MrA

Just wondering if it would be possible to move to southern Spain and find a normal job working alongside the Spanish?
Soon i'll be a qualified welder and wouldn't want to do all that training just to do any job that comes my way,especially as i've probably got 30 years or so work left in me.

lee8

Unless there a crap company and the Spanish don`t want to work there you got very very little chance.

I have a Spanish wife, speak fluent Castellano and have lots of experiance of Spaniards, I transfered my job to Malaga, worse thing I ever did.

Andulucians are very different to the rest of Spain, some call them arrogant, some call them ignorant, some call them stupid, most call them all three.

Here is a true example :

In Malaga we worked from 8am till 13.30- 15.30 till 20.30.

In August there`s the Feria (Fairground & Party) so the office works half days for the week.

In my book half day means half the hours, so at 13.30 I should finish work, on the Monday thats what i did.

On the Tuesday I got a huge bollocking aparantly in Malaga half days end at 17.30.

If you want to learn about the South, go and rent a small apt in Malaga city away from the expats and experience things that will make you laugh, its far better that than goin in blind and crying when its too late.

The South of Spain is like comparing Mexico to the UK.

Honestly if you want to work there your only hope is to go self employed and market towards the Expats, but beware there are hundreds of Brits doin all the jobs you`d find in the UK.

mikelincs

Southern Spain is far more than Malaga, so your horror story applies to a very limited area.. BUT.. if the OP doesn't speak fluent Spanish, then he isn´t going to get a job with a Spanish company. There is a Jobs link in the Free Beer thread, which MAY be of use. With the huge number of window grills etc you would think that welders would be sought after..

lee8

No my story is only one of many over 20 years, I just figure that to write everything would be more time/cost effective in a book than on here.

Cadiz area has very nice simple people, but still suffers by being 25 years behind the rest of Europe.

Murcia too, nice but simple, as is a lot of Andulucia, Seville people hate with a vengence most things Malaganian.

Jaen region the people are very kind and again simple uncomplicated.

For any true Expat wanting to live in Spain with Spaniards you need to forget about the Costa Del Sol, working towards the gift of true intergration you need to learn lots first, not only the language but also the location, culture and mindset.

You also need to become Spanish, talk and express as a Spaniard would and remove your Britishness.You need to remember that your in Spain, there not interested in learning about your Britishness, they may well listen and be polite to you, but thats what polite people do.

Expats living in Spain can achieve it eventually, Spain isn`t found in the Costa`s though.

Ex-pat

Have you ever lived in Mexico?

Just for the statistics.

lee8

No its too much like Southern Spain.

How is Somerset.

Ex-pat

Because I would like this to be kept lighthearted I would suggest NOT to compair what you do not know .

However, Mexico might not be what you think it is. My OH and myself have travelled extensively for many years in Mexico and after just having come back from the south of Spain I feel you can not compare the two.

Mexico seems far more civilised.

Feliz Navidad

Ex-pat

BTW Somerset seems fine right now, thanks for asking.

lee8

So you`ve never lived in both then.

It`s a wife`s friend who always compared them both, she lived 15 yrs in Mexico, 20 yrs from birth in Jaen.

It was a light hearted comment.

I suggest you take it that way.

Ex-pat

Just thought I would let you know that my nick is Ex-pat. I am exactly that in Great Britain, I am not British!

Relampago

If Mexico is more civilized than Spain (that is not in fact what I read of some mexicans citizens in its day, like the director Guillermo del Toro), being Mexico a country where the corruption is practically institutionalized in the system since the government until the authorities, as the police, for example (a country with one of the highest indexes of crime rate in the world next to Brazil). For not speaking of cases so horrendous as in Ciudad Juarez, something really unthinkable in Europe

Nevertheless I won't judge the Mexicans in the same way that you make it you with the Spaniards, concretely with those of southern Spain

And you tell me why reason you makes similar comment, what has happened to you in southern Spain. Also, you tell me of where is you concretely (supposing that you don't have complex in telling it to me), so that I takes notes and learn of the values of your land or of your country.

paulashep

I'm moving to Fuengirola in February and am really excited but nervous too. My main concern is for my 16 year old son who is coming too. He has a great social life here with loads of friends and I was wondering how best to ease the transition for him.

sunnydee

Is your son going to be at school here? We moved 9 days before my daughter's 16th birthday and she has settled very well.

Relampago

What does your son think about the new situation?

lee8

Whoooopppppy dooooo.

My dads bigger than your dad.