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We are a family of five hoping to move to Sax with three dogs and find work

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:14pm
124 replies4779 views17 members subscribed
Niki74

Posts: 25

15 helpful points

Location: Albatera

Joined: 12 Nov 2017

Hi, We are hoping to move to the Sax area as we have seen some houses we like the look of. How easy is it to find work, with limited Spanish but we are learning. My husband in the UK does tree surgery/ gardening and green keeping. I am currently completing a TEFL course and worked in hospitality and helped with tree surgery but quite frankly would do anything just to fulfil my dream. Any help would be greatly appriciated 

Niki 

tebo53

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:51pm

tebo53

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 4776

4960 helpful points

Location: Benidorm

Joined: 29 May 2018

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:51pm

As things stand at the moment it will be extremely difficult to get employment. There has always been a very high unemployment rate here in Spain and now with the added problems with the Covid-19 there has been many more lay offs and redundancies. When did you envisage coming to live here in Spain? If it's after Brexit you may need all sorts of visas and be able to satisfy the requirements and regulations to live here permanently such as healthcare and getting your NIE number, you will need to prove you have a Spanish bank and enough income so not to become a burden on the state etc.

Read Jim's Guides for everything you need to know about applying for residency after Brexit. 

Steve 

Niki74

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:09pm

Niki74

Original Poster

Posts: 25

15 helpful points

Location: Albatera

Joined: 12 Nov 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:09pm

tebo53 wrote on Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:51pm:

As things stand at the moment it will be extremely difficult to get employment. There has always been a very high unemployment rate here in Spain and now with the added problems with the Covid-19 there has been many more lay offs and redundancies. When did you envisage coming to live here in Spai...

...n? If it's after Brexit you may need all sorts of visas and be able to satisfy the requirements and regulations to live here permanently such as healthcare and getting your NIE number, you will need to prove you have a Spanish bank and enough income so not to become a burden on the state etc.

Read Jim's Guides for everything you need to know about applying for residency after Brexit. 

Steve 

We would be selling our house here so we would have money to buy a house and live on till we found work. We were originally hoping to come this year to view properties etc but due to covid this hasn't been possible and now with Brexit, that's just finished the dream nicely...lol. Are bars etc now open with restrictions? 

tebo53

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:37pm

tebo53

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 4776

4960 helpful points

Location: Benidorm

Joined: 29 May 2018

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:37pm

Niki74 wrote on Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:09pm:

We would be selling our house here so we would have money to buy a house and live on till we found work. We were originally hoping to come this year to view properties etc but due to covid this hasn't been possible and now with Brexit, that's just finished the dream nicely...lol. Are bars etc now...

... open with restrictions? 

After Brexit the UK will be classed as a third world country and anyone then wanting to move permanently to Spain will need to satisfy the requirements and regulations to live in Spain. 

You will need to prove you have a Spanish bank account and enough regular income (for at least 3 months) which has to be deposited into a Spanish bank account and has to be enough to satisfy the authorities that you have enough income so not to become a burden on the state. You will need to prove you have healthcare cover for yourself and any dependants. 

You will need to prove you have a job that has to be sponsored by a Spanish employer who needs to prove that no EU citizen could do that job.

Collect all the information you need to know about applying for residency after Brexit before committing yourself to selling your home.

Steve 

Niki74

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:42pm

Niki74

Original Poster

Posts: 25

15 helpful points

Location: Albatera

Joined: 12 Nov 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:42pm

tebo53 wrote on Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:37pm:

After Brexit the UK will be classed as a third world country and anyone then wanting to move permanently to Spain will need to satisfy the requirements and regulations to live in Spain. 

You will need to prove you have a Spanish bank account and enough regular income (for at least 3 months) which has to be deposited into a Spanish bank account and has to be enough to satisfy the authorities that you have enough income so not to become a burden on the state. You will need to prove...

... you have healthcare cover for yourself and any dependants. 

You will need to prove you have a job that has to be sponsored by a Spanish employer who needs to prove that no EU citizen could do that job.

Collect all the information you need to know about applying for residency after Brexit before committing yourself to selling your home.

Steve 

Thank you, Bloody Boris has a lot to answer for. 

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Web Designer Guy

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:51pm

Web Designer Guy

Very helpful member

Posts: 199

526 helpful points

Location: Sax

Joined: 6 Feb 2020

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:51pm

Sax is a lovely working Spanish town. It has a good local economy that doesn't rely on tourism, so in theory, will be less hard hit by Corona Virus than say Benidorm. The downside for you is that it's mostly Spanish. This means without the language you will both struggle to get work. 

If you relocated to an area with more, many more Brits, it's possible you could find enough work as a tree surgeon in the Brit ex-pat community to make a go of it, but in Sax, I'd say it's highly unlikely. I know a few builders/odd job people in the area, and they do OK, but they have good Spanish so can work for the small Brit ex-pat community in the area, and also the Spanish. 

We are (hopefully) buying in Sax next month and have visited there lots. I've little to no Spanish, my wife has more as she's been doing classes for three years, but even she struggles from time to time in the shops and bars, as few locals speak English, or at least use it in their day to day work.

Bottom line: Sax is a proper Spanish town, not a tourist region, so to get on in the place you must have the language.

Are for relocating post Brexit; it's likely the requirements for getting residency will change, but to what no one really knows yet. It's very likely they will change to what is described as commonly as "third-Country" (I think that's the term), but really we've no idea yet. It would be preferable to "get in" before the end of the year (assuming the transition period isn't extended), but if that's not possible it's not the end of the world, or the dream.

I would though suggest a more pressing issue for you is the work. As it is I wouldn't hold out much hope for work in Sax, perhaps better to look at an area with more brits, or learn Spanish, fast.

Niki74

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:05pm

Niki74

Original Poster

Posts: 25

15 helpful points

Location: Albatera

Joined: 12 Nov 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:05pm

Web Designer Guy wrote on Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:51pm:

Sax is a lovely working Spanish town. It has a good local economy that doesn't rely on tourism, so in theory, will be less hard hit by Corona Virus than say Benidorm. The downside for you is that it's mostly Spanish. This means without the language you will both struggle to get work. 

If you relocated to an area with more, many more Brits, it's possible you could find enough work as a tree surgeon in the Brit ex-pat community to make a go of it, but in Sax, I'd say it's highly unlikely. I know a few builders/odd job people in the area, and they do OK, but they have good Spanis...

...h so can work for the small Brit ex-pat community in the area, and also the Spanish. 

We are (hopefully) buying in Sax next month and have visited there lots. I've little to no Spanish, my wife has more as she's been doing classes for three years, but even she struggles from time to time in the shops and bars, as few locals speak English, or at least use it in their day to day work.

Bottom line: Sax is a proper Spanish town, not a tourist region, so to get on in the place you must have the language.

Are for relocating post Brexit; it's likely the requirements for getting residency will change, but to what no one really knows yet. It's very likely they will change to what is described as commonly as "third-Country" (I think that's the term), but really we've no idea yet. It would be preferable to "get in" before the end of the year (assuming the transition period isn't extended), but if that's not possible it's not the end of the world, or the dream.

I would though suggest a more pressing issue for you is the work. As it is I wouldn't hold out much hope for work in Sax, perhaps better to look at an area with more brits, or learn Spanish, fast.

We have been learning Spanish, my husband is crap at it...bit like Del boy..haha. We don't mind commuting for work but I was hoping to work teaching English, as I would prefer to live amongst the Spanish, not English (Benidorm isn't appealing at all), I prefer the culture of Spain as apposed to English. Where we live in Devon the weather is just awful most of the time and I have arthritic knees from working with horses the weather is a big pull for me, and also the drug culture here and crime is hugely on the rise as is suicide rates which is bloody awful, I want to get them away asap. The two teenagers that would come with us are into music, one sings and one is working at trying to produce music so we would be doing a studio for them. The town I researched the most was Sax, and due to low crime and the people all seem so lovely, we thought that was our best bet.

Niki

Josephine123

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:31pm

Josephine123

Helpful member

Posts: 327

167 helpful points

Location: Punta Prima

Joined: 2 Dec 2016

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:31pm

I can’t give you advice about living in Sax but I would say not to buy a house straight away, rent somewhere and look at other areas too.  I would also advise to have enough cash to live on for one or two years while you find your feet work wise.  

I live in an expat area and have met various Brits who have managed to earn a living, cleaning, key holding, gardening, handyman,  odd jobs, car boots, barwork etc.  

If you don’t try it you won’t know.  I say go for it, be flexible, if you don’t you will always wonder ‘what if’.

Niki74

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 5:02pm

Niki74

Original Poster

Posts: 25

15 helpful points

Location: Albatera

Joined: 12 Nov 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 5:02pm

Josephine123 wrote on Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:31pm:

I can’t give you advice about living in Sax but I would say not to buy a house straight away, rent somewhere and look at other areas too.  I would also advise to have enough cash to live on for one or two years while you find your feet work wise.  

I live in an expat area and have met various Brits who have managed to earn a living, cleaning, key holding, gardening, handyman,  odd jobs, car boots, barwork etc.  ...

...

If you don’t try it you won’t know.  I say go for it, be flexible, if you don’t you will always wonder ‘what if’.

Thank you, im optimistic as the work thing cant be as bad as where I live now, especially now with covid pubs and shops are shutting in our small town and nothing is left. We were planning the rent to buy thing as if we like it we just buy it t the end. 

Web Designer Guy

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 5:55pm

Web Designer Guy

Very helpful member

Posts: 199

526 helpful points

Location: Sax

Joined: 6 Feb 2020

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 5:55pm

Niki74 wrote on Fri Jun 12, 2020 5:02pm:

Thank you, im optimistic as the work thing cant be as bad as where I live now, especially now with covid pubs and shops are shutting in our small town and nothing is left. We were planning the rent to buy thing as if we like it we just buy it t the end. 

Thank you, im optimistic as the work thing cant be as bad as where I live now

Unfortunately, it most likely is. Imagine being in the area you're in now, looking for work, but not being able to speak the local language. How much chance would you have of getting a job?

After the crash in 2008 the building sector in Spain shrank by 96%. That's not a typo. It more or less disappeared. Spain for most ex-pats, even those fluent, means hard work, long hours and low pay. Spain is like that outside the big cities even for the Spanish to be honest. Work is hard to find and almost always low pay with zero stability.

I'm not trying to put you off, just being honest. I'm sure you could make the tree surgery business work, but it'll take time and you will need to be able to speak Spanish in an area like Sax.

As for Sax, it's a great place. It's not "picture postcard" Spain as it's a real Spanish working town. The old town is just like many inland old towns: Narrow street, some lovely houses, some falling down houses. Many houses that could do with a lick of paint etc. The new part of the town is fairly architecturally bland, but it's got everything you could need. There does seem to be a small Brit ex-pat community in Sax, there is a bar on the road that runs parallel to the new main street that has what appears to be mostly Brits. Not sure what it's called, never been in it. But generally speaking Sax is a traditional Spanish working town that is a great place to live. It's really cheap too, which is a bonus!

Fingers crossed we'll be out there in July to buy a house. Not for a perm home, not yet, we'll just use it when we visit. But plan to live it permanently once we move out in a few years. At least for a year or two.

There are far nicer parts of Spain to buy in, but few with the same facilities that are only 30mins from the coast. And those nicer parts are way more expensive!

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