m150

Hi guys & Girls,
I have done a lot of searching on this subject, and found a great deal of info, but was looking for some more up to date info on it.

I was wondering if things are looking any better on the job front in Gibraltar.

My Girlfriend and I love going to Spain & spent many days in Gib, even staying there for a week. I'm a (MSITP Certified) SQL DB Administrator/ systems admin and she works as an accountant.

We're not thinking of moving for another 7 months, just so that we can tie up some lose ends here in blighty, and make sure we have enough money to survive for about 10 months. Then if all fails we can come back and havent really lost out.

I would like to be employed before going, so any advice on doing this would be great Finding a well priced apartment would be another. There are no children involved (yet) and my parents live near fuengirola, so we're not too far from family.

Any general advice would also be welcome.

Thanks in advance

Mitzyboy

You're actually looking for accomodation in Gib?

Fredbargate

I haven't a clue what one of those is

However from an accommodation point of view the first thing to decide is are you going to live in Gib or Spain.

Gib is more expensive but involves less traveling / parking / time and thier relative costs.

Spain is generally cheaper.

With regards to travelling, if the PP get in at the next Spanish election then the frontier crossing will probably become a NIGHTMARE

m150

Yes we would be looking to rent in Gib for a few months while are settling in. i do love spain aswell but the border issues look quite frustrating. At weekends or holidays we can shoot of to my parents down the coast.

Fredbargate

Google "estate agents Gibraltar" and sit down whilst looking at the prices, however you may be able to haggle as the market is flat ( no pun intended ) at the moment

Word of mouth and company notice boards are very helpfull, but you need to be there first

Expect to pay in the region of £1000/pm for a reasonable two bedroomed flat.

m150

Thanks Fredbargate,
The prices are high by comparison, I've found a few good deals & have contacted the estate agent about them. Im willing to pay up to £800 per month. Im hoping that I wont have to go on as many holidays to spain if I was living (near) there, making a saving. **fingers crossed.

steviedeluxe

In the job area, I'd advise doing a DB2/other database admin course and getting some experience (or fabricating your cv!) in that area. Otherwise you'll be up against x number of other SQL dbas in the same area. It's safe to say you're not the only person who can export a table or convert data into olap cubes, but believe me the market is saturated. The big openings in Spanish IT are with Sap, so if you can move into that, you may have a better chance. Otherwise, try and get gambling industry experience, as it seems that those make up the majority of IT openings in Gib. If your experience is in other industries, you may have to settled for Madrid, which is where most IT jobs are. Look up your skill set on www.infojobs.net

tommyd

Hi m150

I live in Gibraltar and Spain.... Happy to help, please do fire away.... I also have a small interest in a Recruitment Company, if you have searched google you will have come across them...

Re the living in Gib/Spain argument, you will find out what works for you.. There are so man factors and you are the only one hat can make the choice... I started in Gib for 6 months and explored the surrounding areas of Spain at the weekend.. When we found somewhere we liked we moved there...

No we have a place in Gib for the week and a place in Spain for the weekend..

As other people have mentioned the market is flat and there are some nice brand new apartments coming on to the market...

Let me know if you have any questions..

m150

Steve thanks for some great advice. I already have exposure to other databases over the years, but would probably want to do a course in db2 and get it on my CV than trying to 'wing' a job

Getting into the gaming industry is a different matter and may not come easy. I'll have a look around and see what I can get into locally, if not I may have to think about relocating. No big drama though

Hey tommyd,
Thanks for the offer of help. I would love to live in spain, but I think it may not be that practical with the squeeze on the border. I'd like to rent for a while just to make sure I'm not making any mistakes & go to the family place at the weekend. As you say it is a buyers market and hopefully thats gonna work in my favour.