Hi All,

Thought this should be an interesting thread.

In your opinion, why do so many people fail to settle in Spain and return to the UK?

Poor planning?

Bad luck?

Living the "dream" is not such a dream?

Work?

Language?

No idea!

I think many just expect too much!

real life is not a permanent holiday (unless you're retired)- but you try telling newcomers, or people thinking of coming here

so many think that it is all sun , sea & sangria...........& yes there is a lot of that.......but if you have to support a family, daily life is not going to be so very different than in the UK - and the same holds true wherever you move to

A friend of mine bought into what I call 'the forever holiday' and found it boring so is looking to return.

Some cannot settle due to the language, inability to find work, cannot cope with the different lifestyle, relationships problems, illness of one of the family back in UK or just find that Spain is not how they expected it to be. I think you will find that there are as many reasons for returning as there are for coming here in the first place.

Rosemary

Lack of job/money, ill-health?

Ill health is an interesting one. Is Spain not generally regarded as having a faster/more efficient health service than the UK? Assuming National Insurance is being paid of course

Fantastic health service but sometimes when people are ill they want family and familiar language around them.

Rosemary

Makes sense

I reckon it's way better than in the UK

I was quite shocked when someone I know who has been here for nearly 3 years said they go to a different pharmacy for their inhaler every time..........pretending to be a tourist...........so that they could get it 'off prescription'

why they are not paying 'NI' here when they are here with 2 kids is beyond me

Your question raises another question Are they not paying NI because they choose not to (however stupid it may be) or are they stretched to the limits? Interesting indeed.

well they can afford all sorts of expensive activities for the kids............

Amazing what some people try and get away with...

I hate people who do not pay their dues because it means that others usually have to pay more or suffer in some way or other.

Rosemary

mind you they do have to pay about 50 euros whenever they go to the doctors

Good, that will teach them....no it probably will not..... I think you are either the sort of person who always makes sure that they are on the correct side of the law and pay your way or you flout everything and do not give a damn.

Rosemary

Interesting thread (the original one!).

My personal take on this is that some (many?) people (I'm talking about those below retirement age who need to make a living) come to Spain with often too vague, dreamy plans of being self-employed (pool cleaning, building, property management, airport runs, estate agent etc etc), running a bar, opening a B&B or a "Brit shop" etc.

Firstly, the majority have had no previous experience of being self-employed and therefore find it difficult to adjust to and manage without a regular monthly income, without sick/holiday pay and all the other cons of being self-employed. (Of course there are many pros to being self-employed too!).

Secondly, they have no previous relevant experience of the new "trade" they intend to ply and so have a very steep learning curve to climb. Combined with having to do it in a new environment, with different customs, and with a new language which many (IMHO) don't make the effort to learn (thus immediately restricting their ability to work/earn).

Thirdly, they don't fully realise the enormous extent of the competition for work in some geographical areas i.e. those favoured by many expats. Yes, there is a potentially bigger client base but also hundreds of others all offering the same services.

Fourthly, the interminable bureaucracy to be contended with and costs of setting up and operating any legal business, however small, can come as a real shock and can be the final straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back.

Many people come here thinking that they will have a standard of living on a par with that which they have been previously used to, plus have more spare time, plus be able to spend more quality time with partner/children and, in reality, that often doesn't happen. At least, not in the first 2/3 years of trying to make a go of things. Savings begin to dwindle alarmingly and panic sets in.

So, you have a doomed-to-almost-certain-failure scenario (in some cases) waiting to happen. Instead of "living the dream" many find it's more "living the nightmare" and so cut their losses and go "home" before it's too late to salvage anything of their previous existence.

Those are my thoughts anyhow, based purely on what I have seen so far!