# Where is a good area to live in Spain and raise a family ...



## binkle (Jul 20, 2008)

Hi there,

I am looking to move to Spain by the end of this year or early next year - I will be bringing my family of four children, my mother and husband. Could someone please advise good areas of Spain to bring up a family and preferably close to some good schools. I will be putting my two elder children who are 11 years and 13 years into an International School, and possibly my younger daughter also who is 8 years. I also have a 3 year old who i feel will settle into a Spanish State school when it comes time. 

Kindest regards,
Binkle


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## rjnpenang (Feb 20, 2008)

Hi Binkle,
We live on the Costa del Sol, not a great image I know, but there are at least 12 international schools on the coast with 2 exceptional ones (students off to Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial etc.). Try staying 5-10 miles back from the coast and its a different world. Good luck, (jobs to go to?) Regards Robert


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## binkle (Jul 20, 2008)

rjnpenang said:


> Hi Binkle,
> We live on the Costa del Sol, not a great image I know, but there are at least 12 international schools on the coast with 2 exceptional ones (students off to Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial etc.). Try staying 5-10 miles back from the coast and its a different world. Good luck, (jobs to go to?) Regards Robert


Thanks for that Robert - I do not have to worry about a job thankfully, so my main role in Spain will be to look after my children and family, and to try and get a grasp of the spanish language/culture.


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## rjnpenang (Feb 20, 2008)

There might be an Education supplement in our local paper soon (Sur in English), if so I will let you know. Rob


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

binkle said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I am looking to move to Spain by the end of this year or early next year - I will be bringing my family of four children, my mother and husband. Could someone please advise good areas of Spain to bring up a family and preferably close to some good schools. I will be putting my two elder children who are 11 years and 13 years into an International School, and possibly my younger daughter also who is 8 years. I also have a 3 year old who i feel will settle into a Spanish State school when it comes time.
> 
> ...


Hi Binkle,

Where do you want to live E.g. North or South, coastal or inland ?


International schools are dotted all over the country, so that should not be an issue really. What concerns me is that you say "where in Spain" without giving any indication about why you want to move to Spain or what things are important to you apart from living near to schools.

Maybe if you can answer the folowing, I can assist you further.

What temperature do you feel comfortable living in ? 
Do you speak Spanish ?
Would you prefer to live in an expat community or real Spain - lol ?

Regards, Dave


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## binkle (Jul 20, 2008)

SunnySpain said:


> Hi Binkle,
> 
> Where do you want to live E.g. North or South, coastal or inland ?
> 
> ...


Hi Dave,

We come from New Zealand and don't really have hot weather like in Spain - in fact, lately its just been miserable and wet! I guess it would take us a wee while to get used to the temperatures over there, but I'm hoping we'll adapt. 

None of us know how to speak, read or write Spanish - hence why I'd like to send my children to International Schools - but we are all very keen to learn. I have organised for a tutor to come teach us as much as she can in the short time we have, and hopefully that will get us through the first wee while until we continue to learn the language in Spain. And like i said above, i am fortunate enough to not have to work so I would be working with my children as much as possible to improve their Spanish as well as my own. 

As for preferences to live in an expat area or Spain - i think it would be more beneficial to us if we went to an expat community. I think for our survival we'd need to be able to communicate with other people in the community.

I welcome your suggestions/recommendations and should you require further information, please do not hesitate to ask.

Kindest regards
Binkle


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

binkle said:


> Hi Dave,
> 
> We come from New Zealand and don't really have hot weather like in Spain - in fact, lately its just been miserable and wet! I guess it would take us a wee while to get used to the temperatures over there
> 
> ...


Hi again,

I have a few questions for you.
Are you eligible to live in Spain, being as you are non EU ?

Do you know anything about how hot it gets in the South of Spain ?
For example, its recently been between 35 and 40 degrees celsius.

If thats too hot for you, then you might want to consider Barcelona,
as the area only gets particullarly hot for a couple of weeks in the year.
Barcelona is very cosmopolitan and a lot of people speak English.

As for expat areas, there are many to choose from, especially in the South, but some people prefer to live a little inland as property is cheaper and you away from the main drag of expats, which suits certain people.

Why don''t you have a think about hwat I have said and come back to me.

Regards, Dave


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

There is another POSSIBILITY - but I'm unsure about the availability of International Schools.

CANARY ISLANDS. Year round Temps in the mid to High 20's. LOTS of ex-pats.


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

chris(madrid) said:


> There is another POSSIBILITY - but I'm unsure about the availability of International Schools.
> 
> CANARY ISLANDS. Year round Temps in the mid to High 20's. LOTS of ex-pats.


Yep, that is a very good point


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## binkle (Jul 20, 2008)

Thanks Chris and Dave for the advice, I shall take this all on board and consider my options. Fabulous!

Regards
Binkle


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

British School of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (English Schools).

To get you started


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## carefreebrit (Aug 10, 2008)

"I think for our survival we'd need to be able to communicate with other people in the community."
I can understand your desire to perhaps have people nearby to turn to for advice, but we found the locals seemed to like the fact that as a Brit, I had chosen to live amongst them rather than in a luxury villa out of town. My wife even gave birth in a local hospital with no help from other expats [Ok, you know what I mean], and we were happier most of the time to be with the locals . I missed speaking fluent English of course, but it was made up for by the friendship, help and advice from many neighbours who accepted us fairly readily. I cannot stress enough how warm people were when they realised we lived amongst them, using the same shops and cafes as them, and trying to blend in. This was a town of about 20,000 people not a city, but there are similar places within fairly easy reach of Alicante for example, which has an International school.


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## Nader (Sep 6, 2008)

Hi everyone,
I’m new in this forum and I really need help to get some information about the cost living in Malaga, I will start working there within 3 months. My question to you: my salary is 4450 Euro and is it enough for me, my wife, and three kids? I’m wondering if you can tell me how the average apartment rent is. 
Nader


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

Hi Nadar,

You say your salary is 4450 euros; is that per month or year?


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## Nader (Sep 6, 2008)

Pasanada said:


> Hi Nadar,
> 
> You say your salary is 4450 euros; is that per month or year?


Hi Pasanda,

My salary is per month but as i said i have 3 kids, do you think i can have a good life or not? keep in mind i will need to rent an apartment in very good area and close to malaga down town.

please give me details,
Thanks Pasanda


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

I would say you will manage very well on a monthly salary of 4450 euros (that is more than I earned working in the Middle East, tax free!!!) But please bear in mind that Malaga can be VERY expensive compared to other coastal regions of Spain.

Try googling rental properties in the area to give you an idea on prices. Also, with 3 children, will you choose a state or international school? If international, again, prices per child can add up to a considerable sum! Once again, let google be your friend and search for local international schools, contact them and get info on fee's.

Ensure your salary is confirmed in writing by the new company and also ensure you have a contract; very important and without it, you would be working illegally.

I wish you all the best, please let us know how you get on.


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## epsony (Oct 27, 2008)

Hello.Not sure if youve moved here yet, but where I live is great as you can send your kids to either local or private schools as they are both close.I woul have no trouble with the schooling here, but we have to move back to England because of my husbands job.(SNIP)


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