Moving to Spain is a dream come true

Everyone dreams of owning their own ‘place in the sun’, and more and more Brits are choosing to make that dream come true by moving to Spain. The Mediterranean lifestyle - with its exotic cuisine, warm climate and laid-back approach to life - is something that appeals to pretty much everyone. After years of hard work and putting up with the British weather, who could blame them? But before moving to Spain there are several things you should take into account to ensure your dream move does not turn into a nightmare.

The first thing you will want to consider when moving to Spain is where you are going to live. If you are going to buy a property, it is essential to research all the ins and outs of home ownership. Legal processes and regulations for buying property may vary vastly and it is important to understand them in order to avoid any nasty surprises. Moving to Spain can be a very attractive proposition in terms of finding affordable property, but a failure to comply with all the necessary regulations and processes could make that cheap villa seem like much less of a bargain. Doing a simple Google search on the internet – for example “moving to Spain – tips” – will give you a wealth of information to read and digest, although it may also be worth employing the services of a local property expert too.

If you are moving to Spain with the intention of working, it is important to do plenty of research into the job market. If you have a particular profession that you intend to work in, make sure you find out which towns and cities have plenty of jobs available in that industry. It is also worth researching the differences between how that profession operates in Spain compared to your home country. Whether it is the legal profession, teaching or plumbing, the common practices and rules and regulations that are the norm in your country may be very different in Spain. Be aware as well that the Spanish approach to work can be very different. If mid-afternoon siestas sound like bliss to you then great, if not then you might want to think again about moving to Spain.

Learning to speak the language will undoubtedly make every aspect of moving to Spain much easier. As well as helping you to find a job and buy a house, it will also make you to feel much more at home in Spain. Whether it is watching TV or chatting with locals in the town, immersing yourself in the culture of a country is essential if you are going to be happy there. This is particularly important if you have children. With so many families moving to Spain these days, it is unlikely that you will not find a healthy and thriving ex-pat community in most places, complete with English speaking schools etc. But if your could go to a Spanish speaking school, it would give them the opportunity to make a much wider range of friends, as well as giving them a fantastic educational and cultural opportunity.

After all, if you wanted to speak English and do English things all the time, you would not have dreamt of moving to Spain in the first place, right?

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