol


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

Roger, got it and replied!!! Lol


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## josie (Nov 23, 2008)

lainsy said:


> hi there im new to this site and am after some good advice on moving to spain . we have been thinking about it for some years now and think its time . we have 3 children who we would like to go to public schools any names of public schools in the alicante or murcia area would be greatly apreciated as would love to be able to read up on them and email them for places and more info .. we also would like any one views on there move and sucess . also any other info u think we should no about ... my husband would be comuting untill he has found work as he has his own company in suspended ceilings and partitions . if u have info on this line of work or any in the building trade and contacts for him to get work that would also be great .. i am going to be travelling to alicante very soon to do a bit of looking around so contacts on long term rents would be great to .. we dont really wont to move to touristy areas .. we have visited altea and albea and they sort of appeal to us .lol but dont think we would settle there really not to sure on reasons but ill no when im there call it instink if u will .. thankyou for taking the time to read and look forward to any of u helpfull expats ..regards


your doing what we want too do next year so did you do it i love benidorm so am thinking of there we are a young retired couple and well have been thinking of this a while its just doing it would we rent or buy better rent first so would be nice too natter too you see if you went write if you have time from josie


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## Keidik (Nov 26, 2008)

lainsy said:


> hi there im new to this site and am after some good advice on moving to spain . we have been thinking about it for some years now and think its time . we have 3 children who we would like to go to public schools any names of public schools in the alicante or murcia area would be greatly apreciated as would love to be able to read up on them and email them for places and more info .. we also would like any one views on there move and sucess . also any other info u think we should no about ... my husband would be comuting untill he has found work as he has his own company in suspended ceilings and partitions . if u have info on this line of work or any in the building trade and contacts for him to get work that would also be great .. i am going to be travelling to alicante very soon to do a bit of looking around so contacts on long term rents would be great to .. we dont really wont to move to touristy areas .. we have visited altea and albea and they sort of appeal to us .lol but dont think we would settle there really not to sure on reasons but ill no when im there call it instink if u will .. thankyou for taking the time to read and look forward to any of u helpfull expats ..regards


Hi Lainsy

You mention about your husband's line of work, but how about you? What do you plan to do all day? I know a number of people who have moved to Spain and then died of boredom, so think it is important that you have a think about your time there too...I live in Costa del Sol so do not know of any schools in the areas you mention.


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