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-   -   Move to Majorca. (https://britishexpats.com/forum/spain-75/move-majorca-905170/)

paulmountford Oct 27th 2017 6:41 pm

Move to Majorca.
 
Hi All,
Me and my wife and 2 children (6 and 4) are thinking of a move to Spain probably Majorca. We have visited many parts of Spain but we really like Majorca although it's probably quite expensive compared to other parts of Spain.
Our story and reasons for the move (apart from the obvious The Weather) is my wife is Chilean and we have lived in the UK for around 10 years since meeting in New Zealand. We moved to Chile for a year 6 years ago but the cost of living and job options meant we had to come back. We would like to make the move so the children can learn the language and embrace the Spanish culture which will be good for the family ties in Chile as we don't visit there more than once a year and getting the kids to speak spanish in the UK is proving difficult.
We would like the move to be a permanent one but if it was only for a few years it wouldn't be the end of the world. We will have a income of around 1600 euros a month from the UK but in the end we would want to be making money there.
The main issue is getting the kids into school over there and any advice on this would be much appreciated.

We feel like we need to do this now due to the age of the children so we dont have much time to research more locations so Majorca is a good option for us.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

dfjordan Oct 28th 2017 1:18 am

Re: Move to Majorca.
 
I would suggest you think carefully about trying for Majorca as obviously living there full time ,is very different from a few weeks vacation in summer. The weather is not very pleasant in winter for example, and work opportunties are restricted by the size of the place. You may also want to compare total cost of living in Majorca with Santiago, as you mention already that you know Majorca is pricey. If its in the back if your mind that long term you plan to move the family to Chile, then it could well be better to move now, as you know already, in Chile its very important to build up contacts while children are in their teens , as networking is vital in getting on in your career. I moved to Chile with my Chilean wife when our son was 8 , more than anything because we wanted him to be Chilean, instead of American, which is where we had lived since his birth.It turned out to be a wise move, as within 6montns , he was fluent in Spanish; he was educated in a decent school; then in university and has a good network of contacts , which has been very useful for him. Personally, I believe that a lower cost of living in monetary terms, is always offset by non monetary “costs” . A good example are property prices; they may be cheaper in say the north of England compared with the south, but think of all the negatives !
Good luck!

KieronF Oct 28th 2017 12:36 pm

Re: Move to Majorca.
 
Mallorca is probably the single most expensive place to buy property in Spain at the moment - and that includes most of the island, not just Palma. Mallorca attracts a broader range of international buyer and this has been driving prices up for several years - and add to that the effect of the volatile currency exchange rate on the buying power of the GBP.


On the plus side Mallorca does have some good International Schools, albeit they are expensive although they tend to be located in the areas of the island where property is the most expensive - so bear that in mind too.

paulmountford Oct 28th 2017 3:19 pm

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by dfjordan (Post 12369951)
I would suggest you think carefully about trying for Majorca as obviously living there full time ,is very different from a few weeks vacation in summer. The weather is not very pleasant in winter for example, and work opportunties are restricted by the size of the place. You may also want to compare total cost of living in Majorca with Santiago, as you mention already that you know Majorca is pricey. If its in the back if your mind that long term you plan to move the family to Chile, then it could well be better to move now, as you know already, in Chile its very important to build up contacts while children are in their teens , as networking is vital in getting on in your career. I moved to Chile with my Chilean wife when our son was 8 , more than anything because we wanted him to be Chilean, instead of American, which is where we had lived since his birth.It turned out to be a wise move, as within 6montns , he was fluent in Spanish; he was educated in a decent school; then in university and has a good network of contacts , which has been very useful for him. Personally, I believe that a lower cost of living in monetary terms, is always offset by non monetary “costs” . A good example are property prices; they may be cheaper in say the north of England compared with the south, but think of all the negatives !
Good luck!

I think you have done well going to Chile and making a go of it. The income I mentioned is around 1M pesos chileno which is no where near enough to live in Chile with 2 kids even if we send them to state schools which aren't great. So making a permanent move there won't be possible really. Whereas in Spain we can probably live off our UK income and sand a better chance of finding work than in Chile.

paulmountford Oct 28th 2017 3:25 pm

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by KieronF (Post 12370120)
Mallorca is probably the single most expensive place to buy property in Spain at the moment - and that includes most of the island, not just Palma. Mallorca attracts a broader range of international buyer and this has been driving prices up for several years - and add to that the effect of the volatile currency exchange rate on the buying power of the GBP.


On the plus side Mallorca does have some good International Schools, albeit they are expensive although they tend to be located in the areas of the island where property is the most expensive - so bear that in mind too.

I agree that there are cheaper places to buy and rent but time is against us and we want to do it while we can and not spend too much time looking elsewhere. I think the employment situation there is quite good compared to other parts of Spain. Advice on all the types of schools and getting them admitted is what's needed, we have seen places for rent around 600EUR per month.

dfjordan Oct 28th 2017 11:49 pm

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by paulmountford (Post 12370171)
I think you have done well going to Chile and making a go of it. The income I mentioned is around 1M pesos chileno which is no where near enough to live in Chile with 2 kids even if we send them to state schools which aren't great. So making a permanent move there won't be possible really. Whereas in Spain we can probably live off our UK income and sand a better chance of finding work than in Chile.


Yes, on 1 millon pesos a month would be very hard, assuming you want an even modest standard of living. Even live in maids in decent areas, get around half of that a month, with all expenses paid for them! You cant lose much by giving Majorca a try!

Moses2013 Oct 31st 2017 8:52 am

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by paulmountford (Post 12370174)
I agree that there are cheaper places to buy and rent but time is against us and we want to do it while we can and not spend too much time looking elsewhere. I think the employment situation there is quite good compared to other parts of Spain. Advice on all the types of schools and getting them admitted is what's needed, we have seen places for rent around 600EUR per month.

Employment situation good? Just depends what type of employment you are talking about but apart from tourism there isn't that much on offer. Yes there will be other jobs but what kind of jobs are you looking for?

paulmountford Oct 31st 2017 7:37 pm

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by Moses2013 (Post 12371593)
Employment situation good? Just depends what type of employment you are talking about but apart from tourism there isn't that much on offer. Yes there will be other jobs but what kind of jobs are you looking for?

I would be looking for Electrical Maintenance type jobs when I was there last I spoke to a few hotels and the guys that work in them in the maintenance and the response was quite positive regarding work of course until you look you don't know. My wife works in imports and exports here in the UK.

amideislas Oct 31st 2017 7:55 pm

Re: Move to Majorca.
 
Well, there's lots of jobs other than tourism. Construction, real estate IT, customer services, insurance, banking... And yachting... If you have any marine engineering certs, you'll be gainfully employed.

But you need to be multilingual. English is a minor part of the market. Spanish a must, German is really important (see inselradio job listings for example). Fluency in Spanish, German and English is a sure bet.

Salaries are low, though, but so is cost of living (if you don't choose to live in expatland or a tourist resort).

Moses2013 Nov 1st 2017 8:13 am

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by amideislas (Post 12372092)
Well, there's lots of jobs other than tourism. Construction, real estate IT, customer services, insurance, banking... And yachting... If you have any marine engineering certs, you'll be gainfully employed.

But you need to be multilingual. English is a minor part of the market. Spanish a must, German is really important (see inselradio job listings for example). Fluency in Spanish, German and English is a sure bet.

Salaries are low, though, but so is cost of living (if you don't choose to live in expatland or a tourist resort).

I doubt cost of living is low unless you are coming from Stockholm or another Northern European City but then again you are also on a better salary. Everything seems more expensive than most parts of mainland Spain. Be it housing, supermarket prices and those are your main expenses. From what I can see it's not cheaper and even Germany UK can be cheaper when it comes to food, cars, clothing, appliances, electricity.

amideislas Nov 2nd 2017 6:20 am

Re: Move to Majorca.
 
So, how long have you been here, moses?

Moses2013 Nov 2nd 2017 9:42 am

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by amideislas (Post 12373147)
So, how long have you been here, moses?

How long and where have you been in mainland Spain;)? I've been over recently (also in the so called non expat areas:-) and visited friends. All I'm saying is that when you compare prices/wages, cost of living is not low and again depends what you are used to.

amideislas Nov 2nd 2017 7:27 pm

Re: Move to Majorca.
 
Oh, you're an "infrequent visitor". OK, that says it all.

I live in Mallorca. Been here officially about 12 years, and as a "frequent visitor" about 30 years. In that time, it's become a very different place. But if course, as an "infrequent visitor", you already know that.

It's probably worth pointing out that I also live in Germany. And of course, I visit England "frequently". Yet in terms of cost of living, there's little comparison. Except of course, should one choose to live in an expensive, crowded, high crime expat area...

Moses2013 Nov 3rd 2017 8:36 am

Re: Move to Majorca.
 

Originally Posted by amideislas (Post 12373636)
Oh, you're an "infrequent visitor". OK, that says it all.

I live in Mallorca. Been here officially about 12 years, and as a "frequent visitor" about 30 years. In that time, it's become a very different place. But if course, as an "infrequent visitor", you already know that.

It's probably worth pointing out that I also live in Germany. And of course, I visit England "frequently". Yet in terms of cost of living, there's little comparison. Except of course, should one choose to live in an expensive, crowded, high crime expat area...


Well, most people aren't as wealthy as you and your imagination of low cost of living is based on the fact that you have a huge villa with pool and can afford Michelin star restaurants. That is more a lifestyle thing and in reality the basics normal people look at aren't cheaper (food shopping, rents in employment areas etc.). You can go to mainland Spain and will see price differences in every area too and it's no myth that things have to be imported to Mallorca. It's no different when you compare Guernsey/Jersey to the rest of the UK and there's nothing wrong with that. You can have a great lifestyle but it's not cheaper than other parts of Spain.

amideislas Nov 4th 2017 8:45 am

Re: Move to Majorca.
 
Funny how most anyone can be part of the "1%" when convenient. I'll never know, but I'd bet your net worth exceeds mine. Most people we know would fit that profile, and we don't know many "wealthy" people. For example, if you own a flat in a major city in England or Germany, it most likely is worth significantly more than a villa here. But that's just another cost of living metric. And just being wise with your money.

Ohh.. Sorry, I forgot. We're all impoverished. Or wait... part of the 1% wealthiest. I don't know. It's all very confusing.


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