Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

Hi Everyone,

Im thinking of moving from the uk to spain i have not chosen a region as of yet but im wondering what would be the best location for me as a 40 year old male. Im also thinking of driving over with my 4x4 so i can lodge inside it until i can get set up fully. Can any advise any input you tink i may need please for this move is it easier to drive via france or to ferry direct to santander etc etc.Also what would be my chances of finding work out there i can pretty much put my hand to anything i currently run andown my own landscape garden services bussiness with success for 6 years now.

regards

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

My concern with what you say is that you do not say anything about your Spanish expertise, if you do not speak Spanish fairly fluently then you are likely to have big problems with finding work, with you 'qualifications' and I put that in inverted commas as you do not seem to really have any, then all you are likely to get a very low paid temporary jobs, if you go to an area where there are plenty of expats, then you will be competing with hundreds of others competing in a somewhat dwindling market, with Brexit looming and people being very uncertain as to their future in Spain, the number of expats may well become a lot less. You also need to have healthcare covered and prove a certain amount of funds to allow you to become official, if you did start up as self employed remember Spain loves it's red tape, and you would be paying an amount every month to be self employed even if you earned nothing. If you have no ties to the UK, and sufficient funds to last a year or so and to pay to have your vehicle re registered there, then go for it, but do NOT sever ties too the UK, ensure you do have a bolthole to get back to if everything doesn't work out.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

ok thank you i have 20 grand savings in cash hopefully that may set me up and ill be looking for a half and half area to live in half english half spanish i speak basic spanish and i wont be looking for self employment ill be looking for employed what is te basic wage in spain please ?

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

Basic will depend where you are and what you do. Many people are happy to earn €1000 a month, or to have a job at all.


Like in any country most work is in the city. As a landscape gardener you obviously work where you get a job but plenty of competition in that area too. You'd have to focus on areas (climate) where people actually have gardens that need landscaping, or grass to be cut.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

No idea over basic wage, but you will need to ensure that your job has a legal contract to ensure that you will qualify for the Spanish Healthcare system. Please be aware that unemployment in Spain is very much higher than it is in the UK, and to get the better jobs I'm afraid that your Spanish might well have to be better than basic. Some idea of the type of job you want would be helpful, remember that a lot of the lower paid jobs are 'on the black' with no coverage for social security payments, but just 'cash in hand' and many of these go to relatives of the owners, there is a lot more of the 'who you know/are related to' in Spain than the UK

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

ok thanks for the advice im actually looking at taking a u turn on my job and searching for more simple work like a supermarket something like that i should find that anywhere right

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

I doubt you'll find it easier working in a supermarket. Again lots of Spanish people wanting any kind of work. The higher paying supermarkets have many applicants and otherwise just temp contracts with low pay.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

ok wow it sounds promising then lol

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

but thanks for your honest thoughts and input its better then having flase hope hey

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

As always it's not impossible but if you look at the world today, it's very hard to make a living with non skilled employment and even working in a supermarket you need skills.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

also you will be unlikely to get a wage that will allow you to live well, most people working in supermarkets will be one of a couple earning, and/or living at home so they have no home related expenses, and this is the norm in Spanish families.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

aww i see thank you ... im wondering what kind of work i should look for i mean ill have no overheads at all only desiel costs because ill be living in my 4x4 until i feel settled and wanting to commit to a rental scary i know i dont know if im crazy for doing this. im thinking warm sun sea baths bbq meals sounds fun. but really am i using common sense here or just living wild ?

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

i have just gone trough a bad breakup you see so i dont know if im thinking logicail maybe i should ease of and think about things more clear before i jump in

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

I really suspect you have extremely rose tinted glasses on here, for one thing you will NOT be allowed to live in your 4x4 even on an campsite, you will, almost certainly need a physical address to get any sort of official documentation, even private healthcare.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

ok thanks

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

You have made a sensible start by joining the forum and asking questions so continue with your research and when you have loads of details to hand weigh up the pros and cons and then make an intelligent informed decision.

Unfortunately there are a lot of unemployed Spanish people so this will limit the opportunities available to anyone moving over so it can be quite risky on the other hand some people take a chance and fall into something quickly.

Good luck with whatever happens in the future.

Rosemary

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

It sounds more like a small adventure holiday you need to recover from your breakup. Spain has regulations like any other country and day to day living is not just sun & bbqs all day unfortunately.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

thanks guys and girls ... your advice is importent :) thank you

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

Nobody wants to put a dampener on your plans, unfortunately it is the day to day realities that force us to take stock sometimes. Your first problem would be access to healthcare - your EHIC card will only get you so far, and only for so long before you need to pay for private health insurance and without a fixed, permanent address it is unlikely that anyone will cover you. Also, the longer it takes before you settle enough to register in one particular area, the longer it will be before you qualify to 'buy-in' to the Spanish healthcare system and do away with insurance costs. General work is hard to come by, many Spanish workers leave their family and homes for the Summer in pursuit of seasonal work - so don't expect it to be easy to find a job - especially if you don't speak Spanish.


My advice - take the truck and give yourself a long road-trip to experience Europe and see what life might be like away from home. You never know you might just stumble onto a way of life that suits in the here and now or, at the very least, it will give you a better insight into what part of Spain/ Europe you might like to make home.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

Why give up your successfull business to live in the back of your vechile in a country with mass unemployment you dont know, dont speak the lingo, have no income and just hope you will find a job ?

Actually you may well succeed.... In my experience those that come with little, live out of the back of a van, are willing to integrate with the right people, often succeed.

If you really want to try it I second Kierons advice.

Best of luck

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

Its very unlikely you will find any kind of work even if you speak fluent Spanish, ever thought of having the winter in Spain relaxing and working in the UK for the summer months? much more feasible if you have no ties.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

Hi Apple.
Sounds like you just need an adventure. Why not give yourself half of your savings and see how long you can live off that then go home and plan your new life? Wherever that may turn out to be. Best wishes.

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

Take time to think about your options - don't give up a successful business on the back of a bad break up. Travel, explore, heal and whatever you need to do to get over things. Go to Spain and see the reality of what is available and what it would take to have a good life there. Whatever you decide - good luck!

Re: Thinking of a move to Spain any advice please
 

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