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Hi,
I was wondering if any one could help, Im a 26 year old electrician with a family we are fed up with the quality of life in england, we feel like life is passing us by. We would love to move to spain and try something new, the only thing holding us back is how hard is it going to be for me to get a long term electrical job and how do i go about this? we are not sure of what should be our first move if anyone could help we would really appreciate it
thanks.
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Welcome Rickie
I know you can't use your UK qualifications, you have to go through the Spanish qualification "thing" so you'll need good Spanish. (Been discussed previously & we know of those who had same problem).
Good luck.
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Moving home with a young family is a big move. Moving to a foreign country is massive. The most important thing you can do is research research research! You've come to a good place to start because this forum is a great resource for all sorts of information you'll need - accomodation, health care, education, employment etc etc.
Don't underestimate how hard it will be to make such a move. I wouldn't even contemplate it unless you have sufficient funds available to support yourself and your family for a t least 6 months. Finding reliable work here is tough. Whilst the cost of living is undeniably lower than the UK, earnings are a fraction of what you'd expect in the UK, and that's if you can find regular work.
You could try the self employed route, but it will take time to get yourself established and build a reputation. You could start by scanning the sits vacs in the English press here (Costa Blanca News, Sur in English etc. - depending on what area you're thinking of) You can find them online by Googling.
Then there's the question of legality. As Morerosado says, your UK qualifications won't count for much here, which will limit the type of work you can do anyway.
Spain has much going for it, and I don't want to put a downer on your dreams, but if I was your age and with a useful trade qualification, I think I'd be investigating entry requirements to Canada or Australia instead.
Just my thoughts, sorry if they're unwelcome. Good luck with whatever you do.
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"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"
Mark Twain
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Hi,
I have to agree with Roberto. Unless you get your Spanish qualifications and are licensed as an official electrician, a large slice of the market is closed off to you, as all commercial properties that need repairs and refitting will not be covered by insurances unless they use a licensed electrician. In all areas there are English 'Sparkies' working, of varying professionalism. To move somewhere abroad with a family is a huge undertaking, and you need to consider being able to get by for months before you get settled, and have sufficient funds to do so. Also, at the moment there is a slump in the construction business here, which means there are many electricians chasing fewer jobs.
Spain is a great place to live and bring up children, so if you are really keen to move here, I would start learning Spanish, and later work on your Spanish licenses, and save save save. With a bit of luck, the labour market will have turned around again when you are ready to make the move and with the savings to do so.
To give you an inclination of what Spanish licensed electricians charge more or less, lately we refitted a public premises, wiring, all switches, the entire main board, three and mono phase ponts, three days labour, two people and including all materials: 4,500 euros. I would imagine that that would be a little more in the UK.
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Robert H
Marbella
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Dear Rickie 2515
I have a small company selling electrocard meters (Google "maximeters") and probably know most of the English electricians from Gibraltar to Alicante (have visited thenm in the course of my business), so I know a lot of sparkies.
One is now doing work on rigs in Holland. Others have returned to UK. When England catches cold, Spain gets pneumonia.
Once upon a time, an English sparkie could buy a "boletin" from a Spanish sparkie in a bar for 50€. Without a boletin, a new build cannot get connection to the national grid. I guess that there have been a few getting caught, because the practice has almost completely ceased now.
That means that you will be reduced to wiring underbuilds, garages, fault finding etc. Some are doing O.K. retrofitting surge protectors (again, see my web site - did I mention Maximeters?). Others are doing A/C installations.
Here's an idea......
1) Arrange work in UK for, say, 4 months a year with your current employers.
2) Move to Spain and buy a property for cash (get a GOOD solicitor - NOT one recommended by the estate agent). i.e. no mortgage, minimal costs.
3) Work 4 months in UK (doss down with friend or family). With care, you may be able to live the rest of the year doing odd jobs, and "chill out".
The question - can you bear to be apart from your family for 4 months? If not, everything you earn will be blown on air fares (I have personal experience of this).
Spain is a fantastic place to live, but a terrible place to earn money nowadays.
By the way - did I mention Maximeters???
See also comments on thread: IvorB - Can I afford to live in Spain - serious question.
Good luck!
Max
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Max Kite
Maximeters S.L.U.
www.maximeters.com
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Dear Morerosado
Hit the nail on the head!
Yes, it is for my sins.
Max
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Max Kite
Maximeters S.L.U.
www.maximeters.com
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I knew it was, Max, but YOU can't advertise your own company... but I'm allowed. 
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Sorry Morerosado - was being a bit cheeky there, but also trying to help people as well.
How can you advertise?
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Max Kite
Maximeters S.L.U.
www.maximeters.com
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Hi Max
Just post your website in your signature, sorted.
In the forum rules it has a contact link too, see..
NO COMMERCIAL POSTS - Eye on Spain is funded through advertising, it's how we're able to continuously develop the website and provide more and more useful content to our members and visitors. We, and our members, also don't want our message boards clogged up with ads. The same applies to the private message facility. There are advertising opporunities with us so if you would like to advertise then please get in touch with us. This message was last edited by morerosado on 8/17/2008.
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I like the idea of the room occupancy sensor . Will have a word with my friendly installer to see how easy to retro fit to my system.
Mark
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I love the idea of a room occupancy sensor - but unfortunately it's not quite what I was thinking it was.
When we ran a holiday apartment business, a big problem we had was people booking a studio for two people (and paying for two people), then turning up with 7 or 8! They'd always try to sneak them in without us knowing, or try to pretend they just had friends visiting from the hostal next door. We lived on the premises, so it was hard for them to keep it from us. We even found unregistered "guests" sleeping on the sun loungers on our roof terrace on occasion. They couldn't understand why we objected. We couldn't understand why they thought it was reasonable to use far more water and electricity than is normal for 2 people, let alone the wear and tear on a 30m2 studio with 8 people in it. Plus, as a licenced business, if we were caught with unregistered guests, the fine would be all ours. The Italians were the worst culprits. They're the ones you see sitting around a cafe table with one Coke between half a dozen of them!
So, Max, there's possibly a market opening for you there. A room occupancy sensor that tells landlords how many Italians are in the room!!!
The one that cuts off the a/c is a great idea too, though 
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"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"
Mark Twain
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But get as many as you can in a studio for 2 in the winter, save on heating bills.
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Hi Roberto,
I hear all sorts of horror stories - yes people really do turn on all of the air conditioning and open the windows and then go to the beach for the day. That is why I started up the Maximeters business - to help people like yourselves control costs.
I heard one the other day - tenants went back to Blighty - owners went round to the villa a couple or three days later to find ALL of the air conditioning still on!
As far as counting Italians is concerned - we could perhaps design an arm flap counter - 10,000 arm flaps / hour = 1 Italian!
Best regards
Max
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Max Kite
Maximeters S.L.U.
www.maximeters.com
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We once had a tennant in a studio all winter, running up astronomical elec. bills, but claimed to have no idea why. He worked all day and slept at night, said he ate out so never cooked...
We went in one morning after he'd gone to work (check the legality of it before you take this action!) to find the room temperature about 30C, but windows all open. In the wardrobe, under a pile of clothes, we found hidden a two bar electric heater - still hot! What a joker. We nicknamed him Monty Pylon. Then we evicted him. 
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"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"
Mark Twain
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Hi Roberto
A pre-paid card meter (Maximeter) would have stopped him in his tracks! Once they start having to pay for their electricity, they
become much more careful.
AND don't forget that electricity is going up again this month!
Sounds like he was a fire risk too!
Max
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Max Kite
Maximeters S.L.U.
www.maximeters.com
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