barcelona
 

Hello
how is the life down there?
And the economy? thanks

Re: barcelona
 

I moved away from there 1 year ago due to lack of work. I'd imagine at this time of year it'll be starting to get busy now BUT it was extremely quiet out of season. We also found you were expected to speak Catalan as well as Castellano to find work. Loved the area, didn't like all the toll roads though.

Re: barcelona
 

thank you!
how about self employment? as i can work for myself
what is the tax issue there?
and how about the building sector? (for my partner)
how is the situation with schools and children in general?
what benefits do kids get over there?
and how much are the houses to rent ?
thanks

Re: barcelona
 

These are all impossible questions to answer without knowing your situation

I lived in Barcelona for a year and a half. It is an expensive city

- Firstly, do you speak fluent Spanish and Catalan, or at least fluent Spanish?
- Do you want to actually live in the city? There are no houses, just flats. How many bedrooms? A 3 bed flat will be around 1500 euros per month in a half decent area. 1000 euros in a not so good area and 700 euros in an awful scary area
- Sure you can be self employed. As long as you pay your social security contributions and taxes. Income tax is similar to the UK, a bit more expensive for people who earn around the 40-50k mark
- For children, you get some tax allowances but no benefits as such, unless you are a very low earner
- Schools, how old are your children? Do they already speak Spanish and Catalan? State schools here are mainly in Catalan
- The building sector? No chance at all

Barcelona is an expensive city and unemployment rate is about 3-4 times that of London. You need to be very qualified with great experience, have a lot of savings and be thinking of a high income to even think about it

Re: barcelona
 

We're Emigrating down there with the wifes Job in late July/Early August. Barcelona is a great place. We've been there many times both socially and with work. The Spanish are great. They are having a few issues with udesireables from out of the region being a bit pickpockety scammy etc. But doesnt everywhere now?

Regarding your questions. We found no easy answers Im afraid. Lots of googling and reading though.
But heres a starter. This is from the Mayor of Barcelona and is a guide for moving there. Some useful info in there.

http://english.habitaclia.com/"]We found this an easy website to use for property searching. If you look on the outskirts of the Barcelona region- Maresme/Occidental/Orientals. Youll get more space & scenery & a 3/4 bed house with pool for the same price of a flat in Barcelona itself. Theres a good rail service that runs down the coast that'll have you in Barcelona pretty fast.

We're a bit narrow regarding school info. As we hope to return back one day, we needed to enrol our daughter in a school that does the UK curriculum. But sadly that runs at 8k a year. But as ever, Google is your friend! so heres an expatica guide that may help you regarding choices.

Regarding your hubby. I did a bit of Buy To Let property developing in the UK. Ill be keeping those in the UK. But with things how they are in Spain at the moment Ill be giving that a miss over there for now. Catalunya is apparently doing better than other areas of Spain. But I think your hubby will find it tough in construction there even if he spoke Spanish & Catalan.

Regarding self employment. We're lucky as we're getting funded to go over there with work. So I have limited knowledge on it. But again, how things are, if youre working for yourself Id make sure theres a good market for what you do over there and have some backup!

Hope this helps a bit and gives you a start on the info you need.

M

Re: barcelona
 

Just a note that on those dates most the shops and businesses in Barcelona will be closed, so make sure you have sorted out the essentials, phones, electric etc beforehand

Actually Barcelona is one of the least Spanish parts of Spain I have been too. Careful about who you say that too, there is lots of nationalist sentiment in Barcelona and especially as you head up the coast.

Learn some Catalan when going to the local shops! That is the best way to get good service. A lot of people wont speak to you of you talk to them in Spanish, or will reply in Catalan. They certainly won't want to be friends with you

Re: barcelona
 

Im not the OP, but cheers for the advice. Yes it was mentioned to us that a lot of the companies have the same annual holidays. Again, we're quite lucky as we have a relocation company to make sure we dont mess anything up. The company is also paying for language lessons, but Spanish! lol So we'll just have to throw ourselves in and learn as we go. :thumbsup:

Re: barcelona
 

I have read the OP's posting history. Maybe they should think about why one country or another and take the rough with the smooth.
Like what will happen if the Catalans vote yes to be a country in their own right?

Re: barcelona
 

thank you!

Re: barcelona
 

maybe another place to avoid then.... shame as i really love barcelona

Re: barcelona
 

Interesting, but genuinely, what would happen? My wife works for a company with manufacturing based in Catalunya. How would it effect that? Would anything actually change for us in reality? Regardless of what Catalunya wants, and not counting a revolution :blink:. Will the Spanish Gov't ever let that happen do you think? Seeing how slow anything seems Political wise. Even if they decide to, surely it'd take years if not decades?

Re: barcelona
 

Barcelona is a nice enough place to live..

As long as you have enough money, the job prospects and the language skills

Re: barcelona
 

Hello, I hope I can post my question here without starting a new thread. Otherwise, mods please let me know.

I am not British but I was quite active in the Netherlands forum.

I have just applied for a position in the centre of Barcelona for about €1600 gross a month. I am not really desperate to move to Barcelona or Spain but it is an interesting position.

I know this is a n00b question, but is it worth to move from the Netherlands (mind you, I'm unemployed here) to Barca for that money?

Is there an online calculator that will give me the net wage from the gross, a bit like listentotaxman.com in the UK?

What kind of accommodation would I get for that money?

And last but not least, I'm in my late 40s. Do people of my age share accommodations like in the UK or is this only for youngsters/students?

A bit of more info about me:
- I don't speak Spanish but I'm Italian so I could communicate effectively (I think Catalan is a bit more similar to Italian than Castilian is)
- My war chest is a bit dented by a few months in Holland.
- I have a high school degree but not uni.

Sorry again for the silly questions and thanks in advance.

Re: barcelona
 

Hi gioppino

1600 euros isnt a lot. You will net about 1350 per month. Fine if you were in a couple, but not much for a single person

You can either house share for maybe 400 euros per month or get a studio flat for 600-800 euros, depending on the region of the city. Obviously most house shares are 20 somethings, but in a big city like Barcelona then there are always exceptions

Catalan isnt closer to Italian than Spanish I'm afraid, not really.

There are lots and lots of Italians in Barcelona. It seemed to me that 2007-9 (when I lived there) that half of all the waiters were Italian, so you have an expat community to walk into

Re: barcelona
 

I am a textile designer and i work for myself and as freelancer with usa clients and australia mostly so i can work anywhere in the world really but i want to move somewhere were my kids can have a nice lifestyle and good education
In barcelona for example i have to send them to private school as i want them to have english as first language
How much a family needs in barcelona or nearby? Also my partner is a painter and plasterer and you say that the building industry is a bit dead there ....so i cant provide for all of them...
I'm still open to barcellona but i dont want to get worst than better only for the nice weather
how is the crime there? also what other places around barcelona we could live in? (one hour radius )
thanks

Re: barcelona
 

There is over 25% unemployment in Barcelona and the construction industry has collapsed. Even if he could get work it would be close to minimum salary, maybe 50 euros per day. That won't go far when trying to pay for 8-10k euros school fees per child

My sister in law lives with her 3 kids in Barcelona. It is great for kids, but they live in a good area with a 600k flat that would cost 2.5k per month to rent, at school you must speak Catalan, and they earn 100k between them

If you want to live in a nice area, even within commuting distance to Barcelona then you need to be earning maybe 5k per month net (after tax, maybe 7k before tax) so that you can pay the school fees

Crime is fine as long as you dont go around like a tourist and get pick pocketted

If you only want good weather then don't come to Barcelona! In fact don't come to live in Spain at all, you would be better off having lots of holidays.

Re: barcelona
 

how much are the schools per year?
10 k?

Re: barcelona
 

The funny thing is the OP is Italian and has said that she will never go back to Italy. Yet she is considering a country which has arguably a worst employment situation than Italy at the moment.... I would also assume that the OP is not happy with London as her home either....that grass is too green I think....

Re: barcelona
 

I never said i am not happy in london mind you!
I have left italy long time ago as i didnt like it for many reasons but i do like spain,is this a crime?
I am considering to move somewhere where the weather is not always rubbish and where when my kids will be teens I dont have to worry if someone will stab them on a night out.... is this also a crime?
I worked hard in london and I got a good job that luckily i can take with me anywhere (almost) so I am in the position to decide now if to remain here forever or move before my daughter will start secondary school...
I found your comment quite silly and out of contest .....

Re: barcelona
 

btw why i have to explain it to you?!? :thumbdown:

Re: barcelona
 

I dont see anything wrong with politely researching advice about wheres best to live with her family, and thanking people when they help. I find it a tad more creepy when someone goes through someones previous posts in other threads just to make a pointlessly smug comment. :p

Re: barcelona
 

Yes, from 8k upwards really. It can be more. But for 8k It'd get you into an excellent school that does the English curriculum. Has smaller smaller class numbers (ours is 18) And can gear their education towards the individual strengths of the child (thats what the school we've selected is telling us anyway! lol) :)

Re: barcelona
 

:goodpost: :rofl:

Re: barcelona
 

thank you! are you in barcelona? Are the teachers english mother tongue ?

Re: barcelona
 

Not yet. Just preparing to go. We move there in late July/August. But we have chosen one of the schools (in principle) We are over there next week to have a tour of the School (and also two others for comparison) and to view a few properties. From what we know the head mistress is British. And some of the teachers. Although overall I think its mixed. The official language of the school is English and all lessons are taught in it. But there is a focus on learning Catalan, Spanish and French too. :eek:

M

Re: barcelona
 

sounds great! how did you find the schools? do they have a website? have you sorted out your accommodation yet?

Re: barcelona
 

I have friends in Barcelona who've found work easily, one in law another in recruitment. The one in recruitment works for an American Company, probably a wise way to go.

Re: barcelona
 

I gave you a link which shows the Barcelona area Schools with links to their websites in my first response in this thread (the 5th post) :p

Accomodation is being looked at next week when we go over from a shortlist of ones not too far from to the School. A Pool, 4 beds and accept our labradoodle dog, other than that we're flexible :D

M

Re: barcelona
 

missed that :))
all sounds great! what are you guys doing there for living? thanks

Re: barcelona
 

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.

Rosemary

Re: barcelona
 

My wife's existing job is relocating there. So off we all go. :thumbsup: So its a bit easier in our case to emigrate with the reassurance of work & their support. Until our daughter starts school next year Ill be her full time daddy, which Ive been lucky enough to have been able to do for her right since day 1. I own & let out a few properties here in the UK which allows me a small income to do this. And Ive always dabbled in Antiques, vintage & retro items as just a personal interest here & there. Not for an income, just because I enjoy it. Shes 2 in Dec. The interesting thing is the school starts them in the same year that they turn 3. As shes 3 next Dec, it means she starts at the school next year :eek: Which is scarier for me more than her. It depends on how my Catalan is doing as to what I do after then. :lol:

Re: barcelona
 

thank you!
I just wander how some smug people like the poster from yesterday is contributing to the forum.... :confused:

Re: barcelona
 

Your daughter is a little bit younger than my son :)

I know that you don't know how long you will be in Barcelona, but I seriously recommend sending your daughter to a local school, or at least a Catalan speaking one. For me, the best part of living in Spain is the social side, especially for children. There are 5 parks within a 5 minute walk of our house and our 2.5 year old has good friends in all of them. This would be impossible if he only spoke English. He is fluent in Spanish and English already

Your daughter is so young that is doesnt matter if you move back to the UK in 5-6 years time. She would have had a good Catalan education in that time and will speak English anyway because of the home environment

It's only my opinion, but if she doesnt speak Catalan she will be excluded from a lot of the best things about Catalan/Spanish society

Re: barcelona
 

I need to get catalan lessons :o i can speak a bit of spanish and i understand quite well.
If i relocate there i would keep doing my own work as selfemployed and possibly keep the accounts in the uk to start with .... then here i started organising sewing classes and textile courses that i'm sure i can do over there too,aybe combining that with english.
Do you know any website for jobs (building work ) in barcellona? or anything to get some infos about that?
thanks

Re: barcelona
 

do you live in barcellona too? or just your sister in law?
ho does it works for self-employment?

Re: barcelona
 

I used to live in Barcelona a few years ago. I now live in Oviedo

For self-employment, it isnt as easy as in the UK. If you live in Spain, you must be signed on as self-employed in Spain, not the UK. This means you must pay your own social security contributions, which are a minimum of 260 euros per month whether you earn anything or not.

In my opinion, you will struggle to get people to go to sewing classes in English. There is only a small English speaking population (of mainly young people) and those Spanish people who are interested in it tend to be older and so wont want to learn English

Re: barcelona
 

Hi, thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. We thought long and hard over it to be honest. Im hoping we've found a balance. At the end of the day the company is covering the School costs. And we have looked at all the school options to give her the best start for the money they are paying. We might move back to the UK. So we wanted it to be the English curriculum from the offset. But the school we've chosen is classed as an International School. It does have many local Catalan children and we're told thats whats spoken in the playground, its just the lessons that are taught in English. We've also chosen a school that will learn her Catalan (& spanish & french) as well. We'll know more when we visit it next week for a grilling (plus a couple of other schools) I do appreciate what youre saying, but rest assured we wont be in an Expat bubble. We'll be learning the language ourselves and will be firing on all cylinders to join the locals at every market day/festival/fair/event/birthday party/wedding and gathering we can find. All the best.

Re: barcelona
 

thanks for the advice! It is similar to the italian system then....
I do teach textiles and sewing classes but we also organise childrens sewing and fabric parties in london and i'm sure we could do that over there too.
I do speak a bit of spanish and speaking italian it is quite easy for me to learn it but never came across to catalan (could try it tough)
My friend that also wants to move to barcellona would be interested in opening a small clothes shop ...

Re: barcelona
 

now I'm jealous :D