strangemother

Hi there ;-) (grab a coffee, it's kinda long and i waffle a lot...)

Been hanging around here in the background for quite some time, first time posting here in Spain forum (i did have a username on here a long time ago when i had some US visa questions, was looking at an E2, which i decided not to even try in the end, i'm more about chillin' then sressing (!)- made about 5 posts i think, but i have no idea what it was or what my email address was that i signed up with, i can't find it - hope i won't get in trouble for this, sorry if so).

Anyway, "hi". I have been researching the options for moving to Spain / Canary Islands for a little while now. I am 29 years old and have a 3 year old who will be coming with me. Here in the UK i am a Director of an Internet based business (also a forum funnily enough, of a similar size to this one, although based in a totally different field of work!).

I have read a lot of the warnings on here and taken good notice of the problems people have been facing. For that reason i'm planning to take things one step at a time and keep my options (and some investment) open back in the UK. Luckily, i won't have to worry about having a source of income when i move as my business is pretty successful and provides us a good standard of living, and i can work anywhere. I have already travelled around a lot, staying in various places for anything from a few weeks to a few months at a time so know that moving and working will work out. The main concerns from my end are the practicalities of day to day life (tax and the rest), the concerns for my daughter, and the language.

I studied GCSE Spanish at school, but to be honest it was pretty much useless! I have been teaching myself Spanish through various websites anyway now for around 12 months and progress is slow but steady and i feel much more confident. My daughter on the other hand picks up everything super fast. On a recent trip to Lanzarote she just wasn't phased by the different language although she didn't understand it i see her picking things up way faster than i ever could, it's pretty amazing actually.

Anyway, i'm at a point now where i'm thinking of moving over there for 12 to 24 months to see how we get on and in the hopes my daughter can learn another language and become bilingual whilst she is still young and flexible.

I did have a couple of questions if anyone can help answer / make suggestions / share experiences...

1. Does anyone have any information about what the Spanish equivalent of the FSA is? My forum/internet business is in the financial services industry and so number one important thing to me is to ensure my business complies with the local laws. Also, does anyone know where i'd go about finding a solicitor who could advise me on this aspect of company law? Or any solicitor recommendations for dealing with businesses in Spain at all would be a help? As my business is now, i have pared it right down to being just a forum rather than offering any financial services so that there is absolutely no risk to me of landing on the wrong side of the law when we move, but in the long term it would do my business a lot of good if i could add services to it also (financial advisory type work, affiliate referrals, perhaps some form of training for financial traders). I know things vary greatly from area to area (which will come onto my next question) but hoped that someone could have some very general information to give me a push in the right direction.

2. I cannot make a decision about where to actually live! I'm a real procrastinator and spend hundreds of hours weighing up the pros and cons but CANNOT make a decision. Interested in people's viewpoint about my following, about areas i could be looking at in mainland spain. I have up til now focussed a lot on the Canary Islands, but they are that bit further out and being closer to the UK has it's advantages since my family are not in the best of health. Anyway, i'm looking for:

a. Somewhere i can communicate easily in Spanish. I don't want to have to learn two or more languages to live in an area (eg valenciano and castellano). This has put me off Valencia, as nice as it is - it'd be good to hear how people have handled learning the language who live here, do you learn two languages? Just one? Which one? Being able to communicate is very important to me and i want to become proficient at another language, i'm not a natural at languages so want to be able to really focus down into one language and 'get there' rather than know a lot of languages badly (which i do now!). I'm not scared of being thrown in the deep end with locals who don't know english, if anything that's what i want. At the same time, i'd actually be OK with an expat area as long as we have plenty of opportunities to mingle with locals too.

b. Climate is pretty important. I get pretty severe depression in the winter in the UK which is part of the reason for moving. At the same time i'm not a sun worshipper by any means and don't like the super hot, stifling weather. Canary Islands was perfect because it was nice in January but still not unbearable in the summer. If i had a magic wand i'd make it around 25degrees all year round though haha. Can't find anywhere on mainland spain that matches up to the climate even a little as the warm parts seem to be super hot in summer and really cold in winter . Any ideas? I guess i should be looking at places that have sunshine vs the actual temperatures, that makes a difference.

c. I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere. But i don't want to be in a large city. I want to be in a town or village preferably within 1-2 hour drive of a city. I want to have neighbours and a local shop or similar so i can make friendships locally. I'd rather this was a Spanish speaking area primarily, i don't particularly want to end up in a huge expat community, the whole point of our move is to learn Spanish and experience the culture.

d. Must have reasonable internet. But not too important as i'd get a satellite connection if needbe. I spend a lot of time online working but most of my work is simply emails and writing on forums or writing web code - i don't need super fast.

e. School for my little girl. I have money to send her to a private school, she goes to a private school/nursery here in the UK at the moment. But i don't want to send her to an "english" school in Spain, it defeats the object and she is young enough to pick up the language (she'll be 4 in April). I need to research schools more, it's super important - i want to give the local state schools a go in Spain but keep hearing horror stories - hoping someone might be able to balance that for me with some good experiences!

f. Airports.. doesn't have to be super close to an airport, but within 4 hours drive would be good.

g. Crime. I want to feel safe .

wow that's quite a list. I know i won't find something "perfect", the above is just my dreams/hopes but i'll settle for less and am realistic about what it will be like! The Canary Islands matched a lot of what i was looking for, it's just a shame they aren't a bit further north (and the accent of the locals was a bit challenging, but i'd get used to that, lol).

I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience of moving their UK based business to Spain and the amount of work involved in doing so... i'm expecting it to be a near-impossible feat involving a hell of a lot of work and hurdles. Also interested in hearing if people chose to go autonomo or to set up a Spanish company, and how that worked out for you? I see a lot of autonomo's around but not many who have Spanish companies... how was the whole process... ?

Eek.... sorry this got so long.... i'll stop now, too many questions.

cricketman

Hi Strangemother, welcome to the forum

I am an autonomo here. If I were you, I would simply become an autonomo for the first year, but continue to have the business based in the UK until your lawyer/accountant has looked into the issues you've talked about. Every business requires the CEO/director to be autonomo anyway

It really depends on the size of your business, where your income comes from and any employees you have whether you move the whole business over, or just move yourself over and pay yourself an autonomo income from the UK

For location, Spain is incredibly varied, it depends what you are looking for. I am looking to move to Asturias and are currently in the CDS, but Asturias would probably be too cold and rainy for you. If I had to live in the South it would be in Cádiz province. Spectacular beaches and landscape, Andalucian white villages and amazing food.

For school, your child is only 3. I have a young baby and really the only thing I want him to do growing up as a young child is to have fun and socialize. Spain is a great place for that! We may look at private schools at 10 or 11 when the actual education becomes more important, but it really depends on the area just like in the UK

You will be within a 4 hour drive to an international airport anywhere in Spain. Re crime, Spain is the lowest recorded crime in Europe, I wouldnt worry about that. Just like in the UK it will depend on exactly which street/neighbourhood you live in

Rosemary

Hi Strangermother

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

strangemother

Thanks, that's helpful. I was looking at Cádiz or Huelva, or perhaps around that area but further inland. Asturias would be amazing for the culture and it looks so pretty on all the pics i've seen, but i think you are right about the climate, it won't work for us.

My business fluctuates, i hire employees but only on temporary contracts or freelancers... we can have as many as 10 or like now, none at all, all depends what projects i'm working on but i could do a move to Spain and keep things simple by not taking on big projects initially and keeping the business to just me plus maybe one other, keeping things simple and living frugally. I guess i'm lucky that i am so flexible... i worry a lot about things but compared to many people who just jump abroad i suppose or are in businesses which are new startups/less flexible i'm in a very fortunate position.

re crime, i've always felt really safe in Spain and the Canaries. The only problem i really had was being hassled by people trying to sell me stuff i don't want, or some of the Spanish men, who i have found to be more ummm "persistant" than the men back home (!), but easy to deal with if you learn to be assertive . I got scared when i read an article somewhere saying that Spain looks and feels safe but actually is a very dangerous sinister place, especially on the south coast. But you find these kind of articles everywhere about any location.

I need to relax more about my daughter's education. She started at private school the instant she turned 3 and i think it was way too soon. She did learn a lot and has already started to read some words, but there were consequences too. I actually removed her from the school in December, after 2 terms at the school, since my plan was to relocate this year, and travel back and forth on exploration trips while making the decision about where to call home for the next year at least... and she has been much happier and "fun" again.... perhaps i shouldn't worry about schooling at all for another year and just get her involved in local groups and activities instead - i have the luxury of being "there" for her 24/7 afterall (well, i have to work sometimes, but we manage). I guess she'll pick up the language then more naturally without being thrown into a totally alien environment and all the pressures that creates.

I believe the autonomo will be easy enough to set up to begin with. What you say makes a lot of sense, i think i get too bogged down in the details. My UK business is a Ltd company. I probably need to go and speak to a spanish/english advisor - i know a lot about the UK system but feel a bit "lost at sea" with the spanish equivalent.