Casa Santo Estevo

scampicat

Well, I don't agree it is necessarily those who can't/won't integrate or who can't get a job who return.

We have been here as permanent residents since 2004 and are enjoying it, but in 2010 we will be living about 6/6 or 7/5 in UK/Spain.

This is not because either of the above reasons; we live in a very Spanish village and get on well with our neighbours, our Spanish is improving, and we are early retired and live on my husband's Teachers' Pension so don't need jobs.

It's just because we like the UK as well. We like it for different reasons than we like Spain; our UK house is on the outskirts of a large Midlands city which is so different to our village life in the Granadino sticks and so our lifestyle in the UK is totally different. We would like eventually to sample both lifestyles and time it to get advantage of the best of the weather in both countries.

The reason why it's going to be 2010 is that I have to wait until then to get my UK State Pension, which, with my husband's Teachers' Pension, will enable us to be able to afford to live in the UK for 6/7 months a year. We can't afford to do this at the moment.

However, I have indeed see people leave due to lack of money; eitther younger people who can't get jobs or early retirees whose plan is to live on capital until their pensions kick in who then run out of money.

But it's far from the only reason.

I'm actually in the UK at the moment and it has been grey and raining all day and the temperature is 11. It's Midsummer's Day!

Rambling Rose

Love the irony (it was irony wasn't it ) However, as you are in Catalonia it probably wouldn't make much difference if you were completely fluent in spanish anyway. I'm finding that some locals prefer speaking to me in english than that 'foreign' castellano. Can't decide whether to sign up for the free catalan lessons or press on with the spanish.

As for more people leaving than arriving, I used to live in a tourist area in the UK. People came on holiday, loved the place, moved there and then sometimes found that living there all year round was not what they expected and moved away again. Normal for tourist places I think.

Rose

ForHotspot

I think people are leaving Spain as they can't get a job & being that the wages are lower than in the UK. I would say that Spain is a nicer place to retire as the climate is warmer while Uk is always cold in the winter & expensive to live too.

Rosemary

Many return because they miss their families and friends or have just had enough of the stresses and strains that living in another country brings. Also the effort of earning a living using a different language can be quite wearing so some return to lessen that burden.

People change constantly and what suits at one point in time may not at a later date so moving on may be evitable.

Rosemary

wiseman

alot of people come out here and think it is going to be like being on holiday well it is not you get alot that come out think that they are going to job wise is run a bar/cafe airport transfers work in bars painting and decorating jobs well i am afraid to say it is not going to happen in many cases the long hours low wages soon make them disillusioned aided with many not been able to get a job or any work they soon head back to the uk alot of people before heading to spain to live need to do a massive amount of homework before taking the gamble and into many cases they need to take the best advice and stick to having holidays in spain

bil

I'd say that the UK has crap weather all the year round, with just enough nice weather to rub in how bad it really is.

derek500

Phew!!! Need to get my breath back now.

toyboy23

PMSL! That sums it up beautifully!

My pov is that:
I’ve lived in England for ever and a day and from what I’ve seen in the last six years I’ve noticed there seems to be more Brits leaving than arriving, guess its down to the lack of employment/state of the world wide economy, Anyone else seeing this?
Rgds TB

It’s down to half a dozen individuals’ pov, and it’s not a good guide.

I can cope with capital letters – never have understood the sensitivity to that. But… the machine gun blast of text with no caps, and no punctuation… Aaarrrggh!

bil

In the UK it just seems to be that you are running faster and faster just to stand still, while some of the taxes and costs just seem to be taking the p*ss.

Then, when you get some free time, the weather isn't good enough to enjoy it most of the time.

me me

Having not enough income and no good job prospects are reasons for many going back. Although a lot of Spanish people returning to Spain after living abroad, also end up leaving. For them it has nothing to do with the language as they are fluent, and in many cases they have jobs waiting for them (in family business etc). It is just that it is not for them.

I have alway said that Spain is not for everyone, not even the Spanish. My husband is not as settled as I am in Spain, he misses "home", the UK, which is not his home really, as he is Spanish born in Spain. I know he would rather live in the UK (but I am working on him)

I dont know where we will end up living for good.(which part of Spain) or UK. Forever is a long time.

Life is like owning a car, sometimes a racy sporty model is what you want, then a family saloon, then a work van etc. None are wrong, but right for the moment.

If we wnt back tomorrow I would not feel like a failure.

There are British people who are desperate to leave the UK, there are also Spanish people desperate to leave Spain. Who knows where these people will end up. With the right attitude you can be happy anywhere.

bil

Being a true, died in the wool cynic, I'd change that to "With the right money you can be happy anywhere."

Mind you, with the wrong attitude you can be miserable anywhere.

lcortez

Nothing cynical about that,just a straightforward statement of a universal truth!
Moneys doesnt necc bring happiness,but it takes the sting out of being miserable!
I think that with regard to people leaving,that appears to be true of everywhere.We live in an age where people are better informed than ever before,with satelite tv,internet etc,and there will always be people who think the grass is greener elsewhere,for some it turns out it is,for some it doesnt!

me me

Not true, if that were the case, Christina Onassis would have made old bones. She was not short of a bob or two, but was so unhappy that she killed herself.
I know very poor people who are really happy. They are a joy to be around, I remember 2 of my grandmothers cousins, both widows, dirt poor,(and I mean SPANISH POOR, WHICH IS NOTHING LIKE UK POOR) living in the a small village in Galicia.
We went to visit and I was shocked that the floor of the house was compacted soil, this was about 12 years age. They spent a lot of time looking for firewood to store for the winter, because they could not afford to buy it.
They were such happy people, they have a wonderful attitude and although their life is hard, they are thankful for every day.
By the same token some of hubbys family, live high on the hog, loaded, and are the most miserable shower I have ever met.

Pugsy

It seems that money, language and failure to integrate are always the scapegoats here!?!?

We have no issues with either of these, least of all financial and are able to have a very high standard of living in the UK and in Spain. But Spain is just not sophisticated enough for us, social attitudes are primative. It is not interesting enough. Not a good enough fit for us. IMHO Spain is not long behind Britain in the rip-off stakes. Sure we love the summer, swimming and the beach in June, July, August, Polo season is fab. However we find winters very very dull and shopping depressing.

For retirees who golf or day or windsport fanatics who want to surf 24/7 I can see the attraction, but we are neither.

We will return permanently to the UK when the timing is right because our lives year round are fuller and more interesting. Not because of any defficiency in us.