alex_bradley

Hi,

My partner Tom and I are looking to move to Spain in 18 months when I graduate from university. I am currently a second year trainee primary teacher and Tom is a sales manager for NatWest bank. We want to move abroad for the slower pace of life, the food, because of the overcrowding here, for the weather, the scenery and the nature. What we don't want is to get to 60 and regret never trying it. We are prepared to learn Spanish intensively, although whether or not I would be confident to teach in Spanish I don't know. (Sometimes it is difficult to understand children's concepts in English, let alone a 2nd language!)

Tom is a go getter, I am a naturally cautious person. I am researching every angle possible and Tom is providing the drive. I have found 27 jobs in Spain on the Times Educational Supplement website, some of which weren't my age range, some of which didn't accept Newly Qualified Teachers, but a few of which I could have applied to as a graduate. I have found several positions for Tom as a mortgage advisor which don't actually need fluent Spanish.

I have found houses for £50,000 which would need a lick of paint but otherwise seem okay. I understand you have to be 25 to get a mortgage though?

I don't really know anything about the regions, but I assume we would end up living where our jobs take us. I would want to live among Spanish people, somewhere fairly small but with some amenities such as a small supermarket. I think the logistics of finding two jobs and a house all reasonably close to each other will be tough. I don't know how good public transport is.

What is the standard of living like? What is the average wage?

Any info or advice would be very much appreciated, thanks!

pwwm

Sorry cannot help with the work aspect but if you have seen a house for £50000 dont be fooled, I am sure others will agree you get what you pay for and that sounds far too cheap, does it have water and electric, is it up a dirt track etc etc,is the scritura correct, I would expect at that price to need more than a lick of paint.

Having said that I welcome you to the site and I am sure you will get loads of good advice from the others.

pwwm

MnM

Hi Alex and welcome to the forum.

My advice would be to first secure a job and then look for accommodation in the surrounding area. Renting first would be the safest bet, before jumping into buying a property.

The average wage here in the Costa Blanca North (if you're lucky enough to find a job) is around €13,000 pa.

Quality of life is what you make it. It can be great or it can be lonely. It all depends on what you are looking for, if you make friends easily, whether you are outgoing, how tolerant you are, etc.

People here on the forum are a friendly bunch, so if you have a question, do a search first and if you can't find anything (or need clarification), just ask away

Also remember that Spain is a big country and what may apply in one area does not necessarily mean it will apply throughout Spain.

Martha

Mitzyboy

Average wage was was said to be around €13k a year
Cost of living away from the cities and main tourist areas is around 30% less than the UK


I also have a teachers job site that I can send you, but not until you have made 4 posts, as the system wont let me do so

alex_bradley

Thanks all for your swift replies!

What would you expect to pay for a decent 2 bed house in a small town nearish to Grenada (which is where I was looking as an initial starting point, having yet to find much out about the regions).

It says on the website that prices in that region are about 30% lower than the national average but then it would say that... and if this it true then why?

Also, we would definately be looking to rent for a few years... it could be 6 years before we were looking to actually buy... are there any market predictions for a boom?

Thanks

alex_bradley

That is quite good (in a sense) about the average wage as I have seen teaching and banking jobs advertised for about E20,000 basic so we would be bringing in at least E40,000 between us which would hopefully buy a decent house when we were ready to buy.

hellokittty

Hi Alex,

It's great that you are so positive about the move, and you're right - it's best to do it now while you are both still young, before other commitments get in the way!

We moved here a few months ago as a (fairly) young couple in our mid-20s. I would always say rent before you buy, as it is a much easier way to start and doesn't involve all the legalities of buying a property. It is also obviously less committing - best to rent for a while first, just in case you don't settle or realise the area is not for you.

One thing I will say though, is that I often read about Brits wanting to move here for the 'slower pace of life', yet it seems to me that Spanish people work far harder than we do in England! Long opening hours into the evening for what seems to be very little pay, even accounting for cheaper food and petrol.

I am also sometimes a bit confused when I hear people wanting to move here for a healthier diet - what's to stop people buying healthy veg and salads in England?

Anyway, best of luck in your decision and hope you find a job and property you like

alex_bradley

Hi, thanks for replying. As far as we are aware, most banks don't reopen in the evenings, but we do see when we travel in Europe how late shops, etc, are open, so I take your point the food thing was more a reference to eating out rather than cooking at home - you always seem to be spoilt for choice abroad, not like here!

hellokittty

Well, if you like tapas then you certainly will be spoilt for choice!

Unfortunately I live with a curry-obsessed husband....

sunnydee

Hi Alex
Welcome to the forum. I'm a qualified primary school teacher who moved out here in August and started my job in September. As a teacher there is certainly a lot less stress here. You would not be able to teach in a state Spanish school here so the language won't be a problem for you as International schools teach the curriculum in English. However, I would recommend that you do your NQT year in the UK first. Most decent schools out here would expect you to have some experience. The pay is a lot more than the quoted €13,000 annual average for teaching posts but a lot less than you would earn in the UK.
If you want anymore info. on the job front feel free to ask.
Good luck with your degree.

mikelincs

Alex, please read the 'Free Beerr' thread, contains loads of very good info, put together by members here and colated by jdr, gives links to loads of useful sites.

keddyboy

Alex, Are we talking GRANADA as opposed to GRENEDA as you stated. I really feel the commute would be a bit too much, what do you reckon?

Rosemary

Totally agree with you. Do not think that it is possible to buy a house in any region that has all of the facilities, easy access etc and only in need of a paint job at that sort of price. However, it is still probably possible to buy a house without water, electricity etc which needs a great deal more than a paint job.

Rosemary

Relampago

With respect to the salary, it depends of which is your work. And of course, there are works where works 5 hours, others of 8 hours, and others of more of 8 hours. We cannot generalize

Mitzyboy

I happen to know of a few houses for sale in that kind of budget in the Granada area