# Relocating to La Linea Andalucia



## lala4506 (Mar 16, 2011)

I am soon to relocate to Spain and it may be sooner than I realise, me and my partner hope to teach english as a foreign language as back up work while trying to find jobs in our professions in Gibraltar (we may teach full time or on the side whether or not we are able to secure a job in Gibraltar).

My main concern is that if I go sooner rather than later I still have outstanding payments on loans and credit cards here which I am currently paying off. If I go in the next few months these will not be paid off. Can I continue to pay them from Spain if I am earning there? i.e. if I get paid to a Spanish bank account can I transfer to my UK account to continue paying these?

Any other financial advice anyone can give with regards re locating would be most beneficial to me.

Also if anyone has any experiences of teaching overseas in Spain using TEFL I would like to hear from you.

Many thanks


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

lala4506 said:


> I am soon to relocate to Spain and it may be sooner than I realise, me and my partner hope to teach english as a foreign language as back up work while trying to find jobs in our professions in Gibraltar (we may teach full time or on the side whether or not we are able to secure a job in Gibraltar).
> 
> My main concern is that if I go sooner rather than later I still have outstanding payments on loans and credit cards here which I am currently paying off. If I go in the next few months these will not be paid off. Can I continue to pay them from Spain if I am earning there? i.e. if I get paid to a Spanish bank account can I transfer to my UK account to continue paying these?
> 
> ...


Hi & welcome

I can't comment on La Linea, but there are many threads on the subject & I see you have already found one

I also am no expert on financial matters, but I see no reason why you shouldn't continue paying off debts after you have left the UK - transferring money from country to country is reasonably straightforward & other posters could probably recommend the best banks for this

I'm not sure though, that if you work on Gib, that you can be paid into a Spanish bank account

however, quite a few of us here do teach English - here's a thread you might like to read http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/26226-teaching-english-spain.html


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## lala4506 (Mar 16, 2011)

Thank you very helpful and reassuring

I wonder also if anyone can give advice with regards work in Gibraltar I would be seeking PA work and my partner finance work. How easy are these to come by and is it best that we are there before looking? I have checked some agencies though from here in London.

How easy is it to get paid work with a TEFL qualification in Andalucia? Are there many full time positions or are they mainly part time?

Any advice would be greatly received and appreciated 

The thread you sent was also useful- thanks


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

lala4506 said:


> I am soon to relocate to Spain and it may be sooner than I realise, me and my partner hope to teach english as a foreign language as back up work while trying to find jobs in our professions in Gibraltar (we may teach full time or on the side whether or not we are able to secure a job in Gibraltar).
> 
> My main concern is that if I go sooner rather than later I still have outstanding payments on loans and credit cards here which I am currently paying off. If I go in the next few months these will not be paid off. Can I continue to pay them from Spain if I am earning there? i.e. if I get paid to a Spanish bank account can I transfer to my UK account to continue paying these?
> 
> ...


First the good news: You will be able to pay your cards from Spain. You can transfer money from Spanish bank accounts to UK bank accounts and then pay by telephone or internet.

The bad news? I live quite near there and there is little opportunity to teach English to anyone.


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## lala4506 (Mar 16, 2011)

Really?

I have heard different with regards doing TEFL and then undertaking a placement in Andalucia greatly improves your chances?

Does anyone know anyone with tefl teaching in or around la linea/ Andalucia ?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

lala4506 said:


> Thank you very helpful and reassuring
> 
> I wonder also if anyone can give advice with regards work in Gibraltar I would be seeking PA work and my partner finance work. How easy are these to come by and is it best that we are there before looking? I have checked some agencies though from here in London.
> 
> ...


a full time position teaching English as a foreign language - not much chance except maybe in Madrid ..........

but what do you mean by full time?

I do pretty well - I actually teach 3 subjects privately ( I have previously worked for a language academy & do better on my own)

I currently teach 21 hours of classes a week - some of which are groups so the hourly rate works out pretty good - add on about 10 hours prep & admin a week (more when you are starting out - you could be doing an hour prep per hour contact) and that's about as full time as any teacher can really take

after I have paid my _autonomo_ & other bits & pieces I'm not left with enough to pay our rent (although I do live in a very high rent area tbh) so it's a good job my OH has a good income too

PeskyWesky, another poster here, teaches English at the high earning end of the market in Madrid -no doubt she'll comment when she sees your question


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> a full time position teaching English as a foreign language - not much chance except maybe in Madrid ..........
> 
> but what do you mean by full time?
> 
> ...


Hi,

Yes, I work training employees in 4 different companies in an area near Madrid. It's probably one of the best paid fields of English Teaching, but I would find it difficult to live only on my salary. I work in 4 companies because none of them want a full time "English worker" giving classes and translating. They are companies of between 10 and 500 employees. The advantage is that if one company should reduce my hours (which one has done recently) or even gets rid of me (none so far!!) I'm not left with nothing. It does involve a lot of to-ing and fro-ing though as classes are typically 7:30 - 9:00 in the morning 2:00 - 4:00 in the afternoon and from 6:00 in the evening onwards. I don't work too much in the evening 'cos I quite like being with my family (!), but I do 2 evenings a week and also phone classes from home. 

Being self employed is very expensive, but you get better rates. Working in an academy means less money and working to their rules, but paying less money to the authorities. I would always recommend a couple of years in academies to those who are starting out as I think the experience is invaluble regardless of whether the academy is good or bad.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

lala4506 said:


> Really?
> 
> I have heard different with regards doing TEFL and then undertaking a placement in Andalucia greatly improves your chances?
> 
> Does anyone know anyone with tefl teaching in or around la linea/ Andalucia ?



The trouble with living near Gibraltar is that most people speak English (in varying degrees), so there probably isnt much opportunity to teach it! 

Jo xxx


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## lala4506 (Mar 16, 2011)

But hardly anyone I've met from la linea speaks English so there must be some need for it over the border?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

lala4506 said:


> But hardly anyone I've met from la linea speaks English so there must be some need for it over the border?


I've only been there a couple of times. I found that in the few places I went into, English was spoken! From what I know, most people who live in La Linear work in Gib or in related industries. Sadly, its a bit of a dormitory town for Gib. Go there and do some investigative work and find out tho, you may prove me wrong 

Jo xxx


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

lala4506 said:


> Really?
> 
> I have heard different with regards doing TEFL and then undertaking a placement in Andalucia greatly improves your chances?
> 
> Does anyone know anyone with tefl teaching in or around la linea/ Andalucia ?


Well any experience will help and most TEFL work in Andalucia is in the academies, not sure how much there is about at the moment though think it has gone quiet in many academies. Full time in the academies usually means working Mon-Thurs/Fri from about 3.30pm-10pm since classes will be after school finishes (mainly teaching children and then adult classes from about 7.30/8). Though if you are lucky you may get sent out to do some in-company classes in the mornings - but unlikely to be much in La Linea.

As it happens, I do know of an academy in La Linea who often advertise in the Sur In English for TEFL teachers. (I used to work part-time for their school in Fuengirola when I first came here.) PM me if you want the phone number. 
From what I have heard, La Linea is quite a typical Spanish town (but a bit rough), although its not huge so may not be that much work around.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Caz.I said:


> As it happens, I do know of an academy in La Linea who often advertise in the Sur In English for TEFL teachers. (I used to work part-time for their school in Fuengirola when I first came here.) PM me if you want the phone number.


That sounds good - I hope that works out for you. I based my comment (that there's not much TEFL work to be had) based upon a conversation I had with the head of English at an International school about 10 miles away from La Linea. I asked him if it was worth me getting a TEFL qualification and he said that there were any number of TEFL teachers he knew of and none of them had worked in years. However La Linea itself might be different. Get down there and have a look around - good luck and come back and let us know how you get on.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

lala4506 said:


> Really?
> 
> I have heard different with regards doing TEFL and then undertaking a placement in Andalucia greatly improves your chances?
> 
> Does anyone know anyone with tefl teaching in or around la linea/ Andalucia ?



In the area around La Linea - thirty minutes from where I live - unemployment is probably at the 30%plus level - it's over 20% in Spain as a whole.
Gibraltarians are bilingual, as has already been pointed out.
There are very many would-be TEFL teachers and few positions.
Few people appreciate how dire things are here.
There are job opportunities for qualified professionals in Gibraltar but again , many applicants.
La Linea is a rather unattractive, run-down border town with not much going for it, frankly. Rents in Gibraltar are extremely high so you would be looking for accommodation near the border, I would guess.
To put it bluntly, this is not a good time to look for work in Spain but there may be a few opportunities in Gibraltar.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

jojo said:


> I've only been there a couple of times. I found that in the few places I went into, English was spoken! From what I know, most people who live in La Linear work in Gib or in related industries. Sadly, its a bit of a dormitory town for Gib. Go there and do some investigative work and find out tho, you may prove me wrong
> 
> Jo xxx


It could be that you are only going into places where English is spoken ... 

La Linea has one of the worst unemployment rates in Spain, and that´s saying something. Over 10,000 registered unemployed, out of a _total_ population of less than 70,000. Hence many people depend on smuggling to live. 

The town is practically bankrupt, and council employees haven´t been paid for months. This has lead to all the primary schools being closed, as they haven´t been cleaned for a week, CampoPulse: Primary schools closed for health and safety reasons: no class for 12,000

The Mayor wanted to raise money by charging a toll to leave Gibraltar, but the national government declared this to be illegal. 

I´m glad to hear that Mayor Sanchez has cleaned up the drug problem on the streets, because that´s about the only good news to come out of the place since I´ve been living in the area.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

You have to wonder why it's so bad. :confused2:

Most similar towns in Spain would give their back teeth to have an economic powerhouse like Gibraltar as a neighbour, for their people to go and work in and bring home valuable wages and I know that many Gibraltarians spend money in La Linea as well. What with that and the amount of industry between there and Algeciras and the potential (untapped) for tourism, the place should be rich.

I can only think that the place is thoroughly badly managed. :noidea:


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## Siods (Mar 14, 2011)

Sounds like la linea is struggling a bit? How do the costs compare to some of the areas further up the coast for rent etc. If things are pretty bad then an extra 15-20 mins drive in the morning might be worth it?

I am (hopefully!) going to have the same sort of decisions to make shortly so would be interested in what experiences you have!


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## lala4506 (Mar 16, 2011)

Exactly my thoughts and I would be interested too! What will you be working as if you don't mind me asking perhaps we could exchange email addresses?

Both my partners Aunty and uncle commute to gib everyday to work both good jobs but admittedly they've been in la linea for 6 years almost. 

I am in the process of finding out re teaching with tefl and she has put me in touch with language schools.

I guess I have the added benefit of having family there. I have researched rent costs etc in la linea and they are considerably cheaper compared with Malaga etc and you get quite a lot for your money in most instances


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

jimenato said:


> You have to wonder why it's so bad. :confused2:
> 
> Most similar towns in Spain would give their back teeth to have an economic powerhouse like Gibraltar as a neighbour, for their people to go and work in and bring home valuable wages and I know that many Gibraltarians spend money in La Linea as well. What with that and the amount of industry between there and Algeciras and the potential (untapped) for tourism, the place should be rich.
> 
> I can only think that the place is thoroughly badly managed. :noidea:


I'm sure that's right. It's been PP for years ... and one of Sanchez's predecessors has just been banned from holding public office for seven years, having narrowly escaped a jail sentence.
Allvoices.com - External Link


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