Hi

My name is Kerry and me and my family are moving to Benalmadena, Spain in June next yr to be near our family (my husbands parents) they have been there for 3 yrs now. I’m worried if we are making right decision as I seem to have good and bad days regarding it.
I’m organised in terms of where to live, kids schooling and my husband has his own online business here in the UK that can be run
from anywhere, the only thing is I have a good job here as an Insurance advisor and all everyone keeps saying to us is Oh well you know Spain has a recession at the moment.

I am aware there is a recession on and I think the whole of EU is affected, everyone advising us has a point. But for all the reasons not to go I have 10 more to go. My in laws have a biased view that if we don’t try it we’ll never know but I feel this is slightly over shadowing the fact they will see our kids more. Don’t get me wrong they have told us the situation out there at the moment but still it hasn’t put us off. Are we being completely irresponsible? Can anyone advise us a working family and not as a retired couple who happen to love their lives there but miss their grandchildren.

I have researched health care, schooling, accommodation, cost of living, bringing our cars and have even looked at jobs available at moment in my field. We will have between 25,000 - 30,000 pounds in the bank at least so we can support ourselves for 1-2 yr at least without me working, but I hope I can find a job in similar role to my current one out there. (EVERYONE NEEDS INSURANCE). And of course my husband has his business.

I’m looking for any additional information anyone can give us and even a reason not to come just so we know we’ve checked into everything.

Thanks

Its nice to read someone who had both work and savings covered.

The recession has of course affected all the world, opportunities are still available if your in the right place at the right time.

Read my previous posts for more of my views, but basically I got a job transfer to Malaga before moving to Spain, my wife is Spanish and so we thought all bases were covered.

The 1st year for me was 50-50, work was not great, far from it, my career basically went backwards 10 yrs.

My wife pre crisis struggled to gain employment in either English or Spanish businesses, easy to get sales commission based jobs, but anything beyond 400 Euros a month take home was impossible.

We soon got bored of the beach, temperature and lack of activities for the kids beyond the beach and we were beach people.

The Costa Del Sol in my opinion is a toilet and the comments about it being Europes biggest council estate are very true, there is a lot of low income families and divorce is a major threat to a lot of families struggling with money and cheap booze.

Its very difficult to give advice, but read my previous post which I`ve written concerning the education issues and concerns parents should be aware of but usually don`t listen too before the move.

Its a shame that you haven`t chosen a better location in Spain, there is far better especially if income isn`t a major issue.

Anyway good luck with the move.

Hi there Kerry,

Here my two pennies worth…..make of it what you wish!!
First up, it is a recession here and the Spain has the highest levels of unemployment in the Eurozone. It?s a very bad recession too. Spanish employees have always been paid less than their European counterparts and now with the recession it even harder over here. Prices are high, jobs are seldom??but things will get better.
My partner and I moved out to La Linea in 2005. My partner was offered a job with a major gaming company in Gibraltar utilising her native language (Croatian). At the time I was working in the civil Service and had a really good steady job, paying well and I had made lots of promotions in the few years I was there. I was very apprehensive about coming to Spain. Don?t get me wrong, I could imagine the lovely weather, the relaxed lifestyle etc etc but I didn?t want to go from being an earner to a job hunter, especially in a foreign country.
However, we did it. But it was not easy. For all that we love Spain; we equally find it very frustrating. Yes, there is a recession in Spain and you will find it very, very difficult to find a job at the moment unless you have specific skills that can overshadow any language barrier or you find a British employer on the coast. Note that there are not many of them that offer the kind of work I would imagine an Insurance Advisor would suit very well - In the Benelmadena area.
When we first moved here, we were in La Linea, a short walk over the border to Gibraltar. My Fianc? started working in Gib, I found a job in a gaming company in Gib (a good one!!) and now make a much better living than I did in the UK. I work in an English speaking environment, with professionals and really enjoy my job. So yes, after the initial worry, it was worth it.
However, I don?t really interact with Spaniards very often. I speak average Spanish, getting better every day (learn from my Gibbo mates and my Finance) and my advice to you would be to learn it ASAP if you don?t want to be trapped in the expat world (which I don?t like that much). Don?t get me wrong, some of our best friends are expats too but there are so many that give this place a bad name. It?s also very important to speak Spanish if you want to live here for longer than a couple of years ? I mean, can you imagine living in England and not speaking English!!? There are plenty of peaces to learn and you kids would also help you as they will pick up Spanish very quickly if they go to a Spanish school. Numerous friends of mine have move out here with kids, put them in a Spanish school and they love it and are speaking Spanish within 18 months.
So my advice to you would be:

1. If you want to work, maybe you should consider being closer to Gib, we are not in La Linea anymore; we are in Estepona - 45 minute drive to work. In gib you would find plenty of jobs that fit your skill set (it?s a insurance, finance and gaming haven) I can?t imagine there being that many insurance companies on the coast of Spain that want English only speaking staff. Like the other poster said, it?s mainly telesales.

2. If you make a choice, stick with it. So if you do come out here, stick with it, it will get better. At first it will be great, then after a few months you will want to go back. That wears off after a while.

3. If you must stay in Benelmadena then go out and look for clubs to join. The hardest thing for me was being away from my friends. Making connections quickly is important and makes learning the customs and ways of life in Spain that little bit easier.

4. Be careful with your finances. It?s expensive here right now. There are people just waiting to rip you off at every opportunity. Speak to your in-laws before getting things like Sky TV, Internet, renting an apartment etc as Spain works on ‘who you know’ not ‘what you know’ IMO Keep your finances nice and safe until you find out what you want to do. The last thing you want is to live here for a couple of years then go back to the UK skint!

5. If you did ever come down near Gib, you could easily buy
a nice place with a 10k deposit and then be subject to lots of tax breaks for being a first time buyer in Gib. Your kids would also go to an English school in Gib for free, learn Spanish as well (although the gibbos have their own version), Kids in Gib also get free tickets to Uni in the UK if they do well enough at school.

6. If you choose Spain, think about transport. I find that many places are so spread out a car is absolutely essential. More so if you have kids.

I?m a firm believer of you never know unless you try. Just be sensible about. I moved out here with ?2k (my final pay packet!!) and we were fine.
Spain is great but like i say, it?s also very frustrating. Never expect anything to be on time and never expect to get what you pay for…....
These are just my opinions, the move worked for me. Maybe it will for you, maybe it won?t?. I would guestimate that about 50% of people that move here, leave within a year. The others stay for much, much longer, probably life.
Good luck, whatever your choice is. 
Hope you find some of this rabble helpful!!!!!!

PS i can give you a million examples of why not to move here and a million examples of you should - just like any country.

But overall i would say its a better lifestyle in Spain than the Uk, fo ryou and your kids. Just have a good think about the long term and finding a decent job. You dont want to be in a dead end job forever , do you?

Sorry Kerry, ive just read through Santi’s post again and wanted to expand on what he says.

Generally speaking, from Estepona up, i find that it is a ‘toilet’ - lots of drugs, shady people -mainly expats and Romanian mafia. Seriously, im not joking. Some areas are fine, great if you dont have to integrate (like a retired couple) but if you need to be out and about mixing with people, you will encounter those that i can only describe are not our cup of tea.

In Gibraltar, i work with many people from all over the coast of Spain. Some live as far up as Marbella, others go the other way towards Tarifa. From what i gather, its far more of a relaxed Spanish lifestyle if you head towards the Costa del Luz (west of Gib) and less drugs, crime and also cheaper, less touristy and much, much prettier - bordering stunning in some areas.

Driving in Spain is also a joke. Very dangerous so take it easy. I also find it worse the furthe rup the coast you go. Every other day, you hear about tragic accidents on the Costa Del Sol. Furthe rdown the coast it gets better.

Anywhere within a 20 mile radius of gib is fine. La Linea is a dump - dont live there and within a 20 mile radius of Gib you are talking about a 1 hour drive to Benelmadena (if thats where you inlaws are)

I just think that most of the Costa Del Sol is geared towards tourists and retired people. Living up the coast and wanting a decent fulfilling life does not go hand in hand. However, im sure there are many people that could say otherwise.

If you need any links for job websites then let me knowm, i gather some and put hem here for you if you want.

I honeslty cannot say whether it will be your cup of tea or not here but i can say that from my experience over the last 4 years that i dont like north of Estepona. i dont really love Gib, but its safe and a great place for kids, thats why i still live in Spain and drive in everyday but when we have kids, we will be moving to Gib straight away.

Once again, good luck, whatever your choice is.

PS contact Linea Directa - the Spanish version of Direct Line. They are the only insurance company i can think of that wants English speaking people in Spain. have no idea where they are based though!

Hi Stupotts

Thank you for your wise words, we really appreciate it. Your right about the job thing being that I definately don’t want to be in a dead end job as I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am here. I would really like the info on job links that would be a big help.
The problem with the area is that initially at least I think we would like to be as close to the pueblo in benalmadena as possible but not necessarily in it, this is because my in laws are there and we have friends through them (not their age) that at least we could interact with. I fully understand we may decide that benalmadena is not for us abit further down the line, but for now I think if we are going to be moving away from our family, friends and jobs etc that I would like to be near them until we are completely sure it’s right for us. We both agree this would be best to help us settle in as a family.

Do you know of any areas near the pueblo that are nice and a good community, we would be happy with a 30 min journey to in-laws house, so any areas surrounding within that would be ok to look at. I understand what you mean about tourist areas, we go to the coast when we visit but mostly stay in the pueblo as there is a lovely community there and still alot of Spanish, so you get the best of both world’s. We haven’t done the trip to GIB yet as my daughter is petrified of monkeys and we’ve heard they are not shy there lol. Seriously though it’s not somewhere we have been so not sure of distance etc in car to surrounding area’s of pueblo would it be too far to commute if I was too look for a job there if its as abundant as you say.

We are bringing our cars there so commuting wouldn’t be an issue, and I’ve already mentioned my husband has a online business so we just need a good broadband and his business wouldn’t be affected. This will also be our main source of income until I get a job of course, I don’t need a good job or anything to survive but I’m not the kind of person who can’t work. (stupid I know) I could take any job but would really like to stay in my current field as I enjoy my job so it would be nice to stick with it. We have also ensured we have a good amount of savings which would be kept in an English bank and transferred funds into Spanish account as and when needed, we won’t be making any investments or anything so unlikely get conned as my husband is most vigilant person I know. We are quite happy for our money to stay in bank, where it belongs. My husbands business is already established here so won’t be a problem to continue what he does out there.

I would be grateful if anyone could advise us on good areas surrounding pueblo in benalmadena, we would like it to be near schools, hospital, etc. and as I’ve mentioned don’t mind if it’s up to 30 Min’s from pueblo away from Costa.

Lol, it?s not stupid to want to work, it?s insane!! But anyway, respect to you for being that way!

Transferring money from UK to Spain when you need it - Very good idea. The fluctuating exchange rate means its best to keep your pounds until the time is right to change. This week, the value of the pound has dropped .5 points against the euro. That means your ?1000 would get you ?1170 last week compared to ?1120 this week. Makes more of a difference on larger amounts.

Nice places in the area you want to go - I can?t really advise on that because my trips up the coast are usually to either A) shopping in La Canada or B) cinema in Fuengirola.  I know Ojen is nice and I?m sure that there are many other nice places near where you want to be, just a short drive inland. Ive passed through a few very pretty towns up there.  However, if you husband has an online business it might be worth sticking to a populated area. Where I live, the only telephone and internet provider is Telefonica and I can?t tell you how bad this company is. Often, the rural areas have limited if no internet cover ? it?s not like the UK.  Go for ONO if it?s available, its much, much faster and more reliable. I used it in La linea and never had a problem. For all the time we have been with Telefonica, we have only had problems - days without a connection, receiving 1.5mb instead of the 6mb that?s contracted (fine print covers them somehow) the list of problems goes on with them…....(see the entire section dedicated to Telefonica)

Gibraltar - way too far to commute daily from that far up. I often deal with a 1 hour + border queue in the summer getting into Gib, I could not imagine that coupled with a 1 hour+ drive down the coast. Maybe it would be an option if you worked part time and had hours that avoided the peak traffic but full time would be a strain.

Jobs - try

http://www.jobsabroad.com/Spain 
http://www.recruitspain.com
http://www.ambientjobs.com
http://www.wemploy.com 
http://www.expatriates.com
http://www.puertobanusguide.com/jobs.php 
http://es.thefinancejob.com/
http://www.prsspain.com/
http://www.ibexinsure.com  -  IBEX insurance company (might not have jobs on site but worth contacting them)

Then the gaming industry - lots of jobs in Gib and some up and down the coast.

Either go to the websites of companies like Bet Bull (offices in Puerto Banus), BWIN, Coral, William Hill, Stan James, Carmen Media, PartyGaming, 888 (all in Gib) or go to specific gaming recruitment sites like:

http://www.pentasia.com
http://esandarecruitment.com/vacancies/search-dropdowns.asp?location=7&offset=40
http://www.egamingjobs.co.uk/

I can?t promise that these sites are all up to date and will have what you want but they will point you in the right direction.  You are probably best knocking up a whole bunch of CVs and trying to find out what insurance companies are in your proximity and either delivering by hand or posting to them when you get there.  Often papers like the Gibraltar Chronicle and Sur in English/ Euroweekly have job vacancies advertised in them over here. And I?ll say it again, Spain is about who you know, so make sure you get yourself out and about when you get here and get to know people! - Another way to find a job.

By the sounds of it you will be fine. You can live over a very comfortable life over here with an income of around ?1500 - ?2000 per month. Rent averages around 500-1000 for a nice 2-3 bedroom place. Further out of the towns you go the cheaper. I pay ?550 per month for a brand new 2 bed 2 bath place with pool and private parking. The same place in the heart of Estepona would be double that so if you take your time finding a place you will find something that?s right financially and location wise. Also watch out for dodgy agents, I?ve had many that want 2 months deposit and I?ve never had it returned when the contract expires. Currently I put down 1 month deposit and one month rent in advance and that was fine. I wouldn?t worry too much about being close to hospitals as Spain often has ‘medical centers? - mini hospitals dotted in every other town, the only hospitals i know are Marbella, La Linea, Algeciras and Malaga. Schools, I never see school buses over here so it would be good being close by to them….

I?m sure that is your kids are in a Spanish school, they will quickly make friends. Spanish kids are used to lots of Brits and Spaniards are very family orientated. Family and friends come above anything. What i hear from my friends with kids, it?s very, very rare to hear of a problem. The only time I can remember is one kid that was 14 when he moved here and struggled to get used to things which is not surprising having upped sticks at that age.

Good luck once again - if you need any help when you get here, just update this page (i get a notification) and ill do my best to dish out some useful advice.

Hi Stuart thank you again for all your help, I’ll take it all on board.

May take you up on your offer for more help when we arrive ta.

Careers tend to be sacrificed in Spain.

Most working migrants tend to fall into work or are in IT home based, the latter tends to be the more successful.

I was luck that I transferred from UK to Spain, my OH was unlucky in so much in Southern Spain they don`t like employing women with brains, so her Spanish degree wasn`t worth much.

One interview the guy asked why she didn`t want to stay home to look after her husband.

On most of the Expat sites people are discussing why so many returning home.

Thats easy to answer, being a migrant worker requires a certain mentality to be successful, I haven`t met many who worked in one country longer than a few years.

Also Spain doesn`t offer the same lifestyle as many other EU countries, my kids where used to Spain before we moved, they spend every August at there grandparents in Bilbao, but Southern Spain is so different.

Family orientated sure, they love children and there far more free than the UK, is that a good thing, not always, but in general sure.

The main reason my children were happy to return to the UK was school and everyday boredom. We have always walked, camped and travelled around the UK, we travelled around Spain, but beyond site seeing of towns and cities, there isn`t a lot to do in Southern Spain without spending money in tourist area`s.

Its hard to explain, but most of the time children end up playing in the streets, it could be the time table, I left work at 7am and didn`t return home until 8pm.

The lifestyle just seemed to revolve around lunch time eating and walking in the evenings, with weekends on the beach.

Maybe the temperature had something to do with it, but even my OH found Southern Spain difficult to adjust too, she was 23yrs old when she left Spain to live in the UK, so it should have been easy for her, it wasn`t.

I believe many arn`t ready to move abroad, I thought I was and I soon realised that although Spain is a great place to live, working and making a secure life for myself and my family was traumatic and felt very insecure for most of the time, especially when work wasn`t goin well or to plan.

The media do a great job at makin everybody believe moving to Spain is great, its not, its very difficult.

One thing I realised on return to the UK was and this came as a complete surprise, is how much better the UK is compared to Spain.

That I still struggle with as I hated the UK before we left, we travelled to my In Laws 3 or more times a year, so I was loving Spain and couldn`t wait to leave.

The first 6 months educated me on how different Spain is when you live there, I was never home sick, never missed family, but soon got fed up with the slow pace of life, especially when important things you need don`t get done and nobody cares.

The UK whilst over regulated, Spain is completely the opposite and just as frustrating, if not more.

No I`m glad to be back in the bad old UK, I can now look at my bank account and relax, its great to be paid decent money and on time.Its not fun being on low income in Spain watching all those people enjoying the bars and you can`t.

But at least you can get to the sun on the beach. 😉

Hi Santi Thanks again for your thoughts it’s nice that your being honest about how things are, it’s actually making us more determined to go and try it, because I don’t want to be sat with my husband in 10 yrs time saying if only we’d have done it. At least now as your back in the UK you can say been there and tried that and big enough to say it didn’t work for us. I bet though that for how hard it was you have some great memories and your kids have had fantastic experiences. I know they already spent time in Spain before living there (my kids stay for 3 weeks in July and then again in October) but it’s different than being on holiday and
being spoiled by grandparents, you’ve shown them your willing to try something out and not afraid in case it doesn’t work out, I want my children to have different experiences too and if it doesn’t work out we can say “at least we tried” .

We understand this is going to be one of the hardest things we’ll do in our lives (if not the hardest, besides giving birth to twins lol)
but we’re willing to try it anyhow. We have a fantastic support system behind us and I’m sure we’ll need it. You’ve certainly grounded us though and we’ll be going into this with our eyes well and truly open.

Thanks again