advice please on moving to spain
 

Hi

I am looking for any advice that any one has on moving to spain in particular Majorca.

Myself, my husband and 2 kids (6 and 4 years) are looking to move in the next 18 months to 2 years to spain in particular Majorca but open to other places at the moment. I know i maybe being a bit ahead of myself when it is 2 years away but i like to be organised. We have very basic spanish at the moment but we plan on learning spanish over the next 18-24 months. I know the weather in Majorca has wet winters but we live in north west scotland at the moment so that is not an issue to us!!!:D I would appreciate ANY advice at all that anyone thinks i may need. Below i have put some of the areas i can think of at the moment that i would appreciate some info on.

Firstly school- I would appreciate any information in this area at all for my children i know there is english speaking schools i can pay for and state schools but that is about the limit of my knowledge.

WORKI am a Emergency nurse practitioner which is a senior nurse in A&E with additional qualifications to carry out advanced skills in minor injuries and A&E I have read that to get a job in nursing i will need to be fairly fluent in spanish but any other advice on nursing work i would be grateful

My husband is a systems technician for environmental services and he also runs his own internet business making websites he is not quite sure what he would be able to do when we move but is open to most things

PROPERTY
i have read mixed opinions in this area to rent or buy again any advice welcome

We would be grateful for any information that any one has

Thanks

Lynzy

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

In regards to the schooling, i would advise to get the kids spanish lessons asap and then put both in state school...but only IF you are planning to live in Spain long term and have them grow up here. If you are only planning to stay a few years then you need to put them into an international school that will follow the british curriculum as the spanish curriculum is completely different. My daughter was 5 when she started state school here 8 months ago and she is flourishing so I would fully recommend it, if you are going to stay long term.

As for your nursing qualifications, im sure they would be recognised here but you would need to be FULLY fluent, not fairly. And that is something that is virtually impossible in the time period you have mentioned. Be prepared to look for work elsewhere when you move so that you can practice your spanish. You can not become fluent without living in the country for many months at least, and speaking the language on a daily basis.

Unless the situation improves drastically within the next 2yrs, it will be a very risky move considering neither of you will have work sorted. The Spanish cant get jobs, and someone will always hire a spanish native over a British one. Sucks, but thats life unfortunately!

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

With Spain having the highest unemployment in the EU and with the recent 27 billion euro government spending budget cuts I would advise those planning on a move to Spain and needing to work to consider it very carefully, especially if you are not fluent in Spanish.

Also remember access to healthcare is contributions based and the benefits system is not like the UK.

Lots of other stuff here:

http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-...ving-in-spain/

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

the nursing qualifications might be recognised - they'd have to be homologado - you're right about Spanish - no chance of work in a state hospital (I think they have to oposiciones - but an English clinic would be fine - if they really wanted to employ the OP they'd help sort out the translation etc. of the quals

I have no clue if there are English clinics on Mallorca - but I suspect so

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

Hi Lynzy
My understanding is that there is an over abundance of medical staff in Spain.
Many are seeking work elsewhere, Portugal and Gibraltar for the ones reasonably local to these areas and further afield for others.
The high unemployment is also a barrier to most jobs.

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

HI Lynzy,

Well, I have to agree with Pixieve, but I would say that Mallorca is a bit different than the rest of Spain in that we enjoy a slightly better economy, so things aren't quite as bad here as in other parts of Spain. In fact, on a personal level, the Mallorquins really don't consider themselves "Spanish", and many would like to separate from Madrid entirely, but that's another topic...

Having said that, it's still true that you will need to be fluent in Catalan and be armed with some pretty compelling reasons to be hired over the many native Mallorquins seeking employment, who may well be equally as qualified as you. Perhaps one bright side is that there is a growing population of Brits here, which may make you more valuable in certain hospitals - but it's a long shot.

Schools
Most of the international schools here are not the best rated, but do follow the English standards and render students eligible for recognised academic title.

Nonetheless, if your children are young, then even if they have reasonably good command of Spanish (although you better put them on a Catalan language program beforehand) then they'll pick it all up in weeks, and therefore public schools would be your most favourable option. The public schools here are highly rated.

You husband will struggle to find work, although there are a number of major IT firms here, and a few international firms seeking english-speaking people for development and support roles. Salaries aren't generous, but once you have a job, it's very difficult to lose it, and if you're on the public health system, it's very good.

Buying and renting
Buying is very complicated and almost everyone selling wil ask at least twice what they actually want. It really is a buyers' market, but nobody really wants you to know that.

Renting
Renting is extremely variable depending entirely on location. I the more popular places such as Calvia, Andratx, Bendinat, etc, they may ask more than a flat in London (hoping you're flush enough with cash to accept).

Leave those "high end" areas, and rents will drop through the floor. You can rent an entire finca in the country with a pool and beautiful views, completely remodeled with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths for well less than €1000, and maybe as little as €400 depending on condition and how much you're willing to negotiate. But something like that will be some distance from the international schools, although public schools are everywhere.

I would strongly recommend renting until you find the "right" deal for you. It can take years to find it and negotiate it to the price you are willing to pay.

In any case, without a guaranteed income, it could be difficult. Best to do your research, and get connected with people who have lived here for some time. There's a lot you can only learn from experience here.

Having said all that, if you can manage to find a way to live here, I think you'll love it. The island is too big to give you "island fever". It can take decades to discover everything this island has to offer, which is a lot. Sprawling white-sand beaches to California-esque mountains to something that looks like English countryside, from pleasant little villages to Las-Vegas style neon. Charming beaches to big city nightlife to seemingly untouched back country of 300 years ago. It's all here. Anything you want here can be had, if you only know where it is.

Well, I hope that helps in some way. If you need any other help or have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me.

Best wishes,

Ami

Re: advice please on moving 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.


In my area you would need to be totally fluent. Also there are a lot of nurses who are out of work because the hospitals are cutting costs whereever they can. We are frequent stayers in our local hospital and we have seen huge differences over the last couple of years. Many of the nurses who are working are on very short term contracts so there is no stability even if they are in work.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

I can remember living in a village where the local college had stuck with one curriculum for years, then kids wanted a 6th form but they werent able to provide one and it all came apart. Seemed that the big town south had a totally different currriculum and the one north had a third.
We and our kids didnt know what to do for the best, many parents ended up making the decision on which direction was most suitable for getting to work - not ideal.

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

Dont people have to pass the oppositions to work in hospitals in Mallorca?

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

I'm sure they do - but not for private 'British' clinics/hospitals

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

thank you very much everyone for all your information

Re: advice please on moving to spain
 

Hi Lynzy, not much chance of working in a state hospital regardless of you UK qualifications (IIRC Spain has a surplus of registered nurses anyway) and working in a clinic won't get you anywhere near the band 7 or 8 your on in the UK as a NP; at a guess you'd drop £10k from a 7 and maybe £15k from band 8 IF you get work plus the hassle of getting your quals recognised in the first place.

Better off in the States or Canada where you can earn good money and the weather is good too (Look at Victoria, BC, stunning city and great weather).

http://www.victoria-bc-canada-guide....c-weather.html :)