The crime rate in Spain, in my opinion, is not much different to the uk. Good areas & bad. The problem, like in the uk, is imigration control. Lots of illegal workers. When the work dries up in winter they have to turn to crime to survive. I honestly think we will need to ride out the next year in Spain before we can return with the current housing market etc...

You don't think illegal immigration and work is a problem in Spain then?

Please read my post again.

Its just a thought,I don't know but if families are on low income's in the UK they are entitled to various top up benifits,tax credit etc. has you have been working in Spain and paying into the system could there be any such benifits there,it may be worth having a look at, if you become unemployed I'm sure there are benifits you can claim if you have paid into the system,I know this would be far from ideal,just a thought.

There is no such thing in Spain for families on low income in Spain. I would get unemployment benefit though if i was made unemployed.

It was more a question really, but hey ho.

If I was in your situation I would look at ways of supplementing your income,do you like dogs,there are quite a few people who return to the UK for holidays and struggle to find someone to look after their pets,you could pet sit

I have been looking for something to make a bit extra cash but with the little one at home i don`t think pet sitting would suit. Something i could do from home on my days off would be great.

So without reading the thread over, are you coming back because you want to or have to?

Bit of both. Don`t have to at the moment but we are a bit scared of the future here with a child. Also with the inflation. I was actually earning slightly more money 5 years ago than i am now. The problem is that neither of us can make our mind up.

Always a common problem.


Look I love this country, I really do, and have got into a few spats on here about people slagging it off, but when you talk about ordinary people making a go of it here then that's where I tend to draw the line.............its bloody hard.

I work for myself and the kind of work I do I get paid very well for, but because of the way I work I lose a hell of a lot in taxes, running costs, etc...........

and there is the main problem with the UK, it can hit people hard who are starting or slightly on the back foot, and I suppose its always been that way.

Is Spain any easier? No, and I know it isn't, but before people make a massive move they have to be sure they are not swapping one prison for another.

Have you thought about somewhere else in Europe? Australasia?

I am moving back to Spain next year after being away for a long time, but I dont for one second think it will be better than here.........and all too often, and we have all seen it, people think Spain or where ever, will hold the truth to their happines.

In the words of a great writer,

"The wealthiest person
Is a pauper at times
Compared to the man
With a satisfied mind

When my life has ended
And my time has run out
My friends and my loved ones
I'll leave there's no doubt

But one thing's for certain
When it comes my time
I'll leave this old world
With a satisfied mind"

If its in you to make the best of any situation then wherever you go will work, if it isn't then you are pretty much doomed to make the same mistakes wherever you go.

I read sometime ago on here that ex-pats found it hard to find English greeting cards,you could get in touch with a card company and then host parties ( simular to tuppaware) to sell them, or maybe Avon or something like that



You can tell me to shut up I wont take offence

Yes there are some lovely quiet friendly towns around, you just have to search and be able to judge a place well. Trouble is that having said that I fear that many of the smaller quieter Spanish towns will not have any work on offer to incomers.

Rosemary

The other thing to consider with regards the UK catching a cold, if your job relies on the tourist/second home industry you could well be under threat in Spain, as most investers will pull out there investments ie second homes or simply not travel as much too the golf courses.

Most expats in Spain struggle to find the job they`ve got in the first place and have usually exhausted all other options, if they were to then lose there job in Spain it doesn`t give much chance to an expat for retraining or opportunity withing a different sector.

Very well said Matt