dailoukaat

hi i live in turkey at the moment with my family we have lived there for the last 4 years and want a change i would realy like your advise on where i should be looking myself and my partner have an independent income although we would like to work if we can and we have a 13 year old that will need to go to an english or international school so would like to be fairly near would appreciate lots of advise and experiences and look forward to joining in this forum

fionamw

Hello, welcome; why Spain? Fair enough why not, but presumably there's a reason? what work would you be looking for if you decided to look? what kind of international? spanish/English or another mix? Have you a preference for coastal, city, N, S etc?
Out of interest, why the thoughts of change from Turkey?

twistedmelon

I think you will need to be a bit more specific on your needs and desires.
Spain is a big and varied country and everyone will say that their part is best.
I suppose inland or coastal would have to be your first choice. In a city or rural. In the cooler north or hotter south. Near expat communities or more Spanish.
I have to agree with fiona, what are your reasons for moving? not being nosey but often they are a big influence in a big decision.

dailoukaat

hi i would like coastal area with big british population and need to be near an english school just want to try another country turkeys lovely but want a new experience now any suggestions at areas to look at

fionamw

Again, it would help if you can be slightly more specific - you say you want a coastal area with a big British population - why? commercial/business reasons or because you'd feel more comfortable socially? or you are thinking of your child? Or because you speak no Spanish? Med coast presumably you mean? Because of weather? Does location not matter at all ref your likelihood of getting work?
(sorry, probably sounds like a questionnaire but there are loads of folk in the Spanish forum who might be able to help.....if they have enough info to work from!)

jay01

With your son still being at school, would you not be wiser staying there for him to finish his education, if he has been there since 9 he has grown into the international schooling in Turkey so you may screw his education up with moving him to Spanish International, they may not be at the same level, so are you being fair to his needs?

Have you asked him if he wants to move as he will have made friends, he will have picked up Turkish and established himself, it may be hard to accept but he may want to stay although he will go where you take him but he is the one that will suffer, you may well be better sending him to family in the UK so he can do his education there just in case you fancy a change in a few years and take him to somewhere else before his finishes his schooling.

Spain is what you make it but it takes no prisoners especially where kids are involved, there are loads of British kids who have next to no education as they could not assimilate into school here, have little chance of getting work as unemployment is sky high and they have the protectionism attitude of Spanish first and that opens them to the dark side of Spain with drugs, gangs and trafficking.

Just consider all the options before you make the move, look at schools at to what they can offer that is on a par to what he is getting in Turkey, not just where you want to be it is where he needs to be.

twistedmelon

In that case you are looking at the east coast Valencia, Alicante or south coast Malaga etc

dailoukaat

i knew this would happen please i just need advise i dont need opinions on what is best for my daughter we would never do anything that would not suit her you have no idea about our family and what works for us

jay01

All I was simply trying to do is advise you that educationally you will be putting your child at a disadvantage but then you must be aware if that and when they come into the employment market in Spain in fact anywhere really they will be interviewed accordingly.

Spain takes no prisoners but as you say, you are the parent and as such you make your choices.

I do not judge you but when you ask for advice I have given you my advice, you can choose what you do with it.

dailoukaat

not that i realy need to explain myself but my daughter is now fluent in turkish and is looking forward to learning a new language she has private tutoring in english as well so will never be at a disantvantage and will not need employment in spain i am sure there are plenty of parents all over the world that put there childrens education at risk following their dreams but she will have and has more life skills and education than most kids i know,it was not advise you gave me but an opini on ..please can anyone with children give me some of there experiences

twistedmelon

Everyones experiences will be different, in my experience if your child is happy then there will be no problem, only problem children have problems adjusting.

twistedmelon

I found your comments over the top also.

fionamw

quote: "I just need advise (sic) I don't need opinions...."

As the one who asked most of, possibly all the questions, I did so for what I (as a somewhat mature parent) consider the right reasons. If I had simply answered your initial questions - which it would appear you simply want : where to look, independent income, non-specific but not vital work, 13 yo seeking international/british education, - my answer would be thus: "I can't possibly advise but there are quite a few british/international schools on Southern mediterranean coastal spain whose strengths/weaknesses will be relevant/irrelevant to each and every child/parent according to their needs; and few jobs in Andalucia for anyone not fluent/bilingual in Spanish."
Apologies but you kind of cornered an answer

ps by all means check me out. I hope I'm not a bolshy ******* as aren't () most of the spain forum regulars....I just feel it helps to know what the person you're helping is actually looking for.....

naladogs

Dailoukatt .

I for one would love to give you helpful advice but I have no children and live in a wonderful place in Spain but alas it doesn't have an international school.

I really hope you and your daughter can find something in Spain but alas these clowns on here so far, are giving a pretty typical response to a very sensible question. it amazes me that although Spain needs expats to move here - it is the expats that are putting people off ( and they wonder why they can't sell their houses )

They are a very small minority and believe me, get away from the we know it all forum brigade and you will be made to feel very welcome by the Brits but even more so by the Spanish who actually understand the importance of being helpful.

Best wishes to you both

fionamw

I wish I weren't gullible enough to be drawn in but (a) I don't know how anyone on a forum for a month or so can know enough to call posters clowns (b) the question may be reasonable but the information provided for those responding is hardly fulsome (c) I don't know it all therefore can't express it all, particularly with limited information about the requirements of those asking. Sorry.
(oh, and (d) we're not trying to sell our house so don't know if we'd find a buyer or not!)
I could, of course, provide advice for those with private income and specific requirements of the education of their (x language speaking) (x second language speaking) children whose parents will be spending (x amount of time) in (x region of) Spain and who both (parent(s) and child(ren) ) know (x amount) of the local language - be it Castellano, Valenciano, or whatever. Point being I know what I know for my family but whether advice pertaining to that knowledge is relevant to the OP... well I'll never know>>>>
Sorry, but quite honestly the questions asked at the outset were intended for any poster to be able to provide the best, most relevant possible, information to the OP......
............. ps some Andaluz are very welcoming, I don't know all of them so can't make major judgements about them or the Spanish as a whole.
btw, why does Spain need expats (of whatever nationality?) to move here?