# mrs angell



## karenangell (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi all my name is kaz and my hubby and i have been to spain many times for holidays and it was only in the last few years that we hopefully intend to move out there for good next year. We have a four year old and a fifteen year old so shes not so keen says she will miss her mates etc. Anyway just wanted someones thoughts on the way of life to live and are bills expensive as we will be renting for a while my hubby already has work so thats not a problem and we are renting our house in england. We can get buy with a few basic phrases and sentences obviously want to learn more. Are there places that will be able to teach us when we are there. Is it really a better way of life as everyone says and is the weather really as nice as they say


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

karenangell said:


> Hi all my name is kaz and my hubby and i have been to spain many times for holidays and it was only in the last few years that we hopefully intend to move out there for good next year. We have a four year old and a fifteen year old so shes not so keen says she will miss her mates etc. Anyway just wanted someones thoughts on the way of life to live and are bills expensive as we will be renting for a while my hubby already has work so thats not a problem and we are renting our house in england. We can get buy with a few basic phrases and sentences obviously want to learn more. Are there places that will be able to teach us when we are there. Is it really a better way of life as everyone says and is the weather really as nice as they say


hi & welcome

I've moved you to 'Spain'

have a read of the 'stickies' at the top of the page then come back & ask as many more questions as you like


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Hello and welcome,

I live in the Canarian Archipelago, here I find is a lot cheaper then the U.K. Life is very different and there are only three English here, so very few people speak English.

The climate is absolutely fantastic, we do not have the extremes of winter, most days are sunny and warm. We do not have any heating so no bills.

If you have employment or are a pensioner, then you will really enjoy life here. I am quite settled, here is home, England is now a place where my relatives live.

You are right to rent first, I rented on and off for 5 years and ended up on a completely different Island to my first choice,

Hepa


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

karenangell said:


> Hi all my name is kaz and my hubby and i have been to spain many times for holidays and it was only in the last few years that we hopefully intend to move out there for good next year. We have a four year old and a fifteen year old so shes not so keen says she will miss her mates etc. Anyway just wanted someones thoughts on the way of life to live and are bills expensive as we will be renting for a while my hubby already has work so thats not a problem and we are renting our house in england. We can get buy with a few basic phrases and sentences obviously want to learn more. Are there places that will be able to teach us when we are there. Is it really a better way of life as everyone says and is the weather really as nice as they say


There is a lot of regional diversity here in Spain, both in terms of the language, culture, weather and the influence from other cultures (such as residents of other nationalities) - what part of Spain do you have in mind ?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

karenangell said:


> Hi all my name is kaz and my hubby and i have been to spain many times for holidays and it was only in the last few years that we hopefully intend to move out there for good next year. We have a four year old and a fifteen year old so shes not so keen says she will miss her mates etc. Anyway just wanted someones thoughts on the way of life to live and are bills expensive as we will be renting for a while my hubby already has work so thats not a problem and we are renting our house in england. We can get buy with a few basic phrases and sentences obviously want to learn more. Are there places that will be able to teach us when we are there. Is it really a better way of life as everyone says and is the weather really as nice as they say


It depends where abouts you decide to move to. I live on the costa del sol and I would say that rent is cheaper, utility bills are about the same - if not a bit more cos you tend to use more electricity to heat/cool, petrol and food maybe a tad cheaper. For a 15yo old, you should really send her to an international school, especially if she's in the middle of doing GCSEs and they cost around 700€ a month-ish. If she's finished education when you come over, it maybe an idea to leave her in the UK as there is so little work around?????? (no, I'm not sure I'd leave my 15/16yo either) As for getting by without speaking Spanish, again it depends where you are. Most tourist resorts are quite easy to negotiate with no real spanish, but inland or away from British/foreign influences its not as easy.

As for it beting a better way of life? I dont know. Once the novelty has worn of, its much the same as the UK, school runs, shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing.....The evenings are nicer in Spain, towns tend to be open and have families wandering around, not as many "hoodies and chavs" as in the UK. The summers are very hot, the spring and autumn are lovely, the winters are horrible, it may not be quite as cold as the UK, but the houses are hard to heat and the rain and wind are much worse - floods everywhere, dark and gloomy!

Jo xxx


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

karenangell said:


> Hi all my name is kaz and my hubby and i have been to spain many times for holidays and it was only in the last few years that we hopefully intend to move out there for good next year. We have a four year old and a fifteen year old so shes not so keen says she will miss her mates etc. Anyway just wanted someones thoughts on the way of life to live and are bills expensive as we will be renting for a while my hubby already has work so thats not a problem and we are renting our house in england. We can get buy with a few basic phrases and sentences obviously want to learn more. Are there places that will be able to teach us when we are there. Is it really a better way of life as everyone says and is the weather really as nice as they say


It would be a bit rough on the elder girl I think, especially if she is planning to go on to do A levels or some sort of training course. What are her own plans for her future? Although kids pick up Spanish quickly it would be quite a challenge making new friends at that age if you only speak a few words of their language.

There are parts of Spain that look superficially like England-on-Sea because of the number of Brits who moved there in the boom years, but on the whole they are the parts hit hardest by the recession, with lots of empty unsold houses and businesses closing all over the place. But despite appearances, you are still in a foreign country. Despite what some people say, you DO need Spanish to get by, otherwise you are constantly relying on other people to translate for you. Businesses that advertise "English spoken" are often not the best value for money (to put it another way, lots of them take advantage of your lack of Spanish and rip you off).

Why not postpone the move for two or three years, start your Spanish classes now so you are well prepared, and get the elder girl's future sorted out before you come? In the meantime, come over on lots of holidays at different times of the year and explore the parts of Spain where you might want to live.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

BTW I would ask a Moderator to change the thread title as it is never a good idea to give you name (I assume that it is ?)


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

playamonte said:


> BTW I would ask a Moderator to change the thread title as it is never a good idea to give you name (I assume that it is ?)


I've "doctored"it a bit 


Jo xxx


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

jojo said:


> It depends where abouts you decide to move to. I live on the costa del sol and I would say that rent is cheaper, utility bills are about the same - if not a bit more cos you tend to use more electricity to heat/cool, petrol and food maybe a tad cheaper. For a 15yo old, you should really send her to an international school, especially if she's in the middle of doing GCSEs and they cost around 700€ a month-ish. If she's finished education when you come over, it maybe an idea to leave her in the UK as there is so little work around?????? (no, I'm not sure I'd leave my 15/16yo either) As for getting by without speaking Spanish, again it depends where you are. Most tourist resorts are quite easy to negotiate with no real spanish, but inland or away from British/foreign influences its not as easy.
> 
> As for it beting a better way of life? I dont know. Once the novelty has worn of, its much the same as the UK, school runs, shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing.....The evenings are nicer in Spain, towns tend to be open and have families wandering around, not as many "hoodies and chavs" as in the UK. The summers are very hot, the spring and autumn are lovely, the winters are horrible, it may not be quite as cold as the UK, but the houses are hard to heat and the rain and wind are much worse - floods everywhere, dark and gloomy!
> 
> Jo xxx




don't forget that if children go to state schools that you have to buy all their books for the year.. my daughter has 3 children at state schools and it costs about 1,000 euros per school year for their books, paper, etc


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## karenangell (Feb 6, 2011)

jojo said:


> It depends where abouts you decide to move to. I live on the costa del sol and I would say that rent is cheaper, utility bills are about the same - if not a bit more cos you tend to use more electricity to heat/cool, petrol and food maybe a tad cheaper. For a 15yo old, you should really send her to an international school, especially if she's in the middle of doing GCSEs and they cost around 700€ a month-ish. If she's finished education when you come over, it maybe an idea to leave her in the UK as there is so little work around?????? (no, I'm not sure I'd leave my 15/16yo either) As for getting by without speaking Spanish, again it depends where you are. Most tourist resorts are quite easy to negotiate with no real spanish, but inland or away from British/foreign influences its not as easy.
> 
> As for it beting a better way of life? I dont know. Once the novelty has worn of, its much the same as the UK, school runs, shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing.....The evenings are nicer in Spain, towns tend to be open and have families wandering around, not as many "hoodies and chavs" as in the UK. The summers are very hot, the spring and autumn are lovely, the winters are horrible, it may not be quite as cold as the UK, but the houses are hard to heat and the rain and wind are much worse - floods everywhere, dark and gloomy!
> 
> Jo xxx


hi jo thanks for your reply. We were thinking of coming to the costa del sol and nerja was one of our resorts aswell as torrox costa . As you were saying about the weather we have had really bad winters here in england for the last few years the snow has been nice at first then just a pain and very dangerous at least southern spain wouldnt get that extremety of weather. Still im not put off by the weather I am determined to make it work for me and my family and i will just have to see. Thanks again for your reply

kaz xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

karenangell said:


> hi jo thanks for your reply. We were thinking of coming to the costa del sol and nerja was one of our resorts aswell as torrox costa . As you were saying about the weather we have had really bad winters here in england for the last few years the snow has been nice at first then just a pain and very dangerous at least southern spain wouldnt get that extremety of weather. Still im not put off by the weather I am determined to make it work for me and my family and i will just have to see. Thanks again for your reply
> 
> kaz xxx


you missed the bit about the floods then


jojo spent days on end flooded into her house last winter


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## Steve Homer (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi Karen - before you decide on the Costa del Sol, you should seriously look around southern Spain. There are some great gems to be found, like here where I live in Mojacar (Costa Almeria). Property is much cheaper than in the Costa del Sol and there is already a large English community.....but that doesn't mean you have to mix with Brits.....it provides you with a choice. We have an old village (pueblo) dating back to Moorish times and the luxury of a beach resort...sure, the comment about this area suffering due to recession is correct, but if one is prepared to work then work can be found if need be....the beaches are empty (even in the height of the summer months) and the tourism will return in due course. Our nearest traffic lights (the bain of my UK life, are 6 miles away, and then there is only one set!). Food in the street markets is inexpensive and fresh and a great variety of markets locally.... it is worth checking out....Almeria City with your city type shopping is only 45 mins south, and some great places to visit there...


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