Crsk

Hi guys,

New guy here from Sunny London, hopefully i will become a long term member & not one of these 'ideas' that will fade away after a few months.

I've been thinking about moving to Spain, permanently. Nothing serious yet but i want to start saving/learning/researching as much as i can. Not even considering what part yet.

I'll have around £15k (GBP) will 'hopefully' then be a trained Electrician & was looking at training as a plasterer as i really do need to learn.

My question is about what happens after the long term renting? If i was to rent for 12 months, like the place & have a job there, what are my options? I can't afford to buy a place & i'm guessing a mortgage is as pricey as over here. Would a Electrician/plasterer give me any job offers? Any other trades i can learn as i don't work full days so have a lot of time on my hands.

I'd want a place for around 500 Euros, some of the places i've seen are stunning, i'm waiting to hear the 'BUT' because as a Brit will know, £500 in the UK would get you nothing like what Spain has to offer.

My uncle lives in Spain, loves it & so that's another plus for any info i may need.

Thanks guys.

pwwm

One thing I can tell you is that being a qualified electrician in UK means for nowt here, you have to be spanish qualified as they do things differently, yiu havent said where you want to be, Spain is a big place, huge unemployment, and as others will tell you, if you dont have spanish then your chance of work are minimal. Dont wnat ti=o burst your bubble but things are hard here, those of us lucky enough not to have to work are fine, so pleased we dont

Cant uncle help out, let us know the area you are interested in then others can give you an idea how things are around that area.

Crsk

Thanks for the reply.

I was hoping that maybe being qualified would give me a head start, maybe as an apprentice? Or until i get get qualified as a Spanish tradesmen. Is this uncommon to learn the trade out there? Would there be jobs for a plasterer, obviously something that requires the skill & not so much being qualified.

As said, i should have the amount stated in the OP so will this see me through a good while? What other options are there in terms of work so that i can move permanently & not just a non-secure job.

I'm not sure on an area yet, not even thought into it much, just looking at the options. I think the Uncle is in Torrex, he's over in the UK soon so will ask a few questions.

Lastly, do people rent long term longer then 12 months? As said, the prospect of buying is a long way away for me so i'd want to rent but also feel secure.

Fred James

Just look at the facts.

You talk about working in Torrex - I assume you mean Torrox. That is in Andalucia where the unemployment is approaching 40% and the worst hit are people in the construction business.

Those that are looking for jobs speak Spanish and are qualified to work in Spain.

You are not qualified to work in Spain and I assume you are not fluent in Spanish.

No one is building houses so they don't need electricians or plasterers.

Do you really think it is a good idea?

Domino

You will find the Spanish rarely employ non-Spaniards, unlike back home where the Brits who will employ anyone if they are cheap.

Forget the Eu and transferable certifications etc, this is Spain

other than getting a Spanish qualification the most important thing must be the Language, followed by the Language.

All forms out here are in 3 languages - Spanish, Spanish and Spanish.

No one wants to put you off, in exactly the same way as no one wants you to fail.....
But it isnt like moving from London to Newcastle. You would actually be better trying Malaysia, there is more English spoken out there.

talk it over with your uncle and let us know how things progress..

twistedmelon

Electrician, tough as has been said. Plasterer, technique a bit different here but more of a chance and with both there is the black economy here but that's over manned due to the crisis.
I don't know how old you are but if you are foot loose and fancy free there's less of a problem to just suck it and see.
500€ is a good budget, depending on where you want to live and the lifestyle you want but for a single person 300€ would be enough.
There are never any guarantees in life just decisions we hope will be right. Good luck

Crsk

Fred, Not Torrex, i'm not sure where i'd move to if i did move to Spain. Torrex is where the family member is.

I'd have income to see me through a couple of years, depending on a few things.

I wouldn't mind a few suggestions as to what job opportunities i could maybe get experience in to give me a 'better' chance to of finding something, even if it means never finding something. Obviously construction is a no no.

I think it's a good idea, i'm 25 & will have savings to see me through so a bit of time to find something.

Crsk

I'd hopefully learn the language to get by, not be fluent but it does sound tough for work.

Hi, thank you.

I'm 25 years old. From what i've read £15,000 will see you through for about a year. Do people who move there rarely
get secure jobs & just live off savings/retirement funds/other?

Crsk

As i'm not committed to anything yet, what other similar countries should i maybe look at? particularly one's where the above 'skills' would be handy. I'm not put off by Spain, i've just only decided i don't want to stay in England.

Domino mentioned Malaysia which i' need to have a read up on, but is there some sort of breakdown of one's with the highest/lowest job, costs of living? I'm not being lazy I'm going to research thoroughly on whatever i choose.

jojojojojo

Come over for a fact finding holiday, have a look around at possibe work availability, cost of living, life style etc. Ask how others who are here manage and see how you could fit in. But dont burn your bridges in the UK

Jo xxx

steviedeluxe

I agree with most of the points made so far, but have to quibble with the above. I've seen immigrants (from Morroco, south America, Russia, Rumania, Bulgaria) employed in shops and bars in various parts of Spain, and not just the big cities. Just because the bar man or lady who serves you speaks fluent Spanish, don't think they are Spanish, they could well be Bolivian or Rumanian. An awful lot of the home helps, nannys, maids etc employed in middle-class homes are non-Spaniards. I also saw a tv documentary on the building of the 4 towers in Madrid - they struggled to find more than a couple of workers who were Spanish, the vast majority were from other countries. And we're always told that the cheap workers in the agricultural industry are economic migrants. Indeed we are told they employ those people to do the jobs the Spanish don't want to do. Spanish bosses are no more averse to employing cheap labour than bosses from other countries. Do you really want to put up with those sort of conditions?

But, as I mentioned, I agree with the rest of the points that have been made. The construction industry is at a very low point. And even when it comes out of recession, there will be plenty of workers around who will work for low money and (more importantly) speak Spanish and know the industry terms. There are some who are guessing the Madrid property market will start to rise again next year (see link) but I doubt it, as the majority of peoples' salaries are depressed.

http://thisisspain.info/towns-and-ci...d-running-low/

There are opportunities in Spain - apart from teaching English, there is a big upsurge in IT startup companies, and if you have good up-to-date IT skills there are openings out there where English is an advantage. Very few in Andalucia it has to be said. But to be perfectly honest, if you are becoming a trained electrician in London, why not take advantage of that fact and save up a fighting fund (perhaps to launch your own business when we come out of semi-recession)? If the Conservatives keep their promise to deter high migration into the UK, you will then see wage levels rise again to something worth the work involved. Of course there is nothing to stop you taking spanish lessons/buying a holiday home in the meantime.

Good luck in whatever you choose. Please listen to the posters here who are based in Andalucia - they know the situation and can give you a realistic picture.

Dxf

Hi

Sorry I disagree - Andalus is a languange on its own, people tend to eat syllables

But I do agree that coming out here to work is probably the worst thing you could think of currently

Davexf

Domino

Crsk - sorry if you feel there is a fair amount of negativity in the responses but please treat that as being "fair"....which is what it is.
Whilst you have uncle to live with, fall back on things may be "not too bad" you will still feel restricted.

May I suggest that being young and eager you concentrate on what you are doing in the Uk, if employed (rather than self-employed) get yourself on all relevent training courses including things such as Cat 5\6 etc as well as FO installation. The more certs the better, but don't forget to use that training for practical experience.

Get yourself a plan, perhaps starting your own business in the UK, which you can use as a stepping stone to Spain. Again using uncle you may be able to get some temp work in Spain from time to time. Use this to work things out for the future.

Life is difficult for foreigners in so many countries, in Spain their eqvt of an Ltd co must have €6,500 in a bank account when registering - the UK the question isnt even asked. Working in the black economy may seem fine, unless you get caught or fall ill. Most countries do not have the benefits system we take for granted in the UK. Many, especially outside the Eu, have little or no system for their own people letalone a Brit.

I wish you luck for the future, remember you can come back in here any time
rgds

twistedmelon

It's difficult to get a feel from a few posts on a forum as to what it is you are looking for and your personality as to the lifestyle you want.
With the money you have I would say just travel the world and see what you think but that would depend on whether you had the confidence to go out there or you prefer a safer approach.
A good starting point is the Library there is a wealth of info on travel.

missile

If and when you are qualified you just might get into Aus or Canada. Both have far better employment opportunities than Spain. Germany would be another country worth consideration for a hard working young man.

You need to decide where you would rather be, than "I want to get out of England". The grass is not always greener.