Originally Posted by Mataroni

When I first came over, my thoughts were, 'give it a try, if it doesn't work out you can always go back'.

As people said before there are positives and negatives about where ever you live.

I have to say though that the first 6 months can be very hard, especially if you don't know anyone in the area. My advice is to get out and about and speak to the locals, they'll be more than happy to help you. Ask them for advice and don't hide away in your home. If you have kids, they'll be a great help in getting involved with the community. You'll find that they don't mind helping you with the language, although you'll always find a few miserable 'beeps' who won't give you the time of day, but you find them everywhere.

Originally Posted by JLFS

Who speaks Spanish?

Originally Posted by Lynn R

Believe me, I have no time for greedy bankers, prima donna footballers or hypocritical politicians, either. But if we continue to think that it's OK for people to opt out of contributing to the upkeep of society because the alternative would be for them to have to endure an unfulfilling job, just who is going to be paying for them as more and more people start to think hang on, who is the idiot here, I'll have some of that as well.

I lost all patience with my stepson a few years ago when, after having studied music (great choice, how many people manage to make a career out of that) he refused to entertain the idea of applying for any job just to earn his own money for a change and actually said "I'm not going to work in a factory with all those brain dead people, it would do my head in". I told him I had a lot more respect for those brain dead people than I did for him, as it was the taxes they were paying that were subsidising his lifestyle. In his early '30s now he is working in a cinema whilst living with his mother and having his slacker lifestyle subsidised by her. More fool her.

Originally Posted by Leper

Today my calendar had a footnote "Talk is Cheap, until you talk to a Lawyer." Talk is cheap on here, but most gave their opinions honestly and hard earned. Maggie, you have the choice take the advice or leave it.

I dont say this in an untoward way because I have seen the results of ill-prepared emigration to Spain. You want to be fully positive forgetting any negativity, well then off you go. You have a lot going for you, use it to the best of your ability. And . . . best of luck to you, I hope you make it.

Originally Posted by celestine

I would agree that life is short and often to not take risks in life leads to regret, however to approach a new life with 'rose tinted specs' will only lead to heartache and disappointment. As people have previously posted the quality of life here will depend on many factors as will the cost of living and your lifestyle. The sun can be a wonderful thing to wake up to but the weather is not always favourable or pleasant and in the summer months you will spend most of your money trying to keep cool, whilst in the winter months attempting to keep warm. The cost of maintaining your home here is much higher as house maintenance is an annual event and much more time consuming due to the building materials used to construct the houses and the extremes in temperature. Living here is very different to venturing on to a plane to experience a relaxing holiday and the isolation can often be overpowering.

Your attitude to immigrants is stunning and as previous posts state you will become an immigrant once you leave the UK, not everyone here welcomes 'immigrants' here either!

Driving without due care and attention, speeding, drink driving, driving whilst disqualified or uninsured, using mobiles whilst in charge of a vehicle, drinking on the streets, drug use etc exist here too, they do not go away when the sun shines.

I hope that whatever choices you make turn out well for you and that life in the sun is all you expect, I think people who have attempted to live the dream are just trying to say that maybe a more realistic approach to your move is more advisable.

My final point refers to 'single mothers'. May I point out single mothers are not always single through choice and do not always exist on benefits, neither do they exist only in the UK. There are plenty of women raising children alone in Spain too!

Originally Posted by jackytoo

I think the Polish have been an asset to the UK. Many are working in hotels and catering and they are very hard working.

Originally Posted by maggie54

Hi! just joined, and I've already had very negative remarks about moving to spain! I regret joining now! It can't be that bad waking up to sunshine 8 months of the year?! What's so good about the UK anyway? maybe all the benefits everybody seems to abuse here. I have worked all my life, never afraid to 'get my hands dirty', but here as I watch all single girls with 3-4 babies with different fathers, people claiming benefits one day, and the next playing golf!! Spain is looking after itself by apploying spanish people first, nothing wrong with that! I work in a hotel at present, where polish and people
from other east european countries have or had more or less ' taken over'.
4 employees has been redundant or have had to cut their hours down because of the influx of east european workforce! No wonder Britain is in trouble- I could see this happening 10 years ago, and I was not wrong.
Anyway, if anybody has got something positive to say about moving to Spain, please replay to this message, so I can feel a bit happier in my decision to move. BE HAPPY

Originally Posted by JLFS

Just a thought, are you 54 or were born in 1954, because if this is about your age, finding a jobe will be more difficult I should imagine, and if you go self employed you will be paying your self employed SS, but not get a pension at the end of it because you will not be able to clock up enough years, to get the Spanish pension in its own right, and it would have to be calculated in the British one, which might hurt your pocket in the future

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

Surely she would not consider becoming part of the British influx taking Spanish jobs, it would be slightly hypocritical.