I am thinking of moving to Southern Spain with my two children 13 and 10.  I am hoping to get a job in Gibraltar and have looked into all other expenses such as rent, living costs, transport etc.  Does anyone know of any childcare facilities for afterschool and during the school holidays?  Has anyone else relocated with children of similar ages? What effect has it had on them? Do they adjust easily?

hi

i have not made the move yet but i am planning on moving with 3 of my children aged 6/13/15 years to the Murcia region. my eldest is remaining in england for another year to finish his college education then he will join us.

i am worried about the older 2 adjusting to the school work but so far on this site i have not been told off any one regretting their move and all the children have settled into Spanish life.

i am aware that there will be a few hic cups but as long as you don’t go thinking everything will be plane sailing and except some days are going to be hard work, till everyone in the family has adjusted adults as well as children it will work out.

have you planned a visit yet, i am going at the end of the month to have a look at the area and see what schools, houses and jobs are available.

from caroline

Hi Caroline,

thanks for replying.  I havent planned a visit just yet, though I am hoping to soon.  I am concerned about putting my kids into a Spanish school because of their ages, especially the 13 year old. I am considering International Schools, but am having no replies to my questions on fees etc,  I have looked at jobs available etc and accomodation, all of which I think I will be able to manage.  My main concern is that as I am a single parent, I will not be able to find any afterschool or holiday care, such as we have here.  I can’t seem to find any information on childminders or clubs in the area, or whether the schools can provide any afterschool activities. 

I hope you have a great time on your visit and find out all the information that you need to help you make your move.  Please let me know how you get on

Heather :o)

Hi Heather

I am a single mother as well, I am hoping to start up a babysitting service as i have found that childcare is hard to come by. I am hoping that my service is well used because of this.

I have been looking into the concertadas schools, they are an inbetween state and private school for my kids. they have half there lessons in spanish and half in english and make the ideal half way gap to state school. They are approx 100 euros a month, though i am thinking that my youngest will just go straight into state school as at 6 years she is the ideal age to intergrate.

i also have the problem of not being able to drive so i need to be somewhere there is good transport or everything is within walking distance.

what kind of job are you looking for? I work as a customer service advisor and having been looking for jobs in this area but being unsuccessful i decided i would try childcare instead.
Hope this helps in your search,
from caroline

Hi Caroline,

Thanks for the info, I will look into Concertada Schools as they seem an ideal starting place.  You mentioned you were looking at the Murcia region, is there any particular reason you have chosen this area?  I am looking at living in Manilva or the surrounding area. Apparently there are quite a few expats living in the area and it is within travelling distance of Gibraltar, which is where I am hoping to get work.  I am currently working an Accounts Manager/Credit Controller, I think there are quite a few jobs available in Gib, with the advantage of Gib being English speaking as my Spanish isnt brilliant. I can drive so the commute doesnt bother me, it is just the childcare I am having problems with at the minute.

When are you thinking of moving out there.  I was initially looking at September, the start of the new school year.  Being a single parent, do you know if maintenance paid by the CSA is still collected if you move to Spain?? I am presuming that as the kids will still be British Citizens they will be entitled to child benefit, do you know if this is right?  Are you on any sort of benefits at the minute? I get working tax credit, but as I dont get much, I am hoping I will not miss the extra.

Sorry if you think I am prying, you dont have to answer any of the questions, I just thought that we could help each other out with any info we have.

thanks
Heather

hi there,
i am childcare professional from past few years. Many of the parents makes relocation any point of time due to several reasons, so for working parents no need to worry about it. But children’s has impact on them due to loss of their friends, mates and other missing things. Since parents are always busy in their daily life activities also they have to seek for better job in new location which create lots of problem to them.Hence life is about work.
Cheers for life.
Dilip
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