We're thinking about.......
 

Hello to all,
Many apologies as i'm sure this has been asked numerous times but could anyone give me/us a few opinions....?? My wife and I are thinking of moving to Spain with our two kids (15 & 7 yrs), dogs, cat, motorbikes and all the rest of our 'stuff'. I would continue to work here in the UK in my current job where I work shifts, 3 weeks on and 1 week off (travelling 'back home' to Spain for my week off). With the strategic use of holidays I can reverse the '3 & 1' giving me 3 weeks off and 1 week on.
We would be looking to buy a habitable Finca or something similar, hopefully without a mortgage hanging over our heads. Are there any Pros and Cons between Northern, Central and Southern Spain...??
The only potential 'downsides' that i can see are the Healthcare and education issues. Our son (7yrs) has Aspergers syndrome and although in mainstream schooling has a particular gift for numbers and maths in general which requires nuturing. Would private schooling be appropriate/better for him??
I could go on and on but will leave it there for now.....thanks in advance for any advice.
Dave and Nik.:)

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

I'd be more concerned with your 15 yo at this stage, s/he must be in the middle of GCSEs and would have to attend an international school to continue them - then of course it would have to be the right international school if you wanted to make sure that the course work done so far is the same!!???

As for house buying??? Hhhhmmm, that could be another "can of worms"

Apart from that, why dont you come over and have a good look around and see what you think and investigate some of your plans

Jo xxx

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Well, the upside iirc is that you will be a UK resident still, whilst your family become Spanish residents. But because you are still paying into the UK system you will still be able to claim your child allowance and if I'm not mistaken will still be able to access the NHS. Jojojojojojojoj knows more about that side of things

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Yes, that side of things is good. The commute is do-able and as you will have an address in the UK and paying into their system you can still claim NHS cover via the INHC and of course child allowance - TOP TIP: The claimant of the child allowance MUST be the parent who is working in the UK - not the one who is in Spain! I had to swap with my OH when we moved here, I cant claim it, but he can!

Jo xxx

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Thanks for the info. I did not even consider that I would remain a UK citizen... what implications does this have for my wife and the kids..?? Our daughter (15yrs) will continue with her GCSE's here until completed so there is only the 'little fellas' schooling to concern ourselves with.
Cheers, dave.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

you would all still be UK citizens

you would a UK resident & your wife & children residents of Spain

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Thanks. So with regards to my wife and children being UK citizens but residents in Spain would that have any pros/cons..??
I appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions as i know that the answers to all of them are probably on this page somewhere. Over the next couple of months we will become more 'clued-up' - I promise.
We are both 'chuffed to bits' that the actual plan itself of me commuting to and from Spain hasn't been dismissed - do many others do it...??
Cheers, dave.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

You would all, always be UK citizens unless you chose not to be (if you follow) so the question doesn't really arise.

Where you live decides residency and with you 'choosing' to be UK resident, this has many advantages not least of which health care.

I would strongly recommend renting first. This would allow you to help decide area and, indeed, whether Spain in the current climate is for you a s a family.

Best of luck.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

my OH commutes to the US!!

he goes for 2-3 weeks then comes back for 4-6!

they would need to be residents to access schooling - but there are no real pros/cons in their situation - it's just something you have to do - sign the list of residents

they can't become Spanish citizens in any case - well, not for 10 years, anyway.............

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

I think you may be confusing him - you don't need to be a Spanish citizen to get into a Spanish school (as per your last sentence).

or is it me who's confused???

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

You need to be within striking distance of a very busy airport with regular daily flights throughout the year to your destination in the UK.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Please forgive my ignorance but how does the fact that we would all be UK citizens impact the Healthcare issue...??
Cheers, dave.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

oops!!:o

I have edited it now - thanks for pointing it out:thumbup:


4 hours sleep - at La Xara hospital with my dad till 3am!!!

he's been dozing in the chair all day today while I've been trying to get all sorts of stuff organised

I'm ready for bed................but he wants to stay up for Arsenal on the tele

I'm winning this one:frown:

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

You are getting as little confused. You and your family will always be UK citizens / passport holders unless of course you decide to take another citizenship in another country.

We are talking residence here.

If you were all to move to Spain then you would have to sign on the list of foreigners here (otherwise called residency). That would mean that you were no longer residents of the UK, and because of that you would no longer have access to the NHS, have difficulty opening new bank accounts there etc etc.

You would also have no access to health cover here in Spain, because you are not (a) retired (b) working here

However you are retaining your UK residency and your family will become Spanish residents. As such, as your dependents they are still elibible for certain UK benefits as long as you are contributing to the system there (as detailed above by JoJo)

Dont confuse residency and citizenship, they are two different things

You will be different

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

This is how it works for us (I think I've got it right LOL??)! All of us are UK citizens, the children and I are residents in Spain and have a green certificate with our NIE numbers to prove it (This needs to be obtained as soon as your wife is living here as she will need that NIE number to be able to make any large purchases). Everything in Spain is in my name, not my husbands! He is simply a visitor as he is never here for more than ten days and isnt here for more than 183 days a year (the taxable time of residency). If any of us need to see a doctor in Spain, we have our EHIC cards which we are able to have and use for up to two years after my husband/the childrens dad stops paying into the UK system - which he hasnt yet. Thats why he can claim child benefit in the UK, but I cant. And if he ever stops paying NI in the UK, the child benefit stops!

We live fairly close to Málaga airport at this end and we still have our UK house which is fairly close to Gatwick. Flights arent too bad, there are daily flights by someone or other and generally they're fairly cheap - in fact its cheaper to fly to Malaga than for my husband to drive to work, park and drive back when he's in the UK. The flight time is only 2 1/2 hours and he only ever brings hand lugguage. We probably see more of him than when we were in the UK cos when he's here, he is actually here and not flitting off to work.

Jo xxx

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Firstly. The difference between Nth,Cent and Sth.I think it all depends on what you want from your time here? Not so many like the Nth because weather is to similar to UK, Cent is as is says central, Capital and good transport links, Sth sunshine lots of expats.
The other main concern would be your 7 year old. You say you want a Finca that may pose a problem getting to and from school daily and if in a more rural area would determine the amount of support for your child as rural schools tend to have less staff (and qualified) to give the extra support your child may need.
I have friends near Barcelona and their child gets great support from the school. It isn't to cold in winter,shorter flight time for you but expensive to buy.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

I personally would look at an international/private school for your son, simply because you (unless you speak good spanish)would be able to communicate better with the teachers and staff and you'd understand what they will do to help. And of course it would make like easier for your son to be in an english speaking environment!

Jo xxx

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

That would depend on the school. Autism exists in Spain also and it could be that a school as you suggest does not have the staff qualified in this area.
Aspergers has many levels from mild to severe and it may be that learning a foriegn language may actually be of benefit.
I'm sure as his parents you are best placed to know where his strengths and weaknesses lie in that area.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Not so sure it's possible to give an answer to this. For example, what is meant by north? For example the areas around Leon or Valladolid are central north, but get a more continental climate as the Cantabrian mountain range shields them from the Atlantic. Or they could be described as "central", which is a vast area. Also certain parts of the north tend to have a different language/culture (eg the Basque country, Galicia, Catalunya etc)

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts/opinions. ;)
We have decided to buy somewhere that needs renovating and take our time doing so whilst keeping our home here. This eases the problem of the kids education as by the time we're finished 'the boy' may even be at Uni......
With regards to where in Spain, now schooling is not an issue, we pretty much have 'carte blanche' although links from the NW of England to the NW of Spain are poor. I have just noticed the 'cave houses' around Huescar and being from the original 'Star Wars' generation feel the need to buy one and wear a bath robe all day whilst battling the kids with our plastic lightsabers.....now to try and convince my wife.....:blink:

Cheers, Dave.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Hmmmmm ... you need some expert advice if considering Cave Houses. I've stayed in the cave houses of Huescar several times, and also have met Angel (the guy who markets them. I also know someone who lives in Huescar.

You know where it is ..... i.e. in the middle of nowehere

Cave Houses of Huescar

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Ah, so this was just a fancy rather than a serious proposition.
Many have moved here on a fancy and come seriously unstuck. Glad you won't be one of them.
Fancies are good kept in perspective. All the best.

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

But you have to start somewhere! A "fancy" if investigated and explored thoroughly may work and thats what forums like this are for!

Jo xxx

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

Where did I say it wasn't. Get off my case:frown:

Re: We're thinking about.......
 

I thought we were offering advice to someone who asked for it. I'm not in the business of getting on anyones case :huh:

Jo