kellyr4

Hi, I am new to this site.

I am 35 years old, married with 2 kids (9 & 2) and I have a good job (€60k) in my hometown of Dublin. As I work for an airline, I use my travel benefits to travel to the Costa Del Sol (anywhere from Nerja to Marbella) on a regular basis.

As I love this part of the world, I have dreams of moving permanently. Based on my work skills (financial analyst), I believe that GIB offers the best opportunity of maintaining a relatively similar salary and my skills would be transferable to the online gaming / finance industry.

I am also keen on locating in Manilva as it looks a good base for nice affordable accommodation, schools and a manageable commute to GIB.

I have started applying for jobs but really I just want to hear if I am being very naive and leading my family down a road of trouble. A couple of things I would appreciate some info on;

1. Are the issues with long queues for pedestrians at the border overstated or as bad as I read on the web?

2. Is buying a used car and car insurance affordable?

3. When viewing properties to rent ( such as 3 bed townhouses from €500/€600 per month) should I also be concerned for additional charges e.g. management fees, hidden taxes etc.

4. If working in GIB, I assume i will pay income tax there, but will the Spanish government want something from me too.

5. Are Irish made welcome in GIB, (any different from Brits)?


Many thanks, I just wish to ease the worry that I could be making a big mistake by walking away from a good job in Dublin.

billgates

I would worry more about dumping your 9 year old into a spanish state school.
Unless they are already fluent in spanish of course.

kellyr4

Thanks for your input. Whilst I would consider a local state run school, compared to the rent I am paying in Dublin (€1,500 per month) I would still be financially better off if I enroled her in an International fee paying school..........assuming of course that I could secure a comparable salary in GIB

Moses2013

It really depends what you want, but why give up a good life in Dublin to work in Gibraltar, especially with kids. I'm in Galway myself, had job offers in Gibraltar and while Spain might look like a cheaper option than GIB, I've heard from people that crossing the border can be a nightmare (depends on the day). Ireland and especially Dublin is growing, while Gibraltar has no space left to grow and there's a lot of uncertainty. Unless you were born in GIB, or moved over when the times were great, you probably won't last long. It's a bit like the Channel Islands, but luckily on mainland. Dublin is a great city and you have everything one would need and if you want sun, there are nicer parts of Spain you can travel to for little money. By the way, it's roasting in Galway today

davidinspain

Dumped my 7 year old daughter into Spanish state school and she's just got a 2:1

EllisG

the queues...all a matter of timing and not that bad at all at the moment, this can change any time the Spanish decide to throw their toys out of the pram but generally spread out across the year a minor problem especially if you are a pedestrian.

I cross the border quite a few times a week in a car, I also used to do rush hour in London some years ago on a daily basis, I'll take the border queue any day of the week!

You'll only be able to buy a Spanish car, you will find second hand car values to be high in comparison to everywhere else but insurance is not expensive compared to UK.

there should not be any extra charges if you are paying rent for a property above and beyond power and phone. Plenty of stuff available in and around Manilva if someone is trying to get more money out of you than they should.

The Spanish would want any difference in tax liability between what you pay in Gib and what you would be liable for in Spain.

Sorry to say the Irish are not welcomed in Gibraltar and are regularly rounded up and stoned by a rowdy mob in the centre of Casemates Square....nah, not really, everyone is friendly in Gib !! )

kellyr4

Many thanks for the replies .

As expected the Irish in GIB are treated no differently than others but I just needed to check!

As for the Galway man, yes it's beautiful here in Dublin too but we both know that this nice patch of weather won't be here for long!

Yes I have a good life here in Dublin but there are key challenges which are leading me to think about leaving Increasing rents, the new central bank rules making it practically impossible to buy a home in Dublin to mention a few.

Also I have never lived abroad (Uni and 12 year career all based in Dublin) so I reckon that if we want to try out living on the continent, no is the time to do it whilst the kids are young and we have no mortgage.

Fredbargate

The queues, well EllisG has a closer view than myself as I avoid going to Spain as much as possible. However what I have noted in recent months from the webcams is that whereas the vehicle queue into Gibraltar used to be minimal between 9 & 10 after the workers rush and before the tourist influx it now extends right through the moring into early afternoon, but of course that will only be a problem if it coincides with your workinh hours.
Again as EllisG says it is also very unpredictable and can change in an instant.

Car insurance is more expensive on a Spanish registered car than a Gib registered one, but as a Spanish resident you will have to have a Spanish registered car.

At your age go for it even if it turns out a wrong decision you will not in later years be wondering " What if " I moved out here in my 20's and have never looked back.

Moses2013

People are always negative about the weather, but there is a lot more to life and I personally enjoy empty beaches on the West coast every now and then. I can tell you that Gibraltar is very pricey too and you are very limited. You only really have a small job market in Gibraltar and if something goes wrong, you won't have many alternatives (especially without Spanish). Dublin might seem expensive, but wouldn't now be the time to buy, rather than going away, coming back and starting from scratch? Comparing to the UK, Ireland is actually pretty cheap when it comes to property.

kellyr4

Now time to buy in Dublin??

New central bank rule requires minimum 20% deposit. A basic 3 bed in Dublin averages approx €300k * 20% = €60k deposit to save, whilst paying €1,500 rent per month and all the expenses of rearing 2 kids. Buying is out of many many people's reach including me at the moment I'm afraid

Moses2013

Well it really depends and doesn't count for everyone. Of course it's not easy with kids, but you also have other options to save. €300K for the capital is not pricey, if you compare what people in the UK are paying, or elsewhere. You could move further out from Dublin to save more money, or look at other locations in Ireland. We don't have kids and are in Galway, but nowhere near your salary and can afford a house here and in Spain. As said, it really depends what you want, but it won't get much easier if you want to return. It's always easy to say go for it and yes it will be experience, but life in Spain is not free either, especially with the kids. If you can get a well paid job, I suppose the exchange rate might be on your side to save some more, but please don't get blinded by the sun. You said you're married, so what about partner?

kellyr4

My wife works part time with little earnings so she can prioritise the kids.

In response to your point I suppose that is why is see the salary of a good job in Gibraltar combined the cost of living of Spain as a viable combination. I wouldn't be falling into trap that so many Brits & Irish do of failing in the dream of opening a bar in Spain.......as lovely as it sounds!

cricketman

You would need to declare your salary and pay tax in Spain. I've no idea if you could get a 60k job in Gibraltar, but just to say that I used to earn that in Barcelona, and it gives you around EUR3,400 per month after tax

That is a good amount of money to get by on, although not a fortune.

The key Qs for me are 1. whether you could actually get such a job 2. how long each day you would be working and commuting and 3. where exactly would you be living and your children going to school

I am the same age of you and have two children. I would not be happy sending my young kids to international school and not speaking fluent Spanish, but then again, the state schools in Andalucia can be terrible, so you have a lot of research to do

Do you speak Spanish so you can actually do research and talk to people about schools? If nobody in the family speaks Spanish then you have to think about why you are choosing Spain and whether you are really commited

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

kellyr4

Thanks for the input. I have an intermediate level of Spanish and could hold my own. If we decide to pursue this, I will ensure that my wife & kids complete some Spanish lessons before we go.

One of the reasons that I short list Manilva is because it is within 40 minutes commute of GIB and I read on a forum that it has two state schools with good reviews from expats.

As regards salary, I would be willing to take a cut once all cost of living factors equate to a better quality of life and that we have a higher disposable income than we currently have.

On the jobs front, are GIB jobs generally permanent or on 12 month contracts etc?