koolgirl

Hi Guys

First time on here...
I am a single parent with a daughter of 13 and Im thinking very seriously about making the move to spain. My daughter has special needs and I would love for her to have a more softer, safer place to call home than inner city UK.
I have been to nerja for many holidays and love it but have not travelled that much inland but is where i would like to live.
I like the look of Jaen as a place to have my office (travel agent)
and I like the look of martos as a village to live in. Anyone living there or in the area? what is it like for families? many ex pats? is it easy to make friends?

I am a little scared about being a single parent in spain, if i had a husband with me id already be there but a woman on her own is another thing.
Any other single parents that have made the move?

cheers, thanks for reading

Polly66

Hi.. Im a single parent too, and only joined this site yesterday and have had a great response, im sure everyone will make you feel welcome and give you lots of advice and support.. Im not moving to spain, but my mum is she is also a member on this site, I plan on travelling to spain alot when she moves.. follow your heart and dreams and im sure everything will be fine

koolgirl

Hi Polly

Thanks for your reply, I have been wrestling with it for a while, you know the usual am i doing the right thing? will we be safe? etc etc
Reading your kind words, follow your heart/dreams actually made me feel better about it straightaway "yeah i will follow my dreams" yeah i can do it" lol thank you for that.

I will have a good read around this site later (at work sshh)

dee

Sam Greenfield

Hi koolgirl
Just like to welcome you to the forum - sorry cant really help as im not over there yet but hoping soon. I work with special needs children here in Rochdale and wish you loads of luck in your new venture xxxx
Take care
Love Sam

Sam Greenfield

Hi to you too Polly66 - hope you both find lots of info on here - if you need to know anything you only have to ask and someone will be along soon who can help.
Love Sam

Mitzyboy

Hiya Koolgirl
welcome to the site

jandy44

Hello koolgirl and a big WELCOME to BE, we are off over to Spain next week,I also love Nerja and surrounding area's, we are off to have a look around to see where we would like to lay our hats, we will be based near Torrox in a villa up a mountain somewhere , we will be dropping in at Nerja a few times
There are a few members around from near-by area's , have a look around the threads and get stuck in I'm sure you will meet some peeps that will be able to help.........we do have a laugh on here also, take a peep in fiesta time, the place to be for a general chat about anything , enjoy

Hillybilly

Martos is a town rather than a village. I think it's very pleasant. Bit scruffy but in a nice kinda way! There are a few expats in Martos and in the surrounding towns and villages but not many and you will definitely have to be able to speak Spanish.

spaniola

That's right Martos is a town not a village, and there are not many ex-pats, towards Alcaudete and Alacala a Real there are many more, but those towns are too far from Jaen city for your office.

Being self-employed and opening a business in Spain it a fairly complicated business for which you'll need a gestor, around here there are very few English speakings gestors.

koolgirl

Hi everyone

thank you for your nice greetings and welcome, I can tell im going to learn alot from this board.

ah ha so martos is more a town than a village? I might be able to have my office there then instaed of jaen.

I work for a company here in the uk that allows you to set up elsewhere but still work under their abta licence umbrella and use the booking system. i would still be selling longhaul luxury holidays to the UK market, but be sitting in spain on the terrace with a large glass of sangria while i do it!
well this is the plan. I dont need passing trade or footflow just an office with internet connection and im away.

I think martos maybe sounds too spanish..i want to be able to meet up with people in the evenings for a chat/drink and make friends, which if we dont speak the same lingo it might be difficult.

i'll take a look at alacala and the surrounding areas, thanks for now guys

dee

Pam Sarky

Hi Dee,

My neighbours are travel councellors and work for a Uk company. They are now working from their Spanish home and doing very well selling holidays over the internet.

Hope it all works out for you.

Sam

koolgirl

Hi sam
Its brilliant that your neighbours are doing travel out there , it can be done! it makes me even more determined to do this now.. Id love to pick their brains on it.

Thanks for your kind words,

dee

crispy

Hi koolgirl, welcome to BE I echo what everyone has said so far, I wish you every success in your new adventure.

spaniola

Dee
You can pm (private message - took me ages to figure that out) me if you want some help.

Spaniola.

Joe King

Go for it koolgirl!

If you can make a living (UK wage out here is very good money) you will be half way there.

The Spanish also have a much more healthy approach to children in general and special needs children in particular. I have seen it in a number of schools here.

The single parent thing - well it is harder obviously because you have to do everything yourself in a foreign language, but you will be used to doing everything yourself anyway - and it sounds like you don't shy away from a challenge!