sick of england

hi any body out there know if moving from england to estapona would be great for me and my family we don,t work over here due to ill health and don,t have any savings but would like to find part time jobs to support ourselfs we need a cheap place to live and school close by for 10 year old sick of rip off britain so need to know all the ins and outs to live a bit better in spain i am 56 hubby 57 so not near retirment age yet or if anybody needs a cleaner/ironing work shop work anything really so our health does,nt get worse here on the dole we both worked up untill 9 years ago so are hoping something better than england would comeup in spain not afraid of hard graft as i can manage on pain killers but everyhing over here getting harder so many people coming into this country nothing much left for the british over fifties i am saving to come for cheap holiday next year and would hope something might comeup by then anywhere really will do so long as not too isolated from shops and schools hubby can drive so use of a car would be helpful please let me know if anyone as anything to offer i do need to know about tax/doctors/schools/residency/bills and anything else i would need to make life a bit better any help gratefully recieved regards and thanks for looking ann

  fed up of rip off Britian ?" we dont work over here due to ill health but are not afraid of hard graft ? and  are able to work in Spain ""as can manage with pain killers"  ???  get a job here then and stop scrounging off the rest of us !!! or better still bog off  to Spain , and see if you can get all your handouts there ..........

If you are able to work and you are not afraid of hard graft then why haven't you worked for the last 9 years? Most of us have worked a lifetime in the UK and gone without many things to enable us to pay a mortgage and plan for our retirement. Do you have enough money to fund your lifestyle in Spain or do you think everything will be given to you as I can assure you that there are no benefits in Spain and you will not be entitled to most of the UK benefits if you move here. There are no jobs for able bodied Spanish people so I am not sure what work you would intend to do with limited capabilities and you would be lucky to get contract work with your stamp and insurance paid let alone a car.also  I assume you don't speak Spanish.?

"i am saving to come for cheap holiday next year"  I suppose that the money that you hope to have this holiday with is from your benefits.  What a darned cheek..  Benefits are intended to help you get by, or are you claiming benefits as well as doing some work on the side that the DSS or tax man doesn't know about?   As the last two posters said, you'll get absolutely nothing here in Spain.

i have worked over here since i was 4 years old on farms i am not a scrounger i paid single stamp all my married life and retired to look after 4 grankids who would have ended up in childrens homes and my hubby had a mental breakdown i have paid my way in this country and i am called a scrounger because i am now on the dole at least i worked hard for a living and i mean 7 days aweek 6/11 0clock at night so how dare people like you lot judge me i was only asking for advice as i cannot work over here anymore due to osteoartritus in my back/hips/knees/and feet so before you all judge me for wanting a bit of sun ask yourself if you have done the hard graft i am on about because many in this coun try don,t know what it is to do a days work let alone me working 40 odd years nasty people on here do not need to reply unless you know how hard my life as been i am not a scrounger i do not take handouts as i worked bloody hard in this country for what i have so i for one have paid my dues to this country and because of small minded people like you are accused of scrounging hard graft as left me this way and i worked bloody hard for what pitance i got so don,t tell me to get a job here i have had enough of this place so thought i could try somewhere else and if you noticed yes i said i don,t have much but i used to own my own house till a nasty druggie came and smashed it up and the police would,nt do anything untill he put me in hospital and all bacause i would,nt sell him my house so he could extend it for is girlfriend and kids who lived next door to me so i let my house go and yes i paid up all the morgage i don,t owe any debt to anyone but yet you all think i am scrounging i know from my life experience that many people around me have never worked a day in there lives and claim every benefit going but i cannot claim dla as i am not a druggie or an alchoholic or a forienger please do not class me as these other people as i am entitled to voice my oppinion just like you have at least i did,nt say i wanted to go scrounging in another country i am willing to work but i was told the sun would help prolong my life but it seems to me people are too quick to jump the mark get your facts right before you start on me ann

I can well understand the views of the other posters bowman1 as I felt the same when I read your post.  However, sometimes things don't come across the way you would intended.

Anyhow, my partner has a similar condition to you and three hip replacements put an end to her teaching career.  I know through her what it means to not be able to do your job due to pain.  She's not a sponger either.  Degrees in Theology from Durham and Law from Leeds and years of teaching experience.  She is entitled to certain benefits though.  For now anyway until the government decide she can do some job/any job and yep, the painkillers may well make that possible.

It sounds to me like a change from your current environment is exactly what you need.  The climate in Spain will actually help your condition.  It does for my missus.

At times I feel like quitting Britain.  It's a complete rip-off.  I'm fortunate enough to be a high earner so if it concerns me I fear for the unskilled workers out there.

It won't be easy but give it a shot.  You may never look back. 

I can well understand the views of the other posters bowman1 as I felt the same when I read your post.  However, sometimes things don't come across the way you would intended.

Anyhow, my partner has a similar condition to you and three hip replacements put an end to her teaching career.  I know through her what it means to not be able to do your job due to pain.  She's not a sponger either.  Degrees in Theology from Durham and Law from Leeds and years of teaching experience.  She is entitled to certain benefits though.  For now anyway until the government decide she can do some job/any job and yep, the painkillers may well make that possible.

It sounds to me like a change from your current environment is exactly what you need.  The climate in Spain will actually help your condition.  It does for my missus.

At times I feel like quitting Britain.  It's a complete rip-off.  I'm fortunate enough to be a high earner so if it concerns me I fear for the unskilled workers out there.

It won't be easy but give it a shot.  You may never look back. 

I am sorry if life has been tough for you - can I suggest that while you have all this time on your hands you learn about punctuation and grammar in the english language as your post just reads like an angry rant.

In a nutshell it is very expensive to work here legally, you will need good language skills, including spanish, to maximise your chances of work.  If you do not have those then see if a rich widow or widower will offer your husband gardening work and you housework / cooking in return for accommodation and perhaps a small income as this really is your best bet to find secure employment. Costa almeria and Costa del Sol are good areas for this.  Tto come here hoping for guaranteed part time work is impossible and will only result in you returning to the UK worse off.

Sorry to crush your dreams.

Hi Ann (Bowman1)

With regards thinking about a move to Spain ...

The advice I would give is that you and your husband need to think very very VERY carefully about this, based on information and knowledge you have gleaned / found through research and investigations. There have been a number of other threads on EOS started by individuals / couples who are considering a move to Spain and I would strongly suggest that you take the time to read the threads and responses given by people who live in Spain (Ex-pats) and those who have holiday homes in Spain. Also check out the other Expat websites on the internet. Any information you gather should then help you to decide WHERE in Spain you would want to relocate to (lets not forget Spain is a huge country).

It seems you are looking for a move for yourselves plus a 10 year old. Is this right? This brings an added important dimension to any research you undertake ...... Im not in the know on this, but I understand from other commentators on EOS that schooling for English children in international schools is not free and annual fees can be high.

Other considerations (in brief)

- There are no additional welfare benefits here to those in UK

- The exchange rate is poor ie you wont get much Euros for the Sterling, therefore general day to day living of living are currently expensive

- Jobs for Expats ..... there arent any! If people are able to obtain employment, there is no stability in this and full time employment contracts are few and far between. Salaries are poor

- Language - can you speak Spanish? If you cant, then you would find it difficult to integrate with the Spanish people. It shouldnt be assumed that everyone in other countries speak English and, to be honest, it shouldnt be expected either

- People are leaving Spain in droves and returning to the UK due to the economic recession, which is highly unlikely to improve in the short term and may in fact worsen, depending on the Greece, Ireland, Portugal economic situations (which are extremely rocky, to say the least and should not be underestimated). There are other threads on EOS that cover this in some depth, so you would probably find it useful to read them. There are people who have lived in Spain for years who have found that they can no longer cope financially and are therefore having to return to UK - even though they would prefer to remain in Spain

- Location - this is also a biggie. Where would you want to move to? What are you looking for ie a bustling town? More rural area? Do you have the finances to rent somewhere? In fact, do you have sufficient finances for at least two years??

Another recent thread related to the cost of living in Spain .... check it out, Ann, as it will give you an idea of the finances you would need to relocate to Spain.

I dont want to be the bearer of bad news (with the above) but would just like to say that for a number of reasons, including those above, my husband and I are still here in UK rather than living in our home in Spain. Hold onto the dream / goal if that is what you want once youve researched this alot more and do think very careful about this ... Spain is not just about sun. Good luck anyway

-

hi i am really sorry about my spelling but i was annoyed about people judging me and thinking i am a scrounger ,i am trying to learn spanish but find in different area,s they speak different dialect just like over here and also thankyou to the people who understand my illness. all i was trying to do was find out if it would work over in spain to do part time work so i can pay my way like i did over here before my life was turned upside down , if it,s a crime to ask for advice then i am really sorry i offended you but like i said i did work hard in this country and thought the sun would help me carry on till retirement age .i am constant painkillers but they don,t always do the job it,s like toothache that wont go away till you take painkillers or have it taken out but i cannot have knee/hip/or spine surgery because my doctor thinks this will go away .so if anyone does know if i could succeed in spain then bring it on i am up for the challenge ann

Ann:

I echo Wendy's advice.  Please read and re-read her post.  It is good advice.   There is no work, Ann.  Even cleaning, ironing and so on, leaving aside that heavy work like that is even hardr in a hot climate.  Please think and think again before you take any irrevocable steps.

Patricia

dear wend691 i have been researching other blogs and i know alot of people have returned to britain .i don,t speak any spanish but am willing to learn as we have friends who live in mucia and 1 of them teaches english in a spanish school we went over for her wedding after scrimping and saving by selling items we no longer needed to fund this not the dole money as that just pays the bills and food also i know from what she as said you can live in spain on a budget if you can find work but need spanish also ,if i could find work and house to live in i would give it a go but like you say it is hard i know that from my friends but i have many friends who have retired to spain with money in there pockets but i am not that fortunate as i said before we worked hard and lost out due to nasty people over here ruining our lives but we still carried on .now my kids are grown up and i have 1 granchild still with me i thought i could try and give her a better start inlife in spain as she likes learning spanish and does try to use the little bits she as learnt  when my friends come over .hope nobody else will judge me like the other people on here as i am just trying to find out how much things are over in spain incase i do evently get there and all good advice would be taken into account .i don,t expect to go over looking for handouts like someone said as i know spain is having problems also but i find the people very helpful and from the spanish i have met they have always gone out of there way to speak to us and we have got on ok with this .so come on please do not judge me because of my health i would work over here but everything is so expencive and keeps getting harder to pay like i said i don,t find my dole money gives me luxeries this laptop was given free so i decided to put it to good use by searching and looking for info myself which i have been doing for the last couple of years thanks again to all who don,t judge me ann

hi patricia thanks for the advice but i still feel i could make it given the chance a friend who lives in sotagrande told me her hubby worked in gib packing bags for people in morrisons but too exspensive to live there looked at la linear not sure if spelt it right but house prices abit too far out of my reach to rent there .as my hubbies pension not that grand due to social taking most of it .i can cut back as i am used to that i don,t live on luxeries i shop in lidl and aldi here so look for bargains and yes my rent gets paid over here but i am wiling to use my hubbies pension to pay rent and work to pay my bills lots of people on benefits in this country but i am one of them also but like i said we both worked very hard and now feel we are ready for n..........ckers yard here and at least given the chance in the heat it will help with my pain as my doctor told me before and also said alot of people move to warmer climates to help there health and would probably live longer than over here so i will keep looking at the other sites and maybe i might get lucky one day thanks again for you concerns ann

everyone gone quiet now call me what you want at the end of the day i explained what my intentions are but what jobs pay enough for you to live on in england now when you reach a certain age .kids grown up and doing well one left at home but worked to save for our retirement but did,nt last long what with this goverment taking everything in taxes to fund the so call scroungers that have,nt paid a penny or even worked to get handouts seems it,s a crime to be on dole not through our fault we used all this to fund the kids and keep them off the crime ridden streets of britain so now we get classed like the rest but never mind seems like a few have nothing more to do with them selves but moan at me well moan all you want i will sell all that i own to fund my dream as it was paid for with mine and my hubbies hard graft all these years not yours as you so like to say iwould like you to find the real scroungers of britain and give them a bit of your mind  instead of venting your anger at me how many more people are on the dole in this country due to the so called goverment that did,nt give a damn about great britain any more or so i thought that was the country i was brought up in but not anymore nothing much left here all gone to other countries /prisons overrun /schools overrun/housing no longer available for our kids no jobs due to the big influx of migrants taking poor pay or overhere illegally my grandparents worked very hard in the mines /steelworks/and dockyards beside all the tailoring firms that closed down not my fault this countries gone to dogs but thanks for the decent replys i will take all these good points in ann

It's O.K. Ann.  Just that it is late in the day now, well night.  So I suppose some posters will not be around at this time of night.  Being a night wl myself, and sitting here working, I am replying.

Any chance, Ann, that you could divide up the posts into paragraphs for us?  Makes for easier reading.  Thanks.

I would just be very careful, Ann, before taking any drastic decision to move to Spain.  Things are not good at the moment, work-wise.  Spain also has a very large number of immigrants also in need of work. 

I have friends in the U.K., -- indeed I have friends who have gone back to the U.K. to live, and I know you are feeling sore about many things, but there are some parts of England where it is a pleasure to live.  So do consider all the options before taking any drastic decision.  I mean that in the kindliest way.

It is no crime to be on benefits, Ann, where you are in need of that assistance in order to live. 

Patricia

hi patricia thanks again for info have looked on loads of blogs and took all the info in i know how hard it is just like here but thought i would just try my luck and see if someone had abit better info friend owes me loads and promised me a job in spain but nothing came of this and still no sign of my money thought time might be running out due to ages but you never know something might change if my money ever comes back to me she might do a runner with it but that,s life and i don,t let that get me down goodnight and take care regards again ann

England ... what a wonderful country ... to allow you both to be on the dole for 9 years yet obviously capable of some form of work!

Please feel free to go to Spain and thus easy the burden of my Taxes going towards your benefits.    But, be sure Spain will not be so understanding or helpful in supporting your current lifestyle (choice).

Sorry but you do wind me up ... how dare you slag off this country that has supported you through all the time that you have not worked.  Yes, i know this country has severe issues with alot of things ... But, be sure unwarranted benefits for people who are capable of working but choose not to/work for cash/or cannot be bothered are one of the main problems imho.

Spain is a fantastic country to live in if you can support yourself, however unless you can guarantee yourself at least 1,000,00 euros a month to live on plus somewhere to live then I would stay where you are. There are no state benifits or hand outs over here, health care can be expensive and even if your child goes to a state school you will have to provide all of the school books etc. Unemployment is running at over 20% at the moment and the youngsters are having a really tough time trying to get employment. Unless you have a firm promise of employment I would stay where you are.

Is it really feasible for a couple to survive on 1000 Euro per month in Spain ??

Jon

Have to agree TP1

I have been keeping an eye on this & can't keep quiet any longer

Not sure if this thread is genuine tbh

Ok Ann so I can accept circumstance may have caused to stop working but if you are in a possition to work in Spain you can work here in the UK? Hopefully someone from the benefits agency will read your declaration that you can work & help you seek gainfull employment here.

Surely the major problems in the UK are caused from too many people claiming brnefits they are not 100% entitled to & other nationalities coming over here & working for a lower wage, doing the jobs some people turn down because the pay doesn't match their benefits. This we all moan about, but isn't that what you are hoping to do in Spain?

Don't knock the country that pays your way!

The UK has major faults but it's my hame & I love it. Spain also has it's faults but is my sanctuary & I love it too