Give me the truth!!!!!

[nick]

Many many people come on here stating that they intend moving over to G.C. There coming with their family, on their own, looking for work, going to start a Business etc etc etc.
If you had enough money for a a decent home but wanted to work How easy/hard is it to get a job?
How easy is it to settle down in a way of life not just holiday mode.
Alot of the replies to these questions , normally seem to come from people who have lived over there for a good few years, there answers are always informative but I wonder how differernt it is now compared to when they moved over?

[mary]

year one - awful. Really hard and hit brick walls with spanish bureaucracy at every turn
year two - better, can sit back and enjot the island
year three - if you've got this far, then you're doing well and you've probably adapted to the way of life and are beginning to find some real friends

We've been here 4 and half years........

[Chloe Leigh]

I came over purely for a better lifestyle as i was bored and stuck in a rutt in Uk as i was all work and no play so when i came on my hols and got offered a job doing a regular show in Barbacoa i just thought well hey...might aswell try whilst im single and got nothing holding me back.Im still here and been here over 3 years.Im still singing and got myself well established aswell as opening a shop 2 months ago.
You see it all depends what you do for a living and what type of person you are,i found it easy to earn money as i am a singer/entertainer and i am a reliable hardworker.....but it all takes time and effort on both parts.
The hardest thing for me is leaving my roots,homesickness and insecurities with work as it goes deadly quiet in the winter for us.I was far too trusting when i arrived too and i got ripped off by so called mates and alot of jealousy attacks as the entertainment circle is quite tight, but i stayed determined and stuck it out and im still here,still singing and now own my own shop....im living the dream,met my fella here too.If i ever get homesick i just go home for a week and im cured.Still gets annoying though that i cant just pop round to my mums for a cuppa.
Im sure if i came over to be a teacher or a waitress or basically anything else my story would be different.
My advice is....never trust anyone and dont believe anything you hear.Dont lend out any money or personal stuff and keep ya secrets to yaself.If you do find a good friend you are very lucky,i can count my reaL FRIENDS on one hand but i have alot of lovely aquaintances too.
I also wish i had something left in Uk too cause if i did ever decide to go back i will have to start again...house and everything.I would hold on to your homes and rent them out through an agency and make sure you have some money stashed to live on for a while...possibly give the island a trial run b4 you make the big move????
I could go on forever but i wont bore you...its not all been easy but i can say it has all been worth it.

[nick]

I am desperate to move over but like andreya was, I am stuck, not so much in a rut, but fed up! I have a good business which I have run for 12 years after taking over from my parents, but still employ my brother amongst others. I have moved the Business on but you know that feelingof 'This is not what I want to be doing for the rest of my life' Before you know it I'll be 50 and won't be able to do what I really want to do!
Unlike Andreya, I am married with 3 kids and the eldest is dead keen to move over. Shes learning the language , as I am, but my son is not keen (13). I wouldn't move them against their wills and not untill they had done their exams.
My youngest is only 3 and I know she would adapt the easiest.
We have been coming over for 4 years (3-4 times a year) and love the place. We have 2 really good friends and a few more people that we could become good friends with, but I know it would be difficult but I so want to try. My wife is fluent in Spanish but she the stumbling block! Not keen !!!
Really difficult when one half of a good partnership wants something so badly but the other doesn't!
I want to buy a property and use it for breaks and take it from there but am afraid of buying the wrong place, leaving a place for long periods, etc etc etc.
WE will do it but need as much help, advice, practical tips and what ever else is available! Thanks for the replies and see you soon!
PS- I HAVE READ MANY REPLIES TO QUESTIONS ON THIS SITE OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND I KNEW YOU'D COME UP TRUMPS MARY!!!! THANKS!!!!

[ageingrocker]

I suppose what I'm about to say has relevance to the other 'doom & gloom' thread too...

I think andreya has a lot of wise and similar points to me:





You see it all depends what you do for a living and what type of person you are,

never trust anyone and dont believe anything you hear.Dont lend out any money or personal stuff and keep ya secrets to yaself.


I think most of these points are relevant no matter if you live here, the UK, in fact anywhere.

I to am lucky enough to do a day and night job and I'm currently working my ass off! (Along with my missus I hasten to add). We've only been here since last May and at times it's been a struggle but hard work reeps rewards IMHO.

Mary is a good example of a couple who have good careers that can can be transported to another country and offer a better chance of making a go of it (although I've no doubt it was still difficult for her and Dr Paul) rather than just arriving on a whim and looking for work.

Anyway, my two penneth worth of advice to you is this..

You say: "Before you know it I'll be 50 and won't be able to do what I really want to do!"

My advice is... You only get one shot at this life, it aint a rehearsal!. One life, live it! is my motto. Don't get to 50, 55, 60 and have the thought If only I'd give that a go!

I appreciate with your missus and family there are a lot of balls to juggle and it's not as easy as my 'blasé' reply, but what's the worst that can happen? If it doesn't work out, go back. So what!!! AT LEAST YOU GIVE IT A SHOT!

I don't think you would have a problem with getting property looked after. I know of a reputable company who do property maintenance I can give you details of if you ever need them.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Mick

[nick]

Thanks Mick,
your comments are noted!!
Your dead right about going for it before your 50, 55 etc Its just sometimes you need possibly bigger 'balls' than I possibly have! I suppose what with employing family, 3 kids, property to sort out and Business to rent or sell I have got alot to contend with though eh????

[redswanlady]

One of the biggest things about people who move here is they suddenly believe they can do something that they have little or no experience of, people who do something here that they actually know what they are doing will succeed i.e the hairdresser and plumber that think they can run a bar/restaurant! As 90% of the time they think it is all laying in the sun and drinking at the end of the bar!

I agree with Mick that if you don't take the jump you will never know and do you want to be sat in the UK thinking what "if" if it all goes wrong or it isnt for you, you can always go back.

I think that buying a property and coming over for long periods of time to see life as a resident and not as a tourist might be an option for you until you are all sure as trust me if one of you wants to be here and the other doesnt then it will never work. I know some of the forom members that own holiday property here PM me if you want some names and Im sure they will give you some advise.

Weve been here nearly 2 years now and it has been hard work but the benefits and the good times outway the tough ones, would we go back to the UK....NEVER.

[mary]

Thank you for your positive feedback on my comments.
Yes, Dr paul and I are lucky that our qualifications are transportable and we are a team. It would be harder if I wasnt a nurse or wasnt capable of being a receptionist.
We have lost alot moving here - we had the big house, BMW's etc, holidays skiing and elsewhere. We now lead a simpler life style and dont earn anywhere near what we could be earning in the uk. We earn enough to pay the bills and cover our costs.

Our son is now an advanced diver (he's 13) and is now surfing. he will have those skills as well as having a second language, all his life.
We dont have the big spanish villa with pool and 4x4. We cant take holidays as we cant have a locum to cover us.
But would I go back. No.

[russ]

personally mate, if ur wife aint keen i wouldnt go for it. if u move here and things get tough which they will , the fact the wife never wanted to come will always come up. as every male knows women will always jump at the chance to prove they were right lol.

what lou said about plumbers etc thinking they can run bars, this is true. i have seen perhaps 100 couples over the years buy a bar use all their savings and go broke. they open the doors and think that people will come flooding in. mind u its not just people who have know experience with bars. i know people who had very successful bars in uk come here and fall flat on the faces. its very different as here every week is like opening week in uk. new folk every week. u cant sit on ur ass and wait for customers. an average day for me. finish perhaps 4am-4.30am. back in bar 10 am beer man solicitor books other suppliers etc. repair men things always breaking. back home about 3 ish pop and see regular customers remind them ur still there etc. speak to pool bar workers etc to remind them to remind tourists where best bar is etc lol. then back at work for half 7 and then do it all again the next day. yes hard work the money aint fantastic but just read the comments on xtreeemxz thread. they are worth more than money ever will be. would i change what i do. who knows maybe one day but at the mo having to much fun

[ageingrocker]

Nick, if I were you (or anyone else considering a move here) I'd find one overriding factor in this small thread really interesting. What sticks out the most from the few replies you've had...

Everyone is working their butts off!

I massively agree with Russ on his point about your missus though. To make a move like this succeed you both need to be on board big time and his first paragraph speaks volumes.

Right... gotta go now cos the toon are gonna stuff Man Utd later this afternoon :no:

See what I have to put up with? Life could always be worse you know... you could be a Newcastle supporter! :banana:

Mick

[MARCUS]

Well it was 17 years ¨today¨ when i first made my appearance here in the ¨sunny canaries¨ I never really planned on staying longer than ¨just a week¨.(17 years later i still have no plans....) I arrived ¨skint¨ with just a rucksack with a ¨100 quid in cash¨.
The first year was by far the most difficult,but i battled on and in the early 90´s being involved in ¨a market stall¨ (in front of El Corte Ingles in Las Palmas and also had a ¨condom vending machine business¨(operating in Galdar,Guia and Arucas.(kind respect where due ladies) I was also a tour guide for many years and also a holiday rep with ¨Russ¨ (those days seemed to be far less complicated)the other ¨fabulous¨ thing about being a ¨ Holiday Rep¨ was that it offered a sex life that could be compared to the ¨4 O´CLOCK AT AINTREE (a popular horse race).............
These days life is more chilled,i value my free time and i earn enough to pay the bills.

Is it difficult? YES!
Would i go back to the uk? NO!
:mellow: Mr M x

[nick]

Thanks again guys, the posts are very helpful! I know what you mean Russ about the wife not wanting to move etc, but I can't help but feel she doesn't want it for the wrong reasons! She wants to be around when her parents get old, she doubts the Spanish Schools would be good enough. Although the main reason she is insure is the fact that she grew up in South America and was then sent to Boarding School here in Wales where I met her! (That School has alot to answer for!!)
My problems in taking the chance really are more over here than over there. If I were to sell my Business and my House I'd Be ok for money and still have a property over here if things went pear shaped, but I employ family and I really leave them in it with having to find alternative incomes at an age when thats not going to be easy. But then its my life and you certainly do only get one chance as has been said.
Im not afraid of hard work though and I think if your in an situation were your happy Hard work becomes alot easier!
I guess reading your comments, I knew most of the answers already, but its great to hear them from people with the experience. I think at Easter , I will end up looking for a property and try and get out as often as possible and slowly but surely win the wife over! With a bit of luck we might meet a few of you and I can buy you a drinkfor your help! Thanks everyone!
By the way , my Daughter is big into Dancing. Does anyone have any opinions on whether a dance school would work in the south? Does one already exist? You know the type that does aerobics, etc Promised her I'd ask!!!!!!

[redswanlady]

Yes a dance school does exsist it is situated in arguineguin leisure centre and they do all types of dance, our daughter goes twice a week and loves it.

[Sunshine girl]

Nick, could your brother not take charge of the business for a year, rent out your house, and just try it for a year. If it didn't work , at their ages your kids would be back in school before any real damage is done to their education. In my experience, and we've moved lots , kids your sons age never want to move. We moved ours at that age from England to Scotland and you would've thought we'd done it to spite him! Admittedly we didn't have a choice, it was work related, but they soon settled. He's 26 now and freely admits it didn't do him any harm.

[LisaB]

I too desperately wanted to "give it a go", my husband (Tarzan) was equally keen so aged about 34 we sold everything! First year was fantastic, we were both working, earning enough to pay the bills and a bit extra to spend in the pub. (Work is fairly easy to find if you are reliable and hardworking).
The second year was also good but by June July we were both getting a bit fed up and bored, my husband more than me. Although my parents, sister, nephews all lived out there so I would have stayed a bit longer. After 2 years we were back in the UK (cat's too who cost a fortune to take out there). Been back in UK for a year now and I love it here as much as over there BUT we will never get back what we had, house. cars etc.
I think trying it for a year is the best advice I can give knowing that your house and business are there to go back to if need be.
:)

[oor wullie]

I'm with Russ on that one. If your missus don't want it, don't do it. I remember a few years ago one of those fly on the wall TV shows. A couple sold up and bought a small bar in Spain and lived in a tacky flat.The women( a teacher) was near in tears cooking a fried breakfast for customers..she hated it. Poor woman. It's the kind of place i would always avoid on holiday she said...If you are doing so well, why not just hang on a few years , wait till the kids are older then retire over there , put your feet up. have a place in GC and UK...lucky you lol...looks like you'll be risking a hell of a lot going over there now..my marriage is the most important thing in my life, i wouldn't want put it at risk it..to the point , but there you have it...

[coolcreen]

Does this thread deserve a sticky? I think it does. I will not single out any members contribution to this thread as I think that each and every post was outstanding. Threads like this one makes this forum the great one it is. All of the advice given was so honest and sincere, I'm overwhelmed.

[nick]

Its All Given Me Plenty To Think About, Thats For Sure!!!!!!!!