Re: moving to costa del sol
 

There we are folks, you heard it here first! Everything is hunkey dorey in Spain, crisis, what crisis? :confused: And I have only just read that the Banco de España predicts the unemployement rate will stay at 19.4% this year, and go up to 19.7 next year. But what do they know, I'll believe our man in Marbella. :)

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

Yaaa.. Booooo...
so so so so negative.:thumbdown:
There is only one way to find out if you can make it work and that is to try it.
Not every Brit over here who has a normal job is struggling. We were struggling in England more. Here at the minute :fingerscrossed: we are O.K.
If you want to stay in England then stay there, watch nothing happen and keep wondering 'what if'. If you fancy moving to Spain then yeah check it out, not everybody speaks fluent Spanish, (it's not just the English that don't speak it, there are other nationalities that can only speak English as a second language and don't speak any Spanish).
Don't let all these negative heads put you off.. You can always go back to the UK if you want and it doesn't suit over here. You could try for a different country altogether:ohmy:.
Some people just love slating Spain. It isn't the easiest place in the world to live, but it certainly isn't the worst like some make out.:thumbup:

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

Actually very typical of ex-pats who live in Marbella, can hear them in bars and restaurants, all bullshitting one another, how well they are doing, how many properties they have sold. Next thing they have whooshed away (maybe to the UK but a few have gone to places like Thailand, selling timeshare etc:rolleyes:) Sure a few will be doing well perhaps Shiny Andy (sounds like a vac salesman doesn't it:rofl:) is doing ok. One swallow doesn't make a summer. I am sure the spanish could do with some tips how to do this and not even speak the lingo:rofl:

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

Do either of you have anything good to say about Spain or are you just calling everyone liars? What's your problem......can't anyone have it good over here? :thumbdown:

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

here for the OP http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...97#post7023197 and note post #9 with the links to the advice they were given (and ignored)

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

I have it great over here, but I'm aware of the crisis! My husband couldnt get work over here so commutes to the UK. Its a lovely place to live, better than the UK, but its not a reliable or a stable time to move over here.

And to be perfectly honest, once the novelty of the sunshine wears off. Its the same as the UK on a day to day basis! School run, washing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, school run again, nagging the kids to tidy their rooms, do their homework, I'm a taxi service all weekend....... Mine got bored of the pool within a month, they hate the beach, its too hot in the summer.......... They're the wrong age to want to go out for trips...!!! Sorry, that sounds miserable doesnt it!! But its how it is. I wouldnt change it tho, I'd sooner do all that in Spain than in the UK tho

Jo xxx

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

What I would say to the OP is to make sure you have enough cash to live on for 12-18 months, then if you do have difficulties you are not forced to go back to the UK before you have had the chance to succeed.

Clearly as Brits we are all ingrained with a negative viewpoint on everything, however do note that it is also this negative viewpoint that generates the 'its crap in the UK and must be better elsewhere" mindset that frequently drives people to want to move abroad in the first place - if you think some of the posters are unnecessarily negative about Spain, make sure you are not doing the same about the UK.

Be aware that you are considering moving to a country where the economy is worse, unemployment is higher, where you don't speak the language and where you have no support network of friends and family to help out.

Also note that in those first few months, everything can be a hassle as you are starting from scratch in a different culture - banks accounts, NIE, car insurance, car buying or importing your UK vehicle, health care cover, tax arrangements and on and on. I guess that as Mijas in on the CDS that access to English-language help and advice will be better than for those who moved to places away from Brit areas, but don't underestimate the frustrations, time and importantly, money, that "starting off" in a new country entails.

Good luck.

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

what an interesting theory, :thumbup: I think you have to have been born in a different country to really appreciate the UK sometimes.

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

I'd agree with most of your post but not the part where we are all ingrained with negativity.. Maybe for some the UK is crap and there are much better options to choose from when moving abroad.
I can only give an example as, if you are trying to live on the equivalent of a Spaniards salary in the UK, you will soon find yourself moving to Spain and being quite happy there compared to the UK.:cool: (Not all salaries in the UK are huge, try around 12 thousand a year and less, you will soon find Spain inviting).

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

I dont really understand what you are trying to say,:confused: but if you use the same logic, it could be translated into

"And if you try to live on an Africans salary in the UK, you will soon find yourself moving to Africa and being quite happy there compared to the UK"

or, if you are trying to live on an Indian salary in the UK, you will soon find yourself moving to India and bieng quite happy there compared to the UK.

But that is the thing, people living in the UKdont have to live on Spanish, African, Indian or any other salaries, they live on UK salaries, or correct me if i am wrong.

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

In other words dingbat, not everyone gets paid loads of money in the UK. (as everyone is going on about having savings and having enough to live on for 18 months etc..) I can't give an answer for everyone but if you aren't too well off, then you will be living a much better lifestyle out here on the same wage you can earn in the UK so why not move.

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

Who do you think you are calling dingbat?

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

O.k. Sorry for saying dingbat. I'm trying to get across a point that you can live on a salary in Spain, that is the same as one you are earning in the UK (which is quite easy to attain if it is a relatively low one) and live a lot better off. I saw the flaw in my post and reacted badly to you picking it before I had time to correct it. (It's there now anyway).

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

Re speaking Spanish, of course being fluent wont get you a job, but it will be a big help. There are very few Spanish people who can speak English to a business standard, so if you speak Spanish and English at that level it is an advantage.

But that shouldnt be your main qualification. You should be skilled in a trade or profession and then have the language skills on top of that.

I have a group of friends who have moved around a lot to work and live in new cultures etc. They say the golden rule is that for a couple make sure one of you has a job in the city/country you're going to BEFORE YOU MOVE then the other one can get a job when they get there.

That's what we did which was handy because it took my OH 2 years to get a steady job :)

I am very aware that most British people who move to Spain are not very skilled either with their languages or profession, for those people I cannot advise them to come to Spain because what they have is a dream not based on much reality. So it should be a very personal decision for them on whether to come to Spain or not.

Re: moving to costa del sol
 

Plain common sense would tell one to make a reconnaissance first, to have enough monies for at least one year etc, but I guess we live in the age where everyone wants instant results, but without putting in the effort.
I think part of the frustration aired during these "coming to Spain-what's it like?" threads, is not just that there is a constant flow of them (as I said above, peeps are too lazy to look at previous threads, of which there are 100's with regard to the same subject matter), but that there is rarely any closure to them, after much advice has been given. I've yet to see a thread that says "Thanks for the invaluable advice we have made a go of it".
To that end, if anyone here actually based a moving decision on advice given here, could they please raise their hand.
And talking of being too lazy to look through old threads....can anyone tell me how to register my RHD car? (Just kidding!).