moveing to spain

hi we are thinking of movein to spain had enough of england me and the wife age 50 lol we are hoping to rent somewhere hope we can find some brits lol to get to know the area we make our home and we hope to find a little bit of work im a plumber and joiner the wife would like to do a bit of cleaning and house work sick of the weather in britain does any one know if we will be able to get work out there and we dont want lots of money just enough to get bye and have a nice long sunny life in the sun

     mr mrs clarke

i

Hi Mr / Mrs Clarke

I would suggest before making such a major change in your lives through relocation to another country, that you firstly spend a considerable amount of time researching things and have a clear idea of what you want and where you want to be. Key points to consider:

*Have you visited different parts of Spain to know where you would like to live?

*Do you want to live in an expat community? Or be part of a predominantly Spanish community?

*Can you speak Spanish or 'get by'? If not, it is advisable to have lessons before relocating so that you can at least communicate in shops, with the locals etc.

*Do you have sufficient funds to live in Spain for a number of months without work? This is realy important - jobs are very hard to find at the moment and unemployment in Spain is extremely high compared with UK and other European countries. If you cant speak Spanish fluently, it is highly unlikely that you would be able to secure employment with Spanish companies. Conversely, alot of small British ex-pat companies are closing down and people are returning to UK because of the economic climate.

* exchange rate - you wont get as much euros for your sterling than was the case a couple of years ago. The cost of living in Spain is therefore in effect higher than UK for a number of things (not all - see other threads about this as there have been discussions earlier this year about what is cheaper in Spain than UK and vice versa).

Yes, the weather is great in Spain but theres alot of other things to think about / consider.

In terms of rentals, there are alot of websites with details of rental properties but how much this will cost will depend on where you want to live.

My hubby and I have a place in Spain and spent alot of time and money (due to visits to different areas) before deciding where we wanted to live in Spain. Whilst our goal is also to move over to Spain on a permanent basis, the poor economy and lack of stable employment means that we are going to stay in UK where we have jobs until things change.

Anyway, I dont want to put a dampner on your goals - I have them too so I genuinely wish you both the best of luck .... but please research, research, research first

Wend

Hi Wend

Well done on writing such a brilliant reply.  You are spot on.  Let's hope that other folk thinking of relocating to Spain (besides the Clarkes) read this post and REALLY take note of everything you have pointed out. 

i agree with alot of what Wend said, but would like to add a few more things. Firstly if you are going to look at property, then stay away from new build or off plan, you could get stung big time like quite a few of us have in the past. Re sale property is very cheap at the moment, and searches on legality is easier. Secondly, my feeling is to act as if the pound and the euro were 1 : 1 and that way you will never have to worry about the exchange rate. Example, I have been told that a couple could live comfortably on 12,000 euros a year, there-fore if you have savings or a pension that gives you £12,000 a year you should be covered. Please take time to learn spanish, you will feel good and the Spanish will appreciate it. Check into health care that is very important, but most of all buy somewhere that have a few English families, because no matter how good your spanish becomes, you will always want a good old english chat over a pint or a cup of tea.

while we are on the subjetc of help, does anyone know of anywhere I could buy single beds, crockery, cutlery, kettle, pans, bucket & spade, in the Huercal Overa, Arboleas or Albox areas, thanks

Seashells,

The Hyper Ocio in Albox is a good place to start.

http://www.alboxinfo.com/listing-hiper-ocio-60.htm

Life in Spain can be very tough for many, which is why so many people have gone back to the UK.  This is especially true when it comes to making a living here.

Read this article about jobs in Spain before you decide to do anything!

Justin

themallard

Is the weather a good reason to move?

It could be part of a basket of reasons but should not be the only reason. If you want good weather go to Oz, they are looking for plumbers and the climate is par excellent -- I know as I was born there and emigrated to the UK many years ago for the opportunities available.

 As many other  wise heads have already pointed out, Spain at the moment  is a great place if you don't need to work and can speak the language. At the moment construction on the Costas is very slow and unlikely to pick-up in the near future. There are many Eastern Europeans willing to take on cleaning and many other jobs for not a lot of money so think I it would be difficult to get more than pocket money from casual building work. You can certainly rent very cheaply -- there is a very good reason for that -- but there are a lot of other expenses you need to think about. Do that reasearch as others have said and make sure you have at least 6-months cash to see you through the start of your adventure.

Nothing in Spain is cheap, especially if you don't have a steady income.

Take some time, wait until later in the year, spend the time learning some Spanish. Then spend some time in an area to get to know it and make contacts. There are many doing what you want to do and as Justin has indicated many are returning to the UK.

Good luck. Sometimes you just have to follow the dream and maybe just maybe you will not be one those making the return journey.