Looking to move to Arboleas area in the next few weeks looking g for any advice

You won't need to worry about learning Spanish as its a very English populated area,if you want little Britain its perfect!

JJ

JJ's comments are often fun and I am sure you will find future friends who are English.  However if you want to go to a bank, choose food in a bar, visit a Dr, be courteous to the Spanish people who welcome us to their country etc, you will find that most Spanish people do not speak English though you can get (and pay) for an interpreter when you really need to.  Imagine being in your home country and stone deaf.

Good post Bess! 

I just so happen to be an interpreter although you don't really need to speak Spanish in arboleas as its so very Brit dominated...unfortunately!

JJ

doesn't that depend on what you are doing in Arboleas?   if you want to talk to the Mayor he pretends not to speak any English!  

I wrote that because a couple of years ago I  took out an account at an Arboleus bank, and had to make an appointment in advance to speak to someone in English, I had lunch at the  bar/hotel there and could not understand the menu/order, so now I speak a bit of Spanish - trouble is, the more I learn the more I realise my mistakes...

Are there any job opportunities there or do you have to go to one of the bigger towns?

I've met the mayor of arboleas on several occasions and obviously spoke in Spanish,as far as I know he really doesn't have much English ,and why would he? We're in Spain!

It all depends on the individual moving over here...I've been here 25years now and have never lived in a totally Brit populated area,but for older people not speaking the language I can imagine that being quite scary...so being around other ex pats would make the change a bit easier

Its a big move however old you are but I'd still go more Spanish than arboleas...

JJ

The first question I would have to ask is “do you speak any Spanish?”

Whilst Arboleas is predominantly an English area, most jobs are going to require some level of Spanish because you will deal with Spanish customers and many do not speak any English - as Jen Jen says, why would they?

Also, what are you skilled in? You might find bar / waitress work BUT with Coronavirus having decimated the hospitality industry there are an awful lot of experienced bar and wait staff looking for work.

I won’t say you won’t get a job, only that it is very unlikely at this particular time.  Moving to a bigger town won’t necessarily help, as bigger towns have, by and large, more unemployed.  If you do want to work here though, learning at least some Spanish will be highly  recommended because down here in the South English is not widely spoken amongst the Spanish locals.

Spot on Dario!

JJ