Honest views on living in Spain

[costaconvert]

I have had several long holidays in Spain and have always enjoyed them but know that living somewhere is different to holidaying their.

I am seriously contemplating a move to Spain next year, I have investigated and am happy with the school I would like my son to go to and have a house already. In Playa Flamenca.

I would like to know honestly what it is like for a ex-pat in Spain,

Is the language a problem?

Do the children do as well in school in Spain as they do in the UK?

What is the crime like and if you have had any problems where they dealt with efficiently?

Do you automatically qualify for National Health in Spain?
If not how have people found the best way to fund health care? ie, private medical insurance, or just paying as and when its needed?

I have an English plated left hand drive car in spain, is it better to leave it on english plates or change to Spanish?

Can part time work be found easily for a non spanish speaking person? It is my intention to learn Spanish and have started already.

Everyone has different ideas about living in Spain and I do know people who have jumped and had to return to the UK because they really did not go prepared for the differences between here and there so I am going at different times of the year to find out if my local area is nice all year (only 6 holidays so far this year), to also decide whether I can live with the heat of July/August, which I understand you get use to! I also know people who have said it becomes boring because there is less to do!

Any constructive responses would be great.

[joeybaby]

We have lived here for 2 years, and it took us about a year to settle down and get used to it! On many occasions I did want to pack up and go back (I think lots of others will agree!!). Now, however, we love it. We have a well established business - I think it is difficult finding work here, apart from bar work which doesn't pay very well. Our children are very happy here and love school. Our youngest is doing extremely well and is top of the class in every subject(takes after me I think ha ha!!) (and fluent in Spanish!) - our eldest (nearly 12) is not as good at school, but she was always behind in the U.K school aswell. She's not really interested in school work, but is very sociable and has lots of (British and Spanish) friends, and her Spanish is good! We find the teachers great, and they try really hard to help the kids to learn properly.
You dont need to learn Spanish to live here really, but I have lessons and do quite well. If not, it is quite isolating, not knowing how to comminicate with Spanish people, and I think it is rude not to try!
If you work legally here and pay into the social security, you are covered for health and pension, and it is 229 Euros per month(this covers the whole family) If you dont pay into the system I believe you can still get health cover but I dont know what forms and paperwork you need!
It is a big decision to move over, but unless you try it you will never know, and its not the end of the world if you dont like it! Good luck with your decision!

[Jualsy2]

I can't comment on schools or jobs as we came here to retire nearly 6 years ago, but living here is almost like a dream for some of us.....the relaxed life style, the weather, the low cost of living....in some ways I still feel that I am on holiday and one day I will have to go back to work in the UK!!!!
Life is just about as good as you can make it and apparently the standard of education here is high, I haven't heard a bad comment about the standard of education.
So many of us are afraid of change, but some of us just go for it anyway!!