featherbum

Hi there,

i am spanish and live in the uk with my english boyfriend,
i am looking at going back home with him but i come from san sebastian, where property prices are HUGE and there arent many jobs....
i am happy to move somewhere else in spain but....

Just wondering how you guys organised your relocation,
i am lost at where to start, as boyf doesnt speak spanish and struggles loads trying to learn it-

1- did you guys speak spanish before moving?
2- did you organise jobs before leaving?
3- where do you look for jobs?
4- are there jobs, maybe in the south, for english speakers with no spanish language skills?

any experiences/stories would be much appreciated,
thanks!!!!!!!!

Mitzyboy

You'll find a lot of us have retired over here, but the concencus on here and other forums I've picked up is that if you are in the trades, i.e. plumber, electrician etc then you stand a better chance, but if you can't speak Spanish then for anything else it can be a struggle unless he finds an english bar to work in.

Imagine how difficult it would have been for you getting work in the UK if it hadn't been for your excellent language skills.

featherbum

thanks for your compliment on my language skills, i have been a loooooooong time in the uk now (well 10 years feels like a long time now)-
we are 30 and 33 so no chance of retiring unfortunately.

i miss my country SOOOOOOO much, but the thing is,
we have good jobs here, so bar work is not an option for mega ambitious boyfriend....

please someone help..... or hire me as their translator

featherbum

oh may i add, we dont have trade jobs really, boyf is in mortgages and i am a graphic designer.

obviously i am fluent and boyf...well boyf took 2 weeks to learn 'tenedor cuchara cuchillo'......

Mitzyboy

Mortgages might be a problem .... and of course you know the wages are lower over here

He'll soon learn when he HAS to

COWBOY_BUILDER

He won't get far on "Fork ,Knife and Spoon" as a mortgage advisor,so restaurant work it is ,for him, but there's a need for "medical translators" in most parts of Spain ,so you could do that ,while you look for a "Design Job".

keithwalters

I have seen english mortgage brokers over here - obviously only in the coastal touristy areas. The Mortgage Shop is one example. Easy Mortgage being another. So if you moved to a tourist area he might be okay.

Of course if you move to a touristy area then he will just carry on speaking English and never learn Spanish!

featherbum

thanks guys,

will look up the mortgage companies and medical translations,

i know its so hard with him not speaking the language, he just finds it SO hard!!!!!!!

maybe some of you could tell me your experiences, like did you try to learn the language in the uk and got nowhere (like boyf and his cutlery!) but found it easier to learn being in Spain, as you had no choice?

i guess some people find learning languages easier than others...?

do any of you not speak the language but work there, and if so what do you do?

thanks, from the desperate Spanish girl

Mitzyboy

We took lessons in the UK, but it was very much tourist language. Then when the first course finished, so many people had dropped out that they didn't run the next intermediate course so that was that.

We're just undertaking one on one lessons with someone alongside CD course with Michel Thomas. I can't imagine being able to live here long term without speaking the language

Danemad

As I said, my partner speaks basic, basic Spanish which isn´t so necessary in the building trade as you can get by with your hands and just get on with the job. He has found it really hard to learn Spanish and that is why he has taken jobs with English companies.

I guess it depends if your bf finds learning languages easy but it sounds like not from your post and, because of the job he does I would have thought he would need to speak Spanish to be taken on by a Spanish firm.

Why don´t you look on the net and see if there are British companies in your area that does what he does? That way he will get a better wage and not be so stressed about the language barrier. It will make his job so much harder (and life out here more unpleasant) if he can´t enjoy his work because he can´t understand his bosses and colleagues.

Also, he needs to know before he comes what sort of wages he will be looking at because it does my partner´s head in to compare wages over here to back there... I argue that you can´t look at just that because the life is better over here but my arguement doesn´t really cut it when we have no money in the bank and bills to pay! If you see what I mean.

featherbum

From personal experience i think the best way to learn the language is to live in the country, but like you all said, you cant live of thin air in the meantime,

i learnt english by living here in the uk, and i see my boyf picks up more words etc when we visit home or holiday in spanish speaking countries.


so it would be great if we coulf find a secure english speaking job in spain anywhere, until he picks up the language then we could start looking at exactly where we wanna be (san sebastian is at the top of my list but a 3 bed flat is 600.000 euros, ridiculous, its London prices!!).


I just get frustrated to tears all the time, as as i said i miss Spain so badly.

i guess i am just repeating myself... sorry!

keithwalters

We didn´t speak Spanish before we came here. We sold our house in the UK and dedicated some of the money to "living off thin air" for six months whilst we enrolled FULL TIME at a language academy in Seville. We made sure it was a big academy (International House) with the prospect of taking an officially recognised exam (DELE).

That gave us a really good kick start in the language, and after that it was just lots of practice and watching TV in Spanish.

Will you be selling a house in the UK? Can he live without a salary for a few months whilst you go to work and he studies?

You have a slight conflict of interests because it sounds like your boyfriend needs to be in an expat area for work reasons, but submerged in a Spanish city in order to learn the language (by force). If he gets an English speaking job he will probably never learn the language fluently!

Danemad

You have hit the nail on the head and have made the exact points I have, to her... (well done by the way on learning Spanish AND on watching Spanish TV! One of my major gripes against expats is because they don´t integrate and try and maintain their "little bit of Britain" over here! Then don´t come!)

His problem is that, as you say, he really needs an English firm to take him on due to the nature of his job, plus he will soon get fed up here if he is earning bad wages compared to what he earns in the UK. All the love in the world and all the plus points of living over here will not stop him feeling disheartened, discouraged and disilusioned in that respect if he is not happy at work so I think he must find a well paid job (in GD) here before they come over.

At least FB can speak to him in Spanish when they´re together and when they get together with her family and he can practice at the shops etc. I don´t think it is quite as important what job you find for yourself, FB, because you can do lots of things and probably won´t be so worried about the money difference as your bf will definitely be. Speaking from experience, as you know!

Mitzyboy

I'm going to start another thread on this difficult subject. I have the same mindset as you as regards my personal situation, but I have reservations about the "don't come" thoughts.

Danemad

Yes, I can be a little outspoken.. I tend to say what I think but at least you know where you are with me!

I can´t help but get very, very irate at those who hang around with Brits (only), go to English pubs/restaurants/shops/clubs etc., etc. We soon get annoyed back in the UK when immigrants to the UK can´t speak English and "stick to their own", don´t we???

It is understandable to cling on to a little of what we are used to, ie perhaps have English friends if we can´t speak the lingo in whichever country we have chosen to live in, but at least try and steer away from the fish and chips and try sepia, and please don´t go anywhere near Crazy Daisy´s or the like (in Javea) cringe!!!!!!!!!!! and try something a bit more native! Otherwise all you´re coming for is the sunshine!!! It´s a great plus but it should be just that, a plus for coming here.. not the sole reason!