# Future move to Spain



## Leo&Ben (Aug 21, 2013)

Hello everyone 

I just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Leo and hoping to move to Spain with my partner, Ben, in the near future.

I've done a lot of research over the years, but alas, things change and me and Ben still have a few concerns with making the move.

As a gay couple we don't have any kids and don't need to consider education for them etc (altho who knows, hopefully have a family one day!). The only thing we need to consider are jobs and location.

Both me and Ben work in healthcare and explored a lot into the health system in Spain, in various parts of the country. Can anyone shine any light on potential employment for two healthcare professionals? We aren't state registered nurses, but we are managers in the UK - whatever that is equivelent to in Spain (if anything). Also, my Spanish isn't bad, but Ben doesn't know any Spanish at all (not the learning type!) lol So any info on potential language classes for him? Altho, from my own experience, I think the best way to learn it is to be in the culture.

Ideally we'd like to move to an area in the back end and beyond of nowhere, with no expats (or little) due to wanting a completely new way of life. So, we've been looking at more inland areas of Spain, as opposed to the touristy areas we want to avoid.

Anyway, I won't ramble on here about our plans and idea, just thought I'd introduce ourselves and probably contribute and read/learn more from this forum.

Nice to meet you all 

Leo and Ben x


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## Snozzle12 (Aug 13, 2013)

Good luck. I'm thinking of moving to Spain too but I'll do a couple of trips to explore first obviously.

Might be very hard to get the sort of work you want without fluent Spanish I would imagine, unless the 'touristy' enclaves have a demand for British people doing this sort of work? As I understand it you don't have to go very far from places like Benidorm to escape the touristy excesses. My plan to to check out the Costa Blanca and Valancia area.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

When you say 'managers' in what setting?


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the forum. First off, and as you mentioned it, Spain is one of the most accepting of gay couples and homosexuality in the world which I think kind of reflects the way most Spanish are: very laid back with little care about the way other people are. The best advice you can have is to spend as much time visiting the various areas you might want to move to. And don't just treat each visit as a holiday (although it will be!) but make sure you explore the job situation thoroughly. You might get lucky but the sad truth is there is very little work around at the moment especially for non Spanish speaking folk in the fields you might be looking at. High unemployment means any jobs which do come up tend to be given to Spanish nationals. 

You mention wanting a completely new way of life. A couple of guys I know did just that a couple of years ago. One was a top chef in Denmark and his partner was a senior civil servant in the same country. They sold up and moved out here and rented an enormous house (6 beds 6 baths) and a smaller cortijo (3 beds and 3 baths - we used to live in that one) and have set up the complex as a high end B&B with neither of them having the first idea about running such an establishment. It has proven very successful and they are pretty much fully booked throughout the year. They pay about €3500 a month in rent. You say you want to move to somewhere quiet with few expats etc. That is a laudable idea but I think that might also reduce further the job opportunities. 

Read this forum thoroughly; it has lots of very good advice, particularly about the requirements for becoming resident which you will have to do. That will mean an income of around €600 per month per person plus private healthcare (unless you are receiving a state pension which I don't think you are) for both of you. 

Lot's to think about but lot's of fun coming over and exploring different places. 

Good luck!!!


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## oronero (Aug 24, 2012)

Leo&Ben said:


> Both me and Ben work in healthcare and explored a lot into the health system in Spain, in various parts of the country.
> 
> Can anyone shine any light on potential employment for two healthcare professionals? We aren't state registered nurses, but we are managers in the UK - whatever that is equivelent to in Spain (if anything).
> 
> ...



Good luck on your quest, however with regards to your partners work experience and his knowledge of the Spanish language...


... if you turn things around can you imagine the furore if a foreign national who had a very poor command of the English language was given a position as a manager in a UK hospital?


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## zenkarma (Feb 15, 2013)

Leo&Ben said:


> The only thing we need to consider are jobs and location.


The only thing? I would suggest that finding employment is going to be by far the toughest challenge to your plans of relocating to Spain. Finding an area and place to rent would be the easy part—it would be where you can find work.

Spain has very high unemployment pushing 30% now, that's 3 out of 10 Spanish residents unemployed. Any jobs will be taken by fluent Spanish speakers and I'd suggest you start researching what opportunities there might be in your lines of work. As Health Care Managers who don't speak fluent Spanish, it's going to be tough.

If you cannot find find any opportunities, your plans stop there.

Sorry to be blunt and a little harsh but so many people come here thinking they can saunter over to Spain and settle themselves into a nice comfortable lifestyle when much of the time the challenges to actually achieving this are insurmountable.

Pretty much the only people who can do this are those who either have a reliable source of income such as a pension or those who have substantial funds to invest in a business. Seeking to support yourself through employment is pretty much a non-starter for 99% of people due simply to the sheer lack of job opportunities and high unemployment.


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## Leo&Ben (Aug 21, 2013)

Snozzle12 said:


> Good luck. I'm thinking of moving to Spain too but I'll do a couple of trips to explore first obviously.
> 
> Might be very hard to get the sort of work you want without fluent Spanish I would imagine, unless the 'touristy' enclaves have a demand for British people doing this sort of work? As I understand it you don't have to go very far from places like Benidorm to escape the touristy excesses. My plan to to check out the Costa Blanca and Valancia area.


Yeah, I get what you mean with the trips. We've been several times, seen many places, but I'd still like to go a few more times to experience the more 'inland Spain'.




bob_bob said:


> When you say 'managers' in what setting?


I'm a residential operations manager, elderly dementia and Ben is a care centre manager for children with autism and learning difficulties.




thrax said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum. First off, and as you mentioned it, Spain is one of the most accepting of gay couples and homosexuality in the world which I think kind of reflects the way most Spanish are: very laid back with little care about the way other people are. The best advice you can have is to spend as much time visiting the various areas you might want to move to. And don't just treat each visit as a holiday (although it will be!) but make sure you explore the job situation thoroughly. You might get lucky but the sad truth is there is very little work around at the moment especially for non Spanish speaking folk in the fields you might be looking at. High unemployment means any jobs which do come up tend to be given to Spanish nationals.
> 
> You mention wanting a completely new way of life. A couple of guys I know did just that a couple of years ago. One was a top chef in Denmark and his partner was a senior civil servant in the same country. They sold up and moved out here and rented an enormous house (6 beds 6 baths) and a smaller cortijo (3 beds and 3 baths - we used to live in that one) and have set up the complex as a high end B&B with neither of them having the first idea about running such an establishment. It has proven very successful and they are pretty much fully booked throughout the year. They pay about €3500 a month in rent. You say you want to move to somewhere quiet with few expats etc. That is a laudable idea but I think that might also reduce further the job opportunities.
> 
> ...


Wow - Interesting story! More power to them 

Yeah, I did kinda figure out that moving more inland would also mean reducing job prospects, especially for Ben. However, I'm still interested to explore more areas inland before jumping to any decision. I think it's more the fact we want a change of lifestyle, mingle with the Spanish, not so much the English crowd, if you get my drift?

Thanks for your comment and I shall read more info on the forum 




zenkarma said:


> The only thing? I would suggest that finding employment is going to be by far the toughest challenge to your plans of relocating to Spain. Finding an area and place to rent would be the easy part—it would be where you can find work.
> 
> Spain has very high unemployment pushing 30% now, that's 3 out of 10 Spanish residents unemployed. Any jobs will be taken by fluent Spanish speakers and I'd suggest you start researching what opportunities there might be in your lines of work. As Health Care Managers who don't speak fluent Spanish, it's going to be tough.
> 
> ...


Whilst I appreciate what you are saying is right and thank you for your comment (as abrasive and rude as it was projected) one simply doesn't just pack up and ****** off to another country with their head in the clouds. 

Before we make any move a lot of research will go into location and what is right for us. Also, I wouldn't move to the country without a job offer, as let's be honest, that's a recipe for disaster. As for 'nice comfy lifestyle' we have that in the UK. We want a change and complete different lifestyle, culture and experiences. We want to continue our work in nursing and healthcare, if possible, not doss it up on a beach! I'm sure you get many people posting similar things about fantasy lives in Spain living on a beach all day.....not really us, love.

Anyway, thank you for your contribution....


Many thanks to everyone who has replied. I've been reading a lot of stickies and info (including news reports and general living experiences). Very interesting! Thanks for your contributions of information to the site


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## zenkarma (Feb 15, 2013)

Leo&Ben said:


> Whilst I appreciate what you are saying is right and thank you for your comment (as abrasive and rude as it was projected) one simply doesn't just pack up and ****** off to another country with their head in the clouds.


It wasn't intended to be abrasive and rude but to be honest, seeing the same kind of posts over and over and having to say the same things in reply over and over gets a little tiresome and thus my posts start becoming brief, basic and blunt.

All I'm saying is, do not be under any misapprehension about the difficulties you're up against. Spain has almost 30% unemployment. It's that high because jobs are scarce and hard to come by for people living in Spain.

Let's be honest, neither of you are bringing any specialist or shortage skills with you. Managers are two-a-penny in whatever field you choose, you'd have to relearn the Spanish way of doing things, the Spanish systems and bureacracy and you don't speak Spanish. No-one is going to hire you over someone who has the necessary experience and is fluent in the language.

I appreciate and understand far better than you think of what you want to do, but that's the hard, bare, cold faced reality. I'm sorry that it's not what you want to hear.


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## Leo&Ben (Aug 21, 2013)

zenkarma said:


> It wasn't intended to be abrasive and rude but to be honest, seeing the same kind of posts over and over and having to say the same things in reply over and over gets a little tiresome and thus my posts start becoming brief, basic and blunt.
> 
> All I'm saying is, do not be under any misapprehension about the difficulties you're up against. Spain has almost 30% unemployment. It's that high because jobs are scarce and hard to come by for people living in Spain.
> 
> ...



As I said in my previous post, my Spanish is excellent. It's Ben who cannot speak Spanish. Either way, managers maybe two-a-penny as you so nicely put it, but we have many more skills to utilise, not just management.

As to not what I wanted to hear. Not really. I wanted some 'Hello, welcome to the forum - I'm such and such - Nice to meet you" Not really a doom and gloom negative response that you gave (which all your points we're already aware of, due to extensive research and friends who live there).

So, as previously mentioned, I thank you for your contribution and please request you do not give it again, as I find your replies rather rude. Was simply looking to meet people who'd moved over there and introduce myself/make a few friends etc. Your posts are making me wish I hadn't bothered joining this particular forum.

Regards


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Language: I'm not the type who learns/memorizes languages by taking a one hour class five times a week. Before I started I did not speak one word of Spanish. The way I got a giant jump start on Spanish was to find a school for simultaneous interpreters & translators. I studied 5 hours a day, homework another 8, for 7 weeks - and when I returned to Spain my spanish friends were all telling me how well I spoke Spanish.

Work: given how employment statistics here can make a move here seem impossible, it seems to me you need to be creative. Perhaps Thrax gave you something you could play on, but that might depend on if you have direct experience in care giving. Perhaps your work experience could allow you to freelance with the one million British citizens who live here... many of whom are older and might appreciate in-home support. 

On your partner Ben: I have a very good friend who is a teacher who works with children with autism and/or are in need of special needs. I have the impression that the spanish have so integrated anyone with special needs that there are not specific centers dedicated to them... I could be wrong on this. But, children with special needs go to regular schools and find themselves supported by highly educated teachers trained for this. Outside of school there is great social support for these individuals.

Location: any coastal area is going to see high tourism in the Summer. Up here in Asturias the coastal towns are now full of not only tourists from Northern Europe (Germany, Belgium... even France), but also spanish fleeing the oppressive heat of the South. My spouse tells me every time we're in the local fishing village "oh listen, I know those people are from Madrid by their accent". All that said, Asturias is very quiet the rest of the year.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

I think care of the elderly is going to be an area with lots of opportunity, with so many ageing Brits, on urbanisations, very few of them fluent in Spanish. I think possibly a mobile help at home service for personal care would do very well, but price is important with many on small pensions.Those who have had strokes, have MS or dementia have very little help other than from their partners, also ageing and find care of a dependent person a big problem.The only problem is funds to set it up and bureaucracy!
Therefore I think you will have to think again about going to areas with few Brits!


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