Did it all go wrong for you
 

I was wondering if anyone out there has moved back from Spain to the UK ?
If so why, was it to hard to get work or just didn't reach your expectations. would be most interesting to hear from the other side of the coin so to speak.
Regards
Kevray

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Still here meself, but a lot of people do return to the UK, I assume they find it harder than they imagined it was going to be.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

I met someone who had moved back in Stratford on Avon and he told me Spain was all right as long as you weren't sick. His wife had become ill and they had made no provision at all for health care.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

I moved over to Spain for work, was never going to be long term, was trying to experience a different way of life and was too good of an oppotunity to turn down.
While i was there some close friends i met while i was staying by the coast, moved back because they couldnt find consistent work to support them they found it to be seasonal and not very well protected by the government in terms of job security etc..

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

My bet is that most returnees (is there such a word?) came back because of failure to find work. But its also interesting that up to now no-one has admitted defeat, You would think that with this being an anonymous site people would be happy to share their stories however embarrassed they might be. :D

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Could be that those who've returned to UK don't follow the forum any more. There are many property re-sales in this area (Chiclana) but I don't know if the owners are making a killing, or selling up to return to their homeland.

As for us, it's all gone right, but then we don't have to earn a living as we're what someone described as coffin-dodgin', g & t swillin' pensionistas!

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Several people of my acquaintance have gone back: 1 (couple plus 3 young children) due to lack of work/money & bullying in school; 1 (young couple, no kids) due to lack of work; 1 couple (retired) for health reasons (suffered a heart attack at Xmas and decided would receive better care/would feel more secure back in the UK); 1 family (2 generations of) due to bereavement; and 1 young lad (in his 20's, with work here) to get a social life!
Others I know are considering or at least have not ruled out a move back within the next year - reasons: lack of (consistant) work, missing family and friends, health and believe it or not, the weather!

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

No, sorry, I can't believe the weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are they masochists or is it sadists!

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

so basically spending the kids inheritance, good for you :D

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Well I can believe it, we have a guy at work who loves the rain and hates the weather getting any hotter than 21 degrees, Me, I'm a sun worshipper, cant get enough and I suffer from sun deficiency in the winter :eek: :D
So it looks like lack of consistant work is the main cause :rolleyes:

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

They have found it much colder than anticipated in the winter esp with inadequately heated and poorly insulated old town houses.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Blimey, Never thought of that one, I believe it gets cold in the north of Spain but was under the impression that the south coastal region was mild during the winter, wet but not very cold, does it get much colder than 0 degrees at night?

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

We are a little bit afraid of the hot weather in summer. although we hate the wind and rain that seems to occupy nearly 3 seasons over here. we will just have to learn to love the sea/pool more in order to keep cool. it has been my dream to retire at 50 and, thanks to my husband i can do so. i am not going to let a little bit of sun (ho! ho!) ruin my dream.
anne. :scared:

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Oh yes! Last winter we had almost a whole month of sub-zero overnight temperatures. This year, snow. And I'm just an hour's drive North of Malaga.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

I live just down the coast from Malaga and through the winter evenings we always needed the heating on from about 4.30 ish.
I think when you live here you get used to it being hot and when it drops to 10 or so it feels freezing :D
Quite often we go out for a meal with our coats on and the tourists are walking about in shorts and vests :eek:

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

surprise, up i pop again ;) it was me that said that madamme iris ... i never meant offence by it, it was a sweeping generalisation of the penionas on the coast :)

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

No offence taken bfg69bug, I think it's an hilarious description!

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Go to the beach and write in the sand 100 times " I am a naughty boy " :D :D

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

u got a stick or shall i think of my own way to decorate the beaches of the costa del sol ? :D :D :D

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Ouch, use a stick :D

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

hmmm.. a serious reply now.

i´m not sure i could say that everything has gone wrong for us in spain, i will however say that it is not what we were led to expect by all the tv programs / magazine articles and people we spoke to.

its not as good as we thought.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

OK ... a serious response mate. I know I've seen the list, but it can't all be bad and I guess you get yourself eventually into a mindset where absolutely everything in Spain will annoy the hell out of you. So putting "the list" aside why don't you sit down and list the "serious" things that you dislike and see what you can do about them. You're obviously trapped here for some reason, but you've got to try and make the most of it otherwise you will end upp burning up.
Clearly your expectations were far higher than reality. Maybe its the area. Have a look to see if theres an area that would suit you better and move there.
OK, maybe you've already done all the above in which case I'll get my coat. But maybe if theres a glimmer of hope there you can pull things round

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Hi We have a place 1 hour from the coast, it does get really cold in the morning and evening in winter, the difference being that 12-14 degrees in the winter daytime feels much warmer than the UK as the sun stays much higher in the sky, so feels like 18 degrees here. Although we have not moved over yet we have experienced every season there, 9 times in the last 12 months.
Christmas day we had our dinner on the patio in brilliant sunshine and 17 degrees but feeling like 20+ in the UK. As this thread seems to indicate, work is the main issue, Spain has a high unemployement with generally lower pay to the UK, but is slowly catching up. The only way for most expats to succeed is to have a skill that is in demand, in this case you can name your price; or to start a viable business. Also there are a vast number of Spanish relocating to the UK due to our, as they perceive higher standard of life and living :rolleyes:. The problem with most people thinking of moving to Spain is they follow all the hype and tv programmes, have only visited in summer and see Spain with rose tinted glasses. All that said we can't wait to go and integrate within the Spanish way of life. Even if we downshift and work to live instead living to work and running around on the UK treadmill, it will be better for us, even if we have to live on love, almonds and olives :)

Once the sun goes down each days gone, no replays. Go in different seasons, if you love it, do your homework and just do it.

Paul and Les.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

To be honest, Paul and Les, I've never been so cold in my life as I've been in Spain, over thirty years, during the winter. It's bloody freezing! The houses/apartments are built to be cool, because for rather over six or seven months it is pretty warm. People coming from Northern Europe are used to central heating and, in my case, also an open fire. We are used to spending most of the year trying to keep our houses/apartments warm. Big difference!

Wildly excited by my new woodburning stove, and it's made a huge difference. But nobody be silly enough to think Spain is warm in the winter or autumn -fine in the daytime, but God help you at night if you don't have sufficient heating.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

my house is that cold at night without the heating on that i can leave milk on the side for days before it goes off. thats how cold it is inside.

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

I also feel the cold in the winter time. My family accuse me of being 'nesh' but i'm sure if they were to experience living a winter here they would understand. It's often warmer outside of the house than it is inside. Showering on a cold winter's morning is not fun. :eek:

Re: Did it all go wrong for you
 

Yes i agree with all the cold comments at Xmas at night we huddled around the log burner in our jumpers, move a few feet away or go to the toilet and god help you, and yes its definatley warmer outside. Our old neighbour 70 has his door open all year with his fire blazing in winter, and its warmer in his house than ours, :rolleyes: ,a run in the night to the toilet without slippers is also bloody cold. Reminds me when i was a kid and you jumped into a bed more like a fridge and thrashed about till you got warm, bit more difficult with the wife wrapped around you with teeth chattering :D winter in Spain brings it all back. Still theres nothing stopping us installing heating and a few rugs for winter. When you consider the UK has 75% cloud cover per year as apposed to 75% sun i know where i would rather take a walk, its the sun that lifts most of us. Like i said people believe Spain is the same as they experience on thier holidays. Most move to the Costas thinking it buzzes all year round only to find its just as seasonal in most places as the UK.

Ok in the UK were having some warm weather at last, but a sunny day last week at only 14 degrees brought out the usual short and tee shirt brigade. Walk along any sea front in Spain in Feb, theres the locals in thier over coats and us brits in our shorts.

Visit Spain at during different seasons, if you love it, the people, the language and culture you have all the reasons to relocate, and the weathers a bonus all year, just dont forget your slippers in the winter :) .

Best wishes to all.

Paul and Lesley