emmaboo

ello everyone i am a 32 year old single mum,
i was hoping for some advice on moving to spain for 6 months in april 2012,
i would like a english community as it would be just me and my 2 children my son is 14 and my daughter is 16 months, i wouldnt need to work for this time, so it would be for a long hoilday to get the feel of the place before ia bigger commitment, would welcome advice on evrything from apartments to rent from 700 euro to state secondary schools to baby drop inns to making english friends thanks guys xx emma

Rosemary

As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let us know if you need any further help.

Rosemary and Graham

fionamw

Hello and welcome; good idea to try it first, but does your 14 year old speak Spanish? Or were you planning to homeschool for April-end June? Your 14 month old would slot in no probs at a guarderia if that was what you chose to do. Have you already given a thought to where you want to be? It sometimes helps folk know if they can help with advice or not!

missile

I would not interupt a 14 year old boys schooling for a 6 month vacation.

Chiclanagir

Your son would only get about 3 months schooling before the long Spanish school holidays and without knowing Spanish it is unlikely he would learn very much in that time anyway. What were your ideas for making a living? Very few jobs around for a non Spanish speaker.

amideislas

First, welcome to Spain...

The rents may be cheaper here, but be prepared to pay a lot more for other stuff.

Bear in mind that the utility companies do not have much competition (and the competition they do have legally colludes with them anyway).

There is less consumer protection from gross misrepresentation in Spain than in other countries.

For example, the widely advertised €29.95 per month all-inclusive flat-rate for internet and telephone will be likely charged at €50, €60, or more per month, regardless of what they put in writing on their website, in an email, or tell you over the phone as you place your order.

There is little recourse for this. The Spanish equivalent of OFT is largely impotent against blatent misrepresentation - especially when large, powerful companies are the perpetrator.

The larger utility companies hold a licence to impose whatever charges they wish - and force you to pay it.. Up to a reasonable limit that isn't blatently outrageous, but they will collect €1000's in overcharges out of you over time - €10 euros here, €50 euros there.... Most people just learn to get used to it. To fight it is simply too complex and overwhelming. You will find the bureacracy to be stunning.

You will be amazed at how car dealers and car repair shops will routinely misrepresent everything. Car dealers routinely and blatently lie to you about the car they are selling you. Major car repair shops will routinely claim that they had to replace every possible gadget on your car to repair it (only when the repair is finished and you are given a bill that causes you a heart attack) - and some will even drain the fuel out of your tank as an added bonus. A repair job that will cost you 100 quid in the UK can easily cost you €1000 here, and the full tank you brought the car in with will often be empty when you pick it up. But there's little you can do about it, and it's completely normal.

Spain is not quite civilised yet. So keep that in mind for your planning of move.

snikpoh

Wow, who's bitter and twisted then!!

Spain is clearly not for you!

amideislas

Really?

Telefonica's all-inclusive €29.95 flat rate is always billed at a minimum of €52 euros per month. Don't take my word for it. Look it up.

Endesa and Iberdrola routinely overcharge, beginning with their "estimado" billing, and they will resist at every opportunity to credit or refund once you've paid it. They will overcharge you and threaten to disconnect your supply if you refuse to pay their overcharges. Only recourse: Read your meter and cancel direct debit! Otherwise they'll get you...

I've never had a car repaired here without being forced to pay for unneccesary parts replacements and the associated labour. Just recently I had a broken tail light repaired on an old Fiesta. Naturally, they replaced not only the lamp and the lens, but also the entire lamp housing, fusebox and the turn signal switch on the steering column (neither of which were defective in any way). End cost: €700. No pay, no car. No recourse.

But luckily I brought the car to the shop with the tank empty. I learned about that previously when I took my Opel Tigre to the Opel dealer to have the cam belt replaced. I had just filled the tank minutes before I brought it in for repair. Naturally, they also replaced the ignition system and a number of other engine parts unrelated to the cam belt - and naturally, the tank was empty when it was returned to me.

But everyone I know says this is completely normal - and NEVER EVER EVER take your car to the repair shop (in spain) with a full tank.

Rosemary

I do not recognise the Spain you are talking about at all.

Rosemary

Unmutual

Your analysis of the utility companies isn't too far off the mark.

But I'm afraid your other assertions are completely bewildering, because in my six years here I've found quite the opposite.

If those are your experiences then I can only assume that you are immensely disliked by the Spanish because I've found them very genuine and welcoming.

missile

Fred James

I think you are painting a very negative view of living in Spain.

I am disputing that most of the things you refer to have not happened to you or others but it would be wrong to suggest that this is the norm.

For example I have never had an electricity bill that was estimated and they have been 100% correct over the last 13 years. As for competition, there has been a free market for electricity for at least 2 years. This really only applies to large (over 10kw) users but the reason that the normal domestic tariffs do not appear to have any competition is that the prices are indeed fixed - but not by some sinister cartel but by the government. Without government control there would be more competition but the cheapest tariffs would be much higher than the current controlled TUR tariffs.

Phone bills the same - albeit that the basic charges for ADSL with Telefonica can be more than their competitors but there advertised prices are exactly what you pay.

As for cars, I have only ever bought new but as far as servicing is concerned, with a main dealer, the quality of customer service is as good as anything I have had in the UK and the charges are considerably lower.

emmaboo

Hiya fiona,
i was going to place my son straight into a spanish state school although he does not speak spainish i thought that there would be other english speaking children in a area that has a big english community, or am i wrong in thinking that?
The areas i was considering was from torremilos along the coast to marbella, i have been told most of these areas are english but am not 100percent sure.
thank you .

Rosemary

I do not have children in school however I would expect a Spanish state school to teach in Spanish not English regardless of how many English children they have. Surely you would not expect a state school in England to teach in Spanish just because there are a number of Spanish children attending.

Rosemary

Fred James

If that was the case in the UK they would be looking at teaching in at least 50 different languages!!