Anyone moved from the UK to Spain?

[Shnozz]

JEA1K said:

THIS!

Good to know about Denia thanks ... I've not been, my Mrs spent quite a few hols there as a kid so we're heading there for a week in August. We'll spend 2 x 1 week trips a year getting a feel for where we want to be and will rent for 1 -2 years before we sell here and move.

I do not claim Spain to be Utopia but to think the UK is a better place to live? The weather is shocking and the people are, in the main, miserable because their stuck in a house, job or relationship they cannot escape from

Wellness, happiness and life expectancy are longer is both Spain and Portugal ... I wonder why?! The winters here literally kill me. We have dogs, so I spend 2 hours a day walking in cold, wet and windy conditions ... I spend 8 - 12 hours a week on my bike ... in winter, its absolutely grim.

There is at least one PHer nearby in Javea and no doubt a few more lurking in those parts if you need any advice. Likewise, although I am about an hour South of there, more than happy to answer anything I can. As I say, relatively familiar with the area from my past. If we are out in August then more than welcome to pop down for a beer. No doubt you are aware but August can be a chuffing hot month. I was there in July and August last year and was seeing late 30s daytime and mid to late 20s overnight.

[JEA1K]

Robertj21a said:

What about all the hassle, the bureaucracy, the difficulty in getting anything done ?

Things may take longer, thats culturally something to get used to. Are you stating that the UK has zero bureaucracy?!

[JEA1K]

Shnozz said:

There is at least one PHer nearby in Javea and no doubt a few more lurking in those parts if you need any advice. Likewise, although I am about an hour South of there, more than happy to answer anything I can. As I say, relatively familiar with the area from my past. If we are out in August then more than welcome to pop down for a beer. No doubt you are aware but August can be a chuffing hot month. I was there in July and August last year and was seeing late 30s daytime and mid to late 20s overnight.

Cheers, much appreciated! Yes I can imagine it will be blisteringly hot ... doesn't really phase me, will make sure we have somewhere with aircon ... probably bring the bikes out and head out early and be back before mid day.

[Chris Stott]

I moved to Spain in August last year.

We already owned a property here - bought a 3 bed apartment, in the hills above San Pedro (nr Marbella) 5 years ago, primarily for holidays/future retirement. I then moved here after taking a package at work last summer - I'm, 52, semi retired, but will do some consultancy work for a few years until I want to start taking my pension.

I love it!

I moved here as my money goes so much further. Day to day living costs are significantly cheaper than the UK - fresh food and wine are much cheaper in the local supermarket (as used by the Spanish, not the big hypermarkets in the vacation areas). For example; I pay €1.84 for a bottle of sauv blanc, €9 for a KG of massive prawns, €3 for a piece of fresh tuna. Utility costs are around the same as the UK, but given I hardly ever need my heating on the total cost is much cheaper.I have 50mb broadband, with landline and around 200 British TV channels (plus netflix and Amazon Prime), and I can find any sports I want to watch on one of several streaming sites. So entertainment isn't really an issue.

San Pedro is a Spanish residential town, so everything is open all year round. There are loads of restaurants where you can get great tapas for peanuts, or a 3 course meal for €20. All other services are there - I haven't needed a doctors, but I had an issue with a tooth and needed emergency root canal... quick Google, found a local dentist, called them, and all sorted over a couple of trips (€120)... prescription for painkillers and anti inflams much cheaper than the UK. Lost my reading glasses, found an optician in the town online, popped in, eye test straight away, glasses with me next day... it's not been difficult so far.

Back in August I drove down here in my UK car (Surrey to Marbella in 22.5hrs, with my British Touareg full to the roof, my father and my 2 cats). Ran that for the 1st few months, but when the lease was up I brought it back to the UK and bought a Spanish car. This was probably one of the most painful processes - Spanish 2nd hand cars are very expensive, and I ended up spending more than I had planned to get something reasonable. The bureaucracy was a little painful (I had to go to my local town hall to get a document to complete the process), but nothing worse than dealing with the DVLA. Other motoring costs are either similar to the UK (insurance - simple to sort as direct line have a Spanish subsidiary with English speaking telephone lines), or cheaper (car tax is €17/year on my 2015 Focus).

One of the things that's helped massively is having a good Spanish lawyer - we still use the one we were recommended when we bought our property 5 years ago. She manages all our local taxes (personal and property), and is currently managing my residency application. She has a colleague who is managing the set up of tax registration for me (so I can get paid here/pay taxes here)... it's very low cost and helps not to have to manage the bureaucracy yourself. if you're not fluent in Spanish.

The weather is fabulous - yes, it can get hot in the summer, but where I live there's pretty much always a stiff breeze in the summer, and if I have the terrace doors open and windows at the back I rarely need to bother to switch the AC on... there aren't that many days over 30* here, and I like the heat. Over the winter, I have the doors open most of the day as it's usually no cooler than 15*, and pop the heating on for an hour or 2 around 5pm. Since I moved here, I think we've had around 10 days of rain... including 5 days, where it was c.10* and never stopped raining. Our apartment has massively thick concrete walls, double glazing, and retains heat really well. Had my breakfast sat outside this morning, and I'm sat here now in a pair of shorts and a t shirt, doors open, sun shining and a clear blue sky. Yesterday is was 23*. I speak to my family a few times a week on whatsapp, and I've not missed a day of the British winter. Only down side to the weather is the mozzies - they seem to love me and I can get munched pretty badly!

When I moved here I did a 12 week Spanish course. I'll do more in due course, but it's enough to get by in the local shops (where less people speak English). However, I've found most of the places you'd struggle if you're not fluent, they speak enough English to get by - dentist/pharmacy/buying a car for example.

Family is obviously further away, but I come back to the UK every 4-6 weeks, and I probably see more of them now than I did when I lived in the UK and was working.

Only 7 months in, but so far no regrets.

This is a good thread to read through.... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[993kimbo]

Positive post - thank you.

Edited by 993kimbo on Thursday 27th February 19:05

[Stuart70]

Chris Stott said:

insurance - simple to sort as direct line have a Spanish subsidiary with English speaking telephone lines

Pointlessly pedantic point, but BankInter own Linea Directa, Direct Line’s shareholding in the business was sold back in 2008/9.
Does not change any point of substance, just put it in the useless information bucket!!

[tumble dryer]

993kimbo said:

Positive post - thank you.

Edited by 993kimbo on Thursday 27th February 19:05

+1

Also, thank you.

[Phil.]

Chris Stott said:

I moved to Spain in August last year.

I have 50mb broadband, with landline and around 200 British TV channels (plus netflix and Amazon Prime), and I can find any sports I want to watch on one of several streaming sites. So entertainment isn't really an issue.

Chris, do you use a IPTV service? If so care to share as I need a replacement and there are so many poor service providers out there?

[Chris Stott]

Phil. said:

Chris, do you use a IPTV service? If so care to share as I need a replacement and there are so many poor service providers out there?

Hi Phil.

I use Olivenet for my broadband/landline/tv, but I’m a legacy customer... new customers don’t get any TV services.

I guess it’s a licensing thing. When I 1st signed up with them they were a new, small company, and I got all the Sky sports and film channels in my package. They all disappeared middle of last year... Sky must have caught up with them as they became more visible (they are pretty big across the south of Spain now).

I popped in to their local office last week as my box was playing up and they told me they are working on a new TV service, but no clear date for a launch yet.

[JEA1K]

Chris Stott said:

I moved to Spain in August last year.

Had my breakfast sat outside this morning, and I'm sat here now in a pair of shorts and a t shirt, doors open, sun shining and a clear blue sky. Yesterday is was 23*. I speak to my family a few times a week on whatsapp, and I've not missed a day of the British winter.

I hate you right now

Thanks for posting, all very interesting. The language is always going to be hard for us Brits as we're lazy but it requires time and practice. I did Spanish at School ... yes I was useless at it but we plan to have lessons here and when we get there ... hopefully by using/practicing it in real situations, we'll get to grips with it.

Edited by JEA1K on Friday 28th February 17:34

[Shnozz]

JEA1K said:

I hate you right now

Thanks for posting, all very interesting. The language is always going to be hard for us Brits as we're lazy but it requires time and practice. I did Spanish at School ... yes I was useless at it but we plan to have lessons here and when we get there ... hopefully by using/practicing it in real situations, we'll get to grips with it.

I also did Spanish at school.

I would also recommend Michel Thomas (CD's/audio) and also highly recommend Cervantes - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instituto_Cervantes

Have a look and see if there is there is one near to you. It's not just a language school, but like a little part of Spain in England. A library with books and films, cultural events etc and then the classes themselves, which are taught entirely in Spanish.

[Shnozz]

Chris Stott said:

Phil. said:

Chris, do you use a IPTV service? If so care to share as I need a replacement and there are so many poor service providers out there?

Hi Phil.

I use Olivenet for my broadband/landline/tv, but I’m a legacy customer... new customers don’t get any TV services.

I guess it’s a licensing thing. When I 1st signed up with them they were a new, small company, and I got all the Sky sports and film channels in my package. They all disappeared middle of last year... Sky must have caught up with them as they became more visible (they are pretty big across the south of Spain now).

I popped in to their local office last week as my box was playing up and they told me they are working on a new TV service, but no clear date for a launch yet.

I do love the blatant disregard to any Sky rights etc! Adverts in the paper, signwritten commercial vehicles with the Sky badge on the side etc. There must be about half a million British customers alone who are getting Sky Sports for about €5 a month - and that's before what it would cost one of the many bars...

[Chris Stott]

Shnozz said:

Chris Stott said:

Phil. said:

Chris, do you use a IPTV service? If so care to share as I need a replacement and there are so many poor service providers out there?

Hi Phil.

I use Olivenet for my broadband/landline/tv, but I’m a legacy customer... new customers don’t get any TV services.

I guess it’s a licensing thing. When I 1st signed up with them they were a new, small company, and I got all the Sky sports and film channels in my package. They all disappeared middle of last year... Sky must have caught up with them as they became more visible (they are pretty big across the south of Spain now).

I popped in to their local office last week as my box was playing up and they told me they are working on a new TV service, but no clear date for a launch yet.

I do love the blatant disregard to any Sky rights etc! Adverts in the paper, signwritten commercial vehicles with the Sky badge on the side etc. There must be about half a million British customers alone who are getting Sky Sports for about €5 a month - and that's before what it would cost one of the many bars...

Sky have started their own streaming service in Spain now, so they are probably cracking down on the dodgy stuff a bit more. I could have kept my UK subscription I suppose and watched it here via Skygo, but it was a nice big cost to cut when I retired!

I get all the sports I want for free now... football/golf/cricket are all available on multiple internet streaming sites. The quality isn't 4k/HD like I got with Sky, but I'm not paying >£140 for the privilege, so it's fine by me

[JEA1K]

Shnozz said:

I also did Spanish at school.

I would also recommend Michel Thomas (CD's/audio) and also highly recommend Cervantes - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instituto_Cervantes

Have a look and see if there is there is one near to you. It's not just a language school, but like a little part of Spain in England. A library with books and films, cultural events etc and then the classes themselves, which are taught entirely in Spanish.

Appreciated, thanks for those, will take a look.

[ou sont les biscuits]

JEA1K said:

Shnozz said:

I also did Spanish at school.

I would also recommend Michel Thomas (CD's/audio) and also highly recommend Cervantes - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instituto_Cervantes

Have a look and see if there is there is one near to you. It's not just a language school, but like a little part of Spain in England. A library with books and films, cultural events etc and then the classes themselves, which are taught entirely in Spanish.

Appreciated, thanks for those, will take a look.

The other thing you could do, whlst you are still in the UK, is to listen to some Spanish TV and radio.

If you go to the RTVE website and look for Telediario (which are the news programmes) you can turn on subtitles.

I'd also recommend the Cadena Ser and Onda Cero radio stations. They are talk based. To start with I'd pick the Madrid feeds. Although both of these stations have national coverage, most of the major cities have a local version of the station. Some of the regional accents are quite pronounced and can be a bit hard to follow.

Although we've been in Andalucia for years and years, when a couple of locals with heavy accents get going I struggle a bit!

[Chris Stott]

ou sont les biscuits said:

The other thing you could do, whlst you are still in the UK, is to listen to some Spanish TV and radio.

If you go to the RTVE website and look for Telediario (which are the news programmes) you can turn on subtitles.

I'd also recommend the Cadena Ser and Onda Cero radio stations. They are talk based. To start with I'd pick the Madrid feeds. Although both of these stations have national coverage, most of the major cities have a local version of the station. Some of the regional accents are quite pronounced and can be a bit hard to follow.

Although we've been in Andalucia for years and years, when a couple of locals with heavy accents get going I struggle a bit!

Great advice.

I spent many hours listening to Spanish news stations when I was doing classes, just to get an ear for the language... it can sometimes sound like one big word.

The builder who does work on my apartment is classic Andalucía. I can’t understand a word he says other than ‘Claro’

[tobinen]

I would avoid apps such as Duolingo for serious learning. They're ok to make a start but are limited. You need lots of input: reading and listening. The output, writing and speaking, will follow naturally.

If you watch programmes in Spanish with subtitles, make sure the subtitles are in Spanish not English. You will not understand every word but you'll put the spoken word into a reading word.

Find subjects in which you have an interest; e.g. I read the F1 coverage from El Mundo, I also read their take on Brexit from the Spanish angle, I read local news from Andalucia. It's easier to be motivated if you like what you read.

My biggest struggle is not the vocabulary but the grammar. It just takes time and you have to put the time in.

[Shnozz]

Chris Stott said:

Great advice.

I spent many hours listening to Spanish news stations when I was doing classes, just to get an ear for the language... it can sometimes sound like one big word.

The builder who does work on my apartment is classic Andalucía. I can’t understand a word he says other than ‘Claro’

And ‘caro’ too, presumably. Being a builder.

[Shnozz]

tobinen said:

I would avoid apps such as Duolingo for serious learning. They're ok to make a start but are limited. You need lots of input: reading and listening. The output, writing and speaking, will follow naturally.

If you watch programmes in Spanish with subtitles, make sure the subtitles are in Spanish not English. You will not understand every word but you'll put the spoken word into a reading word.

Find subjects in which you have an interest; e.g. I read the F1 coverage from El Mundo, I also read their take on Brexit from the Spanish angle, I read local news from Andalucia. It's easier to be motivated if you like what you read.

My biggest struggle is not the vocabulary but the grammar. It just takes time and you have to put the time in.

Agree with this. On the grammar side, this is where Cervantes more "traditional" learning format is useful. It's hard work, but alongside then vocabulary learning via Michel Thomas CD's, radio (I also tend to listen to Cadena both in the UK and in Spain), newspapers and general day to day exposure. Even in the background it helps familiarise yourself to accents, speed of delivery and you pick up the odd word here and there that adds to the repertoire.

[Phil.]

My wife is pretty proficient in Spanish. It has taken her several years of hard work plus she’s a natural linguist. One of the best things she’s done is to find a few new Spanish friends and speak the them regularly on Skype. They tend to speak 50:50 Spanish:English for an hour every week just chatting about whatever interests them. She now counts them as friends and we have visited a couple of them when in Spain.

The best way to find such people has been via the HelloTalk App and italki web site. The latter also offers access to Skype based tutors for a few Euro’s an hour with varying success, in our experience.

One tip, find like minded people who have the potential to become friends otherwise the chats tend to stop after a short while. There are various filters on the HelloTalk App that allow you to do this.