What is living in Spain like? We asked 2 British expats about their experiences and here is what they had to say.
Karen, 36, moved to Spain in 2004:
“I decided to move to Spain because I felt I needed a change, and because someone told me that the clean air would be good for my asthma. I did lots of research on the internet and I found the Spain expat forums particularly helpful. It’s the best thing I have ever done!”
Helen, 32, moved to Spain in 2002:
“My husband is Spanish, so the idea of moving to Spain was around for a long time, although when it came to it, I was keener on the idea than he was! I love living here. We live in a fairly rural part of Andalucia and the lack of traffic, the cost of living and the slow pace of life make it all worthwhile. It hasn’t been without problems though – in particular our son (7 when we moved) found Spanish really hard at first. He didn’t really become fluent until he’d been at a Spanish school for 6 months. But his sister (3) had no problems at all.”
Karen:
“I live in the Costa Blanca and found a job fairly easy, although my salary is a lot lower than it would have been in the UK. I emailed several expat companies and eventually found a job with an estate agency. I think I was lucky though – I would advise anyone who wants to live and work in Spain to make sure they have plenty of savings just in case.”
Helen:
“Finding a job was much harder than I thought it would be. I am a qualified midwife, but the paperwork took over 9 months to sort out, and because I haven’t taken the oposiciones exams, I can only have a temporary contract at the local hospital. The other problem of course was the language, but I’m getting there.”
Karen:
“I absolutely love living in Spain. My asthma has improved, and I feel somehow more free here – possibly because I keep thinking I’m on holiday! I have no regrets about moving at all.”
Helen:
“I still miss a few things about the UK – in particular I miss my support network of friends and family. But I’m really glad we moved to Spain – the low cost of living allowed me to be a full time mum for a few months and I really enjoyed it. Now I’m working it’s a lot harder, but still worth it.”
