10 years and 5 days ago I stepped foot on mainland Spain for the first time. It was December 31st 1997, and my destination was San Sebastian. 4 days later I was back in the UK with one thing on my mind, moving to the incredible country I had just discovered as soon as possible.
It took me 9 months to pluck up the courage to do anything about it, but eventually, in September ’98, I arrived in Madrid, a move I have never regretted for one minute.
Is this the year you are considering a similar move? If so, here are a few pointers that might help:
1. The idea of moving to another country is terrifying. That’s normal. The reality is much less scary. Once you arrive, you’ll be way too busy settling in and having fun to feel worried, scared or unsure of your decision anymore. So never let the fear put you off.
2. Of the many countries I have visited or spent time in, I have no doubt that Spain is one of the easiest places on earth to set up a new life in. Why? Not sure. Maybe it’s that easy-going, relaxed thing that the Spanish do so well…
3. You don’t need any Spanish to move to Spain but it is probably a good idea. You will need it to rent flats, get bank accounts, buy food etc. You’ll learn very fast on arrival, but having a bit before you get here won’t do any harm. Having said that, I arrived in Madrid with a Spanish vocabulary of about 5 words and phrases so completely ignore this point if you like!
4. If you plan to be an English teacher to begin with, then strongly consider starting out in Barcelona or Madrid, especially if you don’t have any kind of diploma to your name or come from outside the EU. There is far more teaching work available in these cities than elsewhere.
5. If you want to continue in your current professional field after the move, then be prepared to fight hard for a job. There are jobs in IT, engineering, telecommunications etc, but you’ll be up against a lot of Spanish people who also want to work in these fields, and they have the connections that make such a difference in Spain. But, as the great running shoe in the sky says, impossible is nothing, and I know many expats who work in their chosen field in Spain. Which leads on to:
6. I never tire of saying this. You do not need to sacrifice your career to move to Spain. You can, and have the right to, do whatever you want with your life in Spain. Unless you want to join the Spanish police force, then you might need a bit of Spanish nationality in the mix somewhere…
7. If you run an on-line business forget the above. Why aren’t you here already? Spain has great broadband (though you might have to wait two or three weeks for your new connection to get hooked up…), and your cyber-clients don’t mind where you live!
8. Unless you move somewhere very quiet, and very far from Madrid, Seville, San Sebastian or Barcelona, Spain is expensive these days. Not London or Paris expensive, but getting there. Gone are the days of stupidly cheap drinks and restaurant meals. (The rise of the euro put pay to that – maybe that’s why so many Spaniards like to keep thinking in pesetas…) Come prepared to support yourself for a while.
9. Making friends with Spanish people is tough and takes a while. Some people arrive in Spain determined not to go near anyone else from ‘back home’, but this is a mistake. Apart from being very nice and just as interesting as you (they made the move too, right?) other expats are invaluable sources of information and help during your first years in Spain.
10. As usual, it’s over to you. What would you like to add for point 10?
11. Update: if you are moving here with a family, or thinking of starting a business here on arrival, you must read this post by Brian, an American friend who moved here with his family but later made the tough decision to go back home. He has invaluable words of wisdom to offer – read it even if you don’t fall into the above family-moving or business-starting categories.
Further thoughts…
“Impossible is nothing”, “just do it”, “you make your own luck”, “you only live once”, “what’s the worst thing that can happen?” You know what I mean! If you really really think you’d like to make a bold move this year, then by whatever means possible, surprise and inspire yourself into doing it. It is very very very unlikely that you will regret it ten years down the line…
Ten years down my line from that first urge to ditch London and move to Spain, things are going quite well. It’s exactly one year since Marina, my wife, took a big gamble and left her job to work full time with me on our blogging and podcasting projects, and while we are by no means dot com rich, we manage to have a fine time and cover the mortgage. It’s funny to think that blogging and podcasting didn’t even exist when I arrived in Madrid!
If you make this the year to pursue this (or, for that matter, any other) dream, where might you be in ten years time?
Have you got any questions about moving to or living in Spain? Join our forum, where many happy expat-experts are delighted to help!
Andrew
19 Jan 08 at 11:05 am
Ben I agree, your life story is not the model for everyone moving to Spain. Brian had a dream, he realised it, had some great experiences and now life goes on – he’ll be rightfully proud not regretful.
españolito
19 Jan 08 at 3:42 pm
I agree with Ben, Brian’s story is just ONE of the realities.
If he had moved to Madrid, for instance, to work for a multinational company, foreign or Spanish, this story would have been completely different. He would still be here.
If I moved to a small pueblo in Valencia I would struggle also, and I’m Spanish. If I moved to Inverness in the Highlands, for instance, I would also have a hard time. My English is just not good enough and my skill set is not what is needed there. So, at the end, every story is different, it depends on the person.
luke
19 Jan 08 at 3:52 pm
Espan~olito is right. I know a German architect who married a woman from Valencia and lived in Valencia. Over many years he has found it hard to get on with his job because of the nepotism there. Madrid is big enough to get further away from this nepotism.
Andrew
19 Jan 08 at 6:14 pm
Brian is intelligent enough not to limit his job applications to the pueblo so the comparison with you looking for a job in Inverness is meaningless and if I may say so a bit insulting to him.
españolito
19 Jan 08 at 6:49 pm
why is it insulting?, that wasn’t my intention and I apologize anyway, just in case he feels insulted.
In my opinion, every personal story is different, and success depends on many things, including luck.
My point was, I personally know quite a few success stories of foreigners who moved to Spain and who are doing very well here. It is possible.
There’s a lot of negativity towards Spain in this forum lately, I don’t know why.
Summarizing some recent posts: Spaniards are a rude,racist ignorant and antiamerican bunch, it’s impossible to find a decent job, there’s too much red tape. waiters are grumpy, service is awful, everything is too expensive etc, etc,etc
I quit, it’s getting nasty and I’m starting to feel a bit offended, maybe it’s because all of us Spaniards are thin-skinned. Good luck to everybody, in Spain or elsewhere.
Agur y buena suerte.
parubin
19 Jan 08 at 7:00 pm
Moving to a different country is a hell of an experience. I’ve lived in three different countries but I was underage and studying at the time.
Having to earn your beans and moving your kids with you is another story…
I live now in Spain, I have a daughter of my own and another one coming in just one month.
Me and my wife make more money now in Spain that anything we could possibly expect for in England or the US after only six months.
It is only logical.
Andrew
19 Jan 08 at 7:46 pm
Españolito, you should stick around and defend your country against those here too quick to complain about Spain or the Spanish. On the subject of work for foreigners I do not share your optimism, nothing more than that.
Que te vaya bien.
Beckett
20 Jan 08 at 12:57 am
Parubin,
¿A qué os dedicáis, tu y tu mujer?
Parubin
20 Jan 08 at 8:43 am
Beckett,
What I mean’t is that leaving your country taking all your family with you, and trying to settle abroad without a previous job offer is a dodgy issue.
It is like starting all over again. What took you some years to build up at home and with great effort too, most likely you won’t match it in only six months in a completely new environment.
My wife owns a ‘Garden Center’, see sells furniture, equipment and the like, as well as a nursery for trees, plants, seeds, etc. and I work in banking for one of the biggest corporations in Spain.
If we were to give up everything to pursue the dream of moving to another country (it would be a dream as we are not suffering hardship) trying to establish ourselves in the same line of work, starting from zero, I guess it would take us quite some time to achieve the same we’ve accomplished in almost ten years of work back home.
Brian
20 Jan 08 at 10:02 am
OK, just to clarify a few assumptions about my situation;
1. My wife was promised a job as a nurse at a private clinic the second that we arrived here. Unfortunately, when we got here, they had given the position to someone else’s cousin. Also, I was a finalist for a position with a major IT company before we arrived, but in the end they decided to cancel the project. It wasn’t like we came without any employment opportunities at all.
2. Although nepotism is everywhere, I have found it to be stronger in Valencia than in other places.
3. I take no offense to españolito’s comments- I agree with him.
4. Of course, I did not limit my job search just to positions in the pueblo. That would be silly.
In the end, we had a great time, except for the money part, and having been de-capitalized, we will return to the US with a rich cultural experience not only for ourselves, but for our children. They’re both going back with such an authentic Spanish accent that most of us would give our eyeteeth for.
Live life without regrets, people. Live your dreams. If you don’t succeed, big deal. Get up and do something else.
Andrew
20 Jan 08 at 8:46 pm
Brian – Why go all the way back to the US when the guaranteed jobs of Madrid are just 2-3 hours away from Valencia?
Maria S.
20 Jan 08 at 8:52 pm
Life’s success does not only depend on facts alone, but also attitude.
Brian has the right attitude, therefore there is a new beginning with other opportunities, often even better ones.
Beckett
20 Jan 08 at 10:08 pm
I’ve heard and witnessed firsthand so many horror stories (outside of this forum) about the job market in Spain, that it is truly frightening. There seems to be no honor, respect or common courtesy inherent in the system, just sheer exploitation. And there seems to be no legal recourse. The idea that a clinic would offer a job to someone and then hire somebody else, knowing full well that the first person is moving from another country to take that job, is unconscionable.
Tapas Roy
23 May 08 at 12:09 pm
I am an Indian, planning to shift Madrid for Job purpose along with my family. I would like to know the moderate family expediture there.
Looking forward help from anyone.
Jenny
29 May 08 at 5:29 pm
The grass is always greener. We moved here when the Real Estate was booming, bought a house, put children into private school, at the time was not an issue. Although as they got older the fees ended up being 1000 euros a month (every month) when some salaries are not even that!! Now daughter gone back to Uk to University, no money left to continue other childs education. Cannot sell house . Over 50 so struggling to get work. Trying to make it online. It’s soul destroying, we came here for a better life and it has ended up in disaster. There is a lot more to sun sea and sangria. We came here to give our children
and ourselves a better life. What more can I say. Be very careful before you upsticks and move. We are truly stuck, stressed out with limited funds.
Jenny
Dusty
23 Aug 08 at 6:50 pm
Hiya everyone,
Im hoping to go and live in Spain for 6months-1 year; just for a bit of an adventure. Does anyone know what the job prospects are for TESOL teaching?
San Antonio movers
15 Sep 09 at 6:16 am
Great advice, I’m considering moving to a small town not far from Madrid later this year. It’s very true about not needing Spanish to move to Spain, I have had 2 quite long holidays in Madrid last year and was so surprised that most people spoke or at least understood basic English.