moving abroad?

Question

has anyone from the uk moved to spain where in spain and hows it worked out for you im seriously thinking of the move

Answer 1

We moved to Spain 8yrs ago and it was the best move of my life. Both had good jobs in the uk, my husband had his own accountancy practice and I was in the nursing profession, never the less we seemed to be going round in circles, finding it difficult to take holidays because of work commitments, ok we had a static caravan and could escape there for weekends but we came to realize that we were basically slogging ourselves to bits just to keep our heads above water. Is this life? NO.
During our first couple of years here we went through some real hardships and that is not because we didn't do our homework, we did.
If you type in the search box, Lived in Spain, did it work out, would you go back you will see some really truthful answers, mine amongst them.
This is not meant to put you off, far from it, just letting you know about the down sides so you can form your own opinion.
Back in the uk you live to work, here in Spain it's the opposite, you work to live and believe me you will have a much better lifestyle than in the uk
People save up all year in the uk to come to Spain for a holiday so I consider myself so lucky to live here. You never say never but I am never going back there to live. Not willingly anyway.
We moved to Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol and now live in Alhaurin el Grande which is slightly inland, we are not far from the airport, hospitals, motorway networks, coast and countryside, the best of everything I think.
IF you have not decided on an area yet ask yourself these questions.
Do you want to live on the coast or inland, there are pro's and cons for both, is the public transport good, or do you/ wife drive, do you want to be in the heart of things or out in the sticks, ( this is where the driving is important ), how far is it to work and what work can you do.
These are just the tip of the iceberg questions, each of you make a seperate list as to what's important to you and then compare them to see what you have come up with as you may need to compromise on some things.
I would strongly advise you to come out as often as possible before the final push, and rent a property at first to really get to know the locals and the area and maybe explore a little further afield.
This is a link to a weekly Spanish newspaper printed in English, it's packed with information on properties and jobs and comes out every Friday
http://www.surinenglish.com
Start packing your suitcases, you will not regret it, but before you do click on this site and go to the left hand side and click on check list, it's full of information as to what to do before leaving the uk and once here in Spain
http://www.countrywiseestates.com
Here's to your new life in Spain "CHEERS"
Anna
PS forgot to mention my children and grandkids and all the rest of my family and friends are still in the uk but they all get out here to see me, so if you are leaving family and friends, they will be knocking on your door before you know it

Answer 2

If you want to avoid meeting alot of foreign tourists try Galicia, it has a milder tempreture than the south of Spain you can travel to Portugal in an hour or less. Life is slow paced, calm, no worries or rushing around. If you´re thinking of working catering and fishing are the main employments here but there is a lack of English speakers so that is an advantage when looking for work. you´ll find it cheap to rent a flat, aroun 200/300€ a month better and cheaper flats can be found in the towns outside cities...it´s worth trying, if it´s not what you´re looking for you can always drive or take the train to another part of Spain or Portugal...I´ve been here for 15 years and wouldn´t consider changing this for anything. Where else could I leave my front door open all day and my kids on the beach without worring? check out www.galiciahouse.com

Answer 3

Me and my husband moved to Javea (Xabia) on Spain's Costa Blanca just over 3 years ago. If you need to work, then you will not find it easy and the wages aren't anywhere as near as much as you would expect to earn in the U.K. You would seriously need to think about private health care, but much cheaper here than in the U.K. If you have children, the schools here are excellent. There is much less crime here, the climate is fantastic. The way of life is so much less stressful. There is hardly any traffic, (here in Javea anyway). From choice I would never ever return to the U.K. If I can give you any advice at all it would be to do your homework. Make a list of what you want from this wonderful country and then check to see whether or not you can realistically realise your dream. I would say go for it. If it don't work out for you, what have you got to lose, at least you would have given it your best shot. Good luck. If I can give you any further advice, please email me.

Answer 4

As with any move to another counrty, its not all a bed of roses and you are often changing one set of problems for another. I came to Spain four years ago and have had problems, ( see the blogs on my 360 for starters) However, despite all the crap I have been through, I would not return to the UK, I am used, to an extent, of the systems here and how they don't work for starters. I would be frightened to go out anywhere in the UK with all the recent reports on the news of knife and gun crime, yes, of course there is crime here, its quite high in some parts, but I feel safer here and I would not be treading water to survive here, its seems everything is so expensive there, that many work to live, thats not the way to enjoy life!

Answer 5

I have moved abroad in the past. When you decide to move to another country you want to make sure you're getting the best value in your new local currency. If you are thinking about emigrating, get in touch with First Rate FX, that's what i did. I hope this helps.

Answer 6

do you know you asked the same question in the same category?.....checdk out my answer in your other question

:-)

Answer 7

supposed to be nice