Brits going back to UK
 

over the past year I have noticed that the number on Brits going back to UK is rising at a rapid rate - its mostly younger families and generally the reasons for returning are they cant find work, they miss their family too much or living cost are more expensive than anticipated which together with the no work issue means their funds run out

I just wondered if it is the same all over Spain or is it just because there was a big influx of expats in our area (Gandia/Oliva) a few years ago

Living is Spain can be difficult at times and many people dont think it through properly - the grass is not always greener !!!!

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Well I've read of quite a few people coming over here with insufficient funds and without work, and running out of money after a relatively short period of time. You and I (assume you're in Oliva/Gandia) live in an area where not so much English is spoken as in the big tourist areas, so it makes finding work without speaking Spanish even more difficult

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

yes Im in Gandia

and even with speaking Spanish finding a job is difficult, a friend of mine was looking for work, she is fluent and had been here over 15 years and she couldnt get anything other than a bar job with rubbish hours and rubbish pay - so what hope is there for the rest of us !!

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Too many people do NOT research it properly, come out here to an expats area, think they are bound to find work straight away, even though they do not know any Spanish, don't have sufficient back up funds to cover them. They see TV programmes about the better quality of life that there undoubtedly is out here and think they will have some of that. Yes it is mainly younger families, and they are those who move here on a whim expecting everything to fall into their laps

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Exactly, Mike! But WHY do people think they can come over here without speaking Spanish and without many funds to tide them over, thinking they can manage?

You wouldn´t dream of going to another country and just hope you can scrape through, even an English-speaking country like the US or Oz for example. You´d go over on a recce and find yourself a job before draging the rest of your family over on a whim!

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I can't say I am sorry that these people are going back.

They have destroyed the ethos and atmosphere of the small inland village in which I live and ruined the previously excellent relationship between the local Spaniards and the handful of foreigners who lived here prior to the invasion over the past three or four years.

Perhaps we shall soon be able to get back to normal but I fear it will never be the same again.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

But are you saying people don't have the right to try? Not everyone has the same aims in life, but that doesn't make them wrong does it?

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I too have seen people come here and expect to walk into well-paid jobs that they have no experience of.

Someone I know 'refused' to work for 5 euros an hour. All I can say here in the mountains that is not bad money. She and her husband are now having to downsize and move to a part of Spain where houses are cheaper because they have run out of money.

Anothe guy I know, quite a good builder. But they are two a penny here, and he won't even attempt to speak Spanish (which means he can only get work amongst expats and this is a mainly Spanish area).

Others come out to live on capital for the next ten or fifteen years until they get their pensions, and their money runs out after three years.

They have not planned well enough, have they? We wouldn't have come to live here permanently, much as we wanted to, unless a) we had a source of income (my husband's Teacher's Pension b) we made sure we kept up payments to our UK State Pensions and c) if it had meant not having a UK property, because we may need a bolthole if everything goes pear-shaped, and we'd never be able to get into the UK property market again.

I'm not saying everyone should keep a UK place, but everyone should at least have their finances and income in order and at least try to learn some Spanish.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Did I say that? I don't think so. I have no objection to them trying. I just object to them deliberately upsetting the apple-cart and creating foreigner's ghettos.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I wasn't saying you did ... just trying to see where you were coming from, and what you feel are "these people" ;)

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

'These people' are probably better described as those falling into the former category in the saying which I have heard many times from the local population, "La basura de hoy y la gente de antes"

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I must say that I agree with "Beachcomber" having lived here since 1989, there are many people who come here expecting the gold to pour forth.

It never does and never will do, there are plenty of opportunities but you have to mix with the locals and accept the locals wages, if you don't you will have to leave or start your own business.

It has been said before and will be said again, and not just about Spain :eek: ....If you are a practical person i.e. tradesperson, bricklayer,carpenter,welder etc: you will find work easily, but if you are an accountant, lawyer etc it will be very difficult ;)

Ther have been toooo many gettos in Spain not just of Brits, but German's,Finns,Swedes,Danes etc who never will mix with the local lifestyle and therefore will never make it, all of them are missing out on life if you wish to live in theis wonderful country :thumbup:

Research before you leap, if not then you are commiting possible social suicide


Big_john Spain ;)

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

We are a family with young kids and were going to risk it all and set up our own business in Spain. However the house not selling has given time for a rethink, after reading advice on this site and a post from a lady who did this and ended up coming back to UK having lost lots of money we have now decided to wait a couple of years. My husband gets a pension in about five years and we will have this aswell as a business. So although I really want to go now we have compromised and it is not so long to wait for more financial security.
Keeping a property in UK is a good idea if you can afford it.
Its all a risk but you have to try!!!

Helen

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Yes I think I'd have to agree with you also. To be honest, if I had to work I don't think I would have come here .... finding riches wasn't my reason for coming here anyway, it was more a lifestyle change.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Hmmm!!, There have been a lot of Brits going back where I live, again mostly younger people with youngish children, the category seems to be problematic when there is no independent income, or the Children are teenagers, younger than about 11/12 the kids seem to fit in OK (Alright Iknow I am generalising).

However I think it is very prudent to not burn your bridges, careful research and financial planning is absolutely essential,
I dont find work a problem, but then it is about finding the right product and market, Having started a couple of companies out here now, I find we are stretched to the limit with workload, so I beleive there are plenty of opportunities, but you GOT to do the research!!!!

And the best piece of advice I have seen is if you own a UK property keep it, rent it and use the income to rent out here, it gives you an almost failsafe fallback position, takes the pressure off a little and allows you to review continuously your position.:thumbup:

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Unfortunately here in Chiclana it is a sad fact that many Brits are going home as they cannot survive without the vital services so many of us take for granted, ie electricity.... I know of quite a few who have just locked up their villas and gone back to UK:(

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I haven't read the Chiclana thread ... in the (hopefully) short term are generators not an option?

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

we are lucky that my husband has a particular skill he has been able to get employment with, however , it took long training hours, money and commitment to get that skill, that enabled us to come out here, without it we would not have stood a chance.
I agree it takes a certain type to tolerate the lifestyle in 'trad' spain and if your not prepared for it your life will be miserable. I am like that there is no point in getting stressed or het up about something.
I also find I have to reassure some spanish that I am not out here to create 'little england' but to embrace thier culture, by doing this they have then taken interest in my culture and we have a healthy respect for each other. My butcher always asks how i will cook the meat i buy and his wife gives me advice on spanish cookery, one day I shall invite him over for roast beef and yorkshire pud, if i ever get my yorkshire puds to rise!
You need a lot of elbow grease when you move here, and if you dont have it, good luck!

love

mary xx

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

>>And the best piece of advice I have seen is if you own a UK property keep it, rent it and use the income to rent out here, it gives you an almost failsafe fallback position, takes the pressure off a little and allows you to review continuously your position<<

We would not have come if we had have had to sell up.

It's even better if you have an adult child, to live in the house as our son does. He lives there with two other young men, the rents pay the bills and we have a resident manager in the house!

We were lucky enough to be able to pay cash for our Spanish house from the sale of an ex-council property my husband inherited from his mother. Otherwise we would have rented, but money would have been VERY tight.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Scampicat has the right idea. Unless you can afford to purchase outright in Spain, have independent means to maintain your lifestyle and retain a property in the UK you should not even consider the possibility of moving here.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Hi there,it was nice to hear your reply amongst all the scary ones.We too are a young family who are moving to the Alicante area in afew weeks,we are going to rent out our house and as you say hopefully the excess will gotowards the cost of our rent on a small flat.This is the bit I find scary that we are moving from our lovely 3 bed house with lg garden etc into a tiny 2 bed flat with a very basic kitchen,but if we are only renting there is no point throwing money away.We do have finances in place to carry us through for quite a while.We are both self employed,my hubby does property maintenance and I had a small shop which I have just sold.We are expecting things too be tough at first but have no set ideas what we will do for work but will be open to any opportunity that may come our way.I would like to start up a business again,but dont yet know what the gap in the market is,thats if there is one.We dont expect to be rich,but hope to experience a better quality of life,especially for our young daughter.Living in the UK with young children is a very scary prospect at the moment,this country is out of control.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

good luck with your move over

its very daunting when you come over with children (depending on their age) I was worried how my son would cope but now 4 years into it, he has adjusted well and picked up the language (well both of them) without too many problems and is doing well in his exams at school

He has more freedom and a better social life than he would ever have in UK

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I know a few people with young children and they alll say it is a MUCH better life for the children.

One little boy from our village, who has lived here since he was a baby, and is now five, didn't understand why he couldn't walk the streets and play on the swings with just his brother (9) whilst visiting Grandma in the East End of London!:eek:

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

arent they funny

my 10 year old came in a couple of weeks ago and said "Im going to knock for so and so at 10pm then we are walking up to the fiesta, I will be home 12-12.30am after the fireworks" :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: to which replied "WHAT"

He said its ok mum I am 10 years old, I can look after myself

The thing is even the 6-7 year olds are playing out until that time so I do feel a bit mean when I call him in at 11pm some nights

:D :D

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

As a general guide, what level of income is required for a comfortable lifestyle in Spain? Say for a couple, or a family of three for example.

Also, what is the average long term rental costs for 3 bed house?

Just a rough guide would be helpful

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

The safety and freedom for our little girl(who is 6 yrs old)is the driving force behind our move so its great to hear that a better life does exist,it is quite scary reading about all the brits who have failed and wonder what makes us any different.The comfort I have is that we are quite sensible people and we are not selling lock stock so we do have a safety net,that said obviously we hope to succeed and not have to use it.Also when we eventually do sell we should be able to buy a nice house in our chosen area and be mortgage free or almost.I am hoping that this will give us a better chance.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Since we have been here we have been (for a couple) living on 1000 euros a month and when I came here I was expecting a budget of £1000 a month. However we do have funds available for one off purchases or emergencies and does not include the tax bill. This has included eating out a couple of times a month, going out for drinks etc, but certainly not throwing money around. Groceries in this area are around 30% less than in the UK and if you use the local markets you can do better.

I don't expect in the long term that we will stick to the 1000 euros a month, but it was important for us when we came here to establish a yardstick.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Hi

That is quite encouraging as I already draw a small pension of just over £600 per month. With rental income from our own property (unless we sell) and existing funds this should give us about £1200 a month. Assuming we do not go mad I hope this should be sufficient.

Cheers

Graham

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Depends where you end up Graham. The CDS is more expensive from what I hear, and the cities of course may be more expensive than the UK. We're 6 kms inland in the very Northern CB.

I was suprised, I must admit, but if you live like youre living here rather than as if you are on a long holiday then its do-able

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Not sure where we want to be yet, but definitely somewhere inland and cheaper than the tourist areas.

Yes we would need to adapt our lifestyle to the Spanish way and cut our spending to make it work, but that is one of the main reasons for wanting to move to Spain anyway.

Will probably pop over on a recce trip before the summer.

Thanks for the advice

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

We have been planning our move to Spain for 6 years now. In 2002 we purchased a small village house at a price of a 4x4 car, and have been making at least 4 trips a year, buying furniture and improving the property. We have made many good Spanish friends and visit each others houses and have been learning the language. I can't believe how welcome we have been made to feel and are always given fresh fruit and veg that has been grown on their plots of land in exchange for a bit of help. In December we were picking olives in the sunshine. New year we ate 12 grapes by the chime of the church bells and danced in the square until 7am. Once we are truly ready to move over for good we will keep our small property in the UK and possibly rent it out, meanwhile we are saving like mad. Yes I do have children, but once they get to a certain age they have their own lives to live, you have to let them go eventually.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

We also manage well on about 1000 euros a month, sometimes less, although large one-off purchases have to come from our savings.

We are a retired couple, we have one car and no expensive subscription to Sky. We go out for breakfast 2-3 times a week, have a bottle of wine most nights and the bar say once a week. So we could actually live on less, but we didn't come here to scrimp every penny.

We live inland in Granada Province on the south side of the Sierra Nevada, on the north side I believe it is even cheaper (although obviously I don't know this first-hand.

I don't know how much rents are as we were fortunate enough to be able to buy our house outright. I don't know anyone who rents long-term. We still have a house in the UK.

Hope this helps.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

We could buy a property, but would not want to spend much more than about £100k, so we thought about renting as we do not expect to get much for that sort of money. Correct me if I am wrong

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

If you're going inland then you should get something .... even on the coast theres a 2 bed apartment up the road from us with a shared pool, balcony, 6 kms from the coast with stunning views for less than euros 150 k. You couldn't live full time in it, but as you get more for your money inland .......

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

If we decided to sell our house as well, we could spend more, but that means less money to generate income

Cheers

Graham

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I'm not sure about this idea about not selling your house in the UK, as has been advised on here. Not saying its bad advice, but I don't personally understand why it is so important.

We committed 100% when we moved here, and so far so good. If it hadn't gone well, or if it doesn't in the future then we'll sell up and either go home or elsewhere. Our house in Spain has increased by valuation on paper so we haven't lost track with the UK market.

I did the sums about keeping a house there and renting it, and alternatively investing. By the time charges, maintenance etc were taken into consideration it wasn't really a good income generator, and although of course it would in theory grow in value, it wasn't much help when I needed an income.

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

Certainly inland you should be able to get something for £100K (c. 145,000 euros).

If I were to sell my house now I would put it up for 140.000 euros. It's a traditional 3-storey, 3 bedroom village house with a roof terrace and original features.

Try looking in Granada Province or Jaen province.

http://www.cortijo-andalucia.com/jaen.html

http://www.cortijo-granada.com/prope...perty_type_id=
http://www.cortijo-alpujarra.com/

Chose 'quick list' from the menus.

I have no connection with any of these sites!!!

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

We kept our UK house because we didn't need to sell it. We had an income (Occupational Pension) and we had the money to buy our Spanish house. Our son looks after it for us and it provides him with a home.

We took coming here seriously too. Not meaning you personally, but I get fed up of people telling us we are not committed because we still have a UK house. Commited to what exactly? We have been living here full-time for 2.5 years, have got residency, employed Spainish buiders, join in with village life, got our car put on Spanish plates....is that not 'committed' enough? What does having a house in the UK have to do with anything? I think people are just jealous because we didn't have to sell it.

OK, rant over, sorry!

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I think the children will have a great life we have a 5 year old and 18 month year old, we visited this year and the people are all over the children if the baby cries somebody will come up to her and speak to her if this happened in the UK we just get dirty looks as if to say shut that child up. I mean the Brits are not all that bad they will give the children attention but it seems if children do what they always do which is make noise British people seem to get uncomfortable.
If I was given this opportunity when I was younger and end up being able to speak 2 languages I would be very grateful, my 5 year old already says she wants to be a teacher and hopefully she will follow her dreams.

Good Luck

Helen

Re: Brits going back to UK
 

I'm really upset that some of you think that it's young families that don't think it threw before they upsticks ...when they move to Spain they leave friends and family behind is a HUGE thing!

We are a young family, (both in our early 30's with a 4yd old and 2yr old) only came here once but loved it...the atmosphere, friendliness etc etc !

Sold up straight away and moved over with a few months !!!!
We had enough of the UK, cost, working all hours - no quality time as a family...especially not as a couple!

Luckily my husbands boss agreed to let him work remotely for his UK based company. We definitely wouldn't have moved without job security !!

We are both learning the language, enjoying mixing with our Spanish neighbours...although I would love to do it more, no confidence as yet as my Spanish is limited.

We came out here to embrace the lifestyle and give our children the way of life we were given.....altho it's hard to think they don't see extended family as often!

We are a happier family and love Spain for that.

We did think about it and knew it was going to be a life changing decision.....but one we haven't regretted.

Sorry......feel a bit hurt :o