Gray C

Hi

It is possible I may start working from home soon and need to go into the office about once a fortnight. Got me to thinking about living and working in Spain and commuting back to Manchester fortnightly. Just a thought.

Does anyone else do this?

What are the pros and cons, anyone?

Graham

Pam Sarky

Hi Graham,

We live in Spain and my husband goes back to the Uk once a month to visit his mum who is in a nursing home. He flies with easyjet to Liverpool and he got his flight this month for 53 euros return. Book them well in advance and you will get some good deals. He only goes for 3 nights over a weekend so it doesnt really affect our work over here.

Sam

keithwalters

I also have to commute back, but only once a month though. I nearly always know in advance what dates I need to be there so I can get nice cheap flights.

I don´t know about cost of living in Manchester - we are from the south, and living here in Spain has certainly been much cheaper than in the UK, despite monthly flights back home and the odd night in a hotel.

Overall we are well and truely "in pocket" by living in Spain and commuting, instead of living in the UK.

The only con in my opinion is the amount of time spent in airports and on planes - mind numbing tedium!

coralsoft

I've been commuting to clients every week, pretty much, for over a year now. Prior to that, I was using a client's office in Madrid and only going over to London once a month or less usually, for 3-5 days. Unfortunately that deal, whilst it lasted for several years longer than I'd expected, came to an end.

For 4 months I was commuting M-F to Dublin. Flights were a big issue, since we were very short on cash and didn't know if the contract would last (or if I'd find a better one shortly), so I couldn't book far ahead. Many hours wasted monitoring flight prices - there were only 2 direct flights a day, 1 suitable one each way, so it was a bit stressful when prices rose or became unavailable under full price.

I've been doing weekly commutes to London since July and can now book ahead. BA have opened a Mad-London City route which is only starting to fill up (I always get a row to myself) at a good price and I can be at my desk before 10am on a Monday.

As a long-time freelance, I'm used to working away from home and doing long journeys to clients. I always have a good book and an MP3 player to while away the time, rather than working, so I'm turning it into good quality leisure time. I am always stunned to see people getting on a plane with nothing to read, then just sitting staring into the back of the seat in front for 2 hours.

The pro side is that you get a chance to keep in touch with UK friends and experiences (Mmmm, beer, bacon sandwiches); you can top up on UK produce at non-import prices (porridge for the family, bacon for me); you can keep in with the UK office culture to avoid being left out completely; you get a good chunk of time to choose, within constraints what you can do - a chance to catch up on reading, music, meditation, sleep, dvds on PC, etc.

Rates and salaries for most professional/technical work are much better in the UK than Spain, from what I can see, unless you own a business or are high up the executive ladder. The difference is enough to give you a good life in Spain whilst still being hooked in to the UK and paying for travel.


On the con side:
There's the hassle of ticket buying to fit your situation - if you need flexibility you may need to buy at the last minute and cross your fingers on prices (my most last-minute purchases were Friday lunchtime for an evening flight and midnight for a 7am flight that had been fully-booked & unavailable for 2 weeks). If you can book ahead you have to take the risk that you might not make a flight, which can leave you unable to use a return leg. A recent illness caused me to skip a return leg, which meant that I had to get back to the UK to catch my next LCY-MAD outbound flight. At £500 a single flight on BA was out, but I luckily spotted an Easyjet flight at a similar time for only £50, so after a couple of days working from home, I flew back on the Thursday to resume my normal sequence on the Friday.

There's the stress of having to get to flights consistently. Whilst I don't mind delays too much (see above about books & music), being delayed on a journey to catch a flight can be stressful. I've not missed one yet, though there have been a few stressful moments: would planes be flying on 9/11? Bus arrival delayed for 45 mins out of Dublin on a route that should have been every 10 mins. Tube trains delayed or lines out of action. Always leave contingency time to take an alternative route.

Be prepared to queue jump if your flight is due off and there are queues. I don't mean the exceptional queues during a 'keep-the-public-scared' security alert, but if you know your flight is not delayed, then it's easy enough to be pleasantly apologetic and get ahead. Likewise when checking in - try and do it online; listen out for last-calls when in a queue: the airline don't want you to miss a flight either, so will normally be calling for passengers that haven't yet checked in; be prepared to hop to a free business class desk if you want some attention quick - I was unable to print a boarding card once, customer services were indifferent and there was a huge queue at the normal desks, but business class desks round the corner were all free, so a guy there sorted me out.

Avoid Iberia. After 4 or 5 flights, the in-cabin music will drive you nuts if you can't ignore it. They haven't changed it in 9 months.

Avoid splashing out for over-priced water airside by taking an empty bottle through security and filling it from a water fountain the other side.

Get used to a routine of wallet, cash and sim-card swapping.

You'll not get the full benefit of being fully immersed in the office culture, so it's not necessarily a good career move unless you're specifically doing a foreign assignment.

The tax and finance situation can be a bit complex, but there's lots of advice around, even if most of it just exposes the grey areas. Be prepared to go direct to the authorities and get 2nd opinions via different routes even from them. We had a VAT query on the Dublin contract and the authorities came back initially saying that we had to charge it, then later advised that we didn't. Tax regimes are so complex, even the authorities often don't know the answer straight off.

Arranging accommodation for return visits can be a bit of hassle, particulary if you've sold up in the UK. Get used to hotel living and work up a routine that suits you, if you've not got a base or want to stop imposing on friends. Use a website to check for prices. Since a friend recommended it, I've always used http://www.laterooms.com/en/p1703/Hotels.aspx to arrange my stays at good prices in Dublin and London.

Compost Mentis

I am certainly thinking about it, at least for a few months while I'm sorting out my pension, maybe longer if it is not too tiring. I would only need to fly over a couple of times a month, so it sounds like it should be ok. I look forward to not having to check in two hours ahead of a flight. I don't know if I'd want to do it long term though.

derek500

I met a Spanish lady at Stansted before Christmas. She lives in Valencia but works as a nurse for the NHS in Norfolk. I think she told me she does 5 days on and 10 days off.

Also David Neilson who plays Roy Cropper in Coronation Street lives in Barcelona and commutes to Manchester.

jdr

I think they interviewed her on Anglia news one night.