5thbeatle

we are another young family thinking of relocating to sunnier and hopefully less stressfull climes ie: espana. i currently work in the i.t. sector but as well as changing my place of residence i am also looking to change my job, that is become a TEFL teacher which i know is in strong demand in spain. i'd like to hear from expats living or who have lived in spain with regards to ...we'll the highs and lows really. that is, the spanish themselves, schools, food, television (can we bring sky ? as i've seen spanish telly ! ) ...etc etc.

thanks a lot

muttymutt

What part of Spain are you looking at? We are a young family and we live in Gandia, about 50 mins from Valencia.
My advice to you is THINK very carefully before you move it is very different than the UK, unless you are looking at the Costa del Sol or around the Benidorm area.
We have been here a year and a half, and it has been a struggle ever since!
We have 2 children 8 and 10, we started them off in a state school, which for us was a real problem (i am aware though this is not the case for some expats over here) So we then decided to move them to a British school about half an hour away from home. It costs a fortune and although the class sizes are smaller and the teachers are good, it is run by spanish owners, who in my opinion are only out for the money! we are currenlty looking into changing their schooling.
As far as the language goes, again it depends where you are intending on going. we live in the Valencian region, the Valencians are very proud of their language and therefore begrudge and detest anyone who cannot speak Valencian!! I have been having spanish lessons for a year and its going ok, but sometimes people will only converse in their mother toungue(valencian) and then its like banging your head against a brick wall!!!!!
most people are lovely and usually quite happy(until it rains and then they go crazy!!) there are more brits moving this way, because the prices from Benidorm to Denia are crazy! Make sure you are not out in the sticks too far as you will feel very isolated.
Sky systems work out here, but you need a dish the size of ones they use at nasa!! we have sky and in order to receive BBC1 BBC2 and ITV, CH4 you have to have a uk bank account and subscribe like you do there (just dont let on what you se doing) There are loads of companies out here that can sort a system out for you.
A good website to look at is www.costablancanews.com they have loads of stuff about different areas which might help.
As far as employment goes, you can train to teacher English out here, but to be honest there are so many people doing that that there aren't too many jobs about. I think its quite cheap to do the course, its also advertised in the newspaper.
One piece of advice a can give you is, buyer beware!!! there are so many estate agents(english especially) out here any many are only interested in you money and don;t really care what you end up with!!! we had loads of problems with them and basically the best thing we found is to talk to as many locals or other expats as you can and go by word of mouth. If you Spanish is good, definately go to a local spanish agent(even pay for a translater) as what happens is properties are taken by more than one agent, and they all put their commission ontop of the asking price. The trouble is the Brits are greedy out here and can put anything upto 15% ontop. Don't get me wrong spanish agents do it as well, but usually if you buy fromthe spanish it is at spanish prices not inflated brit prices!!!
i'm sorry that this post is negative but we have found out so much more now we are here that sometimes we are unsure if we made the right decision.
Our childrens headmistress told us, its one thing living out here and getting on with it, but another to understand the Spanish customs and way of life!!

hope this has helped, please PM me if you want any more help or advice. GOOD LUCK

muttymutt

Just thinking about my last post, i was extremely negative, but i wish we had had people telling us exactly how they found spain before we made the leap.
There are some pluses for being out here though (these are only based on what weve found in our area. For example (the obvious) weather, its lovely except in the winter when it does get cold and in the months when it rains, it really DOES rain for a few days then it stops. we have just had central heating installed because a wood burner is all well and good for heating up a couple of rooms but the whole house is a different matter. then in the summer it gets very hot and very difficult to do odd jobs in the house/garden. i enjoy gardening to an extent but in the summer its best to stay in the pool, indoors or on the beach!!
seondly, if you have a sweet tooth Spain is the place for you, they are chocolate mad!!!!!! we can get cadburys out here but otherwise its milka or nestle, which isn't too bad. spanish food i think is lovely, especiallt their menu of the day. you get tons of food usually 3 courses plus a coffee and a bottle of wine for 6 euros(hence the reason they siesta cos their tummys are too full and there brains a bit worse for wear!!!) you can get most english food out here, the only thing is t-bags although you can get them they are quite expensive so make sure you pack tons of them before you get here!!!
restaurants are on a whole lovely, and very, very child friendly!! which is lovely after living in the UK. infact most of spain, shops, restaurants, supermarkets etc are very child friendly. get you children usued to staying up late!! they eat very late and it has taken our two quite a while to get used to giving up on lots of sleep!!
The one big difference we have found is that although they are child friendly, you don't see lots of children playing out together in the streets. Where we lived in the uk we had a huge park outside ours and it was always full, here our children have had to get used to playing together as there aren't many children around our way.
so i'm sorry there are some highs for living here but try to weigh up both sides before you jump!!

sibsie

The thing I didn't like with Spain was the boredom. It's a pretty country and the climate is nice, but you need more in life to sustain you. At least I did.

I was pretty near to Muttymutt and agree with the comments about that area.

The expats I met were by and large a pretty bitchy lot. People seem to have too little time on their hands. But then you're stuck if you don't want to mix with the expats as the Spanish can be really hard to break into if you're in a rural, small area.

My sister still lives out there and her biggest complaint is the schools. Her eldest is at the International school which is really dire. They're not governed by anyone so the standards are low. Her youngest is at the local Spanish school which is nice, but the Institute which she'll go to for Senior School isn't that great. Eventually she'll have to move back to the UK just to give her kids a better chance with uni and careers.

VanishingDragon

Hi 5thbeatle

I personally dont find the Spanish that friendly. My parents own an apartment around the Marbella area and I have been on holiday with them. Its nice and hot but the spanish seem to moan and whinge a lot. Although I have personally found the Catalunyans the most friendly.

Another problem is the fact that Spain is now ruled by a socialist government.
Its a problem for me because im a born again Christian and take tremendous pride in my belief in Christianity and dont want any oppression against me just because of my beliefs.
You might be thinking im sounding a little paranoid but i really dont think so. Socialism has a really bad human rights track record in countries like Russia, Cuba, Zimbabwe China, Cambodia and other especially in regard toward any religous beliefes. unfortunately it(socialism) has now achieved power in Spain.

oliva.orange

I agree with Muttymutt mostly..however having met many fellow expats here I get frustrated by their naive attitude. Comments such as " I don´t eat foreign food" or " I don´t bother learning the language." make me wonder why they came at all! Advice..it´s better to speak some castellano (before you arrive!)although in Valencia the locals tend to talk among themselves in Valenciano. Also best to do an exchange with a native speaker who wants to improve english...getting stuck into it and forcing yourself to speak it works best.
I recommend staying at different seasons and for a decent period of time..e.g several months before buying property. I know one couple who had holidayed here for 15 years, came to live and moved back to UK within 10 months!
Rf TEFL courses here..beware..check out their track record before parting with money! And it´s not a given that there will be private work doing TEFL and the named schools pay little. After one year in a non touristy spot near Gandia, I love the life, spaniards and culture. However they are a noisy bunch...motorbikes, street parties, loud fireworks, etc. And they love redtape so most procedures from buying a house to health cover....takes a lot of patience. Best to get a good local ´gestor´at the first step.
Good luck

QUOTE]Originally posted by 5thbeatle
we are another young family thinking of relocating to sunnier and hopefully less stressfull climes ie: espana. i currently work in the i.t. sector but as well as changing my place of residence i am also looking to change my job, that is become a TEFL teacher which i know is in strong demand in spain. i'd like to hear from expats living or who have lived in spain with regards to ...we'll the highs and lows really. that is, the spanish themselves, schools, food, television (can we bring sky ? as i've seen spanish telly ! ) ...etc etc.

thanks a lot [/QUOTE]

sibsie

I wholeheartedly agree with that. I wish I'd spent a couple of month in Spain in winter. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made the move had I done so.

My parents just moved back to London from Spain and have never been happier!

5thbeatle

who have posted up to now. i'm under no illusion that things could be difficult startting a new life in spain hence the much needed advice.

i've read many a horror story with regards to buying property in spain as well as having work done on your property so if we did take the plunge we would probably rent for the 1st 6 months or so until we we're confident in making a purchase.

another priority is schooling for my 4 year old. i'd like him be be bi-lingual at least but i get the impression that the spanish state schools are not up to scratch ?. What are the typical fees for the international schools ?.

I was well aware of the catalans & basques insistence to use their mother tongue but not the valencians (sic) !. probably best to progress with my castillion for now which is improving all the time. having spent several weeks in madrid during the latter part of last year the spanish on the whole do make an effort to meet you halfway when it comes to the language.

i do admire the spanish way of life though; child friendy,family orientated, the food, wine, football, their love of life ...etc ...etc although i do find spanish males to be mummys boys !!!

all in all after weighing up the positives & negatives we're probably going to give it a go, possibly in the malaga area where a new technology park is bringing a lot of hi-tech companies in.
would still be very interested though for more comments and suggestions

sibsie

In my experience it's the other way round. The International Schools are the ones all the parents moan about. I had a foster daughter for 5 months in Spain and she was at the local Intl school. It was a really bad place with very poor academic records. My own niece went from being a grade A student to below average in just a few months.

Have a google at Malaga for Intl schools. I imagine with the huge Expat population there, you'll find quite a few.

ironporer

Hate to tell you, but the Socialists (Felipe Gonzalez) were in control for 12 years prior to Aznar. I doubt they present much danger to the Christian faith. I am not a big fan of socialists, or Zapatero in particular but I suppose I view them as I do the US Democrats, or British Labour party. You seem to confuse European Socialisim with Communisim.

Maybe my time was different, but I found Spanish to be very friendly, outgoing and gregarious. They love a good time and I never noticed an excessive amount of moaning and whining (much less than Brits for sure!). Perhaps the many negative experiences I read about here is do to the saturation of the coast by Brits- you have exceeded their limit...overdosed them if you will. Or perhaps it is the British character that inhibits making friends with the locals? Honestly, my 6-7 years there were almost opposite what I read here.

the boudiers

I am so glad that i have heard something positive about moving to Spain

All i have heard on the whole is negativity!!I was beginning to wonder whether our dream was a load of shite

Having read your thread i am feeling so much better about it all.I do realize its not like moving down the road and its going to be a major upheavel all round,its not going to be all hunky dory for a good few months but when you hear people saying only bad things it does make you wonder

You have made me feel so much better.Thanks

muttymutt

i did apologise once before for the negative stuff, but like i said i wish someone had told us their experiences just so we could put a different perspective on things.
I suppose its what you make it at the end of the day, but in our experience we have really tried but things are just not working out, lifes different for everyone!!
it seems ok out here if you are retired or have enough money that you can pretty well do what you please, but if you have a young family it is very tough.
i do hope you all succeed out here, i was just putting my bit in for anyone that was interested!
good luck and make sure youre not wearing the ros tinted specs when you come over

VanishingDragon

Hi!

I didnt know that about Felipe Gonzalez! Was it the same party?

Ive seen photos of the supporters of the Socialist party waving around Che Guevara posters and that in itself put me off.

I think if European socialism can be achieved it is one step closer to communism.

ironporer

Yes- Zapatero is Gonzalez sucessor in the PSOE. Hopefully the new administration will not fill their own pockets to the extent that the Last group of Socialists did- they were quite scandal riddled.

ESMCCa

I think sites like this are incredibly valuable in letting us that are considering the move see it from all points of view. I think it depends on your attitude, and the plans you make before you go as much as fitting in when you get there.

Hubbie and I are planning to make the move in the next two years (fingers crossed next March..) and are doing everything we can to prepare, including learning Spanish (and we are going to Mallorca, so will have to learn Mallorquin eventually too). We plan to rent out our house in the UK so that at least we still have a foot on the UK housing market, and a place to return to should it not work out...although we realise it may take a few years before we can decide whether it was a good thing to do or not. There will be good things and bad things.

One site I would recommend looking at is www.bbc.co.uk/getanewlife it's the people who did the programme giving advice on moving abroad, and it basically suggests you make a list of the reasons you are going just to see whether you are being realistic or idealistic or romantic.

I've invested in literature too (Living and Working in Spain) so we are educated as much as we can, without annoying our ex-pat friends living there too much by asking a million questions on a weekly basis.

It's through sites like this that people like us can make a new life for ourselves, and make it work out thanks to the advice and mistakes and positive choices others have made and chosen to share.