Whats it like?

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maria s

o.k. i moved to spain 15 years ago and have lived in the Csanary Islands, which is o.k. for a while but it can get a bit or very boring after a few months. I have since lived in Galicia which is located just above Portugal. ItÂ´s very green with a fantastic coastline and celtic origins. the tempreture is moderate. IÂ´ve worked as an English teacher for about 8 years, freelance, thereÂ´s alot of people eager to have English lessons especially conversation with native English people. Renting houses is cheap and buying is too! itÂ´s nothing like the south of Spain...itÂ´s alot better. take a look at www.galiciahouse.com

Icarus

I lived in Gibraltar when the border opened and have been there many times since.

On the whole the Spanish are a very direct, friendly and relaxed bunch of peeps. The older demographic are still kinda formed by Franco and this can be a fascinating look into living history.
The answer to your question depends on who you are and where you end up but I guarantee you it will be interesting!

all the best dude!

ann.inspain

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

Debsh2

I moved to malaga when i was 4, lived there for 12 yrs, then moved back to the uk to go to college.
I am now currently trying to purchase a house in near murcia.
I absolutely love spain, the people are friendly the weather wonderfull etc....
Work if you are english can be easy to get or hard to get depending on what area you are in, but you will not be paid as highly as in th uk, for any thing.
if you are moving make sure you check out the area your looking at......
i know far too many people who tried the move and couldnt handle it,

hookiehelp

We moved to Tenerife over four years ago. My husband and I both had really good jobs in the UK and had a decent living. Wages are much lower here, but the cost of living is as well. I work as an estate agent and my husband has just started a new business cleaning drains, so we do okay. If you are prepared to work hard it will work out. My advice to you is find somewhere you feel at home and make some friends. We chose to move to Tenerife because we already had a network of good friends here, and we have made many new ones since. Also try and make some Spanish friends as well, the British do tend to stick together.

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