Hi everyone,

I am writing on this site basically to look for some advice from you lucky people out in Spain, myself, my wife and our two young children are looking to move to spain (which we have been thinking about for a few years)we have really just had enough of England and are looking for the usual, outdoor lifestyle, sunshine, and what we feel would be a better place to bring our children up.

I have tried to get work in Gibraltar (with the view to live in Spain)for the last 6 months without much success. We are at the stage now where we feel if we dont do it now we never will, so what I'm asking is am I mad to try to take my family to Spain without work and the Spanish language "well I know a bit" I will have a few quid to get us by for a while ie 6 months / 1 year but ideally need work within this time, I am confident I will pick up the language once there.

So I would love to hear from people who recognise my letter and did what we are planning to do, I'm not looking through rose tinted glasses and I know what we are planning is a big risk and it will be hard, but we are willing to take this risk to ensure the kids have a better upbringing/life.

Thanks all (have a good day)

Darran

Hi Darren,
out of interest why spain?
what about canada,oz,new zealand ot the other english speaking countries?
If your looking for work in Gib you must think you have limited chances at employment.
I bet your abilities are far higher than you believe them to be.
Best wishes and good luck in achieving your dreams.

Hi Darren,

Jobs in Gibraltar is a bit hit and miss... If coming over without a job, be pepared for a couple of months job hunting, unless you have a desired skill. As you might know, the gaming industry might be your best chance (sooo wanted to write "bet"). Most companies won't consider you unless you are actually here, but some companies might do telephone interviews... Without knowing a bit more about you, it is hard to give you more specific advise..

As you have a family, would it be possible for you to maybe come out here first to test the water?

Good luck whatever you do

Well the easy answer would be yes ... you are.
You have no job, you can't speak any Spanish and you have enough money to tide you over for 6 months or so. On paper a recipe for disaster, as you already said you have tried to get work in Gibraltar for 6 months with no success.

But on the other hand many have done it ..... It just depends on what your skills are and what you are prepared to do I guess. The average wage was quoted at around €13k a year in Spain, and the hours can be long. How old are your kids? They will have to fit into a new environment, new schools and a different language.

Lots of research to do I think, and some tough decisions

Plenty of people have tried it and failed... others have come out even less prepared than you and succeeded. I personally wouldn't trust the future of my family to 'luck' or 'fate', though.

Language? Well, remember that they speak many languages here in Spain - depending where you end up your night-school Spanish will probably be understood but you won't understand them!

- Our children (2 and 6 years old) have lessons in two different Spanish languages - this makes homework 'interesting' and we now have several big dictionaries, since Internet translators don't understand Valenciano! Where we live they speak a different dialect still (a country 'slang' which is more like French but it's not Valenciano).

- Certain jobs will require fluency - and even the polygots we know have still taken three years study + three years here to become fluent.

Work? Even people that have been transferred within a company have got fed up with working until 8pm every day, the office politics (what you know counts for zero, who you know counts for everything), and the obligatory 70% pay cut.

Weather? We've had two months of heavy rain, wind, storms and general bad weather here in Costa Blanca. And when it rains, it's torrential.

Also, the first few months will be very busy - NIE, Padron, SIP, Utilities, Phone, Internet, etc, etc. Everywhere closes when you least expect. You'll never have the right paperwork on you when you visit, or the person who does that isn't working today, so you have to go to the next town - and they require different paperwork and aren't open until next Monday. And all explained in high-speed Spanish. Be prepared for three very unproductive months, finding work may be tricky in that time.

That's not to say it can't be done - but if you don't prepare yourselves and do your homework you may be in for a major culture shock.

Which part of the CB are you on Twyntub ..... we've had some rain, yes, but its been beautiful here recently.


I'm not sure it would take 3 months to apply for NIE, Padron, SIP, Utilities, Phone, Internet, etc, etc, but I take your point. Phone utilities and internet are just a phone call away, NIE took us an hour one morning with a Spanish speaker, and the padron took about the same. Electric was connected a day after we we went to the Iberdrola office.

But as said, do lots of research

Yeah, but you live in a one horse town. ;-)

But he is quite an important member of that one horse town jdr, without him who would people gossip about?

Hondon valley - Murcia / Valencia border. We've had about two weeks of sunshine but that's been the exception for the last eight weeks or so.

People on our road have been waiting over two years for a phone line. There is virtually no mobile reception here. Internet is a mix of a Movistar USB data card hanging high up on a picture hook (for reception) and a SkyDSL satellite dish.

Padron wasn't too bad, but the SIP was - we went to the doctors and it turns out that the person who does it at the doctors was ill (oh the irony - he's ill so we can't be!) so they sent us to Aspe - and then when we turned up they'd stopped doing them (they only do them between certain hours) and had to come back the next day.

We went to sort out the water - only we went on a Friday and the water board in the town near us only opens on a Tuesday or a Thursday morning. With the kids in school and me in the UK, it was three weeks before we could get there..!

The nearest Iberdrola is a good 40 minute drive away from us. Only when we got there - the office was deserted. Asking the cleaner, we find out they'd moved about six months before and hadn't bothered to update the web site! Naturally, it was closed by the time we'd found the real office, so there was the 40 minute drive back, and we had to come back again a week later.

Etc, etc, etc...

I get the picture

To be honest Armchair I think I would go anywhere where there is a bit of sunshine, I have been told that I would not be able to get into these other places ie USA, OZ, NZ, CANADA because of their point scoring system, I have no trade, no sponser and no $1 million dollars or whatever they require.

Thanks for your time

Darran

Fair enough, but go try a free online assessment and find out the truth.
Get down your local Evening school and sign up for spansh lessons.
Whats your line of work in the UK?
I do know that you will always find work as a barman in an english bar but that will be seasonal work. Maybe that's where you should look.
Also what type of work have you tried for in Gib, bearing in mind they do have M&S there (or did last year)
Keep posting telling us how you get on