Moving to spain easy or hard?

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BarcelonaMan

I don't think anyone's going to be able to tell you if moving to Spain will be easy or hard because it's different for everyone. Surely, moving to Spain with a baby will make things especially difficult, I'd imagine.

We're not even sure WHY you've chosen Spain. Can your couple live and work legally in Spain or did you choose Spain on a map and decide to move there? Where are you living now and what's your citizenship?

It's EASY to buy houses in Spain. Right now it's a buyer's market. But keep in mind that decent houses in the cities will cost you about $500,000(+!) USDollars or $700,000 USD in a nicer neighborhood. And when I say "houses" I mean a 2-bedroom flat with one bathroom and about 65-85 square meters in a multi-level building. Getting any kind of loan to buy a house with no job or an insecure, low-paying job won't make you a good risk for banks either. You'll likely have to rent for several years. This can cost between 600-900 Euros per month.

I'm not at all sure customer service experience will help you much in Spain because, well, customer service isn't generally a highly regarded detail when it comes to business. And all the managers in the bigger, fancier hotels are going to be Spanish, speaking Spanish, and directing their subordinates to do the dirty work.

Unemployment in Spain is pretty high, MUCH higher for foreigners, and even higher yet for foreigners whom don't speak much Spanish. Salaries are low for the average Spaniard and even lower for the foreigner.

What's the status of your partner? Can (s)he speak Spanish? What's his/her citizenship? What are his/her skills? I can't imagine you'll be able to work while taking care of a baby and affording daycare will be another difficult issue altogether.

I can't imagine why you'd like to move to Spain and be around other ex-pats. Do you mean ex-pats of your own nationality or just any ex-pats from anywhere in the world? You'll be able to find ex-pats of any kind, including from your own country, in any city in Spain. The larger the city the more ex-pats.

I wish you the best of luck but think this idea through very very thoroughly before taking the plunge. Consider the welfare of the child as well.

So how easy is it to move to Spain? I'll guess for you it'll be very very difficult. Just getting your residency papers and or visas will likely be an overwhelming task, nearly impossible probably. Check your requirements at your local Spanish embassy or consulate office. They have websites.

Saludos, MadridMan/BarcelonaMan(.com)

SUE

Why do you want to go to Spain and live with people who are not Spanish????

Seems like it sort of defeats the purpose.

I can't imagine living in one of those expat communities, all those...well, I just don't see how it could possibly be all that pleasant!

If you want to go to Spain, go live in Real Spain.

That said, it sounds as if you are British, given the language that you use, so, less complicated than for someone NOT EU, but the job situation is such right now, that you probably won't be able to get work for some time.

Then there are the different laws. If you can adjust your way of thinking, you'll do okay. You'll want to change over things like your pension and health insurance and all that rigamarole, and be able to accept the difference in red tape.

Difficult? I think it's fairly easy for Europeans to move around, and change residencies, within the EU countries.

Good luck if you do it, and take my advice, you'll like the Spaniards better than the expats.

traveltrainingcollege

i agree living in spain is hard at the moment are you from the eu ?
i wouldnt buy untill you know your happy here and houses well still overpriced if you ask me need to wait a year or two.regards bringing the child hes the right age if you are coming because hes not at school if you dont like it you have not upset is schooling to go home to ,if you do great he will learn spanish so much easier and bythe time he has books etc to do he will undestand withour struggling. dono wh you want to be with expats we live rural but 20 mins from coast enough expats for us ere. and lower living costs tend to be dearer were expats are. job nearly all sales jobs.you need t consider healthcare because untill you enter spanish system ie get a contracted job and start paying national insurance andhave nie numbers and social numbers you will need to have private cover as you pay for all.try looking in sur in english will let ou know what jobs are in cds and wages also rental prices.

knitknackers

You must be mad, I live in Spain and things are as hard here as in Uk. If you have money to purchase a house outright bear in mind you may need enough money to rent accommodation while all the paper work for buying the house is sorted out. Also money to live on while you find work which could be months. I have a friend who's mortgage is 1400â‚¬ a month that's before food, fuel, water, dustbins, telephone, rates and taxes.
Think long and hard I wouldn't do it

Carousel

Not a good time to be moving to Spain if you are from the UK. The exchange rate is plummeting and whatever money you intend bringing to Spain, you will instantly lose on the exchange rate. It's now about 30% less for your money than 5 years ago.
Torrevieja is full of other Brits, but getting work there will be almost impossible in the economic climate. As someone said, buying a house it's a buyers market, but bear in mind, buying a house here can be beaurocratic nightmare at times.
You will need to sort out your own health care to start with. Having a baby is something to bear in mind.
Coming to Spain to buy a decent house and something to get started, you will need about â‚¬300,000.
If you are determined to do it then the very first thing you need to do is get a good English speaking lawyer. Do not take an agents lawyer, find one of your own. Look for an expat website on here and see if they recommend anyone. That is what we did.
Whatever you do, be positive.

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