Comments on: How to start a new life in Spain before it’s too late. http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/ Podcasts and comment on travel, tapas, learning Spanish and living in Spain, plus beautiful Spain photos. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:00:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: marie O Gorman http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-15696 marie O Gorman Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:46:59 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-15696 Please help. I have an apartment in Fueteventura. The property market has slowed and the price we bought it for last year is less now. I would love to have the courage to move and live there but jobs are hard to get. anyone offer me any help Please help. I have an apartment in Fueteventura. The property market has slowed and the price we bought it for last year is less now.
I would love to have the courage to move and live there but jobs are hard to get.
anyone offer me any help

]]> By: steve firth http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-10605 steve firth Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:55:24 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-10605 Have been thinking about this for ages, with current events in the UK and their foreign policy I just can't take it anymore. Sadly I can't even afford the passport at the mo and my mums very ill ... am well and truley stuck here for the forseeable future. Britain really does suck. Have been thinking about this for ages, with current events in the UK and their foreign policy I just can’t take it anymore.

Sadly I can’t even afford the passport at the mo and my mums very ill … am well and truley stuck here for the forseeable future.

Britain really does suck.

]]> By: Ben http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-9356 Ben Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:40:07 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-9356 Start with our forum, there are a few people with experience of this in there. Start with our forum, there are a few people with experience of this in there.

]]> By: craig http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-9355 craig Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:35:33 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-9355 really up lifting to read all the positive comments, we are really wanting to move our family over within the next year but we need more info schools etc where do we look ? really up lifting to read all the positive comments, we are really wanting to move our family over within the next year but we need more info schools etc where do we look ?

]]> By: Stuart http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-4840 Stuart Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:08:57 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-4840 Brian Curley, I have seen and heard of many Brits who have sold everything they have on a whim and moved to a costa in Spain to start a new life, not speaking a word of Spanish, hiring help and signing things they would otherwise not have if they were familiar with the language and the country, then going on to loose it all or barely surviving. This is the standard British attempt and moving to Spain, and if applied to ANY country in the world is very likely to fail horribly. Ben, of course, doesn't advocate this or else he may have made the same failings as your parents friends. Moving to another city and getting a job is something anyone and everyone can do successfully and easily, particularly in a European country for another European. You need no comprehensive plan, as you suggest. You seem to be confusing two types of people who would move to Spain. If the Spanish appear hostile and unfriendly to you, I can only assume you don't currently live in the UK, but some paradise that far exceeds Mediterranean levels of welcoming friendly people. Either that or you worked with air-hostesses on Iberia Airlines. Brian Curley,
I have seen and heard of many Brits who have sold everything they have on a whim and moved to a costa in Spain to start a new life, not speaking a word of Spanish, hiring help and signing things they would otherwise not have if they were familiar with the language and the country, then going on to loose it all or barely surviving.
This is the standard British attempt and moving to Spain, and if applied to ANY country in the world is very likely to fail horribly.
Ben, of course, doesn’t advocate this or else he may have made the same failings as your parents friends.

Moving to another city and getting a job is something anyone and everyone can do successfully and easily, particularly in a European country for another European. You need no comprehensive plan, as you suggest. You seem to be confusing two types of people who would move to Spain.

If the Spanish appear hostile and unfriendly to you, I can only assume you don’t currently live in the UK, but some paradise that far exceeds Mediterranean levels of welcoming friendly people. Either that or you worked with air-hostesses on Iberia Airlines.

]]> By: Stuart http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-4839 Stuart Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:07:58 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-4839 Brian Curley, I have seen and heard of many Brits who have sold everything they have on a whim and moved to a costa in Spain to start a new life, not speaking a word of Spanish, hiring help and signing things they would otherwise not have if they were familiar with the language and the country, then going on to loose it all or barely surviving. This is the standard British attempt and moving to Spain, and if applied to ANY country in the world is very likely to fail horribly. Ben, of course, doesn't advocate this or else he may have made the same failings as your parents friends. Moving to another city and getting a job is something anyone and everyone can do successfully and easily, particularly in a European country for another European. You need no comprehensive plan, as you suggest. You seem to be confusing two types of people who would move to Spain. If the Spanish appear hostile and unfriendly to you, I can only assume you don't currently live in the UK, but some paradise that far exceeds Mediterranean levels of welcoming friendly people. Either that or you worked with air-hostesses on Iberia Airlines. Brian Curley,
I have seen and heard of many Brits who have sold everything they have on a whim and moved to a costa in Spain to start a new life, not speaking a word of Spanish, hiring help and signing things they would otherwise not have if they were familiar with the language and the country, then going on to loose it all or barely surviving.
This is the standard British attempt and moving to Spain, and if applied to ANY country in the world is very likely to fail horribly.
Ben, of course, doesn’t advocate this or else he may have made the same failings as your parents friends.

Moving to another city and getting a job is something anyone and everyone can do successfully and easily, particularly in a European country for another European. You need no comprehensive plan, as you suggest. You seem to be confusing two types of people who would move to Spain.

If the Spanish appear hostile and unfriendly to you, I can only assume you don’t currently live in the UK, but some paradise that far exceeds Mediterranean levels of welcoming friendly people. Either that or you worked with air-hostesses on Iberia Airlines.

]]> By: Ben http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-4768 Ben Mon, 20 Nov 2006 08:22:54 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-4768 Hi Brian, rather than ridiculous and naive, I would call it encouraging and maybe a hint of rose-tinted spectacles, but there is nothing wrong with that everynow and again. I too have been fortunate enough to travel extensively, and this is one of the easiest countries I have found to live in, quite the opposite to your experiences in fact. It is not true that the Spanish government can take your land whenever they want, that only occurs i isolated cases in the province of Valencia. As for work being badly paid etc, no more so than for a Spaniard who tries to make a living from bar work or teaching in London. You start small, and then your time and opportunities in Spain are what you make of them. Anything is possible here, just as it is elsewhere. My picture above is overly simplistic of course, but yours is also overly negative. Just ask the hundreds of thousands of foreigners who have moved to Spain and never want to leave... Hi Brian, rather than ridiculous and naive, I would call it encouraging and maybe a hint of rose-tinted spectacles, but there is nothing wrong with that everynow and again. I too have been fortunate enough to travel extensively, and this is one of the easiest countries I have found to live in, quite the opposite to your experiences in fact. It is not true that the Spanish government can take your land whenever they want, that only occurs i isolated cases in the province of Valencia. As for work being badly paid etc, no more so than for a Spaniard who tries to make a living from bar work or teaching in London. You start small, and then your time and opportunities in Spain are what you make of them. Anything is possible here, just as it is elsewhere. My picture above is overly simplistic of course, but yours is also overly negative. Just ask the hundreds of thousands of foreigners who have moved to Spain and never want to leave…

]]> By: Brian Curley http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-4751 Brian Curley Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:08:04 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-4751 What a ridiculous and naive take on moving to a new country??!! In the first instance Spain is in fact one of the worst countries for relocating due to the relentless red tape and beaurocracy that is involved in purchasing property. It is also notorious for many a dodgy deal happening with unscrupulous sellers (apparently the ex-pat Brit is often the culprit) selling properties with all manner of debts attached to them which automatically become your problem. Furthermore, you'll never actually own the land that your home sits on and therefore can be moved on at any point in the future should the Spanish government decide they want to build a through road right across your land (as with friend's of my parents). Work is hard to come by and badly paid. As for teaching, I myself am a qualified English Language Instructor and Spain is one of the lowest paid countries to secure well payed employment (in comparison to living) and it's not uncommon for people to be paid the same rate whilst working in a bar (again crap pay). I have been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively and to have lived in many different countries and I have no hesitation is saying that Spain is top of my list for worst places to live (unless of course you're happy to live in an ex-pat 'Eldorado' community). Whilst I do have many Spanish friends, my own personal experience of the Spanish themselves was that they are an unfriendly, unhelpful hostile bunch who do little or nothing to make the tranistion less painful. I had even arrived with a job, enrolled for refresher language classes and communicated soley in Spanish. Yes, people do move there in there droves but many come back to British shores with only the shirts on their back due to rushed, hurried decision making and lack of a comprehensive plan. I almost sold up before my last trip there having had many an enjoyable holiday and I'm so glad that I held on to my investment across here instead. As far as Spain is concerned the days of an easy buck in the sun are well and truly over!! What a ridiculous and naive take on moving to a new country??!!
In the first instance Spain is in fact one of the worst countries for relocating due to the relentless red tape and beaurocracy that is involved in purchasing property. It is also notorious for many a dodgy deal happening with unscrupulous sellers (apparently the ex-pat Brit is often the culprit) selling properties with all manner of debts attached to them which automatically become your problem. Furthermore, you’ll never actually own the land that your home sits on and therefore can be moved on at any point in the future should the Spanish government decide they want to build a through road right across your land (as with friend’s of my parents).
Work is hard to come by and badly paid. As for teaching, I myself am a qualified English Language Instructor and Spain is one of the lowest paid countries to secure well payed employment (in comparison to living) and it’s not uncommon for people to be paid the same rate whilst working in a bar (again crap pay).
I have been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively and to have lived in many different countries and I have no hesitation is saying that Spain is top of my list for worst places to live (unless of course you’re happy to live in an ex-pat ‘Eldorado’ community). Whilst I do have many Spanish friends, my own personal experience of the Spanish themselves was that they are an unfriendly, unhelpful hostile bunch who do little or nothing to make the tranistion less painful. I had even arrived with a job, enrolled for refresher language classes and communicated soley in Spanish.
Yes, people do move there in there droves but many come back to British shores with only the shirts on their back due to rushed, hurried decision making and lack of a comprehensive plan.
I almost sold up before my last trip there having had many an enjoyable holiday and I’m so glad that I held on to my investment across here instead. As far as Spain is concerned the days of an easy buck in the sun are well and truly over!!

]]> By: CarolK http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-3844 CarolK Mon, 30 Oct 2006 10:08:36 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-3844 How can anyone resist?? Your article is very persuasive! When I win the lottery I'm off! How can anyone resist?? Your article is very persuasive! When I win the lottery I’m off!

]]> By: Londinense http://www.notesfromspain.com/2006/09/21/how-to-start-a-new-life-in-spain-before-it%e2%80%99s-too-late/comment-page-1/#comment-3239 Londinense Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:20:58 +0000 http://www.notesfromspain.com/574/#comment-3239 Pues me parece muy bien, sigue así­. I wonder what name you will give to your son if you had one, Carlos or Charles, Jorge or George? Pues me parece muy bien, sigue así­. I wonder what name you will give to your son if you had one, Carlos or Charles, Jorge or George?

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