Hi, I am a single parent of 2, one 11 and one 3 year old. I am currently doing a degree in Spanish and English Literature. I have the option of working in Spain as a teachers assistant in a school for a year, but have to make my decision by November. Whilst the job will be arranged through my university at home (Ireland) and it has been stressed to me how this is a once in a lifetime opportunity which in my heart i really dont want to pass up, i have many unanswered questions and worries considering i have two children and am a lone parent. My questions are as follows :
. Will my 11 yr old get into school for free? If not what are the costs?
. Is it recommended that a child of 11 attend a Spanish school with little Spanish, (i.e will she be ok) she is young enough to be kept back as this was an optio anyway.
. How much is childcare for my 3 year old son i.e creche?
. How much would a 3 bed villa be, or even a 2 bed for the year?
. Am i entitled to One Parent Family payment as i am in Ireland?
. What would my average cost of living be per month?
I am under no illusion that this chapter in my life (if i decide not to skip the page but turn it) will be easy or any more financially rewarding, however, living in a country such as Ireland which costs an arm and a leg to keep your children active and entertained is really getting me down, i am not really a materialistic person but more of an ‘all for nature and simple life’ person. Therefore i have weighed up that if i am going to face obstacles and struggle as a single parent for the next decade or so i may aswell do it in the sun where my children will have a fitter and healthier lifestyle.
I have accepted that due to my unavoidable circumstances i have to work to survive either way, if i can do it in a place where i WANT to be then it’s half the battle. So please if there is anyone out there reading this who can give me some honest and good advice or even better again anyone who has actually achieved this as a single parent, your replies would be very much appreciated. I do have intermediate Spanish with certainty of having advanced by my expected departure date of around about July 09. Mant thanks. Una
Where exactly would you live in Spain?? There is a huge difference, as far as cost of living is concerned, if you move to Catalu?a or say Andalucia ...
Hi! Both your kids can go to public school for free. Children start public school here at age 4, and there is public guarder?a (nursery) before that. My brothers and I all were directly immersed into Spanish public school and we did fine. It doens’t take children that long to learn the language. Try to take advantage of the time you have until you leave and get your daughter a tutor or advanced Spanish classes.
Like Fate said, cost of living depends on where you live. The northern part and big cities are typically more expensive. Take a look at rental websites like http://www.enalquiler.com so you can get an idea of house pricing where you’re going to live.
Hi fate and rubi, thankyou for your reply. I am not sure yet where i will be placed as my current university will be placing me at a school as a teachers assistant. Once i speak to them tommorrow i will ask them if i can choose the cheaper place to live regarding cost of living. But really i am looking to see if regardless of the differences in cost of living per area, overall would it still be cheaper than ireland even if it were in Madrid or the North? I have started teaching my daughter spanish, but she is 11 and not taking it in as well as my 3 year old ~(who watches Dora the explorer which helps!!!!) but if she goes straight into a spanish speaking school in 6th class will she be ok with little spanish. As a single parent i doubt ill be able to afford a private english speaking school, as any savings will be for backup and childcare. Rubi, would you mind telling me how old you were when u moved to spain and your experience there. Also is the spanish education system really as bad as what i have heard, i personally know nothing about it? thanks.
Hi! My brothers and I were 15, 13, 11 and 9 when we moved here. My older brother and I spent the summer before we started school living with two Spanish families. Also, we had Spanish classes three times a week.
My younger brothers were placed directly in elementary school and were taken out of the class a few times a week to receive private Spanish lessons (at no extra cost) from the guidance counselour. Maybe this is something you could request.
In any case we all barely scraped by at school the first year, but we all passed. The following years became much easier. From my experience, elementary schools here are wonderful. High schools are not the best, especially in urban situations. I went to a rural high school, and the teachers were still pretty interested in their students’ grades. A lot of it depends on your daughter. I developed a study pattern for about one hour every day after school. The most difficult part is that there are only 1 or 2 tests per class, and your grade depends on passing those tests. But I do feel like I got a much better education here than if I had stayed in the States, where I wasn’t challenged at all.
Your daughter may be upset at you the first few months for moving her, but in the long run she’ll be thankful for the excellent experience.
My daughter is 10 and goes to a state school here many of the kids there dont speak a word of spanish,
they get extra lessons and all get on Ok.
Dont worry they will both be fine.
Thankyou all for your replies which are very positive. Does anyone know if i can claim one parent family payment (a government social welfare payment) to help me pay my childcare and rent as the wages from the job i will have wont be enough to cover all costs or if there is much opportunity for other work such as teaching english on a one to one level perhaps. I also teach hip-hop dance, maybe that would be an option??
Thankyou all for your replies which are very positive. Does anyone know if i can claim one parent family payment (a government social welfare payment) to help me pay my childcare and rent as the wages from the job i will have wont be enough to cover all costs or if there is much opportunity for other work such as teaching english on a one to one level perhaps. I also teach hip-hop dance, maybe that would be an option??
If you are NOT a permanent resident, don’t apply for the NIE and therefore pay taxes in Spain you CANNOT claim anything. I also doubt you’ll get a social security doctor and threfore will have to pay for both doctor and medicines. Non residents are usually entitled only to free hospitalizacion and emergency. Try and ask the school to pay a private medical insurance for you and your kids, that’s the safest way.
Hi Fate. Thanks for that. I am not sure what NIE stands for and think i am misunderstanding your message. Do you mean that i cannot apply for social welfare if i am not a permanent resident and that i will have to pay tax. How much does a doctor usually cost in Spain?
Excuse me i was simply asking what was Fate was trying to explain to me and if, considering i am a citizen of the E.U do the same rules and regulations apply to your country as mine. I am not English and i am certainly not a scrounger. I am Irish and there are a large number of other Europeans living in my country ‘scrounging’ as YOU call it, from my state without getting a job and paying their taxes beforehand. I work very hard and pay my taxes which go towards whom???? Other Europeans who come over to Ireland because our social welfare system are so generous so if you want to get into a discriminative debate about immigrants etc….. be my guest because i happen to have very strong views on people becoming resident in other countries and dont have the respect to speak/learn their language. As i am a member of the E.U i have every right to live anywhere in the EU, the difference between me and the majority is i have the respect for other countries to make sure i can speak their language before i go there. I cannot stand judgemental people, if you had any cop on at all you would have taken note that i WILL be working in YOUR country and paying my taxes and i also mentioned that i am willing to work a second job also, so how dare you accuse me of being lazy individual who expects everything handed to them on a plate, how dare you. I am anything but that. Is it no wonder the world is the way it is with people who have become argumentative at the drop of a hat. Sorry i caught you on a moody day Pepsi. From now on i will totally ignore and skip over your messages. Take Note .... I AM NOT EXPECTING TO CLAIM OFF SPAINS SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEM, I AM SIMPLY ASKING WHAT IS THE COST OF LIVING. If i dont expect it from my state i certainly dont expect it from others especially cosidering that my state is probably one of the most generous and very welcoming to foreign nationals.
I came on here for help as i would have liked to have done my work experience in Spain for ONE YEAR ONLY through my degree. It’s an awful shame that people cant just be helpful in a friendly way these days without judging everyone before they know them. I actually found many Spanish to be very friendly and co-operative heres hoping that your insulting message doesnt put me off. Thanks to everyone else who helped me out i.e Rubi and Fate, your help was very much appreciated.
Excuse me i was simply asking what was Fate was trying to explain to me and if, considering i am a citizen of the E.U do the same rules and regulations apply to your country as mine. I am not English and i am certainly not a scrounger. I am Irish and there are a large number of other Europeans living in my country ‘scrounging’ as YOU call it, from my state without getting a job and paying their taxes beforehand. I work very hard and pay my taxes which go towards whom???? Other Europeans who come over to Ireland because our social welfare system are so generous so if you want to get into a discriminative debate about immigrants etc….. be my guest because i happen to have very strong views on people becoming resident in other countries and dont have the respect to speak/learn their language. As i am a member of the E.U i have every right to live anywhere in the EU, the difference between me and the majority is i have the respect for other countries to make sure i can speak their language before i go there. I cannot stand judgemental people, if you had any cop on at all you would have taken note that i WILL be working in YOUR country and paying my taxes and i also mentioned that i am willing to work a second job also, so how dare you accuse me of being lazy individual who expects everything handed to them on a plate, how dare you. I am anything but that. Is it no wonder the world is the way it is with people who have become argumentative at the drop of a hat. Sorry i caught you on a moody day Pepsi. From now on i will totally ignore and skip over your messages. Take Note .... I AM NOT EXPECTING TO CLAIM OFF SPAINS SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEM, I AM SIMPLY ASKING WHAT IS THE COST OF LIVING. If i dont expect it from my state i certainly dont expect it from others especially cosidering that my state is probably one of the most generous and very welcoming to foreign nationals.
Take it easy 😊 I’ll try to explain it better 😊.
Becoming a permanent resident in any Country means that you reside there premanently and therefore you pay taxes in such Country and NOT in your Country of origin. To be a permanent resident in Spain since 2003 you do NOT need anymore to get the Tarjeta de residencia but only the NIE which is the number given to you by Extranjeria that identifies you as permanent resident in Spain. The moment you get your status of “permanent resident” you have almost the same rights as Spaniards. Almost ... because in some cases permanent residents find it more difficult to obtain some ‘benefits’, or it takes longer etc. etc. Is this part clear now? I hope so. 😊
Being an EU citizen you don’t really need to become a permanent resident, especially if your contract is just for 1 year. You can perfectly stay here as a non-resident citizen ... but if you go on being Irish resident:
1- you pay taxes in Ireland, are entitled to an Irish social security doctor, etc. etc. ... For that reason, being a non-resident in Spain you’ll get free hospitalizacion, can go to Emergency but have to pay doctors and medicines, unless there’s some sort of special agreement between Ireland and Spain. If I were you I’d ask the social security over there to find out ...
2- you might have problems opening a bank account. It did happen to a friend of mine in Almeria just a few months ago. She managed to open an account only when her fianc?e and the company emplying him guaranteed for her. 😖 I know this is absolute nonsense ... but it’s how it works. But ... maybe you’re lucky and find some bank eager to get your money and open a non-resident account. That means the bank won’t apply the 18% deduction on your benefits ... but it also means they will charge you higher commissions, and might even charge you a percentage when, at the end of the year, you go back home and close the account. Being a non-resident you have no means to negotiate with the bank ... it is “take it or leave it”.
If you have any more doubts, don’t worry and ask: will try to help you if I can. 😊 Have a nice day.
Thankyou Fate, all of your information there makes perfect sense to me now. Please excuse my little rant of defense earlier but i am a hard working independent woman with two children, on my own (not blowing my own trumpet, but life hasnt been easy lets put it that way) and it is not very nice to be called a ‘scrounger’ as that other person put it.
In Ireland you are entitled to keep social welfare payments and work at the same time if & only if, you are in university full-time or working on low earnings. A lot to take on with two kids as you can imagine, but that is what i have had to do (work and study that is) in order to pay my childcare, to complete my degree, to become a teacher, hence to support my kids by myself as best i can & avoid high chilcare costs which last year cost me 325 euro per week. This hardly makes me a scrounger!!! It proves that i do my utmost not to become one.
This entitlement applies to everyone who is either a single parent or someone who has no kids but is not married and out of work, but attending full-time college. Therefore, i was just wondering if they had the same/similar system in Spain and if not, could i continue under the Irish Social Welfare (whom i did ask about this and no-one there seemed to have the answer, i bascially asked them exactly what you Fate, have explained to me, as i assumed that this would be the case, but they didnt seem to know). If i have no rights regarding help with childcare,welfare etc… whilst i am working in Spain, then that leaves me with no other option but to work two jobs which would be very stressful for me being alone in another country with two kids and i just hav to way up wether or not that would be feesable. So i better start trying to save some money!!!
You have answered all of my questions which is great, all i need now is confirmation from the Social Welfare in Ireland that you are correct. Basically i want to go to Spain for 1 year to gain the work experience necessary to become fluent in Spanish to gain good marks in my final year exams. I wouldnt be thinking in terms of permanent residency for a few years…. after i have become fluent and shake off any ‘‘scrounger status stigma’’ attached to me before i apply for any permenant residency!!!!! I know how frustrating it can be to have employees in your own country not being able to speak your language.i.e ordering Paella and recieving Pizza. However this is not the fault of foreign nationals etc…
If i took the option of doing a B.A International in Spain and received their grant of 1,500 euro would that make me a scrounger too i wonder!!!!!!! 😝 :cheese: Sorry to keep mentioning the S word but it actually upset me.. can’t you tell!!!!! Anyway, i’ll leave it there, thankyou ever so much again Fate, you have been more help than you may realise. Take Care. If i think of anything else i will be back on.
In Ireland you are entitled to keep social welfare payments and work at the same time if & only if, you are in university full-time or working on low earnings. A lot to take on with two kids as you can imagine, but that is what i have had to do (work and study that is) in order to pay my childcare, to complete my degree, to become a teacher, hence to support my kids by myself as best i can & avoid high chilcare costs which last year cost me 325 euro per week.
This entitlement applies to everyone who is either a single parent or someone who has no kids but is not married and out of work, but attending full-time college. Therefore, i was just wondering if they had the same/similar system in Spain and if not, could i continue under the Irish Social Welfare (whom i did ask about this and no-one there seemed to have the answer, i bascially asked them exactly what you Fate, have explained to me, as i assumed that this would be the case, but they didnt seem to know). If i have no rights regarding help with childcare,welfare etc… whilst i am working in Spain, then that leaves me with no other option but to work two jobs which would be very stressful for me being alone in another country with two kids and i just hav to way up wether or not that would be feesable. So i better start trying to save some money!!!
Well now it sounds slightly more complicated! :lol: As far as I know each EU Country can supply their citizens a form (don’t ask me which one: it has changed quite a few times since I moved to Spain, and since I’m resident I don’t need it ...) filled in and stamped by their National Social Security (in your case the Irish one) which grants total medical assistance, etc. for 3 months in any EU Country. (I also read in an Italian forum that students have the option of getting it for the whole period they stay abroad. Haven’t found anything about teachers though ... :lol: )I fully understand your problem, and you’re right to worry about it: a doctor might charge you from a minimum of 30 to 100 euros up per visit. And with two children, that could turn out being a real nightmare. Besides a 1.500 euros/month salary for 3 people is NOT such a great one, especially if you’re thinking of renting a house. If your destination is in the north of Spain - mainly Catalu?a, Comunidad de Madrid, Pais Vasco, Asturias, Galicia - you’d better consider dropping the offer or you might end up hardly being able to ‘survive’. As for getting a second job ... lots of people already do it, and there isn’t such a great offer, believe me. Last month I worked at Alicante Airport (duty free) and some of the people I worked with were permanently doing 2 or even 3 jobs. Besides nowaddays it’s easier (it’s an euphemism! 😖 ) to get a job if you’re under 30, because the employer gets some important reduction of part of the taxes and social security he pays for the employee.
In my opinion the best thing you could do is try and convince the school to add a private medical insurance as a benefit to your salary; try and help you find a convenient accomodation; pay your salary in Ireland, and you could cash it here using your debit card (li.e. Visa Electron) in any bank that belongs to the Cyrrus Maestro network free of charge or with a very low fee. If you achieved all this, your life would be much easier down here!
Suerte!
Hi Fate. You have provided me with so much relevant information here. Thanks so much. I won’t be going for the option of doing the B.A International and attending a Spanish college. The head of the Spanish Dept in my college said that they might be able to arrange for my daughter to attend the same school that i will be placed in which will be great and i am thinking that my son will turn four on the 16 of Sept so they might take him in the school also. When does school term start do you know and what are the hours? I am at an advantage with regard to the time frame of this whole thing as it just so happens that my daughter should be starting secondary school around then but is still a bit young so keeping her back and putting her into 6th class again, only in Spain will not be detramental to her education at all. She can only benefit from it. If this all goes to plan then that will save me childcare. I will get paid approximately 750euro per month from the job, which will pay my rent, leaving me with just the basic costs of living such as food, petrol for my car (which i will be taking with me), electricity etc… oh and a bit of money to take my kids sight seeing around Spain at weekends!!!!! God it’s going to be so daunting not knowing anybody and being completely alone with my children. But it will be good for them to be part of a different culture for a while and make them more worldly and open minded.Where did you say you were originally from again, or did you and how long have you been in Spain? Apologies if you told me and i cant remember. my short term memory is very bad at the moment due to a recent family tragedy. It’s actually gone so bad i may not even make it to completion of my 2nd year in college and hence not make it to Spain, after all this!!!! Omega 3,6, & 9 oil better start working soon. 🙄
