hello newbie questions
 

hello me and my father are very interested in moving to portugal ,
we intend on arriving there with the intention of renting a property for as cheap as possible .
i intend to find work as a qualified plumber /electrician if possible ,if not any type of work.
we do have some savings enough to live comfortly in england for say 3 years so i would hope for similar over there ,so its not like we will be wing a prayering it.
my dad is keen on moving to central areas of portugal where he hopes to find cheaper rents.
we are very keen and we are learning the portugese language at the moment in preperation.
i am very interested in hearing from other people who have moved there what your experience has been like,how easy is it to rent,areas of interest,anything really that can prepare us for an easy transition.
i look forward to hearing your advice
thanks in advance.
barry

Re: hello newbie questions
 

Re: hello newbie questions
 

thanks for reply
im learning portugese every day and so is my dad , so im hoping we should be reasonable by the time we get there.
yes i fully expect that earning wise portugese rates will be alot less but this move is not about money ill gladly earn a fraction of the wage i earn now in exchange for 13/14 degree decembers ,long summers and ,sea fishing and etc etc .
thanks for advice i know its a step down finacially compared to england but a step up in lifestyle i hope.

Re: hello newbie questions
 

Re: hello newbie questions
 

Hi good luck with your plans,

if you are planning on doing plumber /electrician work, especially if you plan to start your own business, you have to think about getting your qualifications recognized here in Portugal, builders/tradesmen have to be licensed here and they need to be qualified,

Finding work will be harder if you dont speak much Portuguese, especially if you move to Central Portugal, where less English is spoken than say the Algarve. so learning as soon as possible is a great start, most towns offer free language lessons, so once you get here you can enrol in some free classes too.

rental costs will be cheaper in some parts of central Portugal, but dont forget if you move to the places with the cheapest rent it will also be the places with the less chance of finding work, some rural areas of central Portugal dont have a lot of work for the locals and they sometimes move to larger town/ built up areas to find work, so it could be very difficult for a new comer. the cost of living of coarse will be much cheaper away from the bigger towns/tourist areas.

I have lived in Central Portugal, near Tomar for about 5 years now, its a great place to live, iam sure you will find a great place that will suit you too.

Re: hello newbie questions
 

thanks omostra

i have full city and guilds and nvqs i think there valid world wide, but very good point had not thought of that will have look into that further.

Re: hello newbie questions
 

They are not valid in a couple of countries I have been to including Spain, a trade test in Spanish etc is required here, and the plumbing and electrickery are totaly different to the UK way.

Re: hello newbie questions
 

I have been quite surprised recently how the EU directive on transferability of quals is being applied. It is there and is useable but of course language tests can and are applied on top. Your institution or C&G will have details of whats available and what extra is needed so I would always start by asking there. Also DoT (I think that is the right department) and FO have advice.

Non of that will make it easy but don't be put off.

Re: hello newbie questions
 

I did one in Canada too, but would of meant going to college to learn stuff they had given up in the UK before I started working.
When I said we used plastic soilpipe and wastes they laughed and couldn`t believe it would be strong enough. ;-)

Re: hello newbie questions
 

thanks for all that replyed brilliant stuff a lot to think about.

on a lighter note is there any such things as allotments for growing your own vegetables out there.

and what about the TV do you need to get sky in order to watch english programmes and sport.

Re: hello newbie questions
 

yes you can get sky, the free view channels quite easy with big satalite.
as for allotments, well most locals grow thier own veg in the garden, i have seen allotments in the cities too,

Re: hello newbie questions
 

another few questions

1)is there such thing as road tax
2)insurance
3)mot for cars in potugal

are there any other requirements ,and what sort of prices are involved, compare to england .

thanks barry

Re: hello newbie questions
 

There is road tax, it depends on the vehicle/engine size etc (mine is €16 for a 1.4cc per year), don't know the maximum
There is insurance, a type of 3rd party and full comp, it can be expensive (mine is over €500 per year fully comp)
MOT is required on cars over 4 years old then every 2 years afterwards up to a certain age then every year. (cost €28 approx a visit)

If you look back on this forum you can see the cost of other things especially importing a right hand drive car!!
Joao:D

Re: hello newbie questions
 

another question

in this country obviously we pay

rent/mortgage.

electric/gas/water rates.

council tax.

do you have to pay for council tax in portugal if so how much (on 2 bed house)

any other hidden charges.

Re: hello newbie questions
 

Council tax (IMI) is payable on the value the council put on your house and each council have a different rate, it can range from approx 0.7% upwards. However, in some circumstance (Gaz you will correct me if I am wrong) when you buy a new house, below a certain value, you are exempt IMI for a number of years, this number of years depends upon the cost you pay for the house and not the value the council put on it. This exemption use to be for 10 years, but has now come down to (I think) 5 years. It is granted to everyone no mater what country they come from in the EU plus Portuguese.
So you will see there is no easy answer to the question. But to get this exemption you will need to be a resident of Portugal, that is for sure, this means that you have to make Portugal your main living place, i.e. reside here for more than half a year.
I am sure others who pay can give you an example of IMI costs.
Joao:D