2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

Hey guys

I'm gonna start by warning everyone I sometimes have the tendency to ramble on a little bit. I hope you manage to get the end and offer your advice :). To help combat the rambling I'm gonna start with the cliff notes :p :

-me and partner have a newborn daughter
-we are in our mid 20s
-feel that the UK is not for us, aiming to move to Spain within 2-3 years
-job is gonna be tough as I have always worked in family business so no qualifications
-will be learning Spanish and saving hard from now onwards
-looking for advice on possible locations (ideally away from main tourist parts)
-looking at studying or gaining some work experience/qualifications now that will help me find a job from there

OK so me and my family have decided that the UK is not for us and we have chosen Spain as where we would like to settle. we are not stupid and know this isn't an overnight decision.

We are going to start a Spanish night course in September and in the meantime are using duolingo to try and grasp the basics. I really feel learning the language will make our time there a lot more enjoyable and hopefully help us in the job market.

Also saving hard from today so we have enough saved for 6 months living expenses in case everything goes wrong :/.

I assume the toughest part will be getting a job. I have no formal qualifications past GCSE, as I have been working since then. I have been in a lot of roles and had good experience but I guess I will struggle to get this point across or struggle to compete with more qualified people.

Like I said at the start this is a 2-3 year plan, so I have time to try help myself. I guess I'm looking for advice on current trends so I can try get some experience and/or qualifications that will help me in the job hunt. I feel I would do well in a lot of things, I'm fit and active and don't mind hard work. I am good with computers and IT (again no qualifications), so a job in the industry would suit me. Any other ideas?

I'm not looking for some super high paying high flying job, just something where I can support my family, once settled I would consider online degree or some other training options in Spain to help develop myself and career.

My partner is in the middle of a distance learning degree, so she will be continuing with that and then will also be looking for work, but should fair better than me (I think?) with marketing degree.

What do you guys think of our overall plan? How realistic are our goals? Are most of the above assumptions correct or am I way off in places?

If you've got this far, Thanks!! Appreciate your time and opinion.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

Oh dear, have you seen the unemplyment here, no Jobs for their own people let alone jhonny foreigner, I am sorry to say it but think you are on a hiding to nothing. Should you go through with it, make sure you have enough money as back up for at least two years if not more, dont sell up in UK (if you own your place) then at least if it doesnt work you have a bolt hole. Many many under retirement age have gone back due to lack of work, no benefit scheme here like UK.

Sorry may have said things you dont like but it is they way it is here. we give a spanish neighbour a few hours cleaning our terraces etc for a Little money, am sure others do the same.:)

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

I am sorry to have to say this, but as another member recently pointed out, if you were to speak fluent Spanish then you would have the same chance of getting a job as any of the other 6 million unemployed people in Spain.

I understand that there are now over a million families in Spain with no one in the family working.

Oh yes, I forgot - they don't do benefits here.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

I think the majority of advice you'll receive will be similar to the last two posts,although there's one here that will tell you there are loads of jobs waiting there for you, Spain is on a roll. ;) Whilst Spain might seem a great alternative to UK, in reality, weather aside, it isn't. The UK might not do it for you, but it sounds like it's giving you employment, and if that were to fail, benefits. The chances of you getting a job in Spain must be miniscule to non existent, and benefits, they don't do them. Well certainly not to expats that haven't paid into the system. Plus you'll be paying private health insurance, that'll be a drain on your savings, it won't last long. Unless you have a guaranteed well paid job lined up, or a huge nest egg saved up to fall back on I'd put it on the back burner until you have. You're young, leave it for a few years. Be grateful for what you have, millions of Spanish would love to be in your financial shoes.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

You should try Germany - that's where all the well qualified unemployed young Spanish are moving to.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

please, no disrespect, but someone in their mid-20's with loads of experience in lots of jobs ??

settle, make a go of what you have in the UK, it isn't the worst place to be, build up a money pot - even interest rates are better in the UK !
then start looking again in 10, 15, 20 years time when you really know your own mind and that of the BH and family.

use that time to learn Spanish, get formal quals in something you think you can stick at.
I am sure the Spanish job market will pick up - eventually. But until then you don't want to be out here with no money, no prospects and no where to live when you have a young family. Even Paradise can be lonely if you can't afford to live.

But good luck for the future and try to find a few Spaniards in the UK, keep in touch with them, just remember they may have a degree or 5 and still can't get a job out here.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

:(

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

I'm 26 have worked since I'm 16 I guess loads might be a slight exaggeration but 10years is enough time to get some good experience imo

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

Not to depress
Today I met a young man who realised I was English and asked if he could practice with me, of course I agreed and off he went with pratically perfect pronunciation, good vocab etc. He was a qualified Architect as was my father so we exchanged much in a few minutes. He could not get an initial position to gain the experience to progress and he had my sympathy.
Where was this conversation you may ask, at a till in Mercadonna where he has a summer job.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

Most of the hotel jobs in the Bournemouth are are taken by young Spanish people, because they just can't get work in Spain, many have excellent degrees.
Bar work in the main tourist areas is a possibility during the tourist season, but beware, that sort of job doesn't come with a contract, so no chance of getting into the Spanish healthcare system. You would need either to get a job with a contract, and without FLUENT Spanish and no qualifications that would be extremely difficult, otherwise you are looking at paying for private healthcare, or becoming self employed (autonomo) which would, for aound €260 a month get healthcare in the same way the Spanish get, it's not free though. There is no job seekers allowance, no unemployment benefit unless you have had a cotracted job, and even then it's for a very limited time. No housing benefit, no social housing. Don't even think about going dowm the 'would like to open a bar/restaurant' path, many very experienced people have tried that, and failed.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

sorry to burst the balloon Sam, but the operational word is "some".
you indicate a person who has had loads of jobs and some good experience.
but in what ??? is it all in the same field ?? are you working towards some sort of certification and settled down in a positive direction ??

you need to get that direction fixed in the mind, the certification and the experience in that type of work. some people may say 5 years, some 2, some 10.

"transferrable skills" are absolutely no use in a country with 40-50% unemployment in your age bracket. Everyone here has them already and they still can't get jobs.

yes its easy for me to speak, I am retired but have been made redundant 3 times, and mentored unemployed in an area of high unemployment. some of those were from the EU, and believe me it is bad enough being unemployed singleton in your own country when you may be able to call on relatives for help. But being in a foreign country, no or poor language skills, no job, no benefits, young family and no relatives - very bad.

if you feel this is the plan then do it, come back here and tell us how you are doing on improving eduction, what is so exclusive about Sam that he can walk into a job and keep his family.
but you must plan, plan, plan as well as research, research and research. search the job agencies that advertise jobs in Spain and see what experience, training and education is needed for those in your chosen field. then work towards getting better than they are asking for - there are oh so many who are mediocre and also so many that are over qualified without jobs applying for these positions. what will make you stick out and get the job??

good luck

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

Not pleasant for OP to read but sadly true. He is a young man and hopefully he will reflect wisely on what posters on here say.

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

I think its great to have a dream and armed with these 'feedbacks', that Sam will be able to realise this dream for his family, sometime. Having a newborn means that extra care needs to be taken when making this huge step. Its good that the questions are being asked.... not diving in headfirst.

Good luck

Jon

Re: 2-3 year plan to get to Spain
 

All the experience in the world is worth nothing if you don't have enough spanish to read the job vacancies (hint: there aren't any), fill in the application form and speak fluently to your interviewer.
Taking evening classes in the UK, or doing some online courses or Rosetta Stone on your PC simply won't cut it. It'll allow you to order a beer or buy some bread but that's all it's ever designed for.

I know it's unfashionable to say it (esp. on expat forums) but your greatest asset is your british nationality and experience of living in that country. Use that to it's fullest and don't mistake the good times you had on holiday in Spain with how it would be like to live and work there (or anywhere else) full-time.