Can anyone please advise me?
Myself, husband and 2 children are currently living in UK, I have always wanted to move out to Spain as Grandparents lived there for many yrs. We are now facing serious financial problems and are basically working our backsides off for nothing!! I’m now seriously thinking that if we have no money here what difference would it be to move to Spain with no money and start again!! PLEASE advise I know many people are going to say it’s a stupid idea but staying here we are possibly going to lose everything anyway!!
I am sorry to hear about your situation Emma-Jane and really hope something works out for you.
You ask what the difference is, having no money in Spain vs UK - well, in our limited and anecdotal experience, one hell of a difference to be blunt. Like in the UK, you have the fallbacks of child benefit, income support, mortgage relief etc. An NHS free to all. Spain is a wonderful place to live if you have a reliable income, but you can get into serious financial trouble so very much more easily here.
It’s hard to know what you mean by starting again, and I am not going to call you stupid for having a dream and trying to find a way out of your problems. But be very very careful, and I would advise anyone with kids to think long and hard about how you are going to reliably support yourself in Spain before considering a move here.
Whatever happens, I wish you the very best of luck. Times are hard all round at the moment… god knows we’re all looking for an easy way out of our problems, or any way out, just look hard before you leap!
Clearly you think I am an air head living in a fantasy world!! I have done my research I do know that wages in Spain are much less than the UK and yes we have NHS etc but life isn’t always about what you get for free!!
If you cannot make it work in the UK, forget Spain its far harder.
Its sunny for sure, but if your made homeless in the UK you have a social service prepared to re home you, in Spain the only option is care for the kids and a park bench for you and your partner, there is no council rehousing for you, Spaniards move back to there parents.There is no jobseekers allowance as such, no child tax credits, no child benifit, no financial help in the form of emergency loans and you’ll be faced with the language issue, so those willing to help you will probably rip you off.
Just remember children take a long time to adjust and what you do now will impact there education, ultimately your obsession will impact there future and possible make there life worse.
But at least the park bench will be warm, only keeping you awake at night will be the thought “Go for it, you never no if you don’t try” echoing around your head along with the thought “What have we done”.
But I guess you’ve researched and will ignore advice, so good luck.
Yes I have done some research and no I will not ignore your comments, I do appreciate them and yes it is a dream that until we have the money we will not be able to fulfill. I would never just pack the kids up and just arrive and hope for the best, I would make sure that schools were taken care of and either myself or my husband had a job to go to before even stepping foot out of the UK.
Emma-Jane you have your head swed on there , wish more like u there Spain no dream land off sun , i work all hours here and get ok wage , pay me to get by , no kids are woman ... but share accom , so not two bad . but think are hard here see more out work and it make you think few time .
You’d be surprised how many expats who have done all you plan fall on there behinds, especially when the language is an issue.
Many get a job and ignore there in there 30’s and between then and retirement will have moved jobs several times, but in Spain that can be an issue, one which is the main reason many return to the UK, jobs are nolonger for life.
Which is why many fail to last more than a few yrs.
I have a friend, who broke all the rules and has worked in Spain now 9yrs, the wife won’t leave and he is getting fed up with having 3 children 1 of which left school last yr and is unemployed, the next finishes this yr with poor grades, due to the Spanish believing his inability was down to language and not dyslexia, which was only spotted 3 yrs ago and the other finishes in 3 yrs time.
All not doing great with marks, all used to British lifestyle in Spain, in which they Speak Spanish in school to a poor level and at home watch UK sat tv and speak English 70% of the time.
There future is in no mans land, unable to succeed in Spain or in the UK, as there marks are poor in Spain, there too Britishified for a Spanish employer and to Spanish to return to the UK.
If I had a euro for everyone I’ve meet/read with the same plan as yours, I wouldn’t need to buy lottery.
Its amazing how many Expats i’ve read who sprout on about how they intergrate and are different to the peeps on the costa’s, yet you never read anything from the peeps they critiscise, I wonder why.
Maybe how they view themselves is not the same as others view them.
ya ask and uk person the latest news and tell it all in uk ... that dont know what happen in spain 9 out 10 times . thay drive uk reg cars here think there above the law , 2 - 3 year been here , and gusse who scam you frist ... ? i seen more move here dew to facing serious financial problems . ( banks after them )
and when you stop pay benfits to uk Gov , you dont get any think from them any more , been told some many gone back , so Official language(s) Spanish not english like more people say it is , learn it befor you com here and you fine think lot easyer ... most office wont chat to in english ....
I didn’t read all of Santi or Jurdy’s comments, but BuenosDiasPet had some good words there. I think it comes down to this: if you can find work down here then go for it. It could be really tight if the job isn’t good and I pray that you have a nest egg to fall back on if you were to get laid off or something, but it’s do-able. And kids will adjust (often much better than you’d expect and the education system is great for most people). Certain parts of Spain have much better prospects - Catalunya, Cantabria, Basque Country, etc. Stick to those. Keep researching, put a plan together and START LEARNING SPANISH NOW.
Hi EJ,
At least you are asking before arriving!
All of above replies are true/good advice.
I came here as a singleton 10yrs ago, but made sure I had a job lined up (one that came with an apartment and car as it happened 😉
I have met many Brit families for whom it was their dream, but unless you have some kind of regular income it can be a roller coaster ride. (Look thru old posts on this forum). Many have had to return to the UK when they cannot find work etc.
But…
‘If you don’t try’ you will never know!
Just do as much planning as you can, try and find a job and apartment before you come over (even come yourself or send OH in advance to get things set up)...
No one should stop you from following your dream. Just try and make sure it doesn’t turn into a nightmare.
(I have now been job hunting for 4yrs since being made redundant. I am very lucky that OH supports me at present - although it is a worry each month as their income fluctuates). I hate being so financially insecure (and dependent on another person), and we don’t have access to free health care. Etc, etc, etc.
Come and see for yourself.. but do take head of all of above/other posters advice… (esp re benefit, jobs etc)
Jeremy Clarkson wrote that it isn’t a country that makes one successful, people happy with there life, jobs, friends etc don’t move to another country,people who do seek a better life have already failed and will fail where ever they go.
20 yrs ago Expats moved because there jobs took them or they retired, now people seem to believe some sunshine will make life more happy, even when the jobs have gone, the bank is overdraw and the bills are unpaid it will all still seem, better.
Well not really, see in Spain the utillities will cut you off, pago doesn’t last long, banks will ring at 10 in the night with threats of court and arrest, landlords will throw you out without notice and the booze is so cheap that your OH will spend all night getting pi88ed.
It does happen.
Anybody watch “The one show” tonight, just happened to be interviewing brits return from Spain, most without money, homes or jobs.
Seems there are a lot of people who tried and ignored the warnings.Maybe they’ll try X Factor next, after all you never know if you don’t listen, sorry I mean try.
