Moving in March

Hi we are planning to move early next year and find work (hopefully before we leave) in Gibraltar. We are taking our 10 year old with us. She is really excited about it, but we know this is only cause she thinks of spain as a holiday place. 

Was wondering if anyone else has done the same with a kid of similar age? If so how did things go, did they settle into the life easy enough? Is there anything we should be aware of which we have not thought about etc.

 

Any comments would be more than welcome :)

 

Thanks

CLiff 

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 OOps meant to say on another point would welcome any assistance in places we could look for a long term rental, info on banks etc. again any assistance would be really appreciated :) 

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No kids, but l'm a few months ahead of you, so you might find some useful tips in my blog "A Foot in Two Campos" which is on the Eye on Spain blog list. http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/tamara/7858/25---fiestas-home-and-away.aspx.

Someone else, can't remember who, started a thread about schools and stuff, but l know nothing about that side.

Have a look at the "Living on 1,000 euros" which has lots of useful stuff to help you budget.

And do ask if you have any more specific questions, or about a specific area - that tends to get more answers!

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what employment are you hoping to get?

what "back up" plans do you have?

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I work at the moment in IT service management so will be looking for similar. I will have the means to stay in Spain for a while without work and of course be able to move back to the uk if all else fails. Hopefully wont come to that though :)

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Always good to not burn your bridges back in the UK. :-). Hope it all goes well for you.

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I HOPE YOU LAST LONGER THAN ME, PLANED IT FOR 5 YEARS, GOT HERE 5 WEEKS AGO & GOING BACK IN 2 WEEKS, I HAD 2 DAYS OFF WORK IN 27 YEARS SO IVE ALLWAYS DONE THINGS, THIS PLACE IS KILLING ME, MY BOSS WAS GIVEN ME MY JOB BACK, IM OFF.

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Sorry to hear that. Guess that proves its not for everyone. What's been the issues for yourself?

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Sorry to hear that NewWorld. Just as well you have a job to return to - and hopefully a home as well? It's always a salutory lesson when it doesn't work out for someone :-(

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Hi newworld.  I completely understand your difficulty in dealing with the big slowdown in activity.  How are you supposed to fill it?  It can actually be very stressful, as evinced by the statistics on retired men who pop their clogs within the first two years of retiring, or something like that, I remember reading somewhere.  You might be interested in my blog I've just started where I'm describing my own stay in Spain, before heading back to the UK.  It's in the Blogs section above.

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My parents moved over in the 90s (when things were a lot better than they are now), planning on finding work when they arrived. It didn't go well, and in the end wound up taking jobs they really didn't want because they had almost exhausted their funds. I would strongly reccomend finding a job before you make the move. It will take so much pressure off and make life a lot easier - esp. when you bear in mind that you won't just be trying to find a job, but also settle in to a very different country with an unfamiliar language and way of working. That is my plan.

 

 

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Im in two minds what to do, ive got the job in the uk ( if i want it) ive got 2 properties in the uk both of which are rented out long term, so im thinking of buying a caravan in the lakes ( with central heating lol ) i brought some of my diy gear over with me ive done some painting for my friends, but i dont wont to go begging for work its not my style,.ive looked at getting a business over here but the rents are a joke, for a 5 months worth of trade,I must have the cleanest car in Spain nothing else to do lol What i would say if anybody is thinking of moving over full time is try anf got 3/4 week off work and try it.

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Newworld, personally, I love caravans and one in the Lakes sound brilliant. 

When we lived in Spain - and this is before the recession - loads of expats were scrabbling around for work even then and I think it can be humiliating as it introduces an unhealthy aspect into your relationships with 'friends' when you are trying to get work out of them. 

In addition, some people who were used to a good wage in the UK also weren't happy being paid a 'Spanish' rate and would moan about it so much, that we would prefer to employ Spaniards when we could, who were happy to work for the going rate. 

There were also Brits who wanted to work and yet didn't; that is, they wanted you to employ them to do plumbing, building or whatever and then would slope off early because they didn't envisage their new life as involving slogging away every day.  There were also different expectations amongst the Brits, especially if they were your 'friends' before they started to work for you, for example, if they worked at your house they expected endless cups of tea.  The Spaniards just brought a bottle of water with them and were self-sufficient.  

I wouldn't like to be going over there now, with the expectation of finding work.  I would go out for a job-seeking visit before I made any plans for a permanent stay, if my new life were dependent on finding a job.  If it was hard when we were there, it will be that much harder now to find any work at all. 

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