JenEvans

Hello everyone, I've just registered as my husband, three children and I are hoping to be moving to Spain and are setting the wheels in motion.

My husband knows exactly what work he will be doing - however I am still trying to decide. I have 1 - 2 years to study something over here and I am wondering what services are most in demand on the Costa Del Sol. I am fairly open minded and enjoy working with people - young and old.

Can any of you give me some idea of what - in your opinion - would be a healthy business venture on the Costa Del Sol. Any ideas will be welcome, nothing will be dismissed out of hand, so please feel free to express your opinions!

cricketman

Spanish?

There is 35% unemployment on the Costa Del Sol, there is no demand

Maybe you could set up an employment agency, or a soup kitchen

Rosemary

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

JenEvans

Hi Cricketman,

I am almost sure that, if your stats are correct, I won't have any problem integrating myself into the 65%. I will have a solid grasp of the language by the time we move and I know what hard work is. We also have a genuine desire to embrace the way of life in Spain and not live alongside and apart from the Spanish, but to include ourselves in their culture.
So thanks for your reply, sarcastic as it was, but I think I'll ignore your advice!

jackytoo

Don't always agree with C/man but he is a cred poster and knows about the area. His advise is useful!

JenEvans

I agree with you. I was hoping he would be someone who would reply to my thread because I've seen lots of his other posts and he seems well informed and helpful. However, opening a soup kitchen isn't helpful.

Rosemary

I do not want to be a kill joy and be negative but in this instance I feel that it is only fair to warn you that the employment situation is really dire here at the present time. The Spanish people are finding it extremely difficult to keep their heads above water due to the crisis. Everyday I hear of more and more families who have no working adult in the household and that many are living off grannies pension and living in her house because theirs has been repossessed.

Saying that who knows what the situation may be like in a couple of years time. If you were planning to come now I would caution you against it but at a later stage hopefully the crisis will have abated a little and things may have improved.

You may get a lot of negative posts on here now but please do not think that people are not being honest with you, I can assure you that I am normally accused of seeing Spain through rose tinted glasses and only say positive things about it but at the moment that is impossible.

I really do wish you good luck with your research and you and your families future.

Rosemary

snikpoh

I think he was quite restrained. The 35% quoted is what the government quote - I'm sure the real figure is a LOT higher. (it certainly is around here).

I suspect also that the 35% is, probably, entirely Spanish people who perhaps have an even better grasp of Spanish.

pwwm

I agree, but it isnt what people want to hear, every week we have posters wishing to come to Spain, we are fine we dont need to owrk, but we know so very many that have had to go back. Times are hard here, unemployment is rife, no work for the spanish let alone expats of any nationality.

I wish you well but grass at this moment in time if you have to work is not always greener.

agoreira

Like the man said, jobs are almost impossible to come by even for the Spanish, they are all heading our way, UK, Germany, France, Scandinavia, USA, anywhere really as job prospects are better anywhere compared with Spain. I've no idea how you intend to study Spanish, but unless you do many many months of full time study, I think you'll be surprised at how little you will learn in one or two years. Most posts like yours usually mention embracing Spanish culture, the language etc, and I'm sure they mean it, but few seem to actually do it, they seem to be more comfortable in a Brit environment. Spain is a great place to live if you have plenty of money, if you need to find work to survive, in the current economic climate, I'd forget it.

whitelinen

I wonder if it would be worth thinking about the situation in reverse?

i.e what would be a healthy business venture to invest in for people hoping to return to or move to the UK?

JenEvans

Thank you all for your posts. I, too, am hoping that things will be better by the time we are to move. Luckily, my husband has a career which is, at the moment, withstanding the terrible economic times we are facing and we are fortunate that he can work anywhere as his work isn't based on the country we live in.
I registered and started this thread as a first step into finding out where my studies should be leading me. I appreciate what you are all saying and will tentatively continue to follow this thread although it seems things don't look too promising there at the moment. I will stay stubbornly optimistic!

lynnxa

good point

the best businesses would work anywhere - if I was starting now I'd maybe think of something online tbh, then you're not reliant on the very local economy

as it is, I'm looking for ways of expanding my business into online or maybe e-books - I've done the teaching by Skype & it's a royal PITA & hardly worth what you make

JenEvans

Thanks for that whitelinen, thats a very good point - you've given me some food for thought.....

Lynn R

I'm sorry that I'm not going to be able to offer any more positive thoughts than anyone else has. Not only is unemployment going through the roof for Spaniards, meaning there is much less disposable income to be spent on anything other than absolute essentials, but many British expats have also had to return to the UK which has meant that the expat market has also contracted markedly. I've wracked my brains to think of something I really wish I could buy here in that isn't already available, and the only thing I can think of is a 'designer outlet' type clothes shop as I find it very difficult to buy good quality clothes here that aren't aimed at a teenage market.

I also think you may find it harder than you think to reach a good standard of Spanish in the time you envisage, unless you can find opportunities for regular conversation with a native Spanish speaker.