sarahchirles

As the Clash would say!

Have Pro's and Con's.

Have had a decent job for 2 years, that stopped in March. So have been hanging out for 6 months.

OK before you all fluent speakers start! Done the course and got the tee-shirt! Have done Spanish for 4 hrs a day, apparently I wos good! Done it for 3 months private tuition and now signed on to the ayuntamiento for more.

But it is so difficult to get a job unless you are fluent.

Really enjoyed it in Spain, but maybe now I need to get a career back in UK!

Believe me I aint a lawyer, or a solicitor, or a professional but, can't see myself living in Spain for much more than the immediate future!

Any advice welcome...

silverchick

My advice would be.......... Do not come back to the U.K!! Its going down the pan very fast, and unless theres is some miracle in the near future, I can't see it improving soon.
Find something you can do in Spain which doesn't require fluency, or maybe change areas to go somewhere that has more opportunities for people with some Spanish but not necessarily complete fluency, but don't come back here!!!

sarahchirles

Also just to add to that....

I know the demographic has gone down for people emigrating...

And I don't know the ages on here, as in BE!

But as a 39 year old, its difficult! Maybe too early to retire?

I love Spain... but..

sarahchirles

Silverchick..

Thank you. But don't know how old you are?

For me now its a huge dead end!


As in have enough money. JUST! But I need to fulfill something!

Tell me how bad it is? Put me off please!!!

Cape Blue

Ignore the doom and gloomers, the UK is still a great place to live - just depends upon your attitude to life.

The one downside of Spain is the difficulty in earning a decent living, many of those on BE are retired or sufficiently wealthy that earning a living that permits saving and pension planning is not a worry.

Some people find a way to make it work, but it is certainly more difficult than the UK, even if you are fluent.

Good luck.

sarahchirles

Thanks.

I don't think I have lost anything.

But maybe in 10 years later? I love Spain but it can't provide me with a living at the moment.



I have really tried for 3 yrs, so maybe PLAN B!

silverchick

Call me a doom and gloomer if you like, but you only have to read any U.K paper, or see the news tyo get a rough idea of where the country is heading.... and its not on the up, whichever way you care to look at it.
I would hardly be making a move to another country if I thought this one was wonderful now would I?
I have lived abroad before, and came back, mainly because I missed family, most of which are now on another plane , and coming back is a decision I have regretted ever since.
I am 42.... ok, 43 in a couple of weeks, and really worry about the future for my kids, one of which is staying here.
Yes, the U.K is a beautiful place, if you are lucky enough to be able to afford to live in a decent area, we would have loved to move to the West country, but the tax situation means we can no longer afford to live in our country, not live and be able to afford to do many of the things we would like to do, or afford to buy a decent sizable property, as we will be able to do in Spain.

Cape Blue

Pretty much any stat you want to look at shows that all developed countries are pretty similar when it comes to crime, immigrants, tax etc. Arguments from the trash media based on these subjects are a waste of time.

If you fancy a change of culture or like more sun, then these are valid arguments for living abroad. If you are trying to get away from tax, crime, immigrants or any other of the whinges of the media then you are fooling yourself.

The one advantage of moving to a lower cost country is the one-off uplift due to the sale of the more expensive UK property, this helps many move up a step in relative property and location and makes it seem like the overseas country is better - it isn't, they have just moved up a notch.

Maz

Just having a quick nose in to this forum.

When I was in France I taught elementary English one-on-one to schoolchildren. I just advertised by word-of-mouth and it was strictly cash-in-hand. It was some nice pocket money, and seeing these kids' English improve was really gratifying! I'm not qualified to teach English, or anything else for that matter.

You could do something like that, or teach elementary Spanish to Brits who are relocating!

Best of luck in whatever you choose to do.

(and don't go back to the UK, you'll regret it!)

montgomail

I'm with Cape Blue - the UK is still a great place to live. It is part of the ex-pat psyche to run down the country they've left (or about to leave). Why, I don't know. Maybe it helps to justify whatever serious decisions have been made.

Which part of the UK would you be going back to?

TruBrit

and i'm going to chime in here, the UK certainly is a great place to live and i'm with you, not sure why peeps have to run it down, same with the media....

anyway, good luck with your decision sarah

silverchick

i think you'll find it a succession of disastrous governments that have run it down, and a general change in the 'culture' of the inhabitants of certain areas, you are welcome to your opinions, and i have mine.Which is why i'm off, and you may choose to stay.

montgomail

Silver: I have the best of both worlds as I live in the UK and visit Spain loads. I love the UK. I have family and friends and enjoy my work. I also love Spain but can see that it has all the same social problems that we have here. In fact, when I take the trouble to follow the political set up in Spain, I find it quite worrying that I have a vested interest in such a complex country.

TruBrit

yes, it's good we are all not the same.....just curious, have you ever lived abroad?

silverchick

if you read my first post again, i did say that yes, i have lived abroad before, in the States, and only came back because my then husbands work visa expired and it was going to take at least 4 years to get a green card, i could not work there legally and so we came back, as i said before, a decision i have regretted ever since.
i hope we can eventually have the best of both worlds, in our dotage we hope to split the time between the two countries.