That pees me off too.!!

To really enjoy life in the UK, you should NOT read a newspaper or watch the news..

God I hate the UK media....

hey, im also in my 30's, entertainer but i live in mallorca. i can understand your choices right now.
the uk offers u a security blanket finding a job with help. A language and legal system u understand. basically knowledge of the country there are very little down sides apart from instead of working in a job that u like and pays the bills u now must change to a job u may not like to pay the bills.
There r other companies that pay entertainers more(u need 2nd language) ie iberostar. but how long do u wanna do the job? u can advertise to rent out a room, share costs. or relocate and cut costs, find a normal job in spain and keep your pride.
u really have just one decision - go to uk:-things will be easier and run risk of living a 'grey' life. or stay in spain :- certain uncertainty, hard work, sacrifices but u may just keep the colour.
have a great xmas. the grass isnt always greener.x

Frustrations with Spanish burocracy, homesickness, a green eyed lady, and that silly feeing about the green grass being greener. And once, toothache.

Just be careful as regards getting help if you're going back to the UK without a job. You won't qualify for Job seekers allowance as you haven't paid NI for a long while there. If you live with a partner who (for example) has a part-time job, you could always apply for tax credit. Otherwise, you'll be going down the road of supplementary benefit (may have changed its name) and housing benefit. If you think Spanish bureaucracy is slow and cumbersome...try claiming benefits in the UK - you'll faint at the size of some forms, and you'll have a lot of explaining to do regarding intention to work abroad again. Obviously if you end up unemployed for a long time then it makes sense to claim the benefits, and they will maintain the pension contributions. But if you possibly can get in a job - even if the pay is rubbish, you can always claim tax credit to top it up.

If you can, shun the news. I stopped buying newspapers long ago, tho perversely I enjoy reading el Pais, at least the bits that I can understand. I also prefer to avoid UK TV news. It´s either saccharine, depressing, infuriating or a combo of all three.

So far in Spain the beaurocracy has been minimal to zero, and I have to say, sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side.

Moving back to the UK? Well, I hope to god I will never be put into the position where I have to consider it. One piece of advice I would always give is this. Make good and sure that you take a good hard look at the UK before you commit. It ain´t the same place you remember, and just as you risk looking at it with rose tinted glasses, beware of the risk of looking at Spain with whatever the opposite of rose tinteds might be.

Personally I´d rather be broke in the sun than in the rain, but possibly that´s just me.

I would rather be broke in a place where I understand the Social Security system. Sod the weather!

Agree! If I was broke, I'd much rather be broke in UK than Spain. It's easy to say you'd opt for the weather, but I'm guessing if you were absolutely skint, your first priority would be to get some dosh! As many have found to their cost, being broke in Spain is not a lot of fun, it ain't nowhere near as generous as UK when it comes to handouts.

I had a christmas of three Spaniards all on the internet looking at how much rent is, jobs pages, benefit payments etc etc.

After about 5 hrs of arriving in the place they now want to live here.

Since there jobs arn't so great, one has finished his paro payments and is unable to find legal work.

They even looked at cleaning work just to allow them to settle into the UK.

I guess when you live in a country, its true the other side can seem greener.

Having listened to there personal circumstances and compared them to what they would get in the UK, apart from council tax, I'd have to say anybody wanting to live in Spain and work don't realise how lucky being British is.

I had to virtually drag them to the airport, although there didn't seem much point as Ryanair refused one to fly and we had to pay a large sum of money to fly Easyjet they managed to return home after some 18 hours in the airport.

I think different people have different viewpoints and different experiences, and we're never going to agree on this. I had a far better lifestyle and my money went a lot further when I worked in Madrid (supposedly one of the more expensive places in Spain). Public transport especially was far cheaper (and much much better) there than here; most basic things in the supermarkets such as rice, olive oil, beans etc. were cheaper, although posters here claim prices have gone up a lot. I've also met plenty of Spanish who dislike the prices, the bad food, and the grey skies of England (to be fair I've met the Spaniards as well as other nationalities who liked things about England such as the music scene and job opps in their field). Others on this board have differing experiences. There again, I'm someone who prefers the British climate (especially in summer) as 40C is too much for me. So maybe I'm different to most.

My printer packed up on the 23/12.

I need it for work so on Boxing day I trundle off to Currys with one of the friends, I got a HP deskjet F4580 for £39.99, my friend was more impressed though with the TV's.

Also the selection of shops such as B&Q, Wickes, Tesco,Morrisons,Asda my friends wife almost fainted when see started reading the Argos catalogues.

They liked the quietness of the UK, no moto's or shouting in the streets, no graffiti.

Apparently its the first sleep they had being so warm as well.

We tried to explain that the evenings and lifestyle here is different, people don't tend to walk from there houses and talk to others.

We explained that in the evenings we usually drive to places to walk, that could be mountains, near the sea or bars etc.

There response was that nothing is stopping us or them from walking from there house, not talking to others especially other spanish is no hardship as its mainly gossip or bragging and they have had enough of that.

We no a few Spaniards in the community, so there planning to visit again in the next few months and we'll arrange some food and drinks and meet talk about the differences.

They no that the UK is not paradise, but they are fed up of working and paying into a system that does not help you in rough times.

Although UK taxes can be higher at least you get something for it, whilst in Spain they explained it as the govt takes and never gives back.

My God, sounds like your friends are from Outer Mongolia, or are you making this up!

According to you, your Spanish friends have never been to El Corte Ingles, Media Markt or any city centre or supermarket in Spain. They live in some kind of warzone, with shouting, graffiti, noise etc and they have never had a warm sleep! Do they sleep with the cows?

And what mountains are you talking about in England btw?

I´m similar in that respect, enjoy Spain in the spring, early summer, and autumn, but avoid the summer months and the winter months.

Chulo, are you telling porkies or have your "friends" not been in Spain for many years?

There are plenty of shops over here similar to those in the UK and as for the price of a TV I bought a 44" plasma 3 years ago for 2600E which was a damn sight cheaper than I could have bought in the UK at the same time. The Spanish system can and does work to your advantage if you know how to work it just as many people work the system in the UK. I don't hear bikes or shouting all day or during the night and I live in the city center.

I think ive got to look at where ill be in another 10 years time. Im 37 now (today actually) and realistically what would I be doing in 10 years from now in Spain? In the UK I could go to college and get a trade. I could become a driving instructor and I could better myself as the options are better despite this recession.

I reckon each year that passes now will get a little harder for me and at my age now I could do something about it. In another 10 years over here
It might not be as easy although still possible.

Good point - hope you are successful in whatever you decide


Oh...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY