I've just found this site and been avidly reading many of the forum conversations, as well as articles on the main site, and other on-line resources.

I'm looking for some points of view, tips and experiences that might guide me in making a decision as to location, facilities, employment, and preparation.

I'm an I.T. Architect (develop new Internet-related technology and services) in the U.K.
Provided I have a good Internet connection I can work from home.

I have been asked to relocate to California (Silicon Valley) but I want to make my life less (not more) intense, but I do *need* to move somewhere hotter and more relaxed for my health and sanity!
The suggestion of the move to CA got me thinking of where in Europe I could go that would give me a good climate but less work-stress.

Currently I'm investigating the triangle comprising the Costa del Sol, across to Sevilla and down to Cádiz.

My intention would be to rent a house/apartment (or even share to expose me to the language) whilst I get the feel of the place and bring my language and cultural skills up to standard, and then use my new local knowledge to find a permanent home.

I'm free to move whenever I want and don't have any family or property ties to dictate my timetable.

I feel that, at least to begin with, I'd benefit from working for an employer because it should force the pace of my integration into the Spanish way of life and expose me to the business culture. I'm looking at the jobs on several web-sites recommended here.
I would probably switch to being self-employed later - anyone with experience of this?

My preference is for hot rather than temperate climate (lived in Florida for 3 years and that was almost perfect - could have been hotter ), rural rather than city-centre (born and bred on a 1,000 acre farm), minimal work commute (currently its 30-seconds from bed to office ).

Here's a few questions I have right now:

1. What are typical working hours/days ?
2. What is the cost of living (typically monthly bills) ?
3. How widespread are cable/DSL Internet connections, what speeds can be expected, and is there a monopoly provider or is the market relatively open as in the U.K. ?
4. What towns/cities are best for I.T. jobs suitable for an English person relocating ?
5. Are there implications for working and also running on-line businesses (employed + self-employed) ?
6. Are there expectations based on U.K. living that don't apply in Spain (I've read of an issue with electric meters, for example!) ?
7. What legal steps are required to live/work and when do they kick-in (I know the E.U. citizen bit, but understand there are financial and residency permits ) ?

Looking forward to your observations

Hi,

Welcome to the forum, I am in a very similar position to you and some of the questions you asked i'd also like to get to know the answer to.
Im also moving out to the Costa Del Sol area (not sure where abouts yet, perhaps around málaga.
I work in IT Support and would be looking for an IT roll out there too.

From my own resaerch thus far I can tell you:

1. Seems to be pretty similar in the UK but the spanish have the tradition of closing at lunch time and reopening when its cooled down a bit. Though on the Costa Del Sol this doesnt really seem to happen. (Correct me if im wrong, just observations from when ive been on holiday there)
2. There was a thread about this. Basically council tax seems a lot lower, like 300€ a year. Gas and electric seem about the same as the UK. But with the longer daylight hours and hotter weather you may not need as much! But rent is pretty high too. Probably looking at about 400€ rent for a small studio on the costa. House prices are very high too.
3. There seems to be a few providers of ADSL. Telefonica is the main telephone provider and when you order a line you must state you want ADSL. Things dont happen quickly though from what i've read! I think youre OK with ADSL in the main costa areas but out in the sticks you may have trouble. It doesnt seem as widespread as it is in the UK.
4. No idea. Though apparantly theres quite a lot of jobs in Gibraltar. Its possible to live in spain and work in Gibraltar so you might want to be in a commutable distance to there. But best bet is find somewhere ok, then look for a job, you could always move closer to the job.
5. No idea.
6. Not sure what you mean. Gas generally isnt piped around like we have, you get gas bottles.
7. I believe you should apply for residencia, that gives you a national insurance number, you also need to tell the inland revenue youve left the country otherwise your income from your spanish job could be taxed in the UK. Correct me if im wrong.. someone please elaborate on this one (something i need to find out swiftly aswell!)


You lived in florida. lucky you!

Keep in touch, we could be around the same area and as Im also in I.T we could probably help each other out. I move out there on April 23rd.

To the OP ...sorry, can't help whatsoever, as in Australia ....but brill name

Wow guys/gals, thanks, I didn't expect replies so rapidly!

To CasG: it does seem to get noticed. Its based on a quotation that came about on the net which basically goes...
To onlineamiga - thanks for info, thats a great start for me. I was going to reply to another thread by Keri where you posted but it seemed better for now to focus on my own priorities. I've just looked at a few of your other posts here - I love how you're just heading out there (something I'm half-inclined to do!)

I'm treating it as an adventure. I know my long-term objectives but between now and then there's a lot of fun to be had

How's your spanish language skills? Mine are zilch but fortunately I'm a quick learner and do seem to absorb language and culture better when I'm immersed.

My reference to electric meters was based on a thread I read this morning where someone had bypassed the meter and been found out - and in the explanations it appears that houses directly connected to the mains power in the street without any meter are common-place in the native community!

Its the kind of thing you don't really think to look out for when looking at properties

LOL

If you end up in the Costa Del Sol then join my meetup group or give me a shout because we are probably like minded. I too am going out there to avoid the horrible 9 to 5 office working for a bti with long term objective in getting something decent. To just have the hotter sunny weather is great. The only few days it happens in the UK and im usually stuck in working. At least there i know that many weekends are going to be full of sun and warmth. And ist still warm at 7pm at night and stuff. If you want the heat I do recommend the costa del sol or costa blanca. Some of the mountanous areas arent quite as hot in spain.

As for the electric meter thing, i havnt heard of that. One thing i did hear of, and i dont know if this is commonplace in the UK, but ifyou hang a white towel out of your car window then it shows that you have a medical emergency and if police see you zooming down the road then they help you out rather than pull you over because of the signal. That could have been useful in the UK when i was getting my other half to the hospital quickly due to asthma attack. Speaking of which.. [starts new thread]

I've decided my motto is going to be the hotter the better I notice the position of Marbella is roughly 36.5N 5W, which is still about 10° more northerly than FL so I'm going to focus on the area running from around Marbella up to Málaga.

It looks like I'll be joining the 'office' crowd in-as-much-as I've been farm-based this past few years after I gave up the commute so its going to require a bit of discipline for me - although I'm sure the quality of life will still be better.

Another Question for those in the know

What is the mobile phone situation like (3G network, coverage, contracts, typical costs, etc.) ?

I have a Sony Ericsson K800i on contract with Vodafone and wondering if it will be possible to transfer the contract to a local Vodafone operation, and whether it is worth it?

Hi IN and welcome.

Not sure about the answer to your question, but here's the Vodafone Espana site in English. Maybe you can find some answers there.

M

If you like hot why not try Seville? Temperatures regularly reach 45ºc - 50ºc in the summer. Most sevillians leave seville during the summer and spend their time on the coast where it is about 10º cooler.

MnM: thanks, I've taken a look. Seems like the English-language section is geared to visitors that want to use roaming. There is a basic coverage map but it doesn't seem to indicate 3G/2.5G differences, if any.

I'm sure I'll sort it out - communications is my key requirement so I'm figuring on mobile phone for voice (going to be out enjoying the place most of the time!) and fast Internet of some kind for data/VoIP/video.

Keith: thanks, I didn't know that! I guess being land-locked explains those kind of extremes of temperature.

I'd rather be very near the coast, even if I have to sacrifice 10° of hotness, because I'm into water-sports. I rarely get chance to do them these days aside from on the reservoir here, so I'm figuring this is a chance to change all that.

Anyone know if there is an active amateur football league in the area? Surely with all these ex-pats there must be some that play too?

Vodaphone in the Uk wouldn't let me transfer to Vodaphone Espana which I was a little miffed about.
My phone bill in Spain is only about 12 euros a month, whereas my contract UK phone costs me £30 a month inc 200 min of calls!

Mitzyboy: thanks, that's what I kinda expected but you never know - sometimes you do get real customer service!
Did you replace the U.K. 'phone with a new Spanish one, or were you able to simply buy a Spanish SIM+contract for your existing 'phone?

Do you know what the data charges are like? And, is 3G widespread?

Thanks to all the great tips around I've been tracking down how to obtain an N.I.E. before leaving the U.K.

The Spanish Consulate in London gives details of the process.

The one issue I'm wondering about is this:

If you haven't yet sorted out somewhere to live, or intend travelling for a while (I'm thinking of living out of hotels for a couple months), is there a procedure to give some kind of forwarding address for the Spanish address that form EX-14 (download here) requires under DOMICILIO A EFECTOS DE NOTIFICACIONES ?

IN,

Movistar is the biggest provider in Spain. They have a website but it's only in Spanish. Maybe you can translate the site on Alta Vista. Although the translation is usually crappy, you can get an idea of the contracts they are offering.

Last year we got a contract with them and the Motorola RAZR was free. The catch was that contract was a minimum of €90 monthly charge, but since it's used for business, we easily exceed that on a monthly basis.

There are alot of offers on their website. It wouldn't hurt to have a look.

If you wanted to keep your present phone, unlocking it is easy enough. Then you would only need to obtain a SIM contract and get a cheaper package.

M

PS. Forget the unlock link thingie.......it's for Nokia's.....but I'm sure there's something similar for Sony's out there