Re: am i dreaming
 

If you get made redundant you could do worse that give spain a try, what have you got to loose?

As long as you come with your eyes open. Just a few things to add to the previous comments:
1.I have experience of renting property in the UK. IMHO renting your house is not as easy or as lucrative as you might think. Fees and taxes will eat into your income. One bad tennant could cost you far more than a months deposit will cover and it is very difficiult and expensive to pursue damages through the courts.
2.If you want to work, there are jobs but to be honest if you cannot find work in UK, you will find it even more difficult in spain.
3.You and your gf do have some specialist skills. There MAY be opportunities and I would try to seek those out before leaving UK.
4.You will not be entitled to social security when you move to spain.

I would encourage you to follow your dreams. Life is too short to spend it wondering what if ........

Re: am i dreaming
 

Would agree that the cost of living has gone up greatly here and that jobs are very hard to find and often lowly paid. However, I know 2 people who have just found legal, paid, full time work:
- waiter in Marbella (got the job by trying every restaurant he could find until someone said yes. Speaks no Spanish.)
- hairdresser in Gibraltar (and yes she is an employee, she doesn't just rent a chair)
I also know of 2 new businesses on the Costa del Sol which seem to be doing oK (very little or no Spanish) :
- selling second-hand designer clothers
- selling books
and
- of a professional singer (with no Spanish) with contracts to sing at a club in Puerto Banus and a hotel in Marbella.
There are also quite a few poolmen, odd job men, and cleaners (with very little Spanish) operating for themselves, probably illegally. In some areas of the Costa del Sol cleaners can get 11 euros an hour. They advertise in local ex-pat papers and put cards in shop windows or flyers in cafes. Sometimes they introduce themselves to the administrator of a residential community who then recommends them to owners within that community.
There have been some threads on here about people getting IT work in Gibraltar. I think there are also some jobs going there in the gaming industry.
I agree, don't burn your boats in the UK, but maybe try Spain for a few months and look at the job market and cost of living for yourself.

Re: am i dreaming
 

I don't think the figures stack up. One house without a tennant and the other with a late payer will soon mean you've got no income. You will also need house insurance on both properties and have other expenses (agent fees / maintenance). So your £400 could be zero.

330 euros a month for rent? Yes there are properties at that sort of price, but bills are extra and will double that figure. Most places advertised all-in will be short term rental at 330 per week, not month. Plus you'll need a deposit of 1-2 months plus agency fees.

12,000 savings - you'll spend a chunk of that coming over here and the rest will last you perhaps a year if you're really careful and you get good tennants in both properties. Might be a fun year, but your savings will have been spent, and then how will you eat or pay the medical bills if you become ill?

Please think carefully about this move. Yes, 20% unemployment still means four times as many people in work as not - but you don't want to be that 20% over here when money is tight.

Re: am i dreaming
 

Dont forget that money worries, are one of the biggest reasons why couples split up.
If you are watching how the "other half" live in Puetro Banus or wherever, and cannot afford a little slice, I would not call that "following my dream".

A student taking a gap year is prepared to rough it, because it is maybe the first step to real independance.

Travalling around with only the clothes you stand up in and some "mudas", finding any old job, is the thing to do before real life starts, if you know what I mean.

After owning a house, having a proper job, and being a full "hecho y derecho" adult, I find that that it is a lot more difficult to hunt down the "any jobs goings".
Everyone is different, but I would wonder why anyone of a certain age, would be so "eager" to do "any old thing" to scrape by.

Dont get me wrong, if that is what you HAVE to do, you do it, but if there is another alternative, ie staying in the UK, I would stay.

Re: am i dreaming
 

Malaga

Re: am i dreaming
 

?? Doing what? (legally)

Re: am i dreaming
 

Really? I've seen nice 2/3bed places in central Marbella for 400-450€ now and that's per month, privately rented so no fees and only one month up front. Our "essential" bills are 6€ month for gas and averaging about 30€ for electric. Water and community fees are generally always included in the rent. Food is working out at about 120€ a month, 12MB broadband with free calls is 40€. I use my car for work and my petrol bill is about 100€ a month.. Even with all that we're still not up to your estimate of 330. We've lived very comfortably here on a legally earnt 1200€ a month and go out to eat once or even twice a week plus a few trips to our lovely spanish local for cheap beer and free tapas

But.. perhaps I've been dreaming it all too

Re: am i dreaming
 

You can't eat much :D

Re: am i dreaming
 

Eat very well indeed thanks

Re: am i dreaming
 

Mmmm read this.
http://www.expatica.com/es/news/comm...er-salary.html

Re: am i dreaming
 

but they don't live in the same Spain as ShinyAndy!

Re: am i dreaming
 

Circumstances differ from area to area, and from sector to sector. I'm in the south of England and haven't had work since March this year (the closest I came was with telephone interviews for roles in Madrid - unfortunately they needed specialist experience I didn't have). I know personally people in Spain who are in work, earning as much as before, and are sitting pretty. Equally it's obvious that a lot of people are struggling. Same as in the UK. I'm probably going to do something freelance, as it's obvious that if any jobs in my field turn up, the agencies are going to target 20 year olds and not those over 40.

As for the OP. If he feels he's unlikely to get work in the UK in the next few months, it can be worth trying Spain for a few months, if only to get a different perspective and learn the language - he can then put this on the cv as a positive achievement instead of just putting "unemployed 6 months". Yes, it will probably be more expensive than the basic rental costs he's seen, but staying at home unemployed in the UK can prove expensive (eg ending up going down the pub or visiting friends). It's a choice he's got to make - and there are other options eg enrolling on a course in the Uk, getting into the courier business etc. It's a pity the job centre can't help more, but the advice they give seems to be targeted at those who rarely work and who don't have basic skills.

Re: am i dreaming
 

Water always included in the rent???? I've never, ever known that!? 30€ for electricity? food 120€ a month??????? I'm moving in!!! Cos I'm the tightest person in the world and I couldnt get away with double that!! Are you sure???

Jo xxx

Re: am i dreaming
 

There was a photo in a Málaga paper last week of the dole queue in Marbella, it went right around the building.

Re: am i dreaming
 

I know trapist monks that spend more...........:lol: