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Action plan for what to do before, during and when we get there

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:26pm
4 replies247 views5 members subscribed
chrisriding84

Posts: 2

Location: Estepona

Joined: 10 Feb 2020

Hi me, my partner and 9 year old daughter are considering moving to the costa del sol. Is there a set way if doi g this I.e. an action plan as to what to do before, during and after a move. Not sure where to start. Any help, advise would be very much appreciated.

MikeJ

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:54pm

Posts: 140

45 helpful points

Location: Duquesa

Joined: 13 Feb 2016

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:54pm

Hi Chris. It all depends on whether you and/or your partner are intending to work here or retire, whether you want to live in a mainly English speaking community or a Spanish community, whether you want to be by the coast or inland, whether you want to rent or buy etc. If you don't know the Costa then I suggest you take two or three weeks to rent somewhere and travel up and down to get to know the areas. If you are thinking of working, check out the availability of the type of work you do. You will also need to look into residency requirements ie proving income, private healthcare etc. The Citizens Advice Bureau Spain is a good place to start. www.citizensadvice.org.es  

Work out a budget eg rent or mortgage, community fee, IBI (council tax), food, running a car etc. You will probably need a car. Check out schools in the areas that you like.

These are just some points to consider, I'm sure other people will have other suggestions.

chrisriding84

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:27pm

chrisriding84

Original Poster

Posts: 2

Location: Estepona

Joined: 10 Feb 2020

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:27pm

MikeJ wrote on Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:54pm:

Hi Chris. It all depends on whether you and/or your partner are intending to work here or retire, whether you want to live in a mainly English speaking community or a Spanish community, whether you want to be by the coast or inland, whether you want to rent or buy etc. If you don't know the Costa...

... then I suggest you take two or three weeks to rent somewhere and travel up and down to get to know the areas. If you are thinking of working, check out the availability of the type of work you do. You will also need to look into residency requirements ie proving income, private healthcare etc. The Citizens Advice Bureau Spain is a good place to start. www.citizensadvice.org.es  

Work out a budget eg rent or mortgage, community fee, IBI (council tax), food, running a car etc. You will probably need a car. Check out schools in the areas that you like.

These are just some points to consider, I'm sure other people will have other suggestions.

Hi, thanks for the reply. We intend to work. Y partner preferably in a school as she works with pre school children at the mo and my self will probably do anything. We are looking at a mainly English speaking community near the coast such as fuengirola, estepona etc. Would love to buy but will probably rent unless theres a small lottery win around the corner. We would need a school preferably british for our 9 year old daughter.

MikeJ

Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 5:17pm

Posts: 140

45 helpful points

Location: Duquesa

Joined: 13 Feb 2016

Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 5:17pm

Realistically, if your partner doesn't speak Spanish then she could only work at an international school. There are several on the Costa, (https://andaluciarealty.com/blog/the-best-private-schools-in-marbella/) not forgetting the Sotogrande International School which is in Cadiz province. If you could get a place for your daughter at the same school, that would make life easier but you will have to pay. However, if your partner is working there then it should be cheaper. On the other hand, if you want your daughter to learn Spanish quickly then it is better to send her to a local Spanish school. It would be hard at first but better in the long run. But it seems to me that the most important question is what work would you do. Work here is not easy to find, especially if you don't speak Spanish. If you are a self employed specialist eg plumber, electrician, motor mechanic, painter etc then there is always a demand, but obviously it will take a while to build a clientele and reputation. I don't really have any useful suggestions on this, hopefully another subscriber to this forum does. I am in Duquesa which has a large English speaking community, and is within easy travelling distance of Gibraltar. I know that some people live locally and work in Gibraltar,so perhaps that is an option to explore. But we don't know what will happen with the Spanish / Gibraltarian frontier after the Brexit transitional period expires at the end of this year. 

Neville

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 12:02pm

Posts: 37

13 helpful points

Location: Estepona

Joined: 17 Aug 2019

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 12:02pm

Dear Chris & Family,

I am going to sound like the doom & gloom reply that you really would prefer not to hear, but I have known at least 3 couples moving lock, stock & barrel over here to then return to the U.K. within a year a lot poorer and having to start all over again, but without the savings that they left with.

How about coming for 2-3 months on an extended holiday/exploration trip. Come in the winter when rentals are cheaper and do as much homework as you can. Please remember that things may take a turn for the worse come Jan 1 2021. If the UK leaves without a deal, you may not be able to rely on the free health service here. Most work here requires a level of Spanish. The better you speak, the more opportunity of gaining work. Remember that the unemployment here is still high. Unless you have good contacts here, you & your partner may still be looking for work 6 months or more after arriving. Can you really afford to fund that situation?

Please for your own sake look extremely carefully into all aspects of your proposed move before you leap. In the UK you both possibly have jobs; speak the language; have friends & family; know the law and how the health and education systems work. Here it is a totally new ball game.  The best of luck, whatever you choose.

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