I personally think it is better in Spain.
I often talk with my parents in the uk about what they are giving back home and I do know Marks and Spencers are probably one of the best places in the uk (avoid travel agents like Thomas cook and Thomson) and even M+S are not quite as good as here. However Iam talking Benidorm exchanges which usually give a good rate and we have compared the exchange on may occasions and you should get a slightly better rate over in SPain.
Today it is at 1.04 here.

Thanks for the advice Spainboy.
We will be visiting Benidorm later this year, and hopefully, finances around the globe will have picked up sufficiently at least to offer us a decent exchange rate.

I often have a look through the different threads on here, and this one in particular does dishearten me a little.
People who have used their determination to make the move and then months or years later find it all going pear shaped, have a lot to deal with, moving back over here to re-start life in this country.
We have often talked about wanting to move to Spain and live a better life, but at the least we would love to be in a position where we could buy a holiday home to enjoy ourselves, two or three times a year.

Perhaps ( and hopefully ) things will take a turn for the better, because surely the present situation will bottom out and then pick up.
I sure hope so !!

Without doubt if you have time open a Flex account with the Nationwide. No charges to use any ATM. Interbank exchange rate with no percentage mark up. The only thing you have to look out for is foreign ATMs wanting to charge you in Sterling at a dodgy rate.

Yeah it is hard at the moment.

I have been in Spain for 11 years now and for 8 of them I was earning some good money running entertainment in a Hotel. There were a few perks to the job which paid the rent really and then all of a sudden the Hotel closed due to refurb and 2 1/2 years later it is due to reopen this spring. However I have to re apply for my old job back. When the hotel closed they put me on the PARO which is the spanish dole to help me although I did come off it and worked for a little while.
Next week I have to try and get something for 4 months until the Hotel opens and to be honest im not looking forward to it.I really hope I get something but it really is quiet I cant see anyone hiring right now but I shall try.The Girlfriend is working which is something but she is only taking home 950eu a month. Our rent alone is 750 but I do have some little savings to see me through but im trying not to touch that if I can.

The prospect of my old Hotel opening and a chance of getting my old job back is the only thing keeping us here in Spain. We even got the cat prepared with all her travelling injections and passport just in case.
I know its not better in England right now but at the end of the day there are more positives to take from it if we moved back..for example...
We will be in a country that speaks English so you are not limited to the type of job you do. There are places that offer courses and evening classes to better yourself and we will have family support.
Ideally I want to stay here but you cant live here on fresh air alone.

You may be better opening another thread, but anyway for me, I reckon more convenient (usually) to get in UK if you're holidaying, probably slightly better rate if you go into a bank in Spain. Good luck!

The problem is that this is someone's pension which comes over monthly. The rates are set the month BEFORE the money is actually sent so I guess they were talking about rates 2 months ago when one only got 80-90p per euro. I expect also that the figures quoted by my friend were rounded to make the problem sound worse

carrying on from jobs or work when anyone returns to the uk I was also thinking about perhaps doing a plumber course.Is anyone or does anyone know of any plumbers? There are courses on the net upto £4k for a ten week training course and once you qualify you could work for a company or go self employed, most of them charging £20-£40 an hour.
I guess we all need plumbers for repairs etc.

Any thoughts on this as a career change?
I have to keep my options open and try my hand at a new skill.

I'd have thought it would be a good idea - hard to outsource plumbing to India, able to do cash jobs on the side even if you don't work full-time in it, able to handle your own house issues. I guess that you would need a further couple of thousand for tools etc.

I assume that this would NOT get you Corgi registered for gas work (central heating etc) as I seem to remember that is an extra step - might be worth checking - many plumber charge 100 quid for an annual landlords corgi gas certificate.

I think you will see a glut of plumbers in a few years because everyone sees it as a way of earning easy money.

I presume that in 11 years you must have learned to speak Spanish quite well. Does that not help with looking for a job in Spain or are things really, really crap??

Corgi gas certs take real work and studying. I know from personal experience. I got one twice, but each time I didn't like the responsibilities it carried, so I just let it lapse.

No things are really that crap.
I do speak conversational spanish but you still get pushed out sometimes if you want to do something other than the usual jobs for brits. Ie if you want to work for a spanish company then they would prefer a spanish national working for them.Totally understandable though.!!

When I say usual jobs for brits I mean barwork,timeshare,entertainment for british,english office jobs(not many), English delievery jobs of british import food(not many either) so it is fairly limited.

Im at this stage of my life (36) where I want to try something new back in the UK. I have no trade as such and I thought of a couple of options such as getting my LGV licence,or bus licence or plumbing. Im no good at office type work simply because I dont have that type of concentration to be dealing with paperwork and figures all day so I guess I am more of a manual job type person so I have to think of what to train for to get a new career.
I even looked into becoming a driving instructor but the pass rate is less than 25% on a 2 year course and my mate who did pass 4 years ago tells me it is a rock hard course basically because its a highly responsible job to train people to drive so Ive scrubbed that Idea.

I am not an expert Spainboy, but there was a huge media blitz a few years ago about the lack of plumbers and the consequent ability to earn HUGE sums.
It is undoubtedly true that we all need plumbers (until someone learns how to teleport water), but the result was that loads of people enrolled for evening classes etc. They are probably qualifying just about now.
So yes, IMO a good trade will ALWAYS earn an intelligent man a living, but there must be a lot of competition out thereat the moment. Especially with the collapse in the building trade. But be careful with the money.
I don't wish to rain on your parade.
An intelligent and thinking plumber (and the good ones are VERY knowledgeable, creative and capable) can make a very good living indeed. But I would suggest taking a paying job and then doing evening classes. A friend of mine did the same, saved himself a few quid and is now doing okay.
But sorry if this gets boring) - best of luck, with your resourcefulness you will do well.
I have just read the last two posts.
Spainboy don't put yourself down. You are articulate and a communicator. I think you could do just about anything you put your mind to.

Thanks for the kind words. I shall look into various options and courses and see how things pan out when Ive read more into it.
Im sure I will find my goal in life eventually!!

I was a plumber for 45 years and still learning the day I quit, I would say a ten week course is a joke.
I don`t think you would get hired in front of any 5 years apprentice plus on the tools plumbers that were looking for work.
Like bil says Corgi is so expensive now, it used to be free till they found out they could make money, and from one course it has now turned into loads of different ones, all with their own cost.

There is also the problem in the UK of thousands of time served, very skilled eastern European plumbers, tilers, plasterers etc who will work for the minimum wage.

Big wheels
a lot of the eastern europeans have returned back to their countries simply because of the pound decline.its not the case anymore like it was.