Santi
i know you have more experience than us but have you anything positive to say???
If we were to listen to you then we would never trust ourselves to make a go of any thing
please give some positives!!!!!!!!
hello there, where exactly are you planning on moving to in Spain? It’s such a huge country and each region a world of difference from the next in terms of cost of living, jobs and so on. I moved ot madrid 6 years ago and found work very quickly but then I am bilingual (spanish mum, English Dad) and I was willing to accept a very much lesser job (both money and content) than I had in London. However, what i can say is that a year ago I was made redundant and I have since been teaching English on a private basis. You can do quite well teaching English there is a huge demand for ESL teachers. With respect to schools, Spanish schools are either free, partly subsidised or private. The subsidised schools (colegios concertados) are usually very good. By and large the Spanish education system is excellent. In fact many Spanish schools are becoming bilingual as they recognise the importance of English as a second language and by 2012 an English oral exam will be part of the University selection exam. If you are coming to Madrid then I would recommend you try and get your children into any one of the many colegios concertados. The public schools (totally free) are not so good. There are several English schools too. My son goes to one called Hastings which I like very much and has excellent results. My info web called http://www.kidsinmadrid.com gives a listing on the English schools and other info which may be useful to you. Anyway, I do with you the very best of luck, I made the move 6 years ago as a single parent, it’ s a big decision to make but a good one.
Santi
i know you have more experience than us but have you anything positive to say???
If we were to listen to you then we would never trust ourselves to make a go of any thing
please give some positives!!!!!!!!
The positives.
Most people tend to know the positives.
Spanish people are very friendly with each other, if you make a Spanish friend there usually very loyal and helpful.
Jamon is readily availble, along with Churro`s.
3Ltr wine is around 3.95.
You don`t work Saturdays in most jobs, most jobs you don`t do much work after lunch.
Different scenary.
You can swim in the sea at 8pm in the evening, then drink and eat in bars near the beach.
You can live like a tourist, all sun, sea and sangria.
Fresh fruit and veg that tastes good.
There you go all reasons to move to Spain. :coolsmile:
Well we have sold our house and will be coming to Spain regardless of the doom and gloom that I have come across reading this.
Is life not what you make it !
We are not running away from anything but certainly being adventurous and yes we will be running a cafe/bar ahhhhhhhhhhh NO NO NO.
Si si si…..........
Has anyone got anything positive to add to this thread?
Peachie I am not bringing my dogs because they are huskys and I dare say we will be working long hours initially as much as I would love to.
Thanks for you good luck message Peachie, it’s nice to hear.
Spain probably has the highest bar-per-head figure of any major nation so there will always be a lot of competition. However, many Spaniards still go to the bar 3 times a day and eat breakfast and lunch out almost every day, so the hospitality industry is not going to collapse overnight, at least not on a national level. Look at the typical model of a small Spanish bar though - open all hours, run by Mum and Dad with the kids helping, they usually live upstairs, nobody gets paid a formal wage. Do you want to do it that way? If you’re competing for the local market you will probably have to. Alternatively, if you rely on English-speaking tourists then you may have to make a year’s turnover in a few months of holiday season - tough at the best of times, and right now is not the best of times. I can only suggest you do something someone else in your neighbourhood isn’t - like put in a couple of PCs, open later or earlier than the rest or specialise in pool tables or something. Your niche will obviously depend entirely on where you are and what the competition is up to, but I think something really useful or different should be enough to pull in both local people and guiris.
[ However, many Spaniards still go to the bar 3 times a day and eat breakfast and lunch out almost every day, so the hospitality industry is not going to collapse overnight, at least not on a national level.
I disagree.
It used to be every morning the mothers from the school, my wife included and me when I could, would have breakfast in the bar near the school.
That now has reduced to maybe twice a week, as the cost of breakfast has risen 1.50 Euros in the last few months.
We very rarly eat out anymore, menu`s used to be 6 Euro`s, now there around 10 Euro`s a head.
Tapa`s type socialising is left now for weekends, either Saturday or Sunday, again the price has increased, we now tend to have a small amount and return home for lunch.
In all area`s of Malaga the bars are closing faster than there opening.
Even bars that rely on tourist have noticed the people prefer to limit there spending compared to a few years ago.
The tourist boom may not burst, but it certainly won`t be as large as the last decade, especially since budget airlines keep increasing there destination choices.
Tourism in Spain, as with construction was always at a level unseen in the rest of the world, it could never sustain itself.As with all things when your at the top the only way is down.
You’re right Santi, but everything is relative and if the Spanish bar business is suffering, it’s declining from a very high starting point, at least in terms of numbers. Last time I was in Granada the bars seemed a little quieter than usual, but then there are literally thousands in a city of what, a quarter of a million people at most? Also the University was out on holiday, which may have an effect there. I’ll be in Malaga next month for the first time since Christmas and I’ll be interested to see how it feels - but then Malaga is busier than other cities in August, isn’t it?
The one thing that surprise’s me is how much cash Spaniards had.
Its kinda hard to put into words, but whenever were out with Spanish friends they`ll pay for meals that cost in the 80 Euro mark, without batting an eyelid.
Whereas i and English friends would never offer to go for a meal costing that kinda cash a pay for it, maybe I`m tight, but I`d never spend that on myself in a restaurant, never mind other people.
I was out with a guy last year who was on the same pay level as me, he paid for some beers and I noticed the wallet stuffed with 50, 100 notes.
Two years ago I did some work for a client that was chargeable and he tried to pay 70.00 Euro`s with a 200.00 Euro note.And complained that I didn`t have change.
Although they still call the 500.00 Euro note a “Bin Laden”, cos you no it exists, but nobody gets to see them.
Friends around the town now seem to be more cautious with the cash, i know a few who`s mortgages have increased and are struggling quite a lot.
I have 3 friends who have been made unemployed in the last few months, although one was an architect who got sacked for taking backhanders from contractors.
I have just been speaking to a UK Estate Agent, And her branch is one of the busiest in my area.
In the last 6 months the manager has had to make 3 long term staff members redundant,
And obviously cut back on other parts of the Biz.
The situation now is that the office is selling no more than 2 properties a week.
As oppose to 1 a day in 2007.
Although this is not directly linked to the Spanish economy, It is painting an ‘unstable’ picture in a
general overview, And will have an eventual effect on the Spanish economy.
Yes it would be very nice to do the move, But at this moment we are going to watch the economy
before selling up.
If we did have the opportunity to sell up, Then I wouldn’t move to Spain on a ‘full time’ basis.
As people have fallen ‘foul’ of the Tempo, Jobs etc.
Always best to have a BASE in the Uk as a ‘back -up’ plan.
The one thing that surprise’s me is how much cash Spaniards had.
Its kinda hard to put into words, but whenever were out with Spanish friends they`ll pay for meals that cost in the 80 Euro mark, without batting an eyelid.
Whereas i and English friends would never offer to go for a meal costing that kinda cash a pay for it, maybe I`m tight, but I`d never spend that on myself in a restaurant, never mind other people.
I was out with a guy last year who was on the same pay level as me, he paid for some beers and I noticed the wallet stuffed with 50, 100 notes.
Two years ago I did some work for a client that was chargeable and he tried to pay 70.00 Euro`s with a 200.00 Euro note.And complained that I didn`t have change.
Although they still call the 500.00 Euro note a “Bin Laden”, cos you no it exists, but nobody gets to see them.
Friends around the town now seem to be more cautious with the cash, i know a few who`s mortgages have increased and are struggling quite a lot.
I have 3 friends who have been made unemployed in the last few months, although one was an architect who got sacked for taking backhanders from contractors.
I know just what you mean. I’ve met Spanish mileuristas who spend much more readily than I would, even if I had three times as much money. I always put this down to the fact that so many young Spanish professionals were living with their Mums (sometimes well into their thirties, which would be unimaginable for many British), so even though they only had 1,000 euros a month, it all went on clothes, maybe a scooter, and entertainment. This is a phenomenon we see in the UK sometimes, too; poor kids have more spending money than rich kids, because they don’t have any bills, pension contributions, mortgages. Paradoxically this might be good news for Spanish bars, fashion stores etc. over the next few years - the crisis in the housing market, difficulty in getting a hipoteca etc. means more Spaniards will remain with their parents for even longer, so they will have even more years of regarding their income as cash for drinks and the odd line of coke.
I have just been speaking to a UK Estate Agent, And her branch is one of the busiest in my area.
In the last 6 months the manager has had to make 3 long term staff members redundant,
And obviously cut back on other parts of the Biz.
The situation now is that the office is selling no more than 2 properties a week.
As oppose to 1 a day in 2007.
Although this is not directly linked to the Spanish economy, It is painting an ‘unstable’ picture in a
general overview, And will have an eventual effect on the Spanish economy.
Yes it would be very nice to do the move, But at this moment we are going to watch the economy
before selling up.
If we did have the opportunity to sell up, Then I wouldn’t move to Spain on a ‘full time’ basis.
As people have fallen ‘foul’ of the Tempo, Jobs etc.
Always best to have a BASE in the Uk as a ‘back -up’ plan.
Best Regards.
Mark & Julie.
Both Britain and Spain (and Ireland) have burned too bright in the last decade or so for their own good, I think, and overheated on the property market and service economies. So we have further to fall than, say, Germany or Scandinavia, where they’ve taken it more steadily. Overall I don’t think it’s quite as bad as everyone is making out - we’re certainly not the basket case that the US is looking. But unfortunately having a foot (or a house) in the UK and Spain means you can watch your equity fall and your mortgate costs rise twice over. Oh joy. Please rent my house and help me make ends meet.
Santander bank has announced they`ve agree terms and will purchase Alliance & Leicester for ?1 billion.
Seems the Spanish bank are happy to purchase a major mortgage player, the Alliance currently hold around ?60 Billion worth of mortgage business in the UK.
If the property market was at risk, I doubt they`d be fishing, guess in this slump there happy that the market will level out soon.
Along with the US govt assuring there markets that if there 2 biggest lenders were about to fold they`d make them a public company and secure the assest`s.
Now all we need is the UK media to get a brain and stop depressing everybody, the US to secure the Iraqi oil reserves and job done, everything rosy again.
