maybe you’re right, fact is though we’ve both been to Tenerife and love it. It was just a thought that was worth investigating (or I thought it was)

I take your point, absolutely always somebody a lot worse off than me, I don’t pay attention to social media for that very reason. Canada seems to have a system that while it isn’t without problems, rewards hard workers.

tenerife or Spain, will undoubtedly have their issues too, but from what I’ve researched so long as you take time to become fluent in the language and make an effort to integrate and not just move there and expect everyone to speak English and accommodate you, most people are friendly and welcoming, the sun also does wonders for people mentally.

as I say, for now it’s about finding somewhere that would tick a lot of boxes and is achievable.

I don't know if Canada rewards hard workers and it's probably no different than anywhere else. It' all about timing, location, personal situation and sometimes you can be lucky and live in an area where exactly your profession is in high demand. Some people are happy to live in a tiny apartment in Vancouver while others complain they can't afford a house with garden or live in an area with no jobs as the biggest employer closed down. Maybe the sun does wonders for some who are focused on that, but eventually day to day problems kick in. We all love places and it's the same with Americans who love Hawaii, or Germans who are focused on Mallorca, then making a living there is totally different. Although unemployment has improved in Tenerife it's still high and it can also be frustrating for locals when us foreigners buy property while they struggle to pay the rent. Ironically it's been hitting 20c here in the West of Ireland recently with glorious sunshine, but friends who often complain about the weather are then still stuck inside or the kids are found playing PlayStation all day. You can't win.

I really don't recommend spain if you need to work and even less of you have a family. It is extremely hard to make ends meet in spain unless you are working as a professional in one of the big cities. The UK might seem bad but believe you me young Spanish would love the opportunity to live and work there. My son is hoping to go to UK for university and I am very happy about that as doing so in Spain and then trying to find as a well paid graduate job would be so hard.

Got to completely agree here and before Brexit young professionals from Spain were flocking to the Uk.

I was installing a machine in a brewery and one of the lads working on the line was from near where I now live in this part of Spain, we exchanged numbers and when he comes home for a holiday we meet for a beer.
He couldn't get a job here in Spain so travelled with four friends to the Uk and found they could earn more working on a production line in the Uk than trying to get a job here even with his university qualifications.
He is still in the Uk (took residency) but is considering a move to Ireland as the wages there are higher still and the job progression is better.
There is still no work for him here in Spain. And his friends are all still in the UK working as well....

Im lucky that we dont need to work, but unless you have something special to offer it probably wont happen.
Besides the grass aint that greener here, pay will mostly be less than you already get, work hours are longer, conditions are not as good and you wont see much sun and sand.

And remember its not nice working when its 36c outside. Ive done it and didn't enjoy it after the first couple of weeks, a month or so later I couldn't wait to get back to rainy England. The next job was even worse Canada in Jan at -25c......

I would also expect any work on the islands would be even harder to come by than the mainland, again unless you can fill a niche.

I loved visiting Mexico as a tourist but when I was sent there to work it was horrid.
In fact almost all of the 40 plus countries Ive worked in were worse in one way or another than the Uk.
You dont actually miss what you are lucky to have until its never been offered.

Ive worked in countries where bullying and threatening behaviour is not just tolerated but expected.
Pay and conditions are never the same country to country even if you work for the same company (I could name some but that would be another can or worms)