moving abroad

hi there i am thinking about moving out to spain with my husband and 3 children, i have never looked into this before and have not got a clue where to start. I do not have property here in england so would beable to make the move straight away. I am looking to rent a property long term until i am in a financial position to buy my own property. If anyone can give me a few ideas and tips on this move i would be very grateful. Many thanks Nikki

Hi Nikki and welcome to the forum.  You have asked what many have asked here before, and your best start would be to read all the threads on here - it will take time but most areas have been well explored so is well worth doing.

Big issues:

• Most people coming out find it very hard to make a living in the current economic climate so, unless you have particular skills then you will struggle to make ends meet.  You will need about 2 years's worth of money coming out if you can't get work easily. 
• When there are children involved then it makes any move much more complex and you need to think of their ages and whether they could cope with spanish schools or you would need to pay for an international school - lots of threads on this one.
• Learn spanish!
• Think about what kind of area you want - to be with other Brits or in a more Spanish environment?  Easier to get work on the coast and lots of cheap housing both to rent ant to buy
• Come out for a holiday first before you make the big step of choosing an area

Hope that helps but, as I said, all these areas have been well explored on the site, so have a good look round.  Do let us know how you get on!

Hi Nikki

Have you been to Spain on holiday?  Which area are you thinking of moving to?  How old are your children?  Sorry for the questions, but it will make it easier for people to give you advice.  Claire, by the way, has said exactly what I would have said if I had seen your post first!

Good luck.

Sue

I think it would be disaterous to move to Spain at the moment with 3 kids.  There's very little chance of you finding work here, especially in the coastal areas.  Unemployment is 20% at the moment, 3 times the UK rate.

I would put it on hold for 5 years and see if things have recovered.

Yes Nikki, not a good time to move here especially if you have to work.Are you and your husband both intending to work do you speak  spanish.At the moment quite a few Brits are having to return to England due to the lack of work especially if you are in the building trade,painter and decorater or electrition.Couples are finding it hard especially with the exchange rate it will be even harder with children.

I also think if you work and get on the Spanish system it will cost you about €240a month in deductions before you pay for other thinks.You need to also think of your childrens need,depending were you want to live and how old they are activities for children are very limited especially in the more rural areas.

I wish you luck if you do decide to move to Spain,but you really do need to come with some financial back up in case you dont find work. 

Hi Nikki

Sorry if we all sound negative, but as others have said times are tough in Spain at the moment,  Of course if you have a job lined up and/or have plenty of money, then your main worry will be how your children cope with the move.

John and I have retired here and fortunately, although we are not wealthy, we both have private pensions as well as the state pension to live on.  We do know people with families who live here and are surviving: one of them (a single Mum) teaches English in a local academy and she loves her life though money is very tight; another couple manage because they both work and the wife is Spanish too, which obviously helps.

Most of the Brits who live in and around Jumilla are enjoying their lives here, though a few people have said they can`t afford to sell up and move back to the UK in the current economic climate.  We have been living here for over two years and love our new lives in Spain - we only return to the UK when we have to!

Something that I don't think has been mentioned yet is the weather in Spain. We live inland (about one hour from the coast) and it can be extreme, with cold winters and very hot summers.  We don't get a lot of rain but when it rains the streets turn into rivers!

Another point worth mentioning is that some towns on the coast can be overcrowded in summer (maybe not so much this year!) and can be like ghost towns in winter, with lots of bars closed down.

Sue

Hi Suemac,didnt want to say to much about the weather,but like you we live in Mazarron and the weather can get very cold not only that the houses can be colder inside than out.We brits think of Spain being warm and sunny all year but thats not the case.July/August was unbearably hot we couldnt go out some days because of the tempratures and we have been in Spain 5 years

And one of our local shops are  advertising hot water bottles and electric blankets as christmas presents.

And yes some of the un tourist areas suddenly shut down from October till April,and while we adapt to that,with children it would be more difficult finding thinks to keep them occupied.

We didn't realise how cold it can get in Spain in winter, though it is still a few degrees warmer here than in London, and we usually see the sun.  We are lucky because we have a large sliding glass door leading onto our balcony, so the sun shines through it and heats up the living room in winter!  In summer we leave the door open when we are at home, and we get a through breeze, which keeps the room fairly cool.  We actually bought a hot water bottle last winter!!!

Jumilla is a very Spanish working town, the main industry being wine, so it is busy throughout the year, which you really need when living somewhere rather than just visiting on holiday.

The whole point about moving abroad is that an area that suits one person might not suit another, so you have to bear that in mind when people ask for recommendations.  We enjoy living inland, but some people might hate it.  It is important to speak at least a bit of Spanish here, as many people don't know any English.

Sue