where do we start????

hi,
we have finally decided to seriously look into moving to spain!  we are from the south of england,myself, my partner and 4 children under the age of 7. this site has been very helpfull so far but where on earth do we start? money is quite a big issue, how much do we need to suppot our selves till jobs are sorted? schools are another thing, will they settle ok? so any one who could give us some idea of where to start, or anyone who has done the same as what we are planning. advse would be so much appreciated to put our minds at ease! thankyou.

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

Hiya louisedawn.  We are in the same boat although we are gonna wait until our youngest finishes school (around 5 years so doing research at the mo).  My husband is a body piercer so we will need to find somewhere that is popular.  Im surprised at the cheapness of rented apartments as, like yourselves, money will probably be an issue.  Hope you get some advice and if you do, please pass on in the future. 

Vickie

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

The first thing I would do is write down a list of pros and cons of living in Spain.

Why Spain, why not another country where you don't have the language barrier.

Once you have a list then you should be able to work out what questions you need answering.  

Have you decided on an area in Spain?  If so then google to see if that area has any forums that will help you answer the questions on your list.  Each forum will have a search facility and once you are registered then you will be able to use this.

What job skills do you have and if you can't speak Spanish then you'll be restricted to the ex-pat community where others will be fighting for the same jobs.  Look at local papers for the area and see how many vacancies there are advertised.

Be realistic in your expectation of living in Spain, most people who talk about coming out want big houses with pools but these will be expensive to maintain.

As to the million euro question of how much do I need to support yourselves, previously it's been suggested that you need enough to keep you for 9 months.  Now I'd say 2 years as it could take that long to find a job.

Many people are returning home after living here for 3 years or more, broken by all the beaurocracy.

It's not easy living and working in Spain but if you come prepared then maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who will succeed

Unfortunately it's a bad time in general and probably will get worse, maybe be worth putting it off for a couple of years to see how things pan out.

On this forum there's a section about Living in Spain and Healthcare, I'd read these as they could answer a couple of questions for you.  Also read Healthcare in the same section as once you leave the UK you will not be covered in Spain.

Don't have personnal experience re schooling but others on here do so hopefully they can expand on that area.

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

Hi there
Word of warning, you are moving at a particularly bad time!  the jobs are non-existant at the moment.  I moved to Murcia, in March this year and after completing a 3 month  Spanish course have actively looked for work since.  I have sent my CV everywhere and so far no joy.  My advice would be to make sure you have enough money to see you through this albeit temporary economic crisis.  Best of luck.

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

From what little info you have given us, the only really positive thing I can say is that the kids are all young enough that they will adapt very quickly and grow up totally bilingual. 
Other than that, I agree with what others have said already. Much depends on your financial status and ability to find employment or operate your own business in Spain. Moving to a foreign country with a young dependent family is a HUGE move, so my best advice is research, resaearch, then research some more. This forum is a great starting point. Best of luck!

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know