Hi. New guy here looking to move to Spain eventually

Very sensible comments provided by tamaraessex .... 

There are so many variables and factors that need to be taken into account when making such a decision as moving to another country (whether it be Spain, elsewhere in Europe, or across the continent ie USA). A sensible approach is being taken by the original poster in terms of the two year plan, significant research, and I would presume visits to different areas of Spain over the course of time etc etc.

Good luck with your plans

If OP wasn´t concerned about work here then I would have no hesitation in saying DO IT because it was the best move that we ever made. But there obviously is a concern otherwise OP wouldn´t be re-training and asking about jobs. Hence my response.

The going rate where I live is 5e (per person) an hour for tuition in the private sector teaching the Spanish English, and visa versa, but hopefully OP will be fortunate enough to find a region where money is more plentiful. 

Georgia...

Can you explain what you mean by 'the moral crisis' in the UK?'

"the moral crisis in the UK is far greater than the finacial crisis here"

?????

 @Tamaraessex - Thank you for your insightful reply. My answers to your questions would be:

What do you hope to gain from the move? - We are looking to escape the rat race of London life and move to a slower, less stressful pace. We want to make friends and experience a different culture, adopting a new way of life and learning a new language. It's not the weather for us (that's a bonus), it's a way to gain an experience and go out of our comfort zone to try something new. We want a community feeling and to just stroll down the street, enjoying the day, rather than rushing everywhere.

Will you have an escape route if unforeseen obstacles arise in the first couple of years? - Yes. We have savings and will keep a property in the UK "just in case". If the move turns out to be a terrible idea we can come back to our own home. Even if we spend all of our money, at least we would have experienced a bit more in life and still have somewhere to come back to.

@wend691 - Thank you for your reply. We are planning to go out to Spain several times over the next couple of years to scope out different areas and get a feel for the place. We may find it very useful but we may find we don't like it and won't bother moving out there. We feel this is a sensible approach.

@floella - Yes we are concerned about finding work. We could live well for at least a year on savings but would try to secure work before going out there. We mention retraining because we're also looking for a change in career and trying something new. Also if there is demand for certain type of work then why not go for it?

Just go for it --------

Good luck,

Harry

Don't forget you will have to pay over 200 euros per month in social security payments if you are working full time.  Some people fail to do this and get themselves into trouble. It is a lot of money, especially as salaries are low.

 What is the social security payment for? Are all full time workers required to pay it? Also is it a fixed fee or variable? Just trying to get an idea of what needs to be paid out monthly/yearly.

 245 Euros per month for Health,schooling,pension etc....

All employess are obliged to pay,many don't,but still expect health care etc.....

 Hmm that's quite a chunk. It that similar to PAYE tax and NI in the UK?

Not tax,thats on top.

If you pay for a minimum of 15 years you get a pension currently about 800 Euros per month from that.

 Thanks for the information. What is the rate of tax in Spain at the moment?

So for example is a job was to pay 1500 euros per month, minus 245 for social security. What would tax be?

 That i dont know,i have always been self employed so i do my accounts once a year and offset my mortgage,suma,expenses against it....i would guess at around 20%

Georgia has answered the question - 245 euros per person per month is not negotiable if you want to work legally in Spain. I don't know the rate of tax I'm afraid.

Tina