Concho

Hello from a rainy Liverpool!!

Just joined this forum as I have been given a potential opportunity to relocate to Spain, had a job interview today for a UK company operating in Spain. I said I was flexible on location and they said most likely location would be Torrevieja, so that is where my research is focussed.

I have a wife and 5 year old son. My wife is an EU national (Polish) so not too bothered about Brexit stuff at this stage, sure when money talks we'll be able to ride it out but still have a lot of questions, and information seems to be all over the place so please forgive me for asking questions asked 1000 times before!

1 - Schools, I've read international schools far better initially as my son doesn't speak the language (we all intend to learn but none of us speak Spanish now), I've seen one called Pheonix School about 25 minutes drive from Torrevieja but seems quite expensive for fees etc. Is there any others around? Or any help with fees from government etc or do we just have to cough up and pay? As that is a big expense to take into account.

2 - Renting a house - We would definitely rent for the first year or so but would be in a position to buy soon. We want to settle first. My (potential) new company said they would pay for a car and house for three months but I'd have to find it and they pay me back, so any resources, websites etc that are good for finding rental, similar to Right Move here? Anything I should be wary of as I've read conflicting things.

3 - Cars - Think we'd sell our UK cars and buy one or two there - similar to above, any sites like Auto Trader to look for used cars?

4 - Bills - I'm reading expenses are pretty similar to the UK for gas/electric/water etc. Is that true? We live in a 3 bed semi at the moment, family of 3 can we expect similar bills over there? We're only looking at 2 or 3 bed apartments really.

5 - Language - My wife is a deputy store manager at Lidl, I know they are everywhere in Spain also, so if moving to an expat area like Torrevieja would lack of Spanish language hold her back or would they insist on it? If so she'd probably stay here for a few months while learning. My company not bothered about lack of Spanish language.

Think that's all for now, appreciate your time in reading/replying

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

pwwm

Hello and welcome, sorry cant help with most of your questions but this is good for 2nd hand cars and other things, but 2nd hand cars in Spain are dearer than UK https://www.milanuncios.com/ as for your 5 year old, put him into state school he will be teaching you Spanish before you know, that is a great age to learn another language. Hope it all works for you, we have been here 14 years this year and love it. Incidentally I am also married to a Pole.

Concho

Great, thanks for the link. Surprised to find cars more expensive but good to know. Regarding the school, I'm just worried if I put him in a state school he'll take a while to adapt because of the language. Was thinking maybe I could do that after a couple of years International school (if that is what's best for him) after he's learnt the lingo. Do you still pay similar fees in state schools?

tuhler

Go to any main car dealership...plenty of second hand cars..mil anucios..very bad news stay away

dougal03

Welcome Concho, when we came here many years ago with our daughter who had just left primary,so going into secondary education,we started her at a private school,as our elder daughter had been at one in UK.It was OK if you want to tell the neighbours you could afford the fees but,comparing it ,we found it pretty awful.After 2 terms I spoke to the British owners & said I was not happy with the standard & was reporting the school to the International Schools body who actually closed it.This was in the 80,s so hopefully things are different now but I want our youngsters to get a good education.We then enlisted her in our local Spanish State school.Of course it was hard at first but we got private Spanish lessons for her until she was confident.In the Torrevieja area I think you will find many other British children attend state schools so I am sure your child will take to it very well,in fact will soon be correcting your feeble attempts at the language!Go for it Laddie.

senp

I moved here (Malaga, also from Liverpool) 12 months ago. I found renting a home reasonably easy, and cheap by UK standards. I've a modern 2 bed apartment in Central Malaga for 600 euro a month, including the "service charges". I pay water, broadband and LX on top of that.

The rental contracts tend to be minimum of 12 months, if you go through an agency they want a months rent and a months deposit. They have to give you a contract. Normally you've got a right to renew year by year with the rent indexed for a fixed number of years, so you are reasonably secure.

Don't forget to get an apartment with air conditioning, it's hot in the summer!

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

mikelincs

Cars are more expensive, however you do have to realise that they do keep their value for much longer, also Spanish people are used to keeping a car till it' run i to the ground and then scrapping. I would use a dealer to buy your car, this should ensure no legal problems, in Spain fines and non payment of tax do follow the car, not the driver, so buying from an individual COULD leave you with a few outstanding bills to pay, and it would be up to you to find out whether the car is free of outstanding bills.

tuhler

Great post...just one small thing...buying a car here is better.privately...just follow 2..rules..1..complete contract..get a copy on line...make sure you have DNI of seller..date and hour and minute of sale and signed...2..2 months later make appt at trafico( easy on line)..take contract and ask them if ownership transfer has been completed..if yes no problem..if no they will do it then and there...easy no...and you get the car you wanted without dealer%..

Concho

Great, thanks for all the help so far.

So, I got offered a job today so it's one very real step closer to moving to Spain, Torrevieja. They want a decision by Monday and want me to start over there 4 weeks after that. They will pay for a car and house for the first 6 months, but I have to find it and they will reimburse me in my wages.

Still have a few questions!

1 - Hopefully my wife will get a transfer, she works for Lidl, would the lack of Spanish language be an issue working in Torrevieja?

2 - Childminders - if we are both working full time, is there any childminders who would pick him up from school etc??

3 - What are the state schools like in Torrevieja? Are any bilingual? Do they cost anything? My son doesn't speak any Spanish which I think means an International School like Pheonix at 500EUR a month looks the best bet so far, I'm just worried how he'd feel walking in and not understanding anything.

Cheers

bob_bob

Could you work in a major UK supermarket with no English language skills?

Loafing Along

4 weeks means you will arrive in the height of the holiday season so finding long term rental may be a struggle, will get easier once the holidays are over.
Sites such as https://www.idealista.com/alquiler-v...ieja-alicante/ good guide - they have an english version
Another one : Vivienda en alquiler de larga duración en Torrevieja | Página 1 | tucasa.com but not sure it has english version.

Kids are amazingly flexible , ours 7 and 9 when they arrived, went private route ( this was Madrid ) but playground language Spanish and they soon picked it up.

Lidl will need Spanish -speakers. There is an Iceland in Torreveija they tend to opt for english-speaking staff. The fact the store is there means there will be a lot of Expats in the catchment area.

Concho

Thanks. The job I've been offered is manager of that Iceland store and they don't require any Spanish language skills which is why I asked about Lidl, not sure how 'English' the area is.

We are learning just not sure she'll be at a good enough level quick enough.

Thanks for the sites will look at those now see what I can find. I'll have three weeks training in Malaga then will be moving to Torrevieja at the start of September.

Loafing Along

As there is an Iceland store you can guarantee there is a sizeable "English" element in the local community. As your training is Malaga you will probably spend time in the Iceland store in Fuengirola - a few years ago they had a big sign outside the store "Our staff also speak Spanish" - I sent a photo of it to all my spanish friends , amazed by the need to put such an advertisement in a Spanish town