Top Tips for Moving to Spain

For all of you who are considering packing up your life and moving to Spain should read this article. Take your time. Spain isn’t going anywhere, and if you are going to make a success of your new life in a different country, you need to carefully consider all of your options and choices.

Before you put those wheels in motion, sit back and take some time to think about why and what is involved in this life changing decision. Firstly, why are you emigrating? Are you being relocated because of a new job? Are you looking for a new life? Are you retiring? This may seem like a silly question, but surprisingly few people ask this question of themselves.

The next question you need to ask yourself is what are your needs? Do you need to be located near to your new work? Do you need to speak the language? Do you have children and schooling to consider? Will you need to drive? Do you need to be situated close to a hospital?

Right, you have established the ‘why’s' and the ‘what’s', which will serve as a guide to helping you with your move. The key to success in all things in life is preparation, preparation, preparation. Information is power, and this is probably going to be the biggest upheaval in your life so you cannot afford for things to go wrong. So, bear in mind the answers to your ‘why’ and ‘what’ questions and read the following list of how to get the most out of your move to Sunny Spain:

1. LEARN THE LANGUAGE!! – If you do at least one thing on this list then this is the one. Many people forget that Spain is also suffering economically with over 20% of the country’s population unemployed. This is twice the Euro-zone average! If you are coming to Spain and plan to find work when you arrive, remember it doesn’t matter what skills you have, you probably won’t get a job in your chosen profession unless you speak the language, fluently!

If finding work isn’t an issue for you, for instance if you are retiring, you will still need to learn the language in order to  navigate around your new surroundings; going to the shops, at the doctor or dentist, when renting/buying a property, in a local restaurant/bar etc. If you decide not to learn Spanish before arriving, be fully prepared to find the first few months whilst you learn to be a frustrating and isolating experience. The sooner you learn the better!

Since we are on the subject of learning the language, it is also important to remember that this will save you from hemorrhaging money when you first arrive. Eating in local restaurants is cheaper than dining in tourist traps, plus when you come to rent or buy a property through a local agent you won’t have to pay the additional premiums that are applied to the same property when going though an English agent.  

There are many night classes available that offer language courses, or you can buy software/CD packages that teach you Spanish in your own time. One example of learning software available is the Rosetta Stone Spanish Level 1,2,3,4 &5 Set with Audio Companion www.rosettastone.co.uk/learn-spanish priced at £499.00, or you can buy each level separately. The BBC website also offers basic and intermediate level Spanish lessons at www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish. Learning the language is an investment and not an unnecessary expense.  

1. Join up to an online expat forum such as www.thisisspain.info – Learn from others who have made the leap. Read how people have found the transition, where they have moved to and why, what the laws and cultural mores are of the country, where the best schools are and how much they cost, what the job market is like in Spain (this can vary seasonally depending on where you are living and what you are doing), what the weather is like out of season (did you know there is generally no central heating in the cold months?), what the pace of life is in Spain vs where you live, how much living costs are etc.

 

There is a great deal we can learn from others experiences! 

1. Draw up a list of areas that would best suit your needs – for instance, if you have children, find out where the best schools are and look at areas near these schools, do you need access to good transport links, access to shops and entertainment, close to a hospital? Would living in a city be best for you and your family, or do you want to live in the country. Would it be a problem if you were 80km from the nearest town?

 

Forget the beach, nightclubs and bingo, think practical. This is not a holiday; this is to live, potentially for the rest of your life. Remember, your list of places may be long, but you will be able to whittle them down over time. 

1. Test Run – Go and spend time in Spain before moving there permanently. Understand what it is like to live there as a local. Come and stay for at least a month, in different areas and at different times of the year, in particular, go during the winter months.

 

The best and cheapest way to see a country through the eyes of a local is to sign up to a home exchange. Home exchange is the process by which you swap your home back in the UK with someone’s home in Spain for an agreed period of time. Sign up to one of the many home exchange clubs, which offer its members the ability to list their property and undertake as many swaps as they like in one year at the mere cost of less than one night in a hotel.   

Swap My City Pad is a home exchange website launching in June 2010 and will offer 3 levels of membership ranging from free to £49.99 a year. Swap My City Pad would recommend people who are trying home exchange as a fact finding expedition prior to emigrating to sign up as a Gold member (£49.99 a year) and find other members who work in a similar profession to themselves. You may even be able to agree with your exchange partners the opportunity to come and see where they work , and even offer a day’s work for free to get a taste of things to come. For further guidance on how home exchange works, check out the FAQs on Swap My City Pads website. 

Other home exchange sites include www.homeexchange.com,www.homeforexchange.com, www.homelink.org.uk 

1. Find a job – Remember point 1 above! The job market in Spain isn’t pretty at the moment, and if you don’t speak the language it will probably be nigh on impossible finding work. Try and line up work before you arrive, otherwise unless your savings are a bottomless pit, you will find money will evaporate on hotels, rental deposits, car rental/taxis, travel costs etc whilst you job hunt.

 

If you don’t speak the language don’t be surprised if the only jobs you find are cleaning villas, airport runs and bar work. All of these jobs are low paid and could mean you work endless hours trying to make ends meet. Also bar work will vary seasonally where there will be work in the busy summer months, and no work out of season.  

If you are looking for a better life in Spain, speaking the language fluently is key to getting a good job and getting on, otherwise you may find yourself on a plane heading back home before you’ve had the chance to say ‘Hasta la vista’ to your past’¦Â 

1. Rent before you buy – When you have decided on the area you want to live, rent before you buy! The Spanish property market is yet to equilibrate and renting for at least 6 months will enable you to get onto your feet without the pressure of having to pay a mortgage, and the possibility of your property falling into negative equity.

 

Renting will also give you a better feel for the type of property that will suit your needs. For instance all of those hours every week (including through the winter) spent maintaining your own private pool could be better used and therefore a communal pool would be far more convenient and will also give you an opportunity to meet other people. Maybe the local transport links become less regular in the winter months making shopping and getting the kids to school more difficult. Maybe your property is too close to the nightlife, and happy holidaymakers returning to their villas in the early hours is not the welcome wakeup call you were wanting when you need to get up for work in 3 hours! 

If your rental property doesn’t work out, you can move. 

1. Explore - Once you have moved to an area, spend time getting familiar with your new area. Locate where your local supermarkets and shops are. Where are the best local restaurants/bars? What local services are available? Find out where your local doctor/dentist is located and nearest hospitals in case of emergencies.

 

Swap My City Pad also offers a section called ‘My City’ where members can contribute the ‘best of’ in their area from cafes, bars, parks, galleries to cleaning and babysitting services. As a member you will be able to contribute to ‘My City’ and check out what members living in that area have recommended. 

1. Make friends! – Once settled, the fun part can begin as you start establishing a social network, don’t just rely on your partner or family. Immerse yourself in the Spanish culture and mix and make friends with locals as well as other expats. Mixing with people will enrich your experience and help you have a fun and a successful future in Spain.

Now, sit back and sip your Sangria! Salud!

Zoe Hine is the founder of Swap My City Pad Ltd (www.swapmycitypad.com), a home exchange website. Prior to starting her own business, Zoe worked as a compliance officer in the City for 8 years. Zoe’s experience of expat life has come from her parents who have been serial expats for the past 18 years, living in various far flung corners of the world, including the Gulf and Malaysia.