Moving to the area - Page 2

Thank you so much for your advice. I’d better start Spanish lessons.

Hi Daniela,

If you want peace and quiet then I suggest you stay well clear of the Mojacar area in particular Mojacar beach strip. I spent over 10 years filling it with concrete, a process that has slackened off but will resume when the economy revives to 2000 levels. The same goes for the area between Mojacar and Cuevas de Almanzora, we did that too. 

I live in Las Negras, which if you like peace and quiet is like a graveyard with lights for 10 months of the year. I have lived in Spain since 1976 and in Las Negras since 1986, but I know the area very well having seen it all many times from the cab of a concrete mixer throughout those years. The villages round about Las Negras such as Rodalquilar, Las Hortichuelas, Fernan Perez, Los Martinez, Los Albaricoques, La Isleta del Moro, Los Escullos etc, are equally tranquil except in July and August. I suggest San Jose is not worth a long look, it is like a part of Mojacar beach these days, since we filled it with concrete.

Hoping you find what you are looking for!

Best wishes

Roland

Thank you. I love this reply!!

A lot of people will tell you to avoid Mojacar because it's too busy and noisy but they don't live here, I have lived in Mojacar for the past seven years near the Parque Comercial and can confirm it is quiet and a beautiful place to live with everything on your doorstep, yes it gets busy in July/August but so does every coastal town. Would I move anywhere else or have any regrets? An emphatic no from me...

What about San Juan de Los Terreros.  Beautiful beaches, good amenities, Aguilas Close by.  Easy access to other places.  Always plenty of spaces to park.  Many Europeans as well as Spanish.  Local Spanish classes, fitness sessons on the beach.  A good place to rent whilst you look around. Stunning views.

You may find it worthwhile looking up in the Sierras de los Filabres, there is a whole scattering of very small villages up there North of Tabernas Uleila del Campo Sorbas etc such as Benizalon, Benitagla to name but two, and right over towards the marble quarry locality. Mobile phone reception up there is often a problem as is tv reception but the rewards will be well worth it, and there are always ways round that these days. Put up enough solar panels to be independent of Endesa and you can reach tranquility itself.

Hi Daniella. 

Assuming you are allowed by law to work here I suggest that  you should find out about the post Brexit rulings on the pretty severe  limitations related to doing that if you are a UK passport holder. Before offering employment to someone with a UK passport, employers need to be able to demonstrate that there are no native workers able to do the job being advertised . Beyond that, in order to work in one of the gyms you MUST have a good level of fluency in Spanish - some knowledge of French and German is also advised. Also, importantly, your professional qualifications must be acceptable to the Spanish authorities in order to work legally. I had to retake my qualifications here in Spain (in Spanish) in order to meet the necessary criteria. Gym work, like a lot of other employment in this part of Spain, is not paid especially well - and if you are Autonomo ( which at most gyms you would be) you would then need to pay your monthly seguridad social which averages around the €320 mark. You would also need to factor in personal liability insurance ( respondibilidad civil) which can cost in the region of €400 per person. All this takes a lot of earning on an average gym payment rate of €10-15 per hour. On top of that of course, you have to figure the cost of your accommodation, utilities bills, food etc. Don't forget your annual tax declaration, where you are  taxed on your earnings. Low personal allowances mean that Income tax here kicks in far sooner than on average UK earnings. These are just a few of the things you will need to take into account. I'd advise that if you come over to suss things out, you do some very thorough research. I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but it's extremely important to realise that the above is a small portion of the realities of working over here - so the above  is  what you need to hear ( which I appreciate may not be what you want to hear). Do please research to thoroughly understand the full picture before committing to living and especially having the ability to work in the fitness industry as a means of funding your life here. If you want any further information, feel free to pm me. Best of luck with your plans. 

Susi's advice is very sound. I have lived here since I married here in 1976 except for the first 3 years, and getting work was always hard going even though I had a skill that was hard to find among Spanish nationals, computer programmer. Only when I became a Spanish citizen did things suddenly get easier although I took a nosedive there to coach and truck driving as Almeria is simply not a technological hub yet, and never will be. The penalities for going it alone without the correct pieces of paper in place can be severe so be careful. As an expat I found it simpler to work abroad on contracts then return here for a few months letting the dust settle, then going off again on the next assignment. I have met several others who live in just this way. I think it takes 10 years continual legal residence holding an NIE before an application for nationality will be received and processed, and then another 3 years may elapse before it's granted, if it ever is granted, because the barriers are getting tough especially language. And getting nationality will not solve any of the paperwork problems, all Spanish face them too. Best wishes and good luck, you are going to need it!

I also have an EU passport. I’m half Italian. Will this make it easier?

To come here, possibly yes. To work and earn enough to live on as an autonomo, either in the fields you've mentioned or in any alternative, without a very good level of fluency in Spanish...... highly unlikely. Please refer to my earlier post which gives a bit more detail. To put it in real terms, I work at several jobs, 7 days a week,  starting at 07.00 and finishing, on a good day, at around 22.15. My work includes teaching in 3 local gyms, an academy and cleaning other people's houses.  I live very frugally and it's pretty much always a struggle to get to the end of the month financially. During my classes I switch constantly from Spanish to English and occasionally include French, depending on the students attending. I now have some Ukrainian students so am expected to include that language as well. Luckily I enjoy my work, but it's NOT an easy life out here for working people. That's why I've cautioned you to do your research very, very carefully. It's one thing to be out here as a retired person with a government and/or private pension, it's a totally different ball game to live here on your earnings.