lyric030250

Why does this forum attract so many "I want to move to Spain" threads?
I can't find such a proliferation anywhere and against a similar proliferation of negative advice.

lynnxa

it's not just here - other busy forums do too - & if the members are honest in the advice they give, then the advice will be the same, too

tommy.irene

It seems that people dont read the other threads or dont believe them and want you to tell them .. come quick its so cheap to live here and you can get all the work you want..

teuchterpete

Or could it be that people on this forum just give honest advice?

Rosemary

If you look in the Welcome Inn you will see that the vast majority of people seem to want to move to Canada or Australia.

Rosemary

Mitzyboy

Maybe people have lost track of the fact that forums like these are used by people who actually want to move abroad.

It's where I came to when I was doing my research. And yes, I probably did ask much the same questions that others had asked before me, but the difference was that back in those days people answered with friendly honest and helpful advice.

These days you are more likely to be told to use the search function.

Rosemary

You were doing your research around the same time as Graham did his and he always said the same, helpful constructive advice, friendly forum but alas it fails quite often now.

Rosemary

tommy.irene

Be honest now a lot of people want to hear how great it is to move to Spain and then you tell them the truth they dont want to know.. I have allways said come over for a month and see for themselves whats happing..

steviedeluxe

The "running a bar" question seems to pop up quite often. Would it be possible to have a sticky - the initial part would point out that most here think it's a bad idea, as trade is seasonal, very few make money, rents can rise etc etc. Then there would be advice on the autonomo payments, legal situation, contract necessities etc That way any new posts asking the question could be pointed in the direction of that sticky.

lynnxa

I think one difference is that when you, Graham & Mitzy were asking your questions Spain was still an easy destination - OK - in your situation with an income there would still be no reason for anyone to discourage you, even now in the depths of the recession

I didn't find the forum until after we moved here, but I'm sure if I had been asking questions in 2003 I would have been encouraged to come over with my 2 kids & 'have a go' - in fact I'm sure I gave that advice to people for a few years after that, myself

if I was asking in 2012 about taking a chance with 2 little kids in tow - the most helpful advice I could be given surely would be 'don't do it!!'

Rosemary

I think that you have hit the nail on the head with that but people then did not say do a search, they tended to respond with information so I wonder if members are getting quite jaded with the negativity in Spain and it is affecting their posts.

Saying about everyone being friendly and helpful I have remembered that I was jumped on soundly for a very positive post by two very friendly and helpful members who told me that I did not know what I was talking about because I did not have to work in the heat (it was August).

Rosemary

lynnxa

I think you could be right about members getting jaded - maybe not by the negativity in Spain - but perhaps by the way we sometimes get jumped on for being honest

I've seen comments here & on other forums along the lines of 'oh you just want to keep it to yourselves' - 'how can it be as bad as the UK........... at least the sun shines there?'

a year or so back, posters from the UK maybe could have been for¡given for not knowing/believing how bad it was getting here, but it IS on the news & in the newspapers in the UK now........ yet still they don't believe us


we had a poster on another forum - a property agent from my town who was only there to 'big it up' so that she could attract rich buyers - she was adamant that the recession wasn't affecting Jávea at all

I suggested that she pop into the town one day to volunteer at one of the soup kitchens, then she'd see how the people of the town were affected

ah she said - but that's not expats - the expats are all doing fine thanks very much

in actual fact a lot of people using the soup kitchens & getting food help from Caritas are expats

I don't actually think that 'telling it as it is' is negativity.........it's just honesty

Rosemary

I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that the Spanish people are experiencing such negativity in their lives and that this is bound to have a knock on effect to ex-pats perceptions. The Javea you live in now must surely be very different from the Javea that you originally moved to, it must somehow feel different.

My town feels different but I am hard pressed to put my finger on it apart from maybe the people are giving off negaitive vibes.

Agree with you that when we put negative posts on here we are being helpful by our honesty and that people who are hoping to move find this difficult to accept.

I am the first to say that I love where I live and that the people are wonderful etc but like you I believe in saying exactly the way it is and not encourage people to make a mistake by coming here if they have to work. You are established now so it is different for you now than it would be if you were attempting to set up as a new person and I think that you would be to first to agree that with the situation that Spain is in at the moment you would not move here with young children and risk trying to make a living.

We owe it to new members to continue to be honest with them and people like the property agent that you mentioned are a problem because they do not provide a true picture.

Rosemary

jackytoo

Hmmm. I have some theories I often wonder why the circumstances are roughly the same too
The forum is much better now, informative and honest and not full of people with vested interests

lynnxa

yes you're right, it does feel very different here to 9 years ago, although to the casual visitor it looks better now that it did then

there are still new shops bars & restaurants opening up all the time - far more frequently in fact, which shows just how quickly they go under & change hands

there are still people coming here to live from the UK & elsewhere, but mostly now they are either retired or do have something like an online business giving them a good income - or at least a big enough nest-egg to keep them going for a few years

those of us who have been here quite a while who need to work are mostly established now, as you say - & there are less of us now, so less competition, so for some of us the recession is good - my timetable is almost full to bursting already - & I still have some enquiries which I haven't firmed up yet !

but I ( and the other business owners I am friendly with ) know it could all end tomorrow - & we are mostly living week to week & month to month - any savings we had are long gone

there are less expat families with children here now - in my 16 year old's class this year she is the only brit - those who went through school with her don't live in Spain any more