Hi,

After years of talking about moving, myself and my husband have decided its now or never! Our businesses in the UK are running well enough for my husband to commute between the 2 countries every few weeks and our 4 kids are still fairly young (11,6,3,2). We will rent our UK house out and rent in Spain for 6-12mths and we are looking between Torrox and Nerja. We have booked a trip in April to have a good look around and decide if its the right area for us. I just have some questions that I'm hoping someone can answer for me:

1. What English/International schooling is available in those areas for my 11yr old son and how do I register my daughters in local schools?

2. Are there any mosques/halal food shops (husband is muslim)?

3. I'd like to be in an area where my son can have some independence and meet up with friends/use public transport, how achievable is that further inland?

I would really appreciate any bits of advice or words of wisdom from anyone thats been there, done it and got the tee shirt!

Claire

There are Mosques in marbella and Fuengirola so it may be better for you. I suppose you Husband will want the kids to be brought up in the Muslim faith so they would be ideal places.

Marbella isn't too far for his yearly trip to the mosque!!

What are the general attitudes to muslims in Spain? I've been told the african immigrants are not popular and my husband is a bit concerned about being the only asian in the area.

There are quite a few Asians here but mainly Indian. They seem to be accepted as well as any other foreigner. There are lots of Morroccans who are Muslim so sure to be lots of Hal-hal meat. I bought some by mistake once from Alcampo, was tasteless.

With regards to schooling there is an international school in Almuñecar
http://www.almunecarinternationalschool.org/

This is tough question, because it all depends on who you come across. Racism exists in Spain as it does everywhere. But the African immigrants is not exactly your situation.

I'm afraid that being muslim will be difficult for your husband..which I am sure he has experienced in the UK or other non-muslim countries.

I don't think much of Spain has the notion that professional Asians or Africans exist, the type who are educated and have money anyway. They usually get tarred with the same brush as illegal immigrants. Not yet anyway...a bit behind the times but it will get easier.

All the best.

Muslim is a religion not a nationality.

There are plenty of Muslims here and are treated no different to any other.

I know they are a religion...didn't mean to imply it was a nationality..

..but I'm not a Muslim, maybe I am viewing it as a non-Muslim. My hubby works with a muslim and the times he has had to ask if there's pork in a stew/dish, to be told no and then find that there is.

My husband's cousin's son-in-law is Asian (Indian), although not Muslim and lives in Puerto Banus. AFAIK he has had no racial problems.

Well you did say Asians and Africans which are a nationality..... I'm not having a go, merely pointing out that the assumption (maybe naturally) was that he was from a particular gene pool.

My mothers' cousins' wifes' freind from work, married to an Irishmans' daughters' friends' ....has no relevence to any of this.
Racism does excist here, I've come accross more racism than I did in the UK. It will depend where you live, if there are more "foreigners" or other muslims in that area I would imagine it would be less of a problem.

I live in a racial melting pot and haven’t seen much racism, I would say it’s about the same level as in London.