Hi,

Totally new to this expat forum. We are thinking of moving to sunny Spain next year and want to know about any experiences anyone has with opening up a nursery in Spain?

We want to move to Granada or Valencia and was wondering what the demand for nursery school places is like. Are nursery places oversubscribed like they are in London?

We would also like to know about anyone's experience of how many Romanians are living in these areas.

Any info is much appreciated.

Seth...counting the days in rainy London!

Welcome to the forum - some great info on here from very knowledgable people (generally).


Firstly, there have been previous threads on just this topic - use the search function and I'm sure you'll find some good info.

Secondly, the 'norm' in Spain is that family members tend to take care of children. That's not to say that there isn't a thriving market for nurseries but it's simply a different culture.

Finally, the laws are very restrictive here (as I'm sure they are in UK now). I have been told that it is very, VERY hard to get the necessary licences to start a nursery.

sunny Spain? not right now!
http://www.eltiempo.es/

I've heard from friends that there is a huge shortage of nursary places in Barcelona. Some points to bear in mind:
- Spanish kids start school at 3, so less years of nursary are needed
- You will need to be fluent in the local language i.e. Spanish/Catalan as the parents will want to be able to speak to you
- You'll need to know all the health and safety rules and regulations
- There are many Spanish young couples who go to the big cities in search of work and start a family there. They need the nursery as they are away from their families, so that is your best bet

There's an argument (don't know how true it is though) that the harder it is to provide a service or do a job, the better rewards you'll earn, as there'll be less competition.

Hi

Just to give you an idea on costs.

My little girl goes to a guardaria (nursery) for 5 hours a day. I pay 230 euros a month.

It is quite expensive in comparison to other nurseries around but it's the one I felt had a good atmosphere and I liked the staff.

When we lived in the CDS I paid 460 euros per month for my little boy. It was bi-ligual nursery and was average for what was available. They were not heavily subscribed.

It is a very different to the UK where it is difficult to find a good, affordable nursery place. I used to pay about 1000 pounds per month for my child back in the UK so the costs are much affordable. Maybe in Madrid it is different.

I know of one woman called Karen in the CDS who set up a nursery two years ago. She had a nightmare trying to get licences and I had hoped to use her nursery until we moved up North. Her nursery was called Barnaby Bear. Perhaps you could be cheeky and call/email and ask her as I know she has been through the process . Although all areas of Spain are different but she might just have a few tips.

Anyway, good luck.

Lots of private nurseries throughout the Valencian Community charging around 250€.

Forget about getting in to a state nursery though as the Valencian Government hasn't bothered to act with the 11 million Euros sent by the central government to increase the number of available places. Read more here...

A cheeky and friendly email may be coming Karen's way soon. Thanks for the VERY helpful info. I realise that the Spanish red tape is dense, hearty and robust much like a well cured jamon. Eyes wide open going into this!

Spain is a BIG island if I dont like the weather I will probably drive to somewhere dry and sunny. Still that forecast did not look too bad, considering it is circa mid-November.

Sh*t, have we been chopped off at the border with France and what have they done with Andorra ????????????

de nada

It is true that the written word does not always convey a subtler message...but you would think a winking smiley would!

Any useful information JLFS?

I did get the joke, and I thought that the 2 LOLs would have done to convey that.

I dont have any specific useful information regarding nurseries and such, but I know that the red tape will be horrific.

There was an incident in a nursery called Dinkys a few years ago, as I remember a few babies died, and since then they authorities are very very stringent.

Good luck in your venture if you go ahead with it.