LisaM265

Hi All,

New here so just a quick intro... I am mid 20's professional currently working and living in Surrey, myself and my boyfriend are looking to move to Moraira in September with my two dogs.

I know the area well and have been there at least once a year for the past 20 years....

My OH speaks spanish well, i am a complete beginner but after a week or so am able to speak a little.

We are lucky that we have a place sorted over there which apart from bills will not cost us anything. The plan is to eventually start our own business but we want to experience being in spain as a resident rather than as a tourist before we consider doing that.

We have enough put away to last us a few months living but ideal case is finding a job before we go out there. I have some family friends who will help so we are in a relatively good position, however we could do with some ideas re:

1. Dog insurance- does anyone have pets over there, what sort of prices are usual? I have two male collies.

2. Car- I have read two different posts one which says conversion to Spanish plates needs to be done within 30 days one 6 months- can anyone confirm?

3. Local job sites, boards, papers, agencies- I will check the Costa news site regularly but if anyone has any more local knowledge that would be great. Ideally we want something more than bar work but we will be happy to do anything (within reason) when we first move over.

OH works with boats and I am a service opperations manager for a large electronics company

Also, if anyone has any general feedback about living and working over there, health care etc, general cost of living etc thats great.

we are both relatively clued up on Spain but want to make sure our eyes are wide open before taking the plunge.

Many thanks in advance
Lisa

littlelambfound

If you read this forum back over the last 6 months or so, you'll have a pretty good feeling of what the situation here is in reality. And it's tough. With 4 million (official) unemployed, don't be holding your breathe for too long whilst waiting for work. Many expats are now having to turn their hands to anything that'll bring home even just a bit of bacon....and your lack of the language can't be positive either.
But...you only live once, so please ignore the above, open your arms and mind....and enjoy. There are so many wonderful people and experiences waiting for you, and no matter how things turn out, you'll not have the regret of inaction.

lynnxa

bacon! who can afford bacon!!!

but seriously - this really isn't the best time to be coming over if you have to have a job

I'm hearing of about a family a week in my area leaving

LisaM265

wow that many, i expected it to be difficult at the moment but not that bad. I hope they all have something to return to because its pretty rubbish over here as well at the moment.

I guess we need to be very realistic, we are both young and will do anything to start off with and I guess having friends in the area will help. We are also lucky that my OH is very skilled in marine trimming and there doesnt seem to be many people in the area doing that- certainly not advertising that we can see, we are doing a 'reccy' in a month or so which i guess will give us more of an idea

I could also try some of my work contacts to see if they have anything suitable, everything is run in english (korean company). Worst case scenario we will have a 3 months living money before things get tight, no rent or mortgage helps there best case we will have 6 months breathing space.

we are both at the stage in our lives where we have to do something i guess we will regret inaction but dont want to do anything completely stupid! devon is the other possibility but we wont have the free rent option and will need to find jobs before we go and have a heavier outlay

aaargh difficult decisions!!

thanks for the advice so far

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

As things are in Spain at the moment, if you have the option of Devon that is gonna be infinately easier!! you know the language, you know the rules and regulations, there will be far more jobs and work available to you, you'll also have the option of NHS healthcare, social security or a quick and easy getaway if things go wrong. If you come to Spain rent free or not, you surely should make sure you have jobs or work lined up before you come..??

By all means come over tho for an extended hyoliday and see how it goes tho.. just see how it goes, but dont burn any bridges in the UK for the time being. Wait until things improve

jo xxx

lynnxa

a quick look through the yellow pages came up with nothing for what your OH does so maybe that is a possibility - though I can hardly believe there aren't many doing that already

there was a van that used to be parked around the corner from me (in Javea) advertising just that though, and it is still there, but the logo etc are now painted out & the van has 'se vende' in the window

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

In answer to some of your questions, I dont know how much pet insurance is over here, but vets tend to be a little cheaper than the UK. Your dogs I assume have got passports which must be done ahead of your move and they'll need a final certificate/letter from your vet within 48hours of travel to say they're fit

Cars, you can use a british car for 30 days if you are a resident in spain and 6 months if you're a tourist.

Cost of living is roughly the same as the UK, maybe a tad cheaper, altho I'm further along the coast which I think is a little dearer????? council tax is cheaper, petrol is slightly cheaper and cigs and booze are cheaper

Jo xx

spain

was speaking to a Spanish friend last week (from Pego)...he is a qualified electrician and also has a bar...he has no work and the bar is dead

on Monday he went to Switzerland to work (doesnt know for how long), leaving his wife and baby in Spain

pretty grim all round on the work front and like lynnxa says people have been leaving on a weekly basis for well over a year now

good luck with your move over though but you may want to wait until you have at least 12 months money behind you just in case

LisaM265

thanks all, we definately want at least one of us to have a job sorted before we go, worst case we wont but this is really not the plan, best case we will both, even if it is just something to keep the bills paid to keep the savings for emergencies only.

We have 3 months min before we go to get things sorted so i need some idea on the best job sites. the OH is basically only speaking in spanish to me at the moment which will help and we have dinner with his sister and parents on friday who are all fluent where they have promiced me they will only speak in spanish (might be a bit boring lol) although i wont have written spanish i am pretty confident i will know enough spoken to get by

I am speaking to a few friends and know people who run local restaurants and the local golf club bar etc. if not jobs it is connections and my OH already has a customer in his current job who sends boats to the area regularly so we are hopefull we can sort something out with him pretty quickly and it also opens us up to more contacts within the marine trade.

all the advice has been a reality check so we need to make sure we are 100% doing the right thing whatever we do!

spain

I dont think in the current climate being able to speak Spanish is going to help Im afraid, of course it will help in your day to day lives in sortign stuff out but as for work its the same story all round for expats and the Spanish alike

have a look in the free beer there are lots of recruitment sites on there and I have posted before a list that I know of so do some searches on here too

you are in a good position as in you wont have rent to pay but living in Spain isnt as cheap as it used to be

HimnHer

Hello,
We are a young family over here,we have been here for 2 years,but have to (and want to )return to England next week.I honestly would think twice before coming here,it is a nice place to live etc and glad we did it,but like somebody on here just said,Lots and lots of expats are returning to England ,through having to and missing certain things that we have back home...........that part u might understand if you come to live here.Anyway all the best whatever u choose to do.

littlelambfound

These threads always make my elbow itch. On the one hand I want to be helpful, but the reality of the situation here is just one huge tale of woe. And on the other hand, I like the idea of peeps just chancing it to live a Spanish adventure at least once in the life.
Also I tend to think that most peeps have already the mind made up (see Lisa's signature), and unless we spin a story involving the certainty of a painful death, then they'll be here anyways.
I remember a thread on here some while back, requesting help with the purchase of a bar, and in spite of being told to stay well clear, the couple went ahead....and it didn't end too well.
Spain might be in recession for the next 10 years (I work with clients in Tokyo and they've been in recession for over 20 years!). Why should anyone want to wait until the news is all good? No, just come as you are, see what happens. A life without adventure would be pretty dull.

gcseis

Hi..
Do you know that the Spanish don't like dogs.
There's no where to walk dogs officially. You will be fined if you take dogs on the beach. There are a couple of plots of land in Moraira where you can have a 5 minute walk but its hard to find places to walk them. There's a walk around the back of Javea golf course but thats about the nearest; most other places dogs are banned. The Spanish will scream at you if the dog is not on alead. We have two boxers, friendly as anything but the Spanish are terrified of them.
Also beware the "processionary caterpillars"; if your dogs touch them they may be dead in 20 minutes. At certain times of the year the vets stay open 24 hrs to try and help people whose dogs get hurt by them. We don't walk the dogs for about 6-8 weeks when the caterpillars are out.
Apart from that Moraira is a great place, I love it to death.
Best of luck.. Ged

HimnHer

Yeah well said.........i agree with you.It will be an adventure,but you dont know until you try,but at the end of the day people have told you what they think you should do.Good luck!

LisaM265

wow a lot more nervous about it all now... in some ways it seems like the right time personally, we probably wont have any money in the bank and be completely debt free again especially if we stay in england another 12-18 months, but then economically seems like a bad time.

in some ways i am thinking sod it, go anyway, if it doesnt work nothing ventured nothing gained but then equally dont want to waste several grand if we can put it elsewhere.

we know its a big step whatever we do so want to be sensible about things.

i love the area, and have always wanted to live there and the OH has always wanted to move to spain and do the job he does now. definately the wrong time to buy a business, but i think we need to suck it and see for 6-12 months.

i guess i'm still looking with rose tinted glasses at the moment which needs to stop!