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Pro's and Con's of Living in Spain
Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 9:44 AM

Pro’s and Con’s of Living in Spain

 

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Living in Spain

Living in Spain

For many people, Living in Spain, this is a dream come true, for others the dream turns into a nightmare.We have lived here in rural Spain for five years and have had many ups and downs.So many people move to Spain without doing the research needed, we know of two families who live in our village, that wish they didn’t live here. The trap that often people fall into is they view a house in the summer, think that the weather is going to be hot and sunny all year round, which on the coast it normally is, but here in the mountains it is not. The temperature changing dramatically it can be very cold and some years very snowy.

 

Living in Spain

The main problem people face is they like a house, buy it, move in. After a while they find it very isolating, they don’t speak Spanish, they end up socializing with other expats that in England they wouldn’t socialize with and they miss friends, family and everything English. Then they try to sell the house they paid way too much money for to return to the UK or move to the coast, where they can get England in the sun. I can’t image how that must feel, to be trapped in a place you no longer want to live.

 

For us and many like us, we came with our eyes wide open. We did the research, my husband had a job offer, so financial we would be fine and we pretty much knew what we would have to do. However best laid plans and all that, the job fell through, but not until after we had moved here with our two young daughters. We had already began to integrate with the Spanish community and were working hard at the language, both are key to successfully Living in Spain. We didn’t want to go back to the UK, but needed work, an income. Jobs here are in short supply and for expats that’s Spanish isn’t good they are nonexistent.

 

Fate was to hand us an opportunity. Spanish friends of ours had a bar they were handing back to the town hall and suggested we tender for it. Well, we had never considered running a bar here but it would give us work and improve our Spanish. So we asked the town hall and after almost six months the tenders came out and we were given a choice of two bars, our friends and the swimming pool bar. The swimming pool bar was a better rent, had outside space and a pool, so would be better for the girls. We won the tender, mainly because no one else wanted it. Now we had work !

Living in Spain

A lot of expats fall at the work hurdle, they become builders for other expats, when in the UK they were something totally different. That worked well for a lot of them in years gone by, but now with prices rising, expats going back to the UK and cash just not being around, this spells disaster for many.

 

We had the bar for almost four years, it was the longest anyone had managed to keep it open in its thirty year history, I am very proud of that. Our Spanish improved and now although not perfect is at a reasonable level. We are now totally integrated into the community and known by almost all.

We closed the bar, not because we didn’t have customers, we did, but because our customer base went from spending €50 twice a week to €10 once a week. Here people are losing their jobs or taking pay cuts, they just don’t have the money they used to. We looked at it and we were working all the hours god sent and making no money and in danger of losing money. The final straw came when the bar was broken in to. Our cue to leave.

 

Living in Spain

 

We love our adopted home town and have no plans to leave. Our daughters are doing well in school and speak both languages fluently. We have friends, good friends both English and Spanish here. We only socialize with people we like and have things in common with, not just anyone and we are happy.

 

Since closing the bar money has been tight, but now we have found a way to make a good income, working from home, when we want too and that is through blogging. It is just great, we write about what ever takes our fancy and are free to do what we want to. Unlike the bar where we were tied even if we had no customers we had to be there.

For us this is a way to have total financial freedom, we aren’t there yet, but have only been blogging for less than a month and like any business it take a little time. But we are on the road, click the link below to see if the road could be for you also.

 
 

For us living in Spain although hard work has been an amazing experience and we wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

If you are looking to move to Spain, I suggest you really do your homework. Look at lots of different places, find out about the weather and the people. Think about the fact you will be leaving family and friends behind and even though the say they will come out, know that life gets in the way sometime, so they may not be able to keep that promise, how would you feel then ? Can you get back to the UK when you want to or need to ?

If you need to earn money know that in Spain right now traditional jobs are like hens teeth, nonexistent, so find an alternative.

 

Living in Spain is amazing, but don’t expect it all be a walk in the park. Like most things in life you get out of it what you put in, so be prepared to work at it. Learn the language, it goes a long way, you don’t have to be fluent, but you do need to try. Get involved it the community, find a way, most village and towns have community groups and activities going on, join. Yes at first it will be hard but I promise you it will make all the difference. Bear in mind that lots of expats have been before you and left, so the locals are weary you might do the same. Prove to them you are staying, by getting totally involved.

 

Good luck and enjoy the ride it is a scary amazing adventure, but well worth it, if you put the effort in.

www.empowernetwork.com/almostasecret.php



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8 Comments


graham said:
Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 9:12 AM

Great if you are not of a working age, with a good lawyer and your money hidden well!

Terrible if you are of a working age or even want to set up a business, shambles of a legal system and no protection for the average person. How many people have been ripped off in Spain by lawyers?? One or two.

I've lived here for 10 years, set up a few businesses for others as well as have my own - frankly it's painful, the authorities are no help whatsoever and there is an obvious degree of discrimination to anyone other than their own nationals.

The suns good and the bars are cheap - but for work and business..cost me too much.


Jane said:
Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 9:37 AM

Loved your blog. Really helpful and insightful and above all honest! I'd like to ask you something specific, would it be possible to have a contact email address/message facility for you.
Promise I'm a sane, mature female, with good intentions only!!!

Something struck a chord with me, that I'd like to ask you about.
Many thanks
Jane xx


Sam said:
Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 10:30 AM

Yes, of course you can have my email:
samritchie419@gmail.com
Thank you for the support, I am really pleased you enjoyed my blog and found it useful x


Patricia (Campana) said:
Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 12:53 PM

A very good read, Sam, with lots of sensible advice.

Just to flag up again whatyou said:
"If you are looking to move to Spain, I suggest you really do your homework. Look at lots of different places, find out about the weather and the people. Think about the fact you will be leaving family and friends behind and even though the say they will come out, know that life gets in the way sometime, so they may not be able to keep that promise, how would you feel then ? Can you get back to the UK when you want to or need to ?"

I remember a couple of years back when I first thought I'd look at EOS, and I posted much the same as you have said. (I have lived in Spain practically all my life). All I got for my trouble was abuse, and even a few very nasty mails.

Be that as it may, I do hope people read your blog here, and Tamara's too.

No matter where one lives, there are going to be some obstacles and difficulties. Careful thinking is required before moving to ANY foreign country. Bureaucracy can be tiresome anywhere, and we always have, and still do, use a "gestoría" for anything we need done.

And yes, it is important to come with sufficient funds, to keep a place back in your own country, and not dash into anything without thinking.
The easy way out of course is to BSE (blame someone/something else).

Spain is not the place to come to if you are seeking work (certainly not at the moment).

I don't see any great discrimination, although considering the way a very large number of expats behave, no wonder they are looked at askance.






Mark said:
Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 8:15 PM

6 properties - apartments and townhouses - in CdS - belonging to 6 different friends have been up for sale at market value advised by local selling agents. Six years on none managed to get sold. One selling agent took €990 upfront to advertise one apartment on their web site and property listing giving very high hopes of success. One year on this particular agent does not bother to acknowledge and answer emails. Lawyers in CdS are more expensive than in UK and their service is rubbish.

Spanish bars charge more to expats than local Spanish

These are the cons.

The pros: Excellent weather. Good motorways, less congested than in UK. Council tax lower than in UK. Other outgoings fraction less than UK.


Sam said:
Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 8:36 PM

Thank you all for your comments, I am delighted you have enjoyed my blog.
Yes living here has it downs, property being a major problem for some, we rent so are luck there. For me the pros are worth the cons !
Spanish bars have been know to charge expats more, however I have found that once you are known in your area, this stops being a problem.
Here, when we had a bar, we were told by Spanish from out of town they often got charged more than locals in other bars, so not just us expats. Oh, by the way everyone always got charge the same prices in our bar !!


Adrian said:
Tuesday, September 17, 2013 @ 5:17 PM

This was great reading & very helpful.


Lebo said:
Monday, November 4, 2013 @ 2:46 PM

Wow!, really insightful piece. i was thinking of moving to Spain to Study and MBA with two kids in tow..
After reading your blog,i think i need to do more research...


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