Chris_S

Hi there,

Lately I've been giving a lot of serious thought to experiencing life in another European country. I've done some preliminary research on the kind of places I'd ideally like to live in, including browsing a lot of the posts on this forum.

Before I go on, I thought it might be a good idea to provide a little background about me to show where I'm coming from, what's influencing my decisions etc.

I'm single and have no children (hope to keep it this way too!), I'm self-employed and work exclusively online. I have no financial commitments apart from keeping up with debt repayments (should be done this time next year) but don't have a good credit rating.

With all that in mind, I don't have to many requirements or "must-haves" for moving. Basically if I can get somewhere to live without a good credit rating and I can get a good Internet connection to run my business, I *think* I'll have everything I need (please let me know if there's something important I've forgotten).

There's three different places that I'm considering, all of which might seem pretty random but have different things that appeal to me.

*Prague
*Malaga
*Berlin

My next ask for now is to do a little more research into each of these, look further into costs of living, ease of renting a property etc and choose just one of these places to focus on. I'm then planning to pay a visit there early 2015, and if I still feel the same way, to get over there by the end of summer 2015.

I don't have any exact questions as such, but if anything above stood out that you think you could offer some advice, suggestions or "Chris, you sound insane, stay at home!" it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks xx

calman014

If you work exclusively "online" then it would make sense to be somewhere that has good quality web infrastructure. Prague sounds interesting, but it depends what line of online work you are in. If you are a developer/programmer then your requirements will be somewhat different to somebody running a webshop for example. With good infrastructure you can get by with a decent laptop and a mobile phone. Being online will also require a level of "investment" in getting yourself seen via the search engines, unless you are working exclusively for existing clients or a specific sector.

Chris_S

Hi Calman,

Thanks for your reply. Yes I agree, good quality 'net access is crucial and is one of the factors I'm considering when weighing up my options. I work as a copywriter and already have marketing strategies and tools in place to keep things running. I'd basically be doing the exact same thing I'm already doing to make a living except from another country, so having access to good quality broadband would be vital.

Assanah

Also, check out how you are going to be taxed. Most countries have laws that say something like if you are 180 days or more in the country you will be taxed according to our laws. Could make a huge difference to your income. Health insurance is important too. I am not sure if your UK insurance will cover you longterm abroad. If you have to join a local health insurance do compare the costs as they might vary considerably. It is also interesting to check out what will happen if you have an accident and can't work. Will social security pay for you or is it advisable to get a private insurance…..insurance, insurance, insurance….you hear the German in me talking *LOL*

I would also consider your language abilities. Unless you are fluent in the local language you will be pretty much isolated and confined to a truly expat life. That can be fun but if you would like to establish yourself in the country longterm the language is a must. Without the language you will always need the help of a translator, won't have real access to social and political life etc.

mikelincs

Check heathcare requirements, for Spain you will need either Private healthcare or become 'autonomo' (self employed) to get into the state healthcare system. Once a resident there you will need to do a tax return every year, and you will be taxed on your worldwide income, but you can offset any tax paid in the UK against the Spanish tax requirement. Autonomo casts €250 a month.

Chris_S

Hi Assanah, Mike,

Thank you both for your feedback, all great points and things I definitely need to consider, especially the tax issue. Something I need to look into further and assess before I make any decisions. I do have private insurance at the minute that covers me if I'm unable to work but I need to look into how that affects me if I move abroad.

Healthcare is another good point, thanks for the pointers re: Spain, Mike. Much appreciated.

Assanah, completely agree re: language barriers. Spain and Germany are attractive options as I at least speak basic Spanish and German and can build on that. Prague has the disadvantage that I don't speak a word of Czech, though on the plus side, one of my friends lived there previously and can at least put me in touch with some of her English-speaking friends to begin with.

Language is something I've given some thought to, with the idea being that, given that I'm probably just less than a year away from making the move, as soon as I've made my decision about where to go, I can really knuckle down and get to grips with the language.

Thanks again for all your suggestions and comments, really helpful!

rammy100

We moved from the UK a couple of years back but before we decided on a location we looked at the things that were important to us and scored each one out of 10 depending on the level of importance. So, for example, if hot weather is important to you then Malaga would score higher than Berlin or Prague and if you need to live somewhere cheap then Prague may come out top - although accommodation in Malaga may be cheaper, I'm not sure right now.

We also weighted things a little for things that were most important - like cost of living and lifestyle. Then we just added up all the scores and treated it as a mathematical exercise.

Incidentally, all 3 of your choices were on our list and we eventually settled on Berlin (via Bratislava for all sorts of reasons).

Give it a go and see how it works out.

Cihadlo

Hi Chris

From personal experience, I would say that Czech is not a language that you are likely to reach a good level quickly. Are you UK based? It will be difficult to find a good teacher in the UK and Czech doesn't really lend itself to a "teach yourself" approach. It's certainly the most difficult of the three languages you are contemplating. So, you might be better concentrating on your other two options where you at least have a head-start and learning opportunities in the UK are likely to be better. The Czech Republic is a great place to live and work but nearly all the English-speaking ex-pats that I know (including myself) have Czech partners, on which they rely considerably when it come to obtaining goods or services and dealing with the various authorities.

Chris

Chris_S

Thanks guys,

Rammy: Great idea. I'm actually planning something similar myself. I have some critieria in mind and am doing some more research and making notes before I start scoring things. I'll let you know how it goes

Cihadlo: Very good point, thanks for this. All things I need to keep in mind. As I think I mentioned elsewhere, I do have a friend who lived there for a while and is pretty solid with the language, my idea was to bug her for lessons if I do decide to take that as an option, but it's certainly worth noting that I might have an easier time learning another language instead.

Thanks again everyone

Karyna Rue

Hi, I really appreciate all your suggestions. I think, we have to very sure before settling to another place. It takes a thorough research. I guess, we have to talk also to those who have experience staying in a certain location of our choice to be able to decide finally For me, I agree, that there are a lot of learning opportunities in UK. You may try researching about it and give it a try.