Hello everyone 😊

As the title tells you, I am moving to Valencia (from England) in an alarmingly short amount of time. I was wondering if anyone had any tips, hints, helpful/calming information for me?! I think I have done all I can at the moment - I feel like I’ve hit a bit of a wall with planning as so much needs to be done once I get out there. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should tackle first once I land?!

I am going to be spending the first 4 weeks studying for a CELTA at a language school there, so they provide accommodation for the duration of that. Which is good because it means I can look for apartments once I’m there and not online! Can anyone tell me what I should expect to spend on rent/utilities etc? I am moving with my boyfriend and we think we would like a 2 bed apartment as we anticipate a lot of visitors!

The course is another source of stress to me. If there are any TEFL-ers on here then I would appreciate advice about the course as currently I am panicking that none of the pre-course grammar stuff seems to be sinking in. Also, what are the chances of me getting a job? And what is the best way to go about it? I am a qualified teacher in England (in Music) so I am hoping I will be able to find something?

Finally, I was hoping someone could help me with some practical questions….... 1) does a Spanish bank account allow for transfers/direct debits to an English bank account? and 2) I have an iPhone contract with Orange until next February. My plan was to reduce it down as much as I can and then get a pay-as-you-go SIM from a Spanish company (Movistar) and put that in the phone. Does that sound possible? And are there any opinions on whether or not to keep my Orange insurance? I am thinking no at the moment only because they will only deliver a replacement phone in England and to me, but not having insurance makes me nervous!

Ok so that was a lot! Sorry to just dump all that here but I am really starting to panic, I should have just upped and gone, it’s the waiting that lets me think of all the things that could go wrong!

Thanks in advance for any responses.
Jen 😊

TBH, the best thing you can do at the moment is to repost this on as many other forums as possible. Readership and responses here have shrunk to the point where I begin to wonder why we keep it going.
As to the points you raise; firstly you should expect a lot of what might appear to be negativity on the part of responders… You really need to be capable of holding your own in a spoken rapid fire all Spanish conversation to get anywhere in looking for a job. The overall enemployment figures here are appalling… something like 26% across the board and 55% in the 18 to 30 age group.

Then there is the question of health insurance; over here there is no equivalent of the NHS; access to the the Spanish State Health system is by contribution rather than by residence. As an autonomo ie self employed you can expect tpo pay up to around 250Euros per month in contributions. To get rsidencia you have to meet some financial conditions that prove that you wont be a drain on Spanish resources not that you could access them anyway… The ‘negativity’ isnt really that, its more a case of telling it like it is… It’s extremely hard out here for those without a job. Banks and financial houses foreclose on mortgages at the drop of a hat and there is no recourse or assistance from the State. Unemployment benefit where it can be paid is a measly 400 Euros per month… not enough to pay the bills.

Electricity bill here are among the highest in the world; my bills for the period December through March when totalled were in excess of 1000Euros…
If your Apple phone is tied into your contract with Orange then the chances are you cannot simply remove the SIM and replace it with a PAYG from Movistar… you would need to get it ‘jail breaked’ and this would almost certainly invalidate any guarantees you have with Orange…

Spanish banks can and do make Standing Order payment to UK bank accounts and vice versa; I have four UK based sterling pensions and all are paid directly into me Spanish Banl aaccount. Transfer fees can be quite high and are generally a subject for negotiation.

Finally… let me say that the only people that are comfortably secure out here are those in receipt of UK pensions and dont have to worry about looking for or keeping a job. Even then we are subject to some wide variations in the exchange rate… for the last year or so its been hovering around 1.2 to 1; it did drop to near parity at one point. When we first moved out here we were getting 1.6 to 1. For a pension income of around 1000 pound sterling its the difference between getting 1000Euros and 1600 euros. I know you are not pensioners but you get my drift; its the difference between being comfortable and just surviving.

Best advice I could give is this… dont burn your bridges… if you have property in the UK hang on to it; rent it out so you have a bolt hole back home if things dont work out.

As I said try reposting this on other forums; be prepared for a barrage of Dont Do It responses; do your homework, learn as much as possible about life and living conditions in your chosen area, each region and province has its own rules; what is accepted as a S.O.P. in one area may be totally different from another.

Good Luck… maybe I’ll see you on some of the other forums if you use the same name…

fb
Moderator / Admin.