# Hello - Some Advice - Living In Spain Working In Gib



## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

Hello All,

Im booked in to make the move on the 14th Feb, Ive got a bit tedious of life here in London, and i feel i need a change..a bit of a challenge, 

So i decided to make the move to La Linea, In order to seek employment in Gibraltar, where i hope to secure a role in the online gaming industry, its an ideal start as it will allow me to learn spanish fluently i hope, where i can look elsewhere within the country.


Firstly, Any advice to living in La Linea/Gib would be most welcome (ive read various stuff about it..im not expecting a paradise)

Also..how exactly does it work..living in spain, yet working in gibraltar...im 23 so apart from uni ive always lived at home..but tax...medical services...what exactly can i expect? because i know gib isnt part of spain per say...so for the finer details whats the deal?

Also on my mind was mobile phones...i would have to get a local sim..but do charges vary from calling in spain..in gib etc?


Cheers


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Hi Alex and welcome

If you scroll down to the Similar Threads section you will see lots of others have asked the same questions - have a browse through them if you haven't already as there is lots of useful advice.

La Linea isn't paradise but it's not that bad and for you, the advantages of being able to get to work on a bike or scooter would probably outweigh its drawbacks. (Paradise is 30 miles west, in Tarifa!)

My Spanish phone works in Gib (Yoigo, 8 cents a minute). But my UK one (Orange) charges international rates.

There is advice on medical services etc on the many recruitment websites, such as Relocating to Gibraltar | Working in Gibraltar | Relocation to Gibraltar.


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## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Hi Alex and welcome
> 
> If you scroll down to the Similar Threads section you will see lots of others have asked the same questions - have a browse through them if you haven't already as there is lots of useful advice.
> 
> ...


Hey there,

Thanks for the reply, After posting that i did actually do a search, and found quite a few interesting reads

Safety wise is it pretty poor? for instance in the evenings is it recommended to get a taxi from gib back to the property in linea, anything in particular to keep your wits about with? 

I believe the apartment is like a 10-12 minutes walk to the border, about 1KM, so im hoping it'll be okey hehe.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I'd say it's about ten, maybe twenty times safer than most parts of London. It's all relative. There is crime but it rarely involves attacks on people - more smuggling and robbery. 

There's a very good online newspaper in English covering the area: CampoPulse


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## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> I'd say it's about ten, maybe twenty times safer than most parts of London. It's all relative. There is crime but it rarely involves attacks on people - more smuggling and robbery.
> 
> There's a very good online newspaper in English covering the area:


Thats pretty reassuring actually, Ill have a browse through the paper aswell ! Thank you


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Good luck - and don't forget to come back and tell us you you're getting on!


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## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

Will do : )

Was also going to ask about bank accounts - I will face charges if i use my current bank abroad - is there much choice in gib?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Gib is an international banking centre - yes, there is plenty of choice. However if you live in La Linea you will need a Spanish account in euros to pay your bills. Most people run two accounts, one in the UK and one in Spain, and use a foreign exchange service like HIFX to transfer money between them. You can use your UK cards to withdraw euros from an ATM, but there is a hefty surcharge.


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## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Gib is an international banking centre - yes, there is plenty of choice. However if you live in La Linea you will need a Spanish account in euros to pay your bills. Most people run two accounts, one in the UK and one in Spain, and use a foreign exchange service like HIFX to transfer money between them. You can use your UK cards to withdraw euros from an ATM, but there is a hefty surcharge.


In Gibraltar, if your living in Spain, do you need employment to open a bank account there? 

Regarding mobile phones, Ill be taking my contract phone out there (although wont be any use) So ill need to pick up a local phone, Im thinking of buying a cheap one here, then getting the sim out there, Do you have any reccomendations? For a sim to be used between gib/spain?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

AlexK said:


> In Gibraltar, if your living in Spain, do you need employment to open a bank account there?
> 
> Regarding mobile phones, Ill be taking my contract phone out there (although wont be any use) So ill need to pick up a local phone, Im thinking of buying a cheap one here, then getting the sim out there, Do you have any reccomendations? For a sim to be used between gib/spain?


Can't really help, sorry. You can find Gibraltar expat forums if you google, then you can ask people who actually live/work there. But I'd have thought buying a phone together with the sim when you get here would work out cheaper - I have a 6 euros a month contract with Yoigo and I got a free Samsung touch phone.


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## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Good luck - and don't forget to come back and tell us you you're getting on!


Hey, well its gone well so far, managed to get a job here, and now i have my own place in spain for thought id drop an update.

Loving it so far, i cant believe more people dont make this move! Right well i got a job i wanted in the online gaming industry in gibraltar which is great, the company put me up in gib for the first few months, then my mate moved over, and we're renting in la linea, an apartment facing the beach and the sea, its brilliant! waking up to these views everyday is incredible

La linea, despite what is said, is fine, i really like it, only a few minutes walk to gibraltar, good nightlife over the weekend, food is great and so cheap! and its got great connections to local places, already got the coach up to marbella a few weekends ago

I really cant see myself ever wanting a job in the uk again!

Is anyone based locally? Im really keen to learn spanish, living here helps as no one in la linea speaks english! i know it will take time, whats the best methods people have found to learn the language when first moving abroad?


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Glad it's going well for you. I am one of the few people who also quite like La Linea.

Get a bus to Algeciras, then a train to Jimena and come and see us.


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## riveting (Jun 17, 2012)

AlexK said:


> Hey, well its gone well so far, managed to get a job here, and now i have my own place in spain for thought id drop an update.
> 
> Loving it so far, i cant believe more people dont make this move! Right well i got a job i wanted in the online gaming industry in gibraltar which is great, the company put me up in gib for the first few months, then my mate moved over, and we're renting in la linea, an apartment facing the beach and the sea, its brilliant! waking up to these views everyday is incredible
> 
> ...


Howdy, 

I have been here for 1 month and not knowing any spanish what so ever here are a few techniques I have picked up:

1) try and speak spanish at every chance you have. The more you practice the better you will get. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. 
2) don't try and translate phrases word for word just try to understand what the phrase means. 

Btw I am so envious of your job! Haha


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## tazster (Apr 17, 2009)

AlexK said:


> Hey, well its gone well so far, managed to get a job here, and now i have my own place in spain for thought id drop an update.
> 
> Loving it so far, i cant believe more people dont make this move! Right well i got a job i wanted in the online gaming industry in gibraltar which is great, the company put me up in gib for the first few months, then my mate moved over, and we're renting in la linea, an apartment facing the beach and the sea, its brilliant! waking up to these views everyday is incredible
> 
> ...



Glad to hear you got sorted alexk, i love gib just hate the traffic getting in lol


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## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

tazster said:


> Glad to hear you got sorted alexk, i love gib just hate the traffic getting in lol


Yeah thats a pain, my apartment is opposite the road the ques back into past the asur hotels, so i often feel the wrath of all the horns early in the mornings haha


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## AlexK (Feb 3, 2012)

riveting said:


> Howdy,
> 
> I have been here for 1 month and not knowing any spanish what so ever here are a few techniques I have picked up:
> 
> ...


Aha I do try! Dont worry ive made mistakes, do you have any books or classes your taking? wheres in spain are you based?

Yep the online gaming industry is whats it about!


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## riveting (Jun 17, 2012)

AlexK said:


> Aha I do try! Dont worry ive made mistakes, do you have any books or classes your taking? wheres in spain are you based?
> 
> Yep the online gaming industry is whats it about!


Sheesh i just typed a reply and had to cancel because i cant post links to websites yet. It's very tedious typing on an ipad...

I am in madrid. I am taking a free spanish course through the comunidad de madrid which is specifically there for new immigrants to spain. They might have something like this in your area perhaps? I decided against a full on course as there is no real urgency for me to know spanish right at this moment and i would only use it for socializing anyway. I can also learn at my own pace doing it this way. There is heaps of stuff online that can be good to supplement your learning.


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## SantosEveleigh (Jun 30, 2012)

AlexK said:


> Aha I do try! Dont worry ive made mistakes, do you have any books or classes your taking? wheres in spain are you based?
> 
> Yep the online gaming industry is whats it about!


Hi, my partner and I are hoping to move to Spain/Gib in the next few months, though it seem unlikely we will both manage to get jobs lined up in advance. My partner is Gibraltarian and has family in Gibraltar which will be useful I'm sure, I have IT qualifications such as an advanced diploma for IT professionals and am looking to get into the online gaming industry. I was wondering if you could give me any advice as to how realistic/likely getting a job there would be and if it is realistic to assume we should both have found jobs within a couple of months of being there with the right determination and work ethic.

Thanks in advance!


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## tazster (Apr 17, 2009)

SantosEveleigh said:


> Hi, my partner and I are hoping to move to Spain/Gib in the next few months, though it seem unlikely we will both manage to get jobs lined up in advance. My partner is Gibraltarian and has family in Gibraltar which will be useful I'm sure, I have IT qualifications such as an advanced diploma for IT professionals and am looking to get into the online gaming industry. I was wondering if you could give me any advice as to how realistic/likely getting a job there would be and if it is realistic to assume we should both have found jobs within a couple of months of being there with the right determination and work ethic.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Hi 

The job market in gib is tough, a lot of online gaming companies want experience of the industry and with the it sector (which I work in ) you may need skills that stand out for example ccnp,mcitp, ceh ccse I'm not saying these are what's asked for merely there is a lot of apps for each job and may help i haven't heard of your cert so not sure what is covered, but you should do a search on indeed or one of those for what your looking for


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