Author Topic: moving to spain (Read 4844 times)

wine_man · « **on:** August 14, 2002, 05:06:00 PM »

We would like some help, my wife and I he 34 she 31 son 5 daughter 3 are thinking of moving to spain. Probably the Costa blanca area and we would like some feed back what it is like. The good the bad and the ugly we need to know it all, if we make this move we will not be able to come back to the UK so it has to be right.

If you are a couple like us or know of any one like us that is living there and loves /hates it maybe you lived there for a while but decided to return home, we wouild love to here from you.

Many thanks in advance[addsig]

Tracy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 17, 2002, 01:18:00 PM »

Hi wine-man,

Have you seen [!-- BBCode Start --][A HREF=\"http://www.costablanca-news.com/\" TARGET=\"_blank\"]The Costa Blanca News[/A][!-- BBCode End --] yet? It\'s a great English language resource for people already living in that area. I\'m sure you can hook up with someone there, who can share their experiences.

Let us know if that\'s what you\'re looking for, and good luck!

tracy[addsig]

wine_man · « **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2002, 06:14:00 PM »

I have seen it but I have not yet had the chance to read it properly, but thanks for the link because I had lost [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"]

Do I assume you are living in Spain?

russ[addsig]

Tracy · « **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2002, 08:41:00 PM »

Assumption wrong, wine-man. I\'m in New Jersey. I used to live in Madrid, but have since moved back to my hometown-- with my Spanish hubby. [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"] [addsig]

wine_man · « **Reply #4 on:** August 22, 2002, 09:57:00 AM »

Well they do say never to assume anything [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"]

May I ask why you decided to go back? did you not like living in spain?

russ[addsig]

Tracy · « **Reply #5 on:** August 22, 2002, 03:27:00 PM »

I loved living there. In fact, we were all packed to move to Castellon- a smaller town on the east coast above Valencia-- and actually did move there. But the contracted job my husband was sent on fell through and we ended up having to move back to an empty apartment to which we had already given our notice.

Spontaneously, and much due to the fact that I was 7 months pregnant, we moved back to the States.

Now we just visit and stay with our in-laws in Madrid. That has a nice flavor to it too [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"][addsig]

jer · « **Reply #6 on:** August 22, 2002, 06:20:00 PM »

Hey wine-man, jejeje, I too think Tracy is wacky for having moved back to the States aftet living in Madrid [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"]

[!-- BBCode Quote Start --][TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%][TR][TD][font class=\"pn-sub\"]Quote:[/font]

[/TD][/TR][TR][TD][FONT class=\"pn-sub\"][BLOCKQUOTE]...if we make this move we will not be able to come back to the UK so it has to be right.

[/BLOCKQUOTE][/FONT][/TD][/TR][TR][TD]

[/TD][/TR][/TABLE][!-- BBCode Quote End --]

Running from the law? [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif\"]

Try also the website at [!-- BBCode auto-link start --][a href=\"http://www.spainalive.com\" target=\"_blank\"]www.spainalive.com[/a][!-- BBCode auto-link end --] as it covers the Costa Blanca on soem levels.

Personally, I moved to Spain 7 yrs ago from the U.S.A. (NY to Madrid) and never looked back.

I have only visited the coasts of Spain on vacation so really do not know what it is like to live there.

Hope you get some first hand advice soon.

Saludos & Suerte,

jer...

webweaver of [!-- BBCode auto-link start --][a href=\"http://www.multimadrid.com\" target=\"_blank\"]www.multimadrid.com[/a][!-- BBCode auto-link end --] and spain nut galore!

p.d. Hey Tracy, great job on the boards, much faster and easier to use now [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif\"][addsig]

Tracy · « **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2002, 01:32:00 PM »

Thanks Jer...You can thank ROberto for that [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif\"]

And YES! I thought the same! ARE you running from the law wine-man??? hmmm.[addsig]

wine_man · « **Reply #8 on:** August 27, 2002, 06:35:00 PM »

me running from the law? no

just very dissalusioned with this country, I now seem to spend all my time working my butt off just to survive. It used to be the harder you worked the more rewards you got but now its just to keep the family going.

Dont get me wrong im not afraid of hard work far from it, but I would like to see some rewards from it like be able to take my wife and kids out at leasr once a month.[addsig]

Stephano · « **Reply #9 on:** September 08, 2002, 09:02:00 PM »

Hello Everyone

This is my first time posting a message

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I want to move to Spain in a few years, I will be 33 by than, I don\'t know

if that will be too old to get into teaching? is there a standard age?

In the next few years I plan on going back to school to get TESL certification

I know I need a job offer to be able to work in Spain. Is the visa transferable?

can I use it towards another career? how long is good for? Also, if I plan on

staying in Spain how does one go about applying for Residency?

Thanks

Stephano [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_nod.gif\"] [addsig]

Sibsie · « **Reply #10 on:** September 09, 2002, 10:24:00 PM »

I\'m a Brit on the Northern Costa Blanca which is nearer Valencia just outside Javea. It\'s a great place and I love it. Beautiful landscape and great beaches and thankfully not very built up once you pass Alicante, Calpe and Benidorm.

Southern Costa Blanca, round Villa Martin, La Manga and Torrieveja is really built up. Lots of Brits, quite a lot of crime (A friend has been burgled 3 times in 6 months) I personally don\'t like the area at all.

I advise you do to a lot of research in the area and have a good look round. Some places like in Southern Costa Blanca are deserted in winter and packed with holiday makers in Summer.

The people I know with kids out here put them into a Spanish school and they\'ve done really well. They pick up the language really quickly.

I\'d also advise you to learn Spanish and depending on the area you settle in you may need a bit of Valenciano as well which is widely spoken and more like French.

I\'m not a great fan of the inspection tours some companies offer. They can be very high pressure and do everything they can to get to put down some money on a place before you\'ve left for home.

House prices are on the up and up in Spain so really shop around.

Good luck.[addsig]

Brenda · « **Reply #11 on:** November 17, 2002, 06:16:00 AM »

To Tracy,

Hey, I live in New Jersey too! But I\'m now in the planning stages of moving TO Madrid in January by myself (finally, after years of waiting and saving money).

May I bother you for advice? I don\'t know anyone else who is experienced with both having lived in NJ and Spain. [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif\"] [addsig]

mpdodd · « **Reply #12 on:** December 20, 2002, 12:18:00 AM »

I am also interested in the Costa Blanca area. Like many people, I think, I have a dream of living on the Mediterranean with a view of the sea. While this this a wild fantasy, part of me thinks it can come true. Any suggestions? How much does a house with a view of the sea cost? I currently live in Boston and with the ridiculous housing costs here, I\'d rather spend $500,000 for a place on the Med. than for a place in Boston. Even at the price I couldn\'t get much for Boston!!! What\'s the process for an American to buy a house in Spain? I lived for a year in Seville and another year in Madrid and I\'m trying to move back there next fall.

Thanks! Melissa [addsig]

Sibsie · « **Reply #13 on:** December 21, 2002, 02:16:00 AM »

Hi. I\'m Northern Costa Blanca and house prices vary enormously depending on the area.

Torrieveija and the surrounding areas are very cheap but with that you get an area with a bad reputation, rows upon rows of houses and some of the highest crime rates in Spain.

I live in Denia which is pretty expensive by Spanish standards. You can certainly get a place with a sea view from upwards of $300k for a decent place. On top of that you have to set aside at least 10% for taxes which are a little more as a non resident property owner.

It\'s harder to get a mortgage as a non European and you may have to have a lot more of a deposit. Currently Spanish banks will lend up to 70% of the bank valuation which is not necessarily the amount you will pay for the house. Normally the property is undervalued by the bank for long complicated reasons that I shan\'t bore you with.

If you\'re not getting a mortgage then obviously it\'s easier. Of course being a homeowner does not entitle you to residency or to stay for any longer than your normal visa will allow.

The Costa Blanca area really varies and some of it is a bit grim. The best advice I can give is to have a good old look round and settle on an area you like.

[addsig]

cellis · « **Reply #14 on:** December 27, 2002, 07:57:00 AM »

Hi, this is my first message posting. I, too, want to move to Spain, somewhere on the coast as well. I just graduated from college and am looking to live and work abroad for a year. I was hoping for any advice from anyone on what to do. I have been doing job research and have come to a complete dead end. I have a contact in Fuengirola and am worried that if I get there I won\'t be able to find work. Any adivce? I am willing to take a risk, I have money saved up, I need an adventure and I need to become fluent in Spanish! I want to leave as soon as possible---would love feedback of any kind.

If interested in sharing information feel free to email me at: [!-- BBcode auto-mailto start --][a href=\"mailto:cellis@du.edu\"]cellis@du.edu[/a][!-- BBCode auto-mailto end --]

Thanks,

Caroline[addsig]

mpdodd · « **Reply #15 on:** December 28, 2002, 07:49:00 PM »

Hi Sibsie,

Thanks for the info on housing. I think it\'s one of my long-term goals to have a house but first I need a job! My fiance and I are heading to Madrid on Monday and will hopefully meet some of our contacts to see whether jobs are in our future for next year. We had hoped to have the time to travel a bit more to search out areas but it doesn\'t look like that is going to happen on this trip.

I\'m working on getting Irish citizenship through my grandmother was was born in County Cavan but I\'m running into problems with that!

Thanks again! Melissa[addsig]

cadykat · « **Reply #16 on:** January 09, 2003, 07:14:00 AM »

HELLO SIBSIE-

WOW it was so funny for me to read that your from denia, only because i havn\'t heard a person mention that town in some time. I knew some German families that are living there and another friend of mine has a summer home in javea!! I recently got back from spain (Feb-Augest 2002) and i was living in Valencia (AMUNT VALENCIA!!!). i had the monst fun when i stayed 2 weeks basking in the sun in ghandia with some friends, those areas are the best and not over ridden with too many tourists. Anyways I have a dream that next January when I finish college I want to move back to Valencia to teach english. I was wondering if you knew of the difficulty it is to get a job in that city. I totally fell in love with it when i was learning spanish there. the qualifications that I will have under my belt will be a college education in Sociology, 6 months of Spanish in Valencia, hopefully volunteer hours of teaching english here and possibly I will spend the month of January 2004 getting my TEFL in Barcelona. I was wondering if you had any ideas or connections that I could get a hold of via email just to get some ideas of things I can do to be prepared. I really want to teach english abroad but even more then that I want to be in this city, I loved everything about it and I have friends there too. Anyways all your imput would be great and I hope life in Denia is going good for you!! Thanks.

you can email me if you like too

[!-- BBcode auto-mailto start --][a href=\"mailto:cadykat@hotmail.com\"]cadykat@hotmail.com[/a][!-- BBCode auto-mailto end --]

katy[addsig]

shortie · « **Reply #17 on:** January 19, 2003, 11:55:00 PM »

Hi people! This is a first post. Anybody got any words of wisdom about moving to Majorca? Hoping to move July 03. Looking 4 work. Am primary teacher and also a qualified nurse. Should i do a TEFL course? What are my chances of getting a full time teaching position in an international school? Do they have a high turnover of staff? If you\'ve got a crystal please reply![addsig]

Sibsie · « **Reply #18 on:** January 21, 2003, 02:14:00 AM »

Hi CadyKat. Sorry it\'s taken so long to get back to you - but time has got the better of me. Yes I love Denia. I\'m in a little village outside it. It\'s quiet but still lively and not overun with foreigners. Javea though is almost England there are so many Brits there. I go there once in a while if I get homesick but far prefer where I am.

I get the Costa Blanca news and quite often see ads in there looking for English Teachers. They have a website the address of which I don\'t know offhand but would be easy to look up.

As for Valencia itself I don\'t venture in there too much other than to do "big" shopping but it is a great city and very underated.[addsig]

Molly · « **Reply #19 on:** May 19, 2003, 11:56:00 AM »

Just came across this site -- looks pretty packed with general info about a bunch of areas: [!-- BBCode auto-link start --][a href=\"http://denia-spain.travel-holiday-guide.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\"]http://denia-spain.travel-holiday-guide.co.uk/[/a][!-- BBCode auto-link end --]

Molly[addsig]

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Author Topic: moving to spain (Read 4844 times)