The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
Dec 27th 2008, 4:22 pm
#1
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Joined: Dec 2008
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The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
Anyone considering coming to live in southern Spain and the Gibraltar region, in particular, should carefully think it over.
In a nutshell, the advantages are:
Great location if you’re interested in Andalusian (inland Andalusia) and/or North African culture, and like being near the sea. However, be prepared to take advantage of all the benefits life near the ocean can afford, e.g. enrol in a yacht master’s and/or diving course (however, quite a few nuclear submarines have probed the waters here, so you might grow a third eye in the process!), buy a canoe and get paddling, etc., otherwise you’ll be bored out of your brains! It’s best to have a car rather than using unreliable, local transport to visit such great cities as Seville, Granada, Cordoba, etc.
Weather is generally mild in comparison to the UK, but don’t come expecting radiant sunshine and hot weather year round. Gibraltar is often cloudy, rainy, and only warm/hot for about five months of the year (May-October).
Gibraltar is as safe as houses, unlike La Línea (Gibraltar’s immediate neighbour Spanish side). Even as a woman, you can roam the streets at four in the morning, and nothing will happen to you, unless you’re extremely unlucky.
Gibraltar is bilingual. However, bear in mind that whilst Gibraltarians are schooled in English, they prefer to converse in Spanish. Therefore, you’re more likely to hear ‘patatas fritas’ on the street than ‘chips’, even though signs are in English.
The disadvantages:
Employment in Gibraltar, and along the entire Costa del Sol, is limited for the natives, let alone foreigners who don’t speak Spanish. As a general rule, and due to my own personal experience and the experiences of those I’ve met in Gibraltar, the recruitment agencies here are a waste of space. A common practice amongst these agencies is to advertise jobs that don’t even exist, just to make the purpose of their existence seem purposeful or to market the region as prosperous and especially industrious. It isn’t. Apply to companies directly. Bear in mind that if you want varied and meaningful employment, Gibraltar, and this region in general, should not be considered. Most jobs are occupied, naturally, by Gibraltarians, which is how it should be. However, this means that it is often hard, albeit impossible, to get those more coveted roles due to Gibraltar’s insular, exclusive nature. Your best bet as a foreigner, and especially if you don’t speak Spanish, is to apply directly at the many online gaming companies, such as Ladbrokes, Party Gaming, etc. The pay will not be particularly good, and the employment monotonous and dull; think of customer service and shift work, which really screws with any kind of social life of which you might have dreamt.
This region, with few exceptions (I’m not, of course, referring to Seville, Granada and the like), is bereft of culture. Basically, one can ‘do’ Gibraltar in a day. There are theatres, but no decent amateur dramatics societies, and no theatrical troupes of any repute visit this region. There is one museum. Enough said. Locals put on the occasional art displays, but for a culture vulture, these are small and largely disappointing. After you’ve been to the cinema, the bowling alley, played table tennis at the local community centre, you’d better hope you have your yacht master’s to save you from despair! Bear in mind, it’s not really feasible to water ski for seven months of the year, and you need to make friends with people who have boats in order to gain access to them.
The cost of living in Gibraltar can sometimes be much more exorbitant than even the UK. As salaries are not great, most people will have to resort to living in the incredibly unattractive commuter town of La Línea de la Concepción. Speaking as someone who, for the most part, loves Spain and is bilingual, La Línea is an unfriendly, poor, unsafe (for foreigners and Gibraltarians) and backward backwater. There will be some expats for whom La Línea is safe and nice enough, but for the rest of the discerning populace, people live there because they have little choice. Living further up the coast makes having your own transport indispensable. The Costa del Sol (with few exceptions, such as Malaga) is made up of soulless, high rise apartment blocks wherein live plenty of expats of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps fame; the sort who should never have been let out of the UK in the first place. If you’re in your twenties and thirties, quite well educated, and more quirky than the average, you’ll be bored beyond reason. Go to Seville, Barcelona, Granada or Cordoba to live. Expats here (a minority are of a pleasant mixed bunch), are, in the main, older than the average expat residing in Spanish cities; married with kids; less well educated than your average expat, love the Spanish weather and sadly little else, and to whom ‘the Prado’ means some sort of Spanish Morris dance. Okay, maybe this is a tad snotty, but you get my drift. Essentially, these expats are not here to learn Spanish and/or anything about the Hispanic culture, look with disdain upon the immigrants back home, whilst forming their own sullen and insular little Brit ghettos over here. Hence, anyone who thinks assimilation is a little more than creating exactly the same kind of lifestyle as you did or didn’t enjoy back home, should look to emigrate elsewhere. If living along the coast, commuting to Gibraltar for work, although hundreds do it, is time consuming and tiring. If you’re doing shift work, magnify this scenario several times. The sweet guards at the Gibraltar/Spain border regularly stage little politically/racially-motivated, throwing toys out the pram tantrums, which mean several hour long delays at the border. If working a 10 hour shift in Gibraltar and residing in Spain, you might be wondering why you didn’t take that high paying job in London.
In essence, you have to ask yourself whether the Spanish home in the sun is what it’s cracked up to be. The miniscule difference in monetary exchange means that Spain is currently no longer the bargain for expats. Salaries in Gibraltar, given the exchange rate, have in effect fallen approximately 30 percent in two years. Spain’s Costa del Sol is often not that sunny in winter and cold as hell. People get bored here as in most places. If you want year-round heat and sun, a fun and multi-cultured atmosphere, a variety of job opportunities, exoticism, go to the United Arab Emirates!
In a nutshell, the advantages are:
Great location if you’re interested in Andalusian (inland Andalusia) and/or North African culture, and like being near the sea. However, be prepared to take advantage of all the benefits life near the ocean can afford, e.g. enrol in a yacht master’s and/or diving course (however, quite a few nuclear submarines have probed the waters here, so you might grow a third eye in the process!), buy a canoe and get paddling, etc., otherwise you’ll be bored out of your brains! It’s best to have a car rather than using unreliable, local transport to visit such great cities as Seville, Granada, Cordoba, etc.
Weather is generally mild in comparison to the UK, but don’t come expecting radiant sunshine and hot weather year round. Gibraltar is often cloudy, rainy, and only warm/hot for about five months of the year (May-October).
Gibraltar is as safe as houses, unlike La Línea (Gibraltar’s immediate neighbour Spanish side). Even as a woman, you can roam the streets at four in the morning, and nothing will happen to you, unless you’re extremely unlucky.
Gibraltar is bilingual. However, bear in mind that whilst Gibraltarians are schooled in English, they prefer to converse in Spanish. Therefore, you’re more likely to hear ‘patatas fritas’ on the street than ‘chips’, even though signs are in English.
The disadvantages:
Employment in Gibraltar, and along the entire Costa del Sol, is limited for the natives, let alone foreigners who don’t speak Spanish. As a general rule, and due to my own personal experience and the experiences of those I’ve met in Gibraltar, the recruitment agencies here are a waste of space. A common practice amongst these agencies is to advertise jobs that don’t even exist, just to make the purpose of their existence seem purposeful or to market the region as prosperous and especially industrious. It isn’t. Apply to companies directly. Bear in mind that if you want varied and meaningful employment, Gibraltar, and this region in general, should not be considered. Most jobs are occupied, naturally, by Gibraltarians, which is how it should be. However, this means that it is often hard, albeit impossible, to get those more coveted roles due to Gibraltar’s insular, exclusive nature. Your best bet as a foreigner, and especially if you don’t speak Spanish, is to apply directly at the many online gaming companies, such as Ladbrokes, Party Gaming, etc. The pay will not be particularly good, and the employment monotonous and dull; think of customer service and shift work, which really screws with any kind of social life of which you might have dreamt.
This region, with few exceptions (I’m not, of course, referring to Seville, Granada and the like), is bereft of culture. Basically, one can ‘do’ Gibraltar in a day. There are theatres, but no decent amateur dramatics societies, and no theatrical troupes of any repute visit this region. There is one museum. Enough said. Locals put on the occasional art displays, but for a culture vulture, these are small and largely disappointing. After you’ve been to the cinema, the bowling alley, played table tennis at the local community centre, you’d better hope you have your yacht master’s to save you from despair! Bear in mind, it’s not really feasible to water ski for seven months of the year, and you need to make friends with people who have boats in order to gain access to them.
The cost of living in Gibraltar can sometimes be much more exorbitant than even the UK. As salaries are not great, most people will have to resort to living in the incredibly unattractive commuter town of La Línea de la Concepción. Speaking as someone who, for the most part, loves Spain and is bilingual, La Línea is an unfriendly, poor, unsafe (for foreigners and Gibraltarians) and backward backwater. There will be some expats for whom La Línea is safe and nice enough, but for the rest of the discerning populace, people live there because they have little choice. Living further up the coast makes having your own transport indispensable. The Costa del Sol (with few exceptions, such as Malaga) is made up of soulless, high rise apartment blocks wherein live plenty of expats of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps fame; the sort who should never have been let out of the UK in the first place. If you’re in your twenties and thirties, quite well educated, and more quirky than the average, you’ll be bored beyond reason. Go to Seville, Barcelona, Granada or Cordoba to live. Expats here (a minority are of a pleasant mixed bunch), are, in the main, older than the average expat residing in Spanish cities; married with kids; less well educated than your average expat, love the Spanish weather and sadly little else, and to whom ‘the Prado’ means some sort of Spanish Morris dance. Okay, maybe this is a tad snotty, but you get my drift. Essentially, these expats are not here to learn Spanish and/or anything about the Hispanic culture, look with disdain upon the immigrants back home, whilst forming their own sullen and insular little Brit ghettos over here. Hence, anyone who thinks assimilation is a little more than creating exactly the same kind of lifestyle as you did or didn’t enjoy back home, should look to emigrate elsewhere. If living along the coast, commuting to Gibraltar for work, although hundreds do it, is time consuming and tiring. If you’re doing shift work, magnify this scenario several times. The sweet guards at the Gibraltar/Spain border regularly stage little politically/racially-motivated, throwing toys out the pram tantrums, which mean several hour long delays at the border. If working a 10 hour shift in Gibraltar and residing in Spain, you might be wondering why you didn’t take that high paying job in London.
In essence, you have to ask yourself whether the Spanish home in the sun is what it’s cracked up to be. The miniscule difference in monetary exchange means that Spain is currently no longer the bargain for expats. Salaries in Gibraltar, given the exchange rate, have in effect fallen approximately 30 percent in two years. Spain’s Costa del Sol is often not that sunny in winter and cold as hell. People get bored here as in most places. If you want year-round heat and sun, a fun and multi-cultured atmosphere, a variety of job opportunities, exoticism, go to the United Arab Emirates!
Dec 28th 2008, 8:52 am
#2
RETIRED ;-))
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Benalmadena Pueblo,Spain
Posts: 20,156
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
LOL, do you work for the United Arab Emirates tourist board ?
Dec 28th 2008, 11:23 am
#3
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 168
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
Well I think you have done a good job of putting people off Gibraltar!!
Its a place I have always wanted to visit, seeing as how my father spent the war based there (with no leave), working on radar. I have stacks of letters he wrote to my mother, whilst based there, in which he describes it in detail.
Despite this, I still think Gibraltar should be given back to the Spanish, Ceuta back to the Moroccons, just as Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese.
Its a place I have always wanted to visit, seeing as how my father spent the war based there (with no leave), working on radar. I have stacks of letters he wrote to my mother, whilst based there, in which he describes it in detail.Despite this, I still think Gibraltar should be given back to the Spanish, Ceuta back to the Moroccons, just as Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese.
Dec 28th 2008, 2:04 pm
#4
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 181
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
Well I think you have done a good job of putting people off Gibraltar!!Its a place I have always wanted to visit, seeing as how my father spent the war based there (with no leave), working on radar. I have stacks of letters he wrote to my mother, whilst based there, in which he describes it in detail.
Despite this, I still think Gibraltar should be given back to the Spanish, Ceuta back to the Moroccons, just as Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese.
Its a place I have always wanted to visit, seeing as how my father spent the war based there (with no leave), working on radar. I have stacks of letters he wrote to my mother, whilst based there, in which he describes it in detail.Despite this, I still think Gibraltar should be given back to the Spanish, Ceuta back to the Moroccons, just as Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese.
.....just as you have about the political status of Gibraltar and Ceuta
.An overwhelming majority of Llanitos (our friends in Gibraltar) voted against a referendum on the same subject (or don't their opinions count) and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but Ceuta, (nor Melilla) have never been part of Morocco. There could be arguments for returning Ceuta to Portugal (remenants of Portuguese rule still being found on the coat of arms) or Minorca to the British (although that might be more difficult and in any case noone would want a bigger version of Gibraltar).
Dec 28th 2008, 3:17 pm
#5
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
It was indeed my intention to put certain, similar-minded people like myself off this region. I would want the same advice from someone! Life choices can mean the difference between success or failure. Again, this is my opinion, to which I'm entitled. I relate not from prejudice but from experience (I still live here). My thoughts were not all negative, just realistic. Again, this is my opinion and the way I see things. Gibraltar and the region might be suited to others, but definitely not to me, nor to, I believe, the great majority of young, well-educated professionals. I merely wish to give a realistic portrait of the place, as I see it.
No, I do not work for the UAE tourist board...unfortunately, for it's a fascinating place! However, as a seasoned traveller, I am well aware of the fact that there are good and bad aspects to living in most places. To the blogger who mentioned that La Linea wasn't dangerous...really? I would be interested to know if you speak fluent Spanish? I do, and resentment and prejudice (bordering on racism in some instances) in La Linea towards foreigners run extremely high. The significance of Spanish means that I can understand the racial slurs that the locals spit at foreigners. You might need an interpreter. Very few expats with whom I have spoken report feeling safe there. I certainly do not. Quite a few foreigners have been attacked, and you can regularly read about these incidents in the Gibraltar Chronicle.
As regards politics...my intention to write what I did was not politically motivated, so this issue does not really interest me. Gibraltarians are, in the main, friendly, spirited people, who are more than capable of speaking up for themselves. Therefore, if they wished for full autonomy and independence from Great Britain, they would strive for it. Again, from what I have observed, Gibraltarians live far more freely than say the Moroccans in Ceuta. People will, of course, make up their own minds about a place by travelling there themselves.
No, I do not work for the UAE tourist board...unfortunately, for it's a fascinating place! However, as a seasoned traveller, I am well aware of the fact that there are good and bad aspects to living in most places. To the blogger who mentioned that La Linea wasn't dangerous...really? I would be interested to know if you speak fluent Spanish? I do, and resentment and prejudice (bordering on racism in some instances) in La Linea towards foreigners run extremely high. The significance of Spanish means that I can understand the racial slurs that the locals spit at foreigners. You might need an interpreter. Very few expats with whom I have spoken report feeling safe there. I certainly do not. Quite a few foreigners have been attacked, and you can regularly read about these incidents in the Gibraltar Chronicle.
As regards politics...my intention to write what I did was not politically motivated, so this issue does not really interest me. Gibraltarians are, in the main, friendly, spirited people, who are more than capable of speaking up for themselves. Therefore, if they wished for full autonomy and independence from Great Britain, they would strive for it. Again, from what I have observed, Gibraltarians live far more freely than say the Moroccans in Ceuta. People will, of course, make up their own minds about a place by travelling there themselves.
Dec 28th 2008, 3:36 pm
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 181
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
It was indeed my intention to put certain, similar-minded people like myself off this region. I would want the same advice from someone! Life choices can mean the difference between success or failure. Again, this is my opinion, to which I'm entitled. I relate not from prejudice but from experience (I still live here). My thoughts were not all negative, just realistic. Again, this is my opinion and the way I see things. Gibraltar and the region might be suited to others, but definitely not to me, nor to, I believe, the great majority of young, well-educated professionals. I merely wish to give a realistic portrait of the place, as I see it.
No, I do not work for the UAE tourist board...unfortunately, for it's a fascinating place! However, as a seasoned traveller, I am well aware of the fact that there are good and bad aspects to living in most places. To the blogger who mentioned that La Linea wasn't dangerous...really? I would be interested to know if you speak fluent Spanish? I do, and resentment and prejudice (bordering on racism in some instances) in La Linea towards foreigners run extremely high. The significance of Spanish means that I can understand the racial slurs that the locals spit at foreigners. You might need an interpreter. Very few expats with whom I have spoken report feeling safe there. I certainly do not. Quite a few foreigners have been attacked, and you can regularly read about these incidents in the Gibraltar Chronicle.
As regards politics...my intention to write what I did was not politically motivated, so this issue does not really interest me. Gibraltarians are, in the main, friendly, spirited people, who are more than capable of speaking up for themselves. Therefore, if they wished for full autonomy and independence from Great Britain, they would strive for it. Again, from what I have observed, Gibraltarians live far more freely than say the Moroccans in Ceuta. People will, of course, make up their own minds about a place by travelling there themselves.
No, I do not work for the UAE tourist board...unfortunately, for it's a fascinating place! However, as a seasoned traveller, I am well aware of the fact that there are good and bad aspects to living in most places. To the blogger who mentioned that La Linea wasn't dangerous...really? I would be interested to know if you speak fluent Spanish? I do, and resentment and prejudice (bordering on racism in some instances) in La Linea towards foreigners run extremely high. The significance of Spanish means that I can understand the racial slurs that the locals spit at foreigners. You might need an interpreter. Very few expats with whom I have spoken report feeling safe there. I certainly do not. Quite a few foreigners have been attacked, and you can regularly read about these incidents in the Gibraltar Chronicle.
As regards politics...my intention to write what I did was not politically motivated, so this issue does not really interest me. Gibraltarians are, in the main, friendly, spirited people, who are more than capable of speaking up for themselves. Therefore, if they wished for full autonomy and independence from Great Britain, they would strive for it. Again, from what I have observed, Gibraltarians live far more freely than say the Moroccans in Ceuta. People will, of course, make up their own minds about a place by travelling there themselves.
Granted, I have never lived in La Linea, and to be honest I have no wish to live there, but I have been there on numerous occasions over the last few years and have never experienced any problems at all. I did, however, experience problems of racism by a number of Gibraltereans who had certain hangups about British people.
In any case, if you are as well-travelled as you say you are, you will no doubt have realised that the reality of living and visiting any town or city that is situated on a frontier with another country will have its negative aspects.
Finally, you are lucky you do not work for the UAE tourist board as you'd have a hell of a job explaining the disgraceful conditions that some unlucky immigrants (i.e. Pakistanis, Filipinos) find themselves in when they get a job in the construction industry or a rich household. Of course, they don't include this in the brochures.
Dec 28th 2008, 4:43 pm
#7
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Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Lanzarote
Posts: 54
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
I, for one, am very glad of anybody's opinion on Gib and La Linea as it is my intention to move there in the not too distant future for one of those lovely boring jobs.
After 8 years DJ'ing in Ayia Napa, Gran Canaria and (presently) Lanzarote I feel the need to get some "normality" back. At 47 I'm not getting any younger.
Although not specifically wanting to move to La Linea (I've seen a nice place in Rinconcillo) it is still good to learn something about different areas.
After 8 years DJ'ing in Ayia Napa, Gran Canaria and (presently) Lanzarote I feel the need to get some "normality" back. At 47 I'm not getting any younger.
Although not specifically wanting to move to La Linea (I've seen a nice place in Rinconcillo) it is still good to learn something about different areas.
Dec 28th 2008, 6:32 pm
#8
RETIRED ;-))
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Benalmadena Pueblo,Spain
Posts: 20,156
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
I, for one, am very glad of anybody's opinion on Gib and La Linea as it is my intention to move there in the not too distant future for one of those lovely boring jobs.
After 8 years DJ'ing in Ayia Napa, Gran Canaria and (presently) Lanzarote I feel the need to get some "normality" back. At 47 I'm not getting any younger.
Although not specifically wanting to move to La Linea (I've seen a nice place in Rinconcillo) it is still good to learn something about different areas.
After 8 years DJ'ing in Ayia Napa, Gran Canaria and (presently) Lanzarote I feel the need to get some "normality" back. At 47 I'm not getting any younger.
Although not specifically wanting to move to La Linea (I've seen a nice place in Rinconcillo) it is still good to learn something about different areas.
Dec 28th 2008, 7:45 pm
#9
Not Banned (yet)
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Madrid
Posts: 6,400
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
you might be wondering why you didn’t take that high paying job in London.
Interesting how people get het up about Gibraltar. It's a military base in a very important location. If the Brits did ever pull out, the very next day the US (or whoever is the strongest at that time) would step in. The wishes of the resident civilan population (remember they had to vacate the place in WWII) or indeed that of the government in Spain doesn't really amount to a "tin of beans".
Dec 28th 2008, 8:16 pm
#10
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 168
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
In this day and age, when Europe is supposed to be united and all are members of NATO, why cant Gibraltar belong to Spain? Can you imagine it if a part of the UK belonged to Spain? Quite honestly it must be of financial benefit to the UK to get rid of Gib.
Dec 28th 2008, 8:26 pm
#11
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 171
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
Dec 28th 2008, 8:47 pm
#12
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 181
Re: The Reality of Life in Gibraltar and Surrounding Region
Gibraltar is not part of the UK
