Is the cost of living in Tenerife similar to that in the UK?

[ElaineTV]

Hi folks!

I've got a 'how long is a piece of string' question but here goes:-

Approximately, is the cost of living the same as the UK or different, and if different how so?

I'm trying to budget some savings that we'll need to set aside for 2/3 months living costs whilst we look for work and was wondering if £1000 per month would cover it or not??

Our 3 children will be in state school, what happens during school hols - is there a holiday club they attend and if so how much?

Thanks in advance! :wink2:

[Suej]

Hi folks!

I've got a 'how long is a piece of string' question but here goes:-

Approximately, is the cost of living the same as the UK or different, and if different how so?



I'm trying to budget some savings that we'll need to set aside for 2/3 months living costs whilst we look for work and was wondering if £1000 per month would cover it or not??

Our 3 children will be in state school, what happens during school hols - is there a holiday club they attend and if so how much?

Thanks in advance! :wink2:

Personally I would think £1000 a month would be really stretching it with 3 children!:goodluck:

[cainaries]

Are you including rent and utilities in that, Elainetv? Or is that just for your grocery bills?

[ElaineTV]

Hi, just the rent and bills.. excluding food, petrol or clothing.

[megsdad]

Hi, just the rent and bills.. excluding food, petrol or clothing.Ok , so what size property and where? a piece of string but at least let us see the string

[ElaineTV]

lol!! We haven't got accommodation as yet, not moving till July..but we have an estate agent who is looking into our requirements, hopefully going to Adeje, 3 bed house with rent of about 700 euros incl bills - gas & electric I think, but I have no idea how much up to.. usually upto the value of 50 euros for the bills I believe so I need to know how much more to budget and also the rubbish charge and anything I have missed out.

Also, on another point, does anyone know what the income tax rate is, just want to make sure we can actually afford to live!! lol!! We're planning on using some savings approx £3000 - £4000 as a float in case we don't get incomes straight away, although hopefully this won't be the case but have to cover all scenarios.

Thanks.

[golf birdie]

unless you have 20,000 set to one side, Speak Spanish and have job skills that are really in demand here, I would sit down and rethink your move. Its harder here than the UK, but no worries someone will be along saying at least the sun shines.

[katja]

If the 700€ rent includes bills, that normally means water and electricity but obviously depends on your contract. Normally all the council related bills like IBI and rubbish are paid by the owner. We lived in 2 different rental apartments before we bought our own and we only had to pay our phone and internet bills (which we had installed). We're paying 40€/month for internet and phone including free national and international landline calls and free weekend and evening mobile calls. Then you'd obviously have your mobile phone bills but obviously some people use them more, some use them less, we pay 6-10€/month each. If you'll have a car, you'd obviously have the car insurance to pay. At the state schools you'd have to pay for comedor if the kids will be eating there and during school holidays at least some of the schools arrange camps that the kids can go to and if I remember right, the school just next door to us charged 90€ including food if the kid was to stay all day, 40€ if it was until 2 (without food) for the christmas holidays. Found the link (http://sanmigueldeabona.es/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=706:campamento-de-navidad&Itemid=260&lang=es) for the camp, not quite correct what I remembered but my son's only just turned 2 so I won't have to think about school camps for another year and a half.
Can't think of any other bills...

[ElaineTV]

My main priority is our children, I want them to have a better life, they love the outdoors and the education in the UK has gone to the dogs, as everything else imo!

I am dual nationality and speak Spanish, I am a qualified hairdresser/Barber & Beauty Therapist so no idea how in demand that is? My hubby is a civil engineer but speaks very little Spanish, he is also a qualified plumber & handy man.. so no idea how easy it would be for either of us to get work, but we are hard workers and are not afraid to get our hands dirty so to speak, my husband will be setting up a business (don't wish to disclose on here as details not finalised as yet)

We don't expect to live the high life, we just want to get by with a better quality of life where we can spend more time together, it is very hard to do outdoor activities when it is cold, dark and wet!! lol!!

Also, my eldest and I suffer from Asthma which always improves in warmer weather, so our main thoughts for moving is for education and health.

I am grateful if as much honesty as possible, I am under no illusion that it will be a like a holiday as I have family all over Spain and I know how hard they work...but they have a better quality of life than my English relatives.. imo!! :spin:

[golf birdie]

well good luck, if you want it to work and I mean WANT it to work it will. As for spending more time together thats easier said than done if you are both working as weekends over here is just a word and to find jobs with the same hours is very unlikely.

[cainaries]

My main priority is our children, I want them to have a better life, they love the outdoors and the education in the UK has gone to the dogs, as everything else imo!

I am dual nationality and speak Spanish, I am a qualified hairdresser/Barber & Beauty Therapist so no idea how in demand that is? My hubby is a civil engineer but speaks very little Spanish, he is also a qualified plumber & handy man.. so no idea how easy it would be for either of us to get work, but we are hard workers and are not afraid to get our hands dirty so to speak, my husband will be setting up a business (don't wish to disclose on here as details not finalised as yet)

We don't expect to live the high life, we just want to get by with a better quality of life where we can spend more time together, it is very hard to do outdoor activities when it is cold, dark and wet!! lol!!

Also, my eldest and I suffer from Asthma which always improves in warmer weather, so our main thoughts for moving is for education and health.

I am grateful if as much honesty as possible, I am under no illusion that it will be a like a holiday as I have family all over Spain and I know how hard they work...but they have a better quality of life than my English relatives.. imo!! :spin:

Since you're dual nationality and presumably bi-lingual, I would imagine you'd find it easier than most as no struggles with language/bureaucracy etc. Got to be a big plus on your side. All I'd say now is ... start talking Spanish at home to your OH if he doesn't already speak it? And you are bringing your children up speaking fluent Spanish?;):D

[katja]

Better education system? In Tenerife? Education is one of the main reasons why we would like to leave Tenerife but then again coming from Finland I'm used to a very different way of education than what I've seen here. I don't know what the education is like in the UK, but can't imagine it could be any worse than here. But obviously as I don't really know the situation over there can't really say anything.

And I definitely agree with what golf birdie's saying. A lot of businesses open until late, hairdresser's normally until 8 and have a couple of hours siesta in between. The siesta is anothing which I don't like here at all, it makes family life very difficult. I'm working 9-14 which for me are perfect working hours but my boyfriend's just got a job working 10-14 and 16-20. I pick up our 2 year old from the nursery at 14.30 and quite often he falls asleep in the car or soon after arriving home so he hardly sees his dad then and when he comes home at 8 it's almost bed time. So we've only got Saturday afternoons and Sundays for normal family life. You might be lucky and both get a nice 9-5 job but they are very hard to find over here, especially in the current situation. But then again it didn't take too long (4 and a half months) for my boyfriend, who doesn't speak that much Spanish, to find a new job. I've always thought that there is a job for everyone who really wants one. I've never been unemployed and we've been here for 9 years, and that was the only period my bf's been unemployed as well.

I did send another message to this thread as well but can't see it..it was about the rent, just wanted to basically say that if the bills are included in the rent it normally means water and electricity+council bills like ibi and rubbish.

[chocaholic]

unless you have 20,000 set to one side, Speak Spanish and have job skills that are really in demand here, I would sit down and rethink your move. Its harder here than the UK, but no worries someone will be along saying at least the sun shines.
20,000 Id double that with 3 kids

[ElaineTV]

Better education system? In Tenerife? Education is one of the main reasons why we would like to leave Tenerife but then again coming from Finland I'm used to a very different way of education than what I've seen here. I don't know what the education is like in the UK, but can't imagine it could be any worse than here. But obviously as I don't really know the situation over there can't really say anything.

And I definitely agree with what golf birdie's saying. A lot of businesses open until late, hairdresser's normally until 8 and have a couple of hours siesta in between. The siesta is anothing which I don't like here at all, it makes family life very difficult. I'm working 9-14 which for me are perfect working hours but my boyfriend's just got a job working 10-14 and 16-20. I pick up our 2 year old from the nursery at 14.30 and quite often he falls asleep in the car or soon after arriving home so he hardly sees his dad then and when he comes home at 8 it's almost bed time. So we've only got Saturday afternoons and Sundays for normal family life. You might be lucky and both get a nice 9-5 job but they are very hard to find over here, especially in the current situation. But then again it didn't take too long (4 and a half months) for my boyfriend, who doesn't speak that much Spanish, to find a new job. I've always thought that there is a job for everyone who really wants one. I've never been unemployed and we've been here for 9 years, and that was the only period my bf's been unemployed as well.

I did send another message to this thread as well but can't see it..it was about the rent, just wanted to basically say that if the bills are included in the rent it normally means water and electricity+council bills like ibi and rubbish.

any thanks Katja,

I love the hours of Spain, with siesta... that way I could see more of the kids during the day, here in the UK I drop them off at 9 and some days don't see them again until 6pm, by which time it's eat bath and bed, and weekends, if I'm not working then it's housework while kids are on the wii cos it's raining and no friends are playing out so they get bored very quickly - no quality of life at all!! :(

It's very reassuring to hear that you and your boyfriend have had work for 9 years... my husband is looking at redundancy in April and so we figured we might as well try abroad, a case of now or never... but obviously don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire! :doh:

I do appreciate all your replies... I am really 50/50 on this move and employment is the one that would swing it for us.

How has everyone else done it - moved first then look for work or find a job first then move out?

My husband said we need to have enough money to live on for at least 6 months as it might take that long to get work, I am more optimistic (or naive) than he is and think it will only take us 3/4 months. I really want to make the move... am I being silly?

[golf birdie]

you can find work the day you land and be looking again the week after. The wages will be the problem. I earn a very good income, about 3x the normal here and I just can't understand how other survive on the low pay here. Then, as I said before the sun is free, the rest you pay for.

[Muppet]

I would so love to be able to encourage you in your move - this is a beautiful place

But

Your monthly outgoings - rent transport shopping and so on will be well on 1,500 for you and your family - maybe even more and as someone mentioned above, the education system here leave much to be desired. The opportunities for your children to get onto the higher education system ladder are non-existent, unless you consider private education in one of the few schools operating under the UK curriculum - most people I have met with young children do the journey the other way around.

Working here is another matter entirely. Setting up a business here or working for yourself is so very different to the UK - Self Employed NI contributions in the UK are of the order of 20 quid a month - here they are around 250 euros and the red tape is crazy. Your Spanish will help of course, but nevertheless I'd say your being more than brave, and will need all the help you can get.

Unemployment rate in the UK is around 9% - here it is in excess of 23% - there are no benefits at all to help you through tough times until you have worked officially inside the system for a year or two - and even then they don't last long.

Come with a very big financial buffer 20k would be the absolute minimum - the legal minimum wage here is 641 euros a month - the reality is 3 to 5 euros an hour. It REALLY REALLY REALLY is very tough

Added after 10 Hours 27 minutes:

I did mean to say though, on the basis that you are not coming here to run a bar, or to try to earn a living as an entertainer, you stand more chance of making it work than many - good luck!

[ElaineTV]

Thank you all so much... to be honest - the finance in Tenerife sounds way cheaper than here in the UK!

Our current outgoings are around 2650 euros per month and we certainly don't live a privileged life - infact we have to do without just to make ends meet sometimes. Our income tax & NI is 22%, our VAT is 20% and petrol is now about 15 euros a gallon. The food prices have gone right up - a loaf of bread costs 1,50 euros,a small bundle of veg ie carrots, 1 onion, 6 spuds, some greens costs approx 6 euros, fruit is even dearer! so our food bill can easily be 420 euros per month, and that's with buying the value foods/brands, not steak or luxury items.

The education system here now is appalling to say the least - they force young children to be academic only for it to be thrown away when they get to the age of 12??? Totally backwards!! There are no jobs for anyone as all the immigrants get there first. seriously - this is no exaggeration. We have national young people with degrees working at Tesco because there are no jobs available... and it is going to get worse!

In order for me to work, we pay about 160 euros on nursery & school club fees per week and gain about 143 euros on child & tax benefits which is a god send otherwise I couldn't work which means we would be homeless as we need 2 incomes to pay the bills.

So, it seems to me that the cost of living swings in round abouts... it appears slightly better in Tenerife.. provided you have the income - which is exactly how it is in the UK.

Kids have no prospects in the UK and the government is considering national service in order to keep youngsters off the dole queue... it's all wrong to me!

Sadly, our direction is no clearer but hey ho!! LOL!!
Howeverm we now have lots of info to think about, so thank you! :thanx:

Added after 5 minutes:

Just wanted to mention that, when we were on holiday last month we met an ex pat who lived in Santa Cruz and he is now semi retired, he was the one that advised to think about moving to Tenerife as the cost of living was better than the UK (he has just recently sold his house in the UK and is current with cost of living) and said that the kids would have a much more fulfilled life on the island... so it is now a case of balance between lifestyles of UK & Tenerife! :dontknow:

[Muppet]

There is no doubt that you and your children will have a better lifestyle here, but do think carefully about your children's future.

You may well be right about what you perceive to be problems in the UK education system, but, it is no different here in terms of their long-term prospects - in fact arguably considerably worse. Remember this is essentially a holiday island and emplyment prospects for the young consist, at best, of PR-ing outside bars and restaurants for a free meal and 10 euros.

True well qualified youngsters are filling shelves in Tesco, which is a waste of their education, but at least they had the opportunity to get a good education and some qualifications primarily at the State's expense - unless you are prepared/can afford private education for your children here they will come out of school speaking Canarian Spanish - but that will be about it I'm afraid

[9PLUS]

I would certainly say your backup of 3000 to 4000 GBP is on the short side of things

[golf birdie]

plus starting a new business and spending more time together is a dream. I have yet to see a successful business started here where the owner did not put in 80/100 hours a week to begin with. I myself worked 7 days a week, 12 hours a day minimum for 4 years and ploughed in many 1000's of euros to make it work. I never employed anyone for the 1st 5 years and this was during the ''good times'' in Tenerife, today its harder, a lot harder. Please do not think I am trying to ruin your dream, but retiring here on a fixed income and earning an income are different planets.

[ElaineTV]

I would certainly say your backup of 3000 to 4000 GBP is on the short side of things

According to previous replies it's about £1500 per month on bills so my £3000 - £4000 would cover the cost of 2.5 months which is way cheaper than the UK, I would need £5500 for the same period.

My husbands business would be home-based run by computer so no large outgoings thankfully and we will have him around which will be nice, but he will need to do a job in the beginning until it was up and running which could take upto 2 months. If I can't get hairdressing work I will need to rent a treatment room for beauty, I have a contact already quoting me 20 euros a day.. is that reasonable?

University for our children is not free.. we would need to pay the fees which could be £6000 right up to £15,000 depending on the course, and then there's living costs.. student loads aren't cheap and need to be repaid once they earn £15,000 Per annum, so as it stands for us right now, we can't afford to put our children through uni as we have 3 kids and what we do for one, we would have to do for the other two! You need to be unemployed or a single parent to get any help from the state! Pfft!!

So as you can see... there is no point in us worrying about what the kids face in 10-15 years time as it appears bleak all round!! :(

We do have a very difficult decision to make and one we can't make lightly, but I have a nagging voice saying we have to at least try... to do it and fail is better then not doing it at all in my book...and when you have nothing to start with then there isn't much to lose!! ;)

Thankfully we do have good pension plans in place, I will get mine at the age of 60 due to my policy agreements , but as for the UK state pension we won't get that until we're 67, if at all!! Plus, if we work for 10 years in Tenerife then we should also get some Spanish pension.. not much but it all helps!!

We also have a property here in the UK to fall back on, providing house prices don't fall again... we could always remortgage and take a lump sum out with us, but I'd rather not... we'll see.

Many Thanks folks, it's good to balance all the pros and cons

[cainaries]

What do your children want to do, Elaine? You are completely uprooting them, taking them away from everything they know, changing schools usually mean kids drop a year and with the language change it might be more. They'll miss their friends and hobbies. It's one thing to come out as a pensioner as your friend has done but a bit different to come out in your circumstances.

Are you going to rent out your house in the UK - at least to cover all the running costs of that house? Otherwise you'll still be paying all the bills on that as well.

Don't mean to rain on your parade - just a few things to think about.

[Simon-M]

Do not cut your ties to the UK ... If you need to go back it will be a lot easier for you. Stay in the UK system if you can untill you are sure it's working out.

It sounds like you have made your mind up so good luck with the move. 20€ for a treatment room sounds cheap to me. You won't need too many jobs to pay for it.

[ElaineTV]

The kids are 2,5 and 8 so not much uprooting, but the longer we put it off the worse it'll be for them.. as regards to what careers they want.. let me see.. a footballer, a jedi knight and a doll!! lol!! :laugh:

Yes, we would rent our house out, but as interest rates are not that great still we wouldn't have any profit, what profit there would be would go to pay a manager and maintenance.

I have more family in Spain than I do in the UK, I grew up in Spain and have never felt right in the UK if I'm honest.. I left when I was 7yrs old, which makes me question how my kids are going to feel when they're older, they don't have many ties or bonds here if I'm honest, but I have my life too, and feel that I need to do one thing for myself and moving abroad would be that one thing, also my parents may well join us for their retirement so we could get some help with the kids... it is so very hard... we may well have to wait till we retire in another 15-20 years but that would be my last choice as by then I may be a grandparent!! Eek!! :wow:

Ah well...more thinking required!! :confused:

[Suej]

With all said and done and all the advice given on here my only reservation is that it might not be a question of when you both get work but if and depending on what you do the average wage here is 1000-1200€ per month! eek2:

[cainaries]

The kids are 2,5 and 8 so not much uprooting, but the longer we put it off the worse it'll be for them.. as regards to what careers they want.. let me see.. a footballer, a jedi knight and a doll!! lol!! :laugh:

Yes, we would rent our house out, but as interest rates are not that great still we wouldn't have any profit, what profit there would be would go to pay a manager and maintenance.

I have more family in Spain than I do in the UK, I grew up in Spain and have never felt right in the UK if I'm honest.. I left when I was 7yrs old, which makes me question how my kids are going to feel when they're older, they don't have many ties or bonds here if I'm honest, but I have my life too, and feel that I need to do one thing for myself and moving abroad would be that one thing, also my parents may well join us for their retirement so we could get some help with the kids... it is so very hard... we may well have to wait till we retire in another 15-20 years but that would be my last choice as by then I may be a grandparent!! Eek!! :wow:

Ah well...more thinking required!! :confused:

Very good luck with it all, Elaine. I wish you all the very best whichever option you choose. At least you are thinking very seriously and carefully and weighing up all the options which seems very wise to me.

[ElaineTV]

With all said and done and all the advice given on here my only reservation is that it might not be a question of when you both get work but if and depending on what you do the average wage here is 1000-1200€ per month! eek2:

If that is the average wage then that is FAB news as it is more or less the same here!!

My husband has been offered a job in sales earning 500 euros a week working 40hrs , but not sure it will still be open to him come July, and he is needed in the UK to get our house ready to rent out.. my other way of thinking is that is must be do-able as so many have done it and not returned... so I guess it's a case of watch this space!! :whistle:

Thanks.

[Suej]

If that is the average wage then that is FAB news as it is more or less the same here!!

My husband has been offered a job in sales earning 500 euros a week working 40hrs , but not sure it will still be open to him come July, and he is needed in the UK to get our house ready to rent out.. my other way of thinking is that is must be do-able as so many have done it and not returned... so I guess it's a case of watch this space!! :whistle:

Thanks.

Good on you for being so positive Elaine and I hope it all works out for you whatever you do. The average stay of ex-pats here appears to be about 4 years, that seems to be about the time period of make or break!

[Muppet]

If that is the average wage then that is FAB news as it is more or less the same here!!

My husband has been offered a job in sales earning 500 euros a week working 40hrs , but not sure it will still be open to him come July, and he is needed in the UK to get our house ready to rent out.. my other way of thinking is that is must be do-able as so many have done it and not returned... so I guess it's a case of watch this space!! :whistle:

Thanks.

??

Average salary UK is £30, 806 for men - (36,022 Euros)
Average salary UK is £24,037 for women (28,806 Euros)

source:- http://career-advice.monster.co.uk/salary-benefits/pay-salary-advice/uk-average-salary-graphs/article.aspx

Average Salary - Canary Islands 18,984 Euros and dropping

Source:- http://www.canariesnews.com/2010/09/17/wages-in-the-canaries-the-lowest-in-spain/

Unemployment rate Canary Islands - 28% source:- http://www.islandconnections.eu/1000003/1000043/0/31565/daily-news-article.html

Unemployment rate UK - 8.4%

[chifleta]

With all said and done and all the advice given on here my only reservation is that it might not be a question of when you both get work but if and depending on what you do the average wage here is 1000-1200€ per month! eek2:

I thought the average wage here was 750-950?

Good luck with your move Elaine, it's a big step, but sometimes you just have to go for it :) ...... I moved here 20 years ago, on the spur of the moment, although it was just me following my Canarian man at the time, so only needed enough money to get back to England if things didn't work out (actually I didn't even have money to get back, so it was a good job our relationship worked out)...

Your kiddiewinkles are young enough to adapt, and education, I think, depends on the parental help more than anything nowadays, because by the sounds of it, UK and Spanish education are both pretty awful....

[Muppet]

The above numbers are the official figures obviously - the realities are always another story entirely, and I would suggest that amongst the Ex-pat population in the "entertainment, leisure and "odd-job" building trades, your numbers are probably nearer to the reality, if not even generous.

See other threads on 3 to 5 Euros an hour

[9PLUS]

So after 2.5 months you could well be moving back to the UK?

[golf birdie]

If that is the average wage then that is FAB news as it is more or less the same here!!

My husband has been offered a job in sales earning 500 euros a week working 40hrs , but not sure it will still be open to him come July, and he is needed in the UK to get our house ready to rent out.. my other way of thinking is that is must be do-able as so many have done it and not returned... so I guess it's a case of watch this space!! :whistle:

Thanks.

the only sales jobs I have seen or heard of here earning 500€ a week are timeshare/holiday club. Even then, only the very best get those figures. If someone offered me a 40 hour week for 500€ I would jack my business and go to work for them.

Don't be put off, but don't come with eyes wide shut. Just because it looks better does not mean it is.

[ElaineTV]

??

Average salary UK is £30, 806 for men - (36,022 Euros)
Average salary UK is £24,037 for women (28,806 Euros)

source:- http://career-advice.monster.co.uk/salary-benefits/pay-salary-advice/uk-average-salary-graphs/article.aspx

Average Salary - Canary Islands 18,984 Euros and dropping

Source:- http://www.canariesnews.com/2010/09/17/wages-in-the-canaries-the-lowest-in-spain/

Unemployment rate Canary Islands - 28% source:- http://www.islandconnections.eu/1000003/1000043/0/31565/daily-news-article.html

Unemployment rate UK - 8.4%

If only those salary figures were true!! Sadly they are far from accurate, esp today.. people have had to take pay cuts to avoid redundancy and yet cost of living keeps rising, my husband has a good job for the local authority and has been on a pay freeze for 5 years - which in effect is a pay cut and now a proper pay cut since last October at 2% and having to take unpaid holidays, and now doing redundancies which is happening across the board, utility companies have hiked their prices up by 2% and food is so expensive... we noticed that the essentials in Tenerife cost a third of what we pay in the UK.

As for the unemployment rate in the UK it is very misleading - there are undisclosed figures and an enquiry as to why correct records are not being held.. so I would dispute these figures totally, plus we have a population of 68 million - totally over crowded for a small island there just isn't enough to go round!

Things are very bleak in the UK and will continue to get worse for a while longer yet... so I figured we might as well be broke but warm!! :crylaughing:

[warbey]

I would recommend feeding Your Family on Canarian Food whilst at Home.
Its possible one wont eat anything for Breakfast other than say, Cocopops.
We all know English type Food can be purchased at the Supermercado, but at what Price.?

This is one thing You CAN research before You go.

Good Luck. I understand Your sentiments.

[golf birdie]

If only those salary figures were true!! Sadly they are far from accurate, :

I come from a large family who all bar one earn in that backet, most of my friends do as well. I know a lot earn less but a lot earn more which is why it an average.

[katja]

Just read Muppet's post on the second page and thought, how about the EU dole? You're supposed to be able to claim dole for 3 months from your country of origin (as long as you're entitled to it, ie. after being made redundant) if you go to another EU country to look for a job. Maybe someone's already mentioned this...sorry if so, not read all the pages yet.

As of siesta, I personally don't like it at all because it makes working days very long, obviously if you work next door to home, it's easy to come home but let's say you live in Adeje and get a job in Los Cristianos, it'll take you 10-15 minutes to get home if you've got a car, depending on your location of course so that's about half an hour of your siesta already.. Also if you were both to work with siesta in between, obviously you'd need somewhere for your kids to stay after school. Some schools have "permanencia" which allows you to leave the kids there normally until 5 or 6 I think, so also you should look into that when choosing the school.

---

Didn't realise your husband was going to work from home so that's the child care sorted then I suppose :)

[ElaineTV]

The guy who offered him the job said top salesmen can earn around 300€ - 400€ a day but usually the starter rate is about 100€ per day basic salary... commission is on top.

Out of interest golf birdie what do you do? My husband intends to run his own UK business from Tenerife - using the off-shore facility but still a lot of legislation to research at this end, he is also a qualified plumber and bathroom/kitchen fitter so has skills to do a number of jobs. I am hoping to do my cosmetic beauty which can potentially earn a clear profit of around 60€ per day.

I totally appreciate your input.. as everybody's.. it is all very helpful. I'm hoping that my Spanish nationality and Spanish language help us out and an added bonus if my parents join us - who are Spanish too. So hard knowing what to do for the best, I just feel that we have come to the end of the road in the UK, I am sick of being ripped off, we are charged for everything here... use a cash machine - we get charged, buy a product on a card - you get charged, booking fees are 2.5%, credit cards have put their charges up to 22%, 0% balance transfers are very few and far between, VAT is 20%.. income tax is 20% NI is 11 - 13%, utility companies have increased their rates by another 2% and will go up again in April. I really don't want to be here anymore but I appreciate what you're saying.. the grass isn't always greener and all that... although I've been struggling with that concept for some time now! :)

[Muppet]

If only those salary figures were true!! Sadly they are far from accurate, esp today.. people have had to take pay cuts to avoid redundancy and yet cost of living keeps rising, my husband has a good job for the local authority and has been on a pay freeze for 5 years - which in effect is a pay cut and now a proper pay cut since last October at 2% and having to take unpaid holidays, and now doing redundancies which is happening across the board, utility companies have hiked their prices up by 2% and food is so expensive... we noticed that the essentials in Tenerife cost a third of what we pay in the UK.

As for the unemployment rate in the UK it is very misleading - there are undisclosed figures and an enquiry as to why correct records are not being held.. so I would dispute these figures totally, plus we have a population of 68 million - totally over crowded for a small island there just isn't enough to go round!

Things are very bleak in the UK and will continue to get worse for a while longer yet... so I figured we might as well be broke but warm!! :crylaughing:


If uou check the source of all the figures you will see that they are the latest official numbers. That said, I am just pointing them out as a comparison and if, as you say the UK figures are too high for salaries and too low for unemployment, you must apply the same percentage variation to the Canarian figures too.

For example, and perhaps it may help to bring the real situation to your attention - add a couple of percent to the UK unemployment numbers at it qill equate to around 10 percent of the population - bad I know, but by the same token that takes the Canarian numbers to 30 percent - yes THIRTY percent - with no child benefit and no income support. It is calculated that 1,000's of families on Tenerife alone are surviving on less than 150 Euros a month - yes families per month!

Electricity here has gone up twice last year - 10 percent in January and another 5 (I think it was) in July - another rise will be just around the corner. Petrol has gone up 10% since November........

Please trust me, the warmth is free but the grass is an odd shade of green. If you are bringing young children here it will be tough - very tough - especially for them.

[ElaineTV]

So after 2.5 months you could well be moving back to the UK?

lol!! No... we would have to use other funds, but obviously I would rather not, that figure is the basis of budgeting monthly outgoings, not a contingency fund. :)

[Goforgold]

I found when I lived there that within a couple of weeks I didn't notice the weather, (except the extreme heat in summer), but I was a lot younger and I think when you are young, usually the weather is less important.

Good Luck ElaineTV, whatever your choice is. :)

[ElaineTV]

I found when I lived there that within a couple of weeks I didn't notice the weather, (except the extreme heat in summer), but I was a lot younger and I think when you are young, usually the weather is less important.

Good Luck ElaineTV, whatever your choice is. :)

Thanks for your support GoForgold!! Where are you living now?

I'm asthmatic and suffer every winter with my health, sadly my eldest has it too therefore weather plays a big part in my life! :(

[golf birdie]

The guy who offered him the job said top salesmen can earn around 300€ - 400€ a day but usually the starter rate is about 100€ per day basic salary... commission is on top.

:)

please, please don't belive a word of this. I know some sales people who could sell snow to the eskimo's, that would be happy earning less than 1/2 of this. Telesales/timeshare wrap it any way you want the promises never match the wages apart from a very select few.

[Suej]

please, please don't belive a word of this. I know some sales people who could sell snow to the eskimo's, that would be happy earning less than 1/2 of this. Telesales/timeshare wrap it any way you want the promises never match the wages apart from a very select few.

Brit builders earn a fortune here! 500€ a week minimum!:D

[Goforgold]

Thanks for your support GoForgold!! Where are you living now?

I'm asthmatic and suffer every winter with my health, sadly my eldest has it too therefore weather plays a big part in my life! :(

I've eventually ended up in South Derbyshire and love it here in the countryside, it's very quiet where we live and like England was about 40 years ago. However, if I ever have the money I would love the opportunity of living in Tenerife for say 3 months of year for winter sun.

If you have enough money to live on without earning, and can return home if the worst comes to the worst and think you have nothing to lose, then give it a go.

[ElaineTV]

Brit builders earn a fortune here! 500€ a week minimum!:D

I'd even be a hod carrier for that kind of money!! :spin:

[tracy hampshire]

i moved here almost 3 years ago, to be with my boyfriend, 1 brought 6000 pounds with me that lasted about 14 months, i didn't work for 5 months after i arrived, then got a job earning 600 euros a month but shortly after that my boyfriend got laid off so we were living at times on just my 600, rent was 340 for a studio, we managed but, without luxurys, no bars, or meals out, made lots of soups & stews, that sort of thing, we are both out of work at the moment, but lucily i get paro, things are far from easy here but saying that i'm glad i took the plunge and came over, but i only had myself to think of, i think it will help you a great deal that you speak spanish, & your kids will pick it up really fast, i hope things go well for you & you make a success of your move, i thought pretty much the same as you, if i don't do it now i never will do, then will regret i never tried, my only advice is keep your budget tight like every week you were down to your last euros and this will give you more time to sort yourselves out, i know this will be had with kids, wishing you the very best of luck xx

[ElaineTV]

i moved here almost 3 years ago, to be with my boyfriend, 1 brought 6000 pounds with me that lasted about 14 months, i didn't work for 5 months after i arrived, then got a job earning 600 euros a month but shortly after that my boyfriend got laid off so we were living at times on just my 600, rent was 340 for a studio, we managed but, without luxurys, no bars, or meals out, made lots of soups & stews, that sort of thing, we are both out of work at the moment, but lucily i get paro, things are far from easy here but saying that i'm glad i took the plunge and came over, but i only had myself to think of, i think it will help you a great deal that you speak spanish, & your kids will pick it up really fast, i hope things go well for you & you make a success of your move, i thought pretty much the same as you, if i don't do it now i never will do, then will regret i never tried, my only advice is keep your budget tight like every week you were down to your last euros and this will give you more time to sort yourselves out, i know this will be had with kids, wishing you the very best of luck xx

Thank you Tracy, your post has put a positive slant on things.... I admire your determination, I hope you both find work very soon. xx

[bonitatime]

Gas is bottled so it will be paid seperately And if you can I would try gas heating for water not electric.
Because you are a Spanish speaker you increase your options. Try Azabache in Adeje as they are always looking for staff between the 4 salons they have.
Adeje run a summer school most years but you will need to look into costs. Try their website www.adeje.es

Added after 3 minutes:

Recently on here we were discussing utility bills if you search you can find this.

[ElaineTV]

Gas is bottled so it will be paid seperately And if you can I would try gas heating for water not electric.
Because you are a Spanish speaker you increase your options. Try Azabache in Adeje as they are always looking for staff between the 4 salons they have.
Adeje run a summer school most years but you will need to look into costs. Try their website www.adeje.es

Added after 3 minutes:

Recently on here we were discussing utility bills if you search you can find this.

Thanks bonitatime, great advice and excellent link. Many thanks!! :thanx:

[René]

It seems to me that you have a kind of gold fever. Looking at the good things and ignoring the bad things.


I am hoping to do my cosmetic beauty which can potentially earn a clear profit of around 60€ per day.

Is this based on a business plan or just a wild guess? I suppose the last. My suggestions to make this a success is to take at least 30.000 Euros with you if you have 3 children and to make a business plan before you make the decision.

This will give you a good survey especially for the expenses you will meet (did you think about the cost of starting a business? Notary, insurances, rent, deposit for your house and shop, social security for the both of you, publicity, equipment, openings licence, taxes, etc. etc.

This helped me a lot to take the same decision to start, well prepared, the same adventure. Keep in mind that the first 6 months are already very stressful, even without the money issue.

[ElaineTV]

It seems to me that you have a kind of gold fever. Looking at the good things and ignoring the bad things.



Is this based on a business plan or just a wild guess? I suppose the last. My suggestions to make this a success is to take at least 30.000 Euros with you if you have 3 children and to make a business plan before you make the decision.

This will give you a good survey especially for the expenses you will meet (did you think about the cost of starting a business? Notary, insurances, rent, deposit for your house and shop, social security for the both of you, publicity, equipment, openings licence, taxes, etc. etc.

This helped me a lot to take the same decision to start, well prepared, the same adventure. Keep in mind that the first 6 months are already very stressful, even without the money issue.

Thanks for your comments René, you make a valid point. I currently run my own clinic here in the UK so I am very familiar with business plans and set up costs. As I have all my own equipment I will be looking to rent a treatment room only, and as I will drive my car over I could even do my work as mobile, so I won't buy or rent a shop, making my outgoings much more managable.

What business are you running, may need to ask you more questions as time goes by as my husband is hoping to set up a business from home, if that's ok with you? :thanx:

[Tom & Sharon]

Elaine,

Your sentiments of wanting to give your children a better quality of life are admirable. Everyone wants the best for their children. I also know exactly what you are saying about the UK: living costs, tax, NI, VAT, charges for everything. The weather is awful, and you have health issues to compound that. However....................

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from reading your posts:-

-Your children are 2,5 & 8
-Your husband is a Civil Engineer and works for the local authority
-You are a qualified hairdresser/beauty therapist with your own business

No matter how hard you think things are in the UK, that will give you a better quality of life than you can have in Tenerife as self employed hairdresser/beauty therapist/plumber/handyman. There are honestly hundreds of them here, and they are all scratching about for a living. If your husband is a qualified man, there will be nothing here to distinguish him from "Pete in the bar at the end of the road who does a good, cheap job". The salary figures for the sales job you have been quoted sound to me like pie in the sky. I know people out here who did timeshare in "the good old days" and are now struggling to earn a living. There is hardly anyone out here who show the signs of earning the kind of money you are talking about. There are far more people who actually have no idea where their next meal is coming from, let alone next month's rent.

Living in Tenerife is most people's idea of heaven, but if you have to earn a living here, it is not that easy.

Let's face it, if it was that easy, everyone would be here - England would be shut and the lights would be out. But that's not the reality, and you have 3 small children to consider.

There are many, many fluent Spanish speakers here, and 2nd generation Brits, and they struggle to find decent employment.

Do you really want to end up struggling to feed your children, and worrying how you're going to find the plane fare for home for the 5 of you? I know it sounds pessimistic, but that really is the most likely outcome.

You need to give this a lot more thought. Your children are so young, and would rather have stability, and food on the table than sunshine!

[ElaineTV]

Elaine,

Your sentiments of wanting to give your children a better quality of life are admirable. Everyone wants the best for their children. I also know exactly what you are saying about the UK: living costs, tax, NI, VAT, charges for everything. The weather is awful, and you have health issues to compound that. However....................

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from reading your posts:-

-Your children are 2,5 & 8
-Your husband is a Civil Engineer and works for the local authority
-You are a qualified hairdresser/beauty therapist with your own business

No matter how hard you think things are in the UK, that will give you a better quality of life than you can have in Tenerife as self employed hairdresser/beauty therapist/plumber/handyman. There are honestly hundreds of them here, and they are all scratching about for a living. If your husband is a qualified man, there will be nothing here to distinguish him from "Pete in the bar at the end of the road who does a good, cheap job". The salary figures for the sales job you have been quoted sound to me like pie in the sky. I know people out here who did timeshare in "the good old days" and are now struggling to earn a living. There is hardly anyone out here who show the signs of earning the kind of money you are talking about. There are far more people who actually have no idea where their next meal is coming from, let alone next month's rent.

Living in Tenerife is most people's idea of heaven, but if you have to earn a living here, it is not that easy.

Let's face it, if it was that easy, everyone would be here - England would be shut and the lights would be out. But that's not the reality, and you have 3 small children to consider.

There are many, many fluent Spanish speakers here, and 2nd generation Brits, and they struggle to find decent employment.

Do you really want to end up struggling to feed your children, and worrying how you're going to find the plane fare for home for the 5 of you? I know it sounds pessimistic, but that really is the most likely outcome.

You need to give this a lot more thought. Your children are so young, and would rather have stability, and food on the table than sunshine!

I appreciate your point of view, but here are our the facts we are facing and making us want to move abroad:-

*Husband facing redundancy - qualifications count for very little these days, and can hinder prospects for being over qualified
*Outgoings are on the rise whilst income is decreasing - childcare costs on the rise and costs us 540€ per month, nearly as much as our mortgage
*Our kids are surrounded by other kids who are obsessed with computer games, fighting, gangs, drink, sex and swearing
*Limited water sports and outdoor activities due to poor weather
*Limited family days out as everything is so expensive, fuel, parking and entrance fees - ie the average day out to the cinema would cost us 40€ - costs very little to go the beach in Tenerife!
*I have asthma which is dramatically reduced in warm climates
* Health care in Spain is far superior to the UK, they give the right medication and not a cheap alternative to save costs putting patients at risk, I have been treated a few times in Spain and their treatments are far more effective, there are too many medical errors being made in the UK and hardly any of doctors speak English anymore.
*Our children have ecezma which clears up in warm climates.

So as you can see, some good reasons to up sticks but I have to balance them out with practicalities. We would rent our house out in the UK so there is nothing to stop us returning if it didn't work out.

We know a few people who have moved to Spain and returned and they have never once regretted it, I don't want to look back and think 'what if'.

[beerfan]

*Our kids are surrounded by other kids who are obsessed with computer games, fighting, gangs, drink, sex and swearing

Depending on their age, some of that is quite normal behaviour.


costs very little to go the beach in Tenerife!

How often would you want to do that if you weren't on holiday though?

[anto3]

You need to listen to Tom Sharon and myself as we have the experience. I keep telling people you need a income from home to survive here.My friend cannot get a a job doing nail so she works for nothing because she is bored here. Met a guy at the forum meeting who taught he did his home work but he said it is who you know over here not what you know. Also i know a Irish family who live here with 2 children and she is lonely because her children goes to Spainish school and she does not met English mums. It is harder with young children. Not saying do not come but keep your home in England and your free health.Think you are brave.Good luck

[ElaineTV]

Depending on their age, some of that is quite normal behaviour.

mine are 5 & 8 years old, it's mainly the juniors 8 to 13 yr olds... way too young in my opinion!!


How often would you want to do that if you weren't on holiday though?

When I was little and lived in Spain it was a regular thing to go to the beach, at least once a week.

Added after 6 minutes:


You need to listen to Tom Sharon and myself as we have the experience. I keep telling people you need a income from home to survive here.My friend cannot get a a job doing nail so she works for nothing because she is bored here. Met a guy at the forum meeting who taught he did his home work but he said it is who you know over here not what you know. Also i know a Irish family who live here with 2 children and she is lonely because her children goes to Spainish school and she does not met English mums. It is harder with young children. Not saying do not come but keep your home in England and your free health.Think you are brave.Good luck

Thanks anto3, no such thing as free health anymore, we are paying for it through our taxes, and it is poor quality at that! Our hospital no longer treats children so we have to travel out of town to get the kids seen to. I have to pay 9€ for each item on a prescription, and when they get it wrong I have to pay again until they find the right medication that works... total swizz!!

We have a few contacts already in Tenerife but I see what you mean... it's not an easy decision to make, but nothing worth while is ever easy!

Added after 18 minutes:

Just want to say thank you to everyone for giving me your opinions and views, and can honestly say - it hasn't helped in me making a decision!! lol!! :lol: Seriously tho, you have all given me some very good and valid points to consider - good and bad!!

Life in general is a gamble... and sometimes we have to take risks.. I am leaning slightly more towards taking the risk as the pros seem to out weigh the cons... and yes the cons are pretty big ones ie no income but thankfully we do have property/funds to bail us out! We have a few months in which to make a final decision, but come March we will have a better idea of what to do. I will be speaking to some of the Spanish schools over the coming weeks to see about getting my kids in... so wish me luck.. think I'm going to need it by the bucket load!!
:thanx:

[beerfan]

mine are 5 & 8 years old, it's mainly the juniors 8 to 13 yr olds... way too young in my opinion!!

Well, I used to love swearing and programmes like Bottom when I was about seven or eight, and constantly wanted to gtet the most disgusting films out the video shop. By the time I was 12 I was importing uncut copies of Straw Dogs (still banned in the UK at that time) and The Beyond, the year after I'd seen an uncut version of Cannibal Holocaust (which had just been passed with nearly six minutes of cuts here that year). I loved - and still do - Straw Dogs and developed a lifelong distaste for Cannibal Holocaust, though I loved the soundtrack.

Interestingly, I first came into contact with Cannibal Holocaust whilst in a shop in Lanzarote and coming into contact with the Spanish video (replete with 'delightful' artwork - a woman sat on a bicycle seat balancing a bit of wood in her mouth is all you need to know). I was only about ten at the time. I begged my parents to buy it and they flatly refused. I got my own way and saw in the end though and hated it, though the soundtrack haunts me to this day.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B67Ko3tr0PI

(Beautiful bit of music but I only have to hear it and I feel queasy.)

Moving on...

The stuff about sex at nine or ten does sound really weird though. Are you sure it's an actual interest in sex rather than just vulgar discussion of 'rude bits'? As for gangs, WTF?! I used to like a good bit of cider when I was about eight or nine - they came in little stubbies. I rarely got that drunk though. That came later.

Sorry, reminiscing a bit there. ;)


When I was little and lived in Spain it was a regular thing to go to the beach, at least once a week.

I'm just thinking that, given the modern world, they may become rather bored with that. Bear in mind that when you were little there was probably much less to do and options were much more limited.

Also, can they speak Spanish well? Would they be easily able to integrate into the culture of Spain?

[cainaries]

I appreciate your point of view, but here are our the facts we are facing and making us want to move abroad:-

*Husband facing redundancy - qualifications count for very little these days, and can hinder prospects for being over qualified
*Outgoings are on the rise whilst income is decreasing - childcare costs on the rise and costs us 540€ per month, nearly as much as our mortgage
*Our kids are surrounded by other kids who are obsessed with computer games, fighting, gangs, drink, sex and swearing
*Limited water sports and outdoor activities due to poor weather
*Limited family days out as everything is so expensive, fuel, parking and entrance fees - ie the average day out to the cinema would cost us 40€ - costs very little to go the beach in Tenerife!
*I have asthma which is dramatically reduced in warm climates
* Health care in Spain is far superior to the UK, they give the right medication and not a cheap alternative to save costs putting patients at risk, I have been treated a few times in Spain and their treatments are far more effective, there are too many medical errors being made in the UK and hardly any of doctors speak English anymore.
*Our children have ecezma which clears up in warm climates.

So as you can see, some good reasons to up sticks but I have to balance them out with practicalities. We would rent our house out in the UK so there is nothing to stop us returning if it didn't work out.

We know a few people who have moved to Spain and returned and they have never once regretted it, I don't want to look back and think 'what if'.

Elaine - I wasn't going to comment again on your plans but if you think that healthcare is better I really don't know why you have this idea and you should bear in mind that you currently will have to pay 20% of your prescriptions and this might easily go up to 40%. I have COPD (EPOC in Spanish) - not dissimilar to asthma and year on year I am not better in the Canaries than in the UK - yes, for a month or two in the winter but the calimas and volcanic dust don't help. There is also talk that the EU is putting pressure on the Spanish Health Service to start charging for visits to the GP. Whatever else you are going to do for goodness sake check out the health care situation because your EHIC is not designed to cover you if you LEAVE the UK and MOVE to Spain.

[beerfan]

because your EHIC is not designed to cover you if you LEAVE the UK and MOVE to Spain.

This is very true. EHIC only covers holidays and short stays in EU/EEA countries as well as Switzerland. If you move to Spain, you'll need to take out private healthcare most likely.

I would never want to live in any of the Canary Islands I've visited. They're great for holidays and short breaks but live there?! No ta.

[cainaries]

This is very true. EHIC only covers holidays and short stays in EU/EEA countries as well as Switzerland. If you move to Spain, you'll need to take out private healthcare most likely.

I would never want to live in any of the Canary Islands I've visited. They're great for holidays and short breaks but live there?! No ta.

Since I live here, I wouldn't agree with you. But we retired here and we planned it for years and years. And even then we were thrown to discover we had no health cover until our UK State pensions kicked in! So, Elaine, please check this out. Since you are Spanish and have Spanish family you must know that you have to PROVE you are entitled to health care in Spain, no just swanning in to the local health centre and everyone assuming you're entitled to it month in month out as happens in the UK - and I know it does because I know a lot of UK expats just go back to their erstwhile GPs and get treatment even though they aren't entitled to it.

[beerfan]

Since I live here, I wouldn't agree with you.

Naturally - I would never for one moment expect you to. Though I have met a few expats who have expressed definite buyer's remorse over their move to Spain.

[cainaries]

Naturally - I would never for one moment expect you to. Though I have met a few expats who have expressed definite buyer's remorse over their move to Spain.

'They say' (the famous British 'they) that these problems usually arise when only one partner really really wants to make the move and the other one comes because .... well... what other option have they got. This is a huge problem when it happens and we are currently going through this with a couple who moved out in November and they come round to us about 3 times a week and the two hubbies go and talk in the garden and I sit with the wife who is just counting the days til she can go back home. What will happen we have no idea but my nightmare is that she goes home and he stays and he will just about be living with us because he's got no other support system. People have to take into account what their partners want sometimes. Might not be the situation you meant but I just thought I'd mention it.

[beerfan]

No, I mean that they landed there and they are utterly bored with the lifestyle and hate the Spanish and the culture and feel completely alienated from everything and everyone and are sort of rootless people as they travelled the world and don't feel at home in Britain either.


This is a huge problem when it happens and we are currently going through this with a couple who moved out in November and they come round to us about 3 times a week and the two hubbies go and talk in the garden and I sit with the wife who is just counting the days til she can go back home.

Sounds like the plot from Don't Drink the Water! (Christ, that is well before my time. It's rather embarrassing to tell you that I actually watched every single episode of that.)

[cainaries]

No, I mean that they landed there and they are utterly bored with the lifestyle and hate the Spanish and the culture and feel completely alienated from everything and everyone and are sort of rootless people as they travelled the world and don't feel at home in Britain either.



Sounds like the plot from Don't Drink the Water! (Christ, that is well before my time. It's rather embarrassing to tell you that I actually watched every single episode of that.)

Never heard of it! So you don't need to be embarrassed since I have no idea what it is. If the couple you know both hate it why don't they just leave?

(Do you think Elaine is still following this? She's probably given up by now)

[beerfan]

Never heard of it!

Did you ever watch On the Buses? Well, the bloke who played Blakey and another actress from the series starred in a spin-off where they moved to Spain (Stephen Lewis was Blakey and Pat Coombs played his sister) and every single negative stereotype of Spain in the early 1970s made an appearance in it. It wasn't at all realistic but you had them sort of acting as a couple with Blakey's sister constantly moaning about Spain and wanting to be in England, almost romanticising the country. I've met a lot of expats in Spain like that for various reasons. Anyway, the spin-off didn't work at all (watch a few episodes and you'll understand why) and it faded into obscurity. Network released the entire thing in the UK a few years back and I bought it because I was such a fan of On the Buses. I bought both of the books and everything!

I only ever met this couple I am talking about once but when I met them they moved to Gibraltar. She told me straight out that she lived in Spain but she moved to Gib "because I don't like the Spanish". Her words, not mine.

[cainaries]

Did you ever watch On the Buses? Well, the bloke who played Blakey and another actress from the series starred in a spin-off where they moved to Spain (Stephen Lewis was Blakey and Pat Coombs played his sister) and every single negative stereotype of Spain in the early 1970s made an appearance in it. It wasn't at all realistic but you had them sort of acting as a couple with Blakey's sister constantly moaning about Spain and wanting to be in England, almost romanticising the country. I've met a lot of expats in Spain like that for various reasons. Anyway, the spin-off didn't work at all (watch a few episodes and you'll understand why) and it faded into obscurity. Network released the entire thing in the UK a few years back and I bought it because I was such a fan of On the Buses. I bought both of the books and everything!

I only ever met this couple once but when I met them they moved to Gibraltar. She told me straight out that she lived in Spain but she moved to Gib "because I don't like the Spanish". Her words, not mine.

Oh, definitely remember on the buses and Olive in the sidecar of the motorbike. Oh dear. But never saw the spin-off. No idea why anyone would move to a country where they didn't like the people.

[beerfan]

But never saw the spin-off.

If you feel masochistic enough it'll doubtless be on the web somewhere.


No idea why anyone would move to a country where they didn't like the people.

I would have thought Malta would have been a good place for them (they were Empire relics) but I think they were looking for sun and things to do.

[Topacciolo]

My main priority is our children, I want them to have a better life, they love the outdoors and the education in the UK has gone to the dogs, as everything else imo!

I am dual nationality and speak Spanish, I am a qualified hairdresser/Barber & Beauty Therapist so no idea how in demand that is? My hubby is a civil engineer but speaks very little Spanish, he is also a qualified plumber & handy man.. so no idea how easy it would be for either of us to get work, but we are hard workers and are not afraid to get our hands dirty so to speak, my husband will be setting up a business (don't wish to disclose on here as details not finalised as yet)

We don't expect to live the high life, we just want to get by with a better quality of life where we can spend more time together, it is very hard to do outdoor activities when it is cold, dark and wet!! lol!!

Also, my eldest and I suffer from Asthma which always improves in warmer weather, so our main thoughts for moving is for education and health.

I am grateful if as much honesty as possible, I am under no illusion that it will be a like a holiday as I have family all over Spain and I know how hard they work...but they have a better quality of life than my English relatives.. imo!! :spin:

Hi Elaine I want to move for the same reasons. I understand where you are coming from and I hope you make it. I believe that if you work hard you will make it. I'm still in uk but I have friends working there. They all work on simple jobs, they don't get rich but they have a much better life then when they were in uk. I believe that earn a lot of money and not be able to enjoy your family because how fast the life is in uk and the time that you have to put in to earn those money and the time you spend travelling in the public transport or stuck in traffic it's not worth it. You can do it to build for you and your kid a better future but you have to be able to say STOP. Now let's use those saving to change our life around.
I wish you and your family all the luck in the world and pls keep us updated on your experience, it will help others.
Good luck!


Topacciolo

[Muppet]

I appreciate your point of view, but here are our the facts we are facing and making us want to move abroad:-

*Husband facing redundancy - qualifications count for very little these days, and can hinder prospects for being over qualified
*Outgoings are on the rise whilst income is decreasing - childcare costs on the rise and costs us 540€ per month, nearly as much as our mortgage
*Our kids are surrounded by other kids who are obsessed with computer games, fighting, gangs, drink, sex and swearing
*Limited water sports and outdoor activities due to poor weather
*Limited family days out as everything is so expensive, fuel, parking and entrance fees - ie the average day out to the cinema would cost us 40€ - costs very little to go the beach in Tenerife!
*I have asthma which is dramatically reduced in warm climates
* Health care in Spain is far superior to the UK, they give the right medication and not a cheap alternative to save costs putting patients at risk, I have been treated a few times in Spain and their treatments are far more effective, there are too many medical errors being made in the UK and hardly any of doctors speak English anymore.
*Our children have ecezma which clears up in warm climates.

So as you can see, some good reasons to up sticks but I have to balance them out with practicalities. We would rent our house out in the UK so there is nothing to stop us returning if it didn't work out.

We know a few people who have moved to Spain and returned and they have never once regretted it, I don't want to look back and think 'what if'.

Others keep saying it, but you are clearly determined to belive all will be rosy in the garden here, and not if you stay where you are.

But the realities are so, so different here these days. You will know from your parents how difficult the Spanish economy is, and whilst it remains tied to the Euro it will remain difficult and worse is to come - frankly far worse that the present situation in the UK.

Just looking at your points scares me.

"outgoings increasing - income decreasing" - It is no different here. Fuel costs, be they electricity, petrol or diesel are rising here as just as fast, even faster perhaps than in the UK as the value of the Euro is falling against the US Dollar. True less of the costs of fuel are tax, which remains low, but given the state of the Canarian finances, it is only a matter of time before taxation on these items is pushed upward.

"childcare costs" - same again - and there is no state aid either. The local childcare centre to me has closed through a simple lack of demand - there are no parents, local or ex-pat, earning enough to be able to pay for child care.

"Childres exposed to gangs, sex etc" - It is no different here - although if your children were exposed to such things at their ages then that beggers belief. Wait though until they are in their teens and are out all night with the locals at a Botellon party in a local car park.

"average day out" - no cheaper here - it'll cost you 20 to 40 euros a head at the theme parks here, true the beaches and warmth are free (unless you want a sunlounger!).

This is no place for an asthmatic - wait for the next Calima

Helthcare here may be superior than the UK, but it is by no means free. You must either be working and contributing to the social system before you can register with a doctor or receive anything, or you will need a private healthcare plan for which you should budget a considerable monthly cost - several hundred a month I'd guess for a family your size.

To be inside the state system one of you at least will need a bona-fide job on a legal contract, and because of the bizarre employment laws here, these are few and far between, and you will almost certainly find yourself fired after 3 months, not because you may be bad at your job, but because it is too expensive for your employer to move to the next level of contract he is obliged to give you.

You are not covered by your NHS card other than for a a holiday emergency - you may get away with it once but that'll be it. None of the doctors here speak English either - you are required to take a translator with you (at your expense) although this should not be a problem for you.

To be legally self employed in the Canaries your monthly NI contributions are between 250 and 300 Euros per month EACH. There is another quirk which I believe prevents one family member running a business from being helped by another unless they too are fully registered as self employed.

These are just the tip of a very large iceburg - the one that bites most ex-pats on the bum eventually.

With respect too, the job your husband has been offered simply does not exist here - the rates of pay are nothing like those you perceive them to be, 3 to 5 euros an hour is far more the reality, no matter how skilled either of you may be - and there are genuinely absolutely no real long-term prospects for your children here.

You do have a downer on the UK, and who can blame you, but you really need to take those rose glasses off, one of you needs to get down here fast - not on holiday, but to live in the real world as a job seeker and local - even for a few weeks, before you go much further.

Perhaps when your husband is made redundant you should all come over, find a cheap apartment, get him settled though the initial paperwork trail - NIE etc., then have him stay on to establish his business and get his feet on the ground - he can call you all over once he has got a few months two grand salaries under his belt and found an appropriate local for you to rent for your business.

[Suej]

i moved here almost 3 years ago, to be with my boyfriend, 1 brought 6000 pounds with me that lasted about 14 months, i didn't work for 5 months after i arrived, then got a job earning 600 euros a month but shortly after that my boyfriend got laid off so we were living at times on just my 600, rent was 340 for a studio, we managed but, without luxurys, no bars, or meals out, made lots of soups & stews, that sort of thing, we are both out of work at the moment, but lucily i get paro, things are far from easy here but saying that i'm glad i took the plunge and came over, but i only had myself to think of, i think it will help you a great deal that you speak spanish, & your kids will pick it up really fast, i hope things go well for you & you make a success of your move, i thought pretty much the same as you, if i don't do it now i never will do, then will regret i never tried, my only advice is keep your budget tight like every week you were down to your last euros and this will give you more time to sort yourselves out, i know this will be had with kids, wishing you the very best of luck xx

But do you have the welfare of 3 children to think about tracy?

[tracy hampshire]

as i said in my post I ONLY HAD MYSELF TO THINK OF. and it has been hard with only the 2 of us, i thought i made that point clear .

[Suej]

as i said in my post I ONLY HAD MYSELF TO THINK OF. and it has been hard with only the 2 of us, i thought i made that point clear .

Yes my apologies tracy!;) I should rephrase my post to read Elaine has got young children to think of.

Added after 37 minutes:


I thought the average wage here was 750-950?

Good luck with your move Elaine, it's a big step, but sometimes you just have to go for it :) ...... I moved here 20 years ago, on the spur of the moment, although it was just me following my Canarian man at the time, so only needed enough money to get back to England if things didn't work out (actually I didn't even have money to get back, so it was a good job our relationship worked out)...

Your kiddiewinkles are young enough to adapt, and education, I think, depends on the parental help more than anything nowadays, because by the sounds of it, UK and Spanish education are both pretty awful....

I think you could be right there Chifleta! it probably is around that for service industry work. If you are lucky enough to work in a bank say or a be a Police officer the wage is about 1000-1200 Max. I hope Elaine comes to the right decision and doesn´t let her dream blot out reality. I can´t help thinking of the added responsibilty of 3 children.

[Tom & Sharon]

I appreciate your point of view, but here are our the facts we are facing and making us want to move abroad:-

*Husband facing redundancy - qualifications count for very little these days, and can hinder prospects for being over qualified
*Outgoings are on the rise whilst income is decreasing - childcare costs on the rise and costs us 540€ per month, nearly as much as our mortgage
*Our kids are surrounded by other kids who are obsessed with computer games, fighting, gangs, drink, sex and swearing
*Limited water sports and outdoor activities due to poor weather
*Limited family days out as everything is so expensive, fuel, parking and entrance fees - ie the average day out to the cinema would cost us 40€ - costs very little to go the beach in Tenerife!
*I have asthma which is dramatically reduced in warm climates
* Health care in Spain is far superior to the UK, they give the right medication and not a cheap alternative to save costs putting patients at risk, I have been treated a few times in Spain and their treatments are far more effective, there are too many medical errors being made in the UK and hardly any of doctors speak English anymore.
*Our children have ecezma which clears up in warm climates.

So as you can see, some good reasons to up sticks but I have to balance them out with practicalities. We would rent our house out in the UK so there is nothing to stop us returning if it didn't work out.

We know a few people who have moved to Spain and returned and they have never once regretted it, I don't want to look back and think 'what if'.

I understand your reasons for wanting to leave the UK entirely. I just don't think you realise exactly what life in Tenerife is like for many people. If I'd not witnessed it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it either!

I also understand that you are Spanish, and that you have fond memories of your own early childhood in Spain. It will give you an advantage obviously over someone who speaks no Spanish, but you will by no means be unique. As I said before, there are many many fluent Spanish speakers here, and 2nd generation children/young adults who have been born and raised here and are totally bi-lingual. Their job prospects seem to be far worse than they would be in the UK.

Whoever is telling your husband that he is gong to come over here, take a job in sales starting on 100€ a day, and work his way up to 3-400€ a day, is guilty of gross deception. Just as an aside, if he is an engineer, what makes him think he would be good at sales anyway?

There are also hundreds of hairdressers/beauty therapists out here, all fighting each other for custom. Having your hair and nails done is a luxury for many here. Luxuries that they can ill-afford on the low wages that a lot of people earn. You would also be paying 250€ a month autonomo, and 20% tax out of your income.

You talk of savings and capital to "fall back on". The savings you mention of £3-4000 as a fall back are nowhere near enough. I can recite several cases similar to yours where people have arrived with £30/40/50,000 and still been back in the UK having spent the lot in 12-18 months. Think very hard whether you are prepared to lose that kind of money. If you do have to go back to the UK, losing that amount of money could set you back for years.

The other point you mention of being able to re-mortgage your house to release capital needs a lot of forethought. You say you will wait and see? Don't forget that once you leave the UK, and your husband is no longer employed by the local authority, you will become status-less. At this stage, you will become unable to re-mortgage your home or raise any other finance, either here or in the UK.

Even if you have the forethought to re-mortgage at this stage, this would increase your mortgage payments. Would this still make the letting out of your home viable or not? Have you considered the scenario whereby maybe you lose your tennant in the UK and have to cover the mortgage re-payments in the UK PLUS your rent here? What if your tennant in the UK stops paying the rent, and it takes you 6 months to take them to court and get them evicted? The responsibility for the mortgage repayments would be yours in the meantime!

Of course, none of that may happen, but you really do have to consider what would happen if it did.

I absolutely do understand your reasons for wishing to leave the UK, but your chance of success in Tenerife at the present time are fairly slim. Have you not considered other places? With children the ages of yours, and your skills, I think I would be looking at somewhere like Australia. Still the nice warm climate, better quality of life, better salaries than the UK, and more importantly - employment. I should think that a civil engineer and a hairdresser would be snapped up by the Aussies.

I honestly think you need to give it a lot more thought, but good luck with whatever you decide.

[chifleta]

'They say' (the famous British 'they) that these problems usually arise when only one partner really really wants to make the move and the other one comes because .... well... what other option have they got. This is a huge problem when it happens and we are currently going through this with a couple who moved out in November and they come round to us about 3 times a week and the two hubbies go and talk in the garden and I sit with the wife who is just counting the days til she can go back home. What will happen we have no idea but my nightmare is that she goes home and he stays and he will just about be living with us because he's got no other support system. People have to take into account what their partners want sometimes. Might not be the situation you meant but I just thought I'd mention it.

Ahhhh yes, the old "Tenerife Syndrome" we used to call it (many moons ago when I worked in an Estate Agents).... a lot of couples split once they move over here, but only because they normally had relationship problems before they moved, and thinking living in the sun would improve things..... WRONG ....

It can be hard living over here, but well worth it in the long run - well for me and mine anyways :-)

[ElaineTV]

Elaine - I wasn't going to comment again on your plans but if you think that healthcare is better I really don't know why you have this idea and you should bear in mind that you currently will have to pay 20% of your prescriptions and this might easily go up to 40%. I have COPD (EPOC in Spanish) - not dissimilar to asthma and year on year I am not better in the Canaries than in the UK - yes, for a month or two in the winter but the calimas and volcanic dust don't help. There is also talk that the EU is putting pressure on the Spanish Health Service to start charging for visits to the GP. Whatever else you are going to do for goodness sake check out the health care situation because your EHIC is not designed to cover you if you LEAVE the UK and MOVE to Spain.

Thanks Cainaries, I am a Spanish citizen so I am entitled to all state provisions, and so are my children. I guess from everything I've read on this thread, that at the end of the day life in Tenerife seems to be in proportion to the UK ie education, health and jobs, therefore I feel that there really is nothing to lose in moving.. we may not be better off financially, but sounds like we won't be worse off either but will have the added bonus of a better quality of life as we all love to be outdoors, my kids love swimming and never tire of it. I am now thinking the odds are in favour for moving, need to see our bank manager first and make sure we know exactly how much money we have spare, the beauty of having our own property in the UK with a good equity is a plus!

[chifleta]

This is no place for an asthmatic - wait for the next Calima

I'm not asthmatic, but my friend who spends a month with me here every year is, and the calimas don't affect her.....damp weather and wood fires do though, so we have to avoid going near the restaurants that cook on them :) ....

Added after 7 minutes:


I can´t help thinking of the added responsibilty of 3 children.

yeah, i'd be bricking it personally :) but good luck to her, I still think you've got to try if you're determined enough, especially if you're a confident person and don't let the small things get you down - as long as they have enough emergency money put to one side for flights back to UK if necessary.

I know lots of people have been struggling for a few years now, and i've seen what it does to families, but if you don't try you'll always wonder.... I bumped into a lovely couple who i'd lost touch with (i've had a selfish couple of years of "me" time) who I thought had probably moved back to UK, but no, they have survived and are still happy here, so there is always good news along with the not so good ..

[garlicbread]

I understand your reasons for wanting to leave the UK entirely. I just don't think you realise exactly what life in Tenerife is like for many people. If I'd not witnessed it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it either!

I also understand that you are Spanish, and that you have fond memories of your own early childhood in Spain. It will give you an advantage obviously over someone who speaks no Spanish, but you will by no means be unique. As I said before, there are many many fluent Spanish speakers here, and 2nd generation children/young adults who have been born and raised here and are totally bi-lingual. Their job prospects seem to be far worse than they would be in the UK.

Whoever is telling your husband that he is gong to come over here, take a job in sales starting on 100€ a day, and work his way up to 3-400€ a day, is guilty of gross deception. Just as an aside, if he is an engineer, what makes him think he would be good at sales anyway?

There are also hundreds of hairdressers/beauty therapists out here, all fighting each other for custom. Having your hair and nails done is a luxury for many here. Luxuries that they can ill-afford on the low wages that a lot of people earn. You would also be paying 250€ a month autonomo, and 20% tax out of your income.

You talk of savings and capital to "fall back on". The savings you mention of £3-4000 as a fall back are nowhere near enough. I can recite several cases similar to yours where people have arrived with £30/40/50,000 and still been back in the UK having spent the lot in 12-18 months. Think very hard whether you are prepared to lose that kind of money. If you do have to go back to the UK, losing that amount of money could set you back for years.

The other point you mention of being able to re-mortgage your house to release capital needs a lot of forethought. You say you will wait and see? Don't forget that once you leave the UK, and your husband is no longer employed by the local authority, you will become status-less. At this stage, you will become unable to re-mortgage your home or raise any other finance, either here or in the UK.

Even if you have the forethought to re-mortgage at this stage, this would increase your mortgage payments. Would this still make the letting out of your home viable or not? Have you considered the scenario whereby maybe you lose your tennant in the UK and have to cover the mortgage re-payments in the UK PLUS your rent here? What if your tennant in the UK stops paying the rent, and it takes you 6 months to take them to court and get them evicted? The responsibility for the mortgage repayments would be yours in the meantime!

Of course, none of that may happen, but you really do have to consider what would happen if it did.

I absolutely do understand your reasons for wishing to leave the UK, but your chance of success in Tenerife at the present time are fairly slim. Have you not considered other places? With children the ages of yours, and your skills, I think I would be looking at somewhere like Australia. Still the nice warm climate, better quality of life, better salaries than the UK, and more importantly - employment. I should think that a civil engineer and a hairdresser would be snapped up by the Aussies.

I honestly think you need to give it a lot more thought, but good luck with whatever you decide.


That has to be one of the most succint and helpful posts I've seen on this subject (or any other on this forum) for some time. I cannot find fault with anything you say and I have highlited one paragraph because why on earth a young family would choose Tenerife over Australia has always been beyond me.

Oh , and by the way the Spanish National Health system are now also prescribing generic rather than specific brands of drugs, I know having lived here and needed medication for the past 8 years.

I have family back in the UK and they paint a far less gloomier picture than does @elainetv

[Muppet]

Well Elaine,

You came on here asking for advice about your plans, even though you have clearly already decided.

I wish you the very best in you move, and hope you will continue to post as your plans and actions evolve. I hope it works out for you and your family - it is obvious that you are determined to make it work, I just hope it does.

One thing you do need to check is the part where you say as a Spanish citizen you are automatically entitled to state benefits. Exactly what are these - dole (paro) is earned by working and contributing and only lasts pro-rata to what you put in - there are emergency health provisions, but again, these dont seem too generous?

Are you sure??

good luck anyway

Added after 4 minutes:


That has to be one of the most succint and helpful posts I've seen on this subject (or any other on this forum) for some time. I cannot find fault with anything you say and I have highlited one paragraph because why on earth a young family would choose Tenerife over Australia has always been beyond me.

Oh , and by the way the Spanish National Health system are now also prescribing generic rather than specific brands of drugs, I know having lived here and needed medication for the past 8 years.

I have family back in the UK and they paint a far less gloomier picture than does @elainetv

100% - and isnt it the case that the canarian Government has had to take out a bank loan just to pay for medicins as prescribed by GPs since they are so far behind with their bills to the manufacturers who threatened to cut supplies off??

The reality of the financial situation here is actually frightening beyonf frightening

[ElaineTV]

Ahhhh yes, the old "Tenerife Syndrome" we used to call it (many moons ago when I worked in an Estate Agents).... a lot of couples split once they move over here, but only because they normally had relationship problems before they moved, and thinking living in the sun would improve things..... WRONG ....

It can be hard living over here, but well worth it in the long run - well for me and mine anyways :-)

Yes I can imagine the stress can be hard going... it was my hubby who first mentioned moving abroad, we looked into moving to Australia and were about to go onto the next stage but I said no as I felt it was just that bit too far away from Spain & UK.

We'd written off emigrating to be honest but on our last holiday to Tenerife last month (we visit quite often, I think we've been about 10 times in as many years) we met a few ex pats who said we should consider it as the kids would have a better childhood - it made me remember my childhood growing up in Spain and I can honestly say they were the best years of my life. Ok, so my kids aren't me and times have changed... but there is something about Spanish family life that can't be matched in the UK. imo!

Another point is I hate the rat race in the UK, I hate what the UK has become, people are being pushed and pushed to the limits with targets that it's all about quantity and not quality, you have to phone someone in India to sort out your bills which costs you £1.50 per minute, and then people are obsessed with celebrities and what everyone has got, ipads, iphones what apps have you got, and sex and drink is all people talk about??? PC has gone crazy and no one can say anything without offending someone... claim culture is at an all time high, the UK is not a country to take pride in sadly! I think I'd like to go back to basics, eat fresh and local produce, no more convenience foods cos I haven't got time to blow my nose let alone cook dinner for the kids! It's no longer 9-5. it's more like 8-6 as all local offices and shops are closing and moving to the city centres so people have a longer commute, so not it's longer working days, longer working weeks and now longer working years... not a future I want for myself or my children.

Anyway... I am going to follow my husbands dreams and luckily enough.. they're my dream too!! ;)

Added after 9 minutes:


Well Elaine,

100% - and isnt it the case that the canarian Government has had to take out a bank loan just to pay for medicins as prescribed by GPs since they are so far behind with their bills to the manufacturers who threatened to cut supplies off??



The reality of the financial situation here is actually frightening beyonf frightening

The UK is living off loans too... hence the failed austerity Britain:-

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2011/11/the-message-from-britain-a-failed-experiment-in-austerity-policies.html

[Tom & Sharon]

Thanks Cainaries, I am a Spanish citizen so I am entitled to all state provisions, and so are my children. I guess from everything I've read on this thread, that at the end of the day life in Tenerife seems to be in proportion to the UK ie education, health and jobs, therefore I feel that there really is nothing to lose in moving.. we may not be better off financially, but sounds like we won't be worse off either but will have the added bonus of a better quality of life as we all love to be outdoors, my kids love swimming and never tire of it. I am now thinking the odds are in favour for moving, need to see our bank manager first and make sure we know exactly how much money we have spare, the beauty of having our own property in the UK with a good equity is a plus!

Elane, I am honestly not trying to be a doom and gloom merchant, but quite honestly, life regarding employment and earning potential is nowhere near on a par with the UK. Please, please check it out for yourselves before landing here with 3 small children in tow.

Also, if I were thinking ahead, the last person I would be advising of my plans would be the bank manager. If he thinks for one minute that you are about to lose your UK income, your status and therefore your credit rating, to up-sticks to Tenerife, the very last thing he will be doing is advancing you the money to do it. The property may be yours, but the underwriting risk will be his - and he won't be taking it!

[ElaineTV]

I'm not asthmatic, but my friend who spends a month with me here every year is, and the calimas don't affect her.....damp weather and wood fires do though, so we have to avoid going near the restaurants that cook on them :) ....

Added after 7 minutes:



yeah, i'd be bricking it personally :) but good luck to her, I still think you've got to try if you're determined enough, especially if you're a confident person and don't let the small things get you down - as long as they have enough emergency money put to one side for flights back to UK if necessary.

I know lots of people have been struggling for a few years now, and i've seen what it does to families, but if you don't try you'll always wonder.... I bumped into a lovely couple who i'd lost touch with (i've had a selfish couple of years of "me" time) who I thought had probably moved back to UK, but no, they have survived and are still happy here, so there is always good news along with the not so good ..

Thanks for the uplifting post!! Yeah my asthma is triggered by cold and dampness.

We have ISA's and bonds that we can always cash in if needed - plus we have many relatives who would bail us out if things got really bad, well at least enough for a flight back that's for sure!! eek2:

Added after 3 minutes:


Elane, I am honestly not trying to be a doom and gloom merchant, but quite honestly, life regarding employment and earning potential is nowhere near on a par with the UK. Please, please check it out for yourselves before landing here with 3 small children in tow.

Also, if I were thinking ahead, the last person I would be advising of my plans would be the bank manager. If he thinks for one minute that you are about to lose your UK income, your status and therefore your credit rating, to up-sticks to Tenerife, the very last thing he will be doing is advancing you the money to do it. The property may be yours, but the underwriting risk will be his - and he won't be taking it!

We have to speak to the bank manager to arrange a buy to let mortgage, that's all we will be discussing - as that's all that concerns her!! lol!! ;)

[chifleta]

I had family that emigrated downunder, they stayed for 14 years and then moved back to UK!! the reason.... they missed family too much... in that sense it's definately easier living here, only a 4 hour flight.

Regarding kids growing up here, I definately feel that it's a better environment, obviously always depending on the parental discipline and how they bring up their children - I know sometimes it's the luck of the draw, and maybe i'm just lucky (i've only got one child), but I think if you give your child boundries and rules and stick to them, and teach them respect, make them (yes make them) do household chores when they are old enough (and putting toys away for me is part of the learning curve), say please and thank you and all that polite sort of stuff we we taught as kids, it all helps. I had to admit, the majority of the children I've come into contact with over the years over here are nice polite respectful children. I can see it's gotten a bit worse, but I still don't think it's comparable to UK (I was in the, apparently, "worst school" in Hampshire/Wiltshire in the 80's). I see how children/teenagers act in UK when i'm visiting and even i'm shocked. The education system here isn't great, yes (my son told me) there are drug problems, but again, it depends on how much involvement a parent has in their childs life, where they can "see" when their child has any problems. When my son first started using the computer, he wasn't allowed to sit in his room, he had to sit in the lounge so I could see what he was looking at. My lad is still studying, luckily we can allow him to for the time being, and like I said, education isn't too good so I thought he needed further education, so there we are, and if he wants money, well he has to earn it - my lad dusts, vacuums, mops, does all the ironing, hangs washing out, folds and puts it away, takes rubbish down, washes dishes, the only thing he doesn't do is cook, that'll be his summer lessons this year LOL . He doesn't do as much nowadays as i'm not working, so I do most, but the days when I don't want to, he'll do whatever I ask whithout complaint, as I brought him up to know which side his bread is buttered. If you look at him you'd think "ughhh heavy metal headbanger", him and his mates taught me not to judge books by their covers. Anyways, i've gone right off topic, sorry :)

Good luck with it all ElaineTV you won't know how it'll turn out if you don't try, and fingers crossed things will turn out ok in the end for you all, whatever you decide to do.

p.s. I don't know if anyone has said about school expenses.... you have to buy all books and materials (once you've been working here for a while, if it's a difficult year moneywise, you can try and claim goverment aide for books etc thought good luck with that one - there's at least one lady on here that will be able to advise on that) .... I think nowadays you have to allow for about 200-300€ per child for books, materials (pens, paper etc) and in some cases, school uniform. That expense is normally when they start school term mid September beginning October (that's one of the few gripes I used to have, that they don't give you the school list before summer so you can buy some bits and pieces beforehand instead of having the huge expensive all at once)

[ElaineTV]

I understand your reasons for wanting to leave the UK entirely. I just don't think you realise exactly what life in Tenerife is like for many people. If I'd not witnessed it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it either!

I also understand that you are Spanish, and that you have fond memories of your own early childhood in Spain. It will give you an advantage obviously over someone who speaks no Spanish, but you will by no means be unique. As I said before, there are many many fluent Spanish speakers here, and 2nd generation children/young adults who have been born and raised here and are totally bi-lingual. Their job prospects seem to be far worse than they would be in the UK.

Whoever is telling your husband that he is gong to come over here, take a job in sales starting on 100€ a day, and work his way up to 3-400€ a day, is guilty of gross deception. Just as an aside, if he is an engineer, what makes him think he would be good at sales anyway?

There are also hundreds of hairdressers/beauty therapists out here, all fighting each other for custom. Having your hair and nails done is a luxury for many here. Luxuries that they can ill-afford on the low wages that a lot of people earn. You would also be paying 250€ a month autonomo, and 20% tax out of your income.

You talk of savings and capital to "fall back on". The savings you mention of £3-4000 as a fall back are nowhere near enough. I can recite several cases similar to yours where people have arrived with £30/40/50,000 and still been back in the UK having spent the lot in 12-18 months. Think very hard whether you are prepared to lose that kind of money. If you do have to go back to the UK, losing that amount of money could set you back for years.

The other point you mention of being able to re-mortgage your house to release capital needs a lot of forethought. You say you will wait and see? Don't forget that once you leave the UK, and your husband is no longer employed by the local authority, you will become status-less. At this stage, you will become unable to re-mortgage your home or raise any other finance, either here or in the UK.

Even if you have the forethought to re-mortgage at this stage, this would increase your mortgage payments. Would this still make the letting out of your home viable or not? Have you considered the scenario whereby maybe you lose your tennant in the UK and have to cover the mortgage re-payments in the UK PLUS your rent here? What if your tennant in the UK stops paying the rent, and it takes you 6 months to take them to court and get them evicted? The responsibility for the mortgage repayments would be yours in the meantime!

Of course, none of that may happen, but you really do have to consider what would happen if it did.

I absolutely do understand your reasons for wishing to leave the UK, but your chance of success in Tenerife at the present time are fairly slim. Have you not considered other places? With children the ages of yours, and your skills, I think I would be looking at somewhere like Australia. Still the nice warm climate, better quality of life, better salaries than the UK, and more importantly - employment. I should think that a civil engineer and a hairdresser would be snapped up by the Aussies.

I honestly think you need to give it a lot more thought, but good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks Tom & Sharon, we would never consider remortgaging if it took us into negative equity, we have done the maths and we can comfortably afford to remortgage and we know our area is in demand for rental which is a key factor in our decision making.

As for you saying that we should not throw away my husbands earnings... we don't have a choice, he is facing redundancy!! Hence the talks of moving, his business venture requires off shore banking so we figured it would tie in with moving to the canaries - my hubby's folks have a large house near us and although we don't like to think of the worst, we know one day - and not too far off sadly, but that will be passed on to my hubby, or we could go live with them if needs must... so as you can see, we do have a plan B & C! ;)

As for others saying about having 3 children, yes it is a big chunk of money to find, so all I can do is make damned sure that we can make things tick over... anyway.. we are still in the process of researching and fact finding - we still have to find a school and affordable accommodation. Thank you all for your views albeit mainly gloomy, but hey, I like a challenge - I must do with having 3 kids!! lol!! :laugh:

Added after 9 minutes:

[QUOTE=Muppet;138593]Well Elaine,

You came on here asking for advice about your plans, even though you have clearly already decided.

I wish you the very best in you move, and hope you will continue to post as your plans and actions evolve. I hope it works out for you and your family - it is obvious that you are determined to make it work, I just hope it does.

One thing you do need to check is the part where you say as a Spanish citizen you are automatically entitled to state benefits. Exactly what are these - dole (paro) is earned by working and contributing and only lasts pro-rata to what you put in - there are emergency health provisions, but again, these dont seem too generous?

Are you sure??

good luck anyway

I was meaning in the way that me and my children don't need to be covered under the EU rule as the Canaries may come out of the EU - we will be protected as Spanish citizens, I'm not sure how it will effect my husband though.. more research!! lol!! :)

[Suej]

I have to commend you Elaine as you are really looking into things and your choice of joining this particular Forum was a great move! I know there are a lot of what seems like negative posts about you moving here but it´s all meant to be helpful and constructive. I have been here over 7 years and like others on here have seen a lot of disappointed people returning to the UK more so in the last 2 years or so...however there are a lot that stay and make a complete success of it so I hope you and your family fall in to that category!

[ElaineTV]

I had family that emigrated downunder, they stayed for 14 years and then moved back to UK!! the reason.... they missed family too much... in that sense it's definately easier living here, only a 4 hour flight.

Regarding kids growing up here, I definately feel that it's a better environment, obviously always depending on the parental discipline and how they bring up their children - I know sometimes it's the luck of the draw, and maybe i'm just lucky (i've only got one child), but I think if you give your child boundries and rules and stick to them, and teach them respect, make them (yes make them) do household chores when they are old enough (and putting toys away for me is part of the learning curve), say please and thank you and all that polite sort of stuff we we taught as kids, it all helps. I had to admit, the majority of the children I've come into contact with over the years over here are nice polite respectful children. I can see it's gotten a bit worse, but I still don't think it's comparable to UK (I was in the, apparently, "worst school" in Hampshire/Wiltshire in the 80's). I see how children/teenagers act in UK when i'm visiting and even i'm shocked. The education system here isn't great, yes (my son told me) there are drug problems, but again, it depends on how much involvement a parent has in their childs life, where they can "see" when their child has any problems. When my son first started using the computer, he wasn't allowed to sit in his room, he had to sit in the lounge so I could see what he was looking at. My lad is still studying, luckily we can allow him to for the time being, and like I said, education isn't too good so I thought he needed further education, so there we are, and if he wants money, well he has to earn it - my lad dusts, vacuums, mops, does all the ironing, hangs washing out, folds and puts it away, takes rubbish down, washes dishes, the only thing he doesn't do is cook, that'll be his summer lessons this year LOL . He doesn't do as much nowadays as i'm not working, so I do most, but the days when I don't want to, he'll do whatever I ask whithout complaint, as I brought him up to know which side his bread is buttered. If you look at him you'd think "ughhh heavy metal headbanger", him and his mates taught me not to judge books by their covers. Anyways, i've gone right off topic, sorry :)

Good luck with it all ElaineTV you won't know how it'll turn out if you don't try, and fingers crossed things will turn out ok in the end for you all, whatever you decide to do.

p.s. I don't know if anyone has said about school expenses.... you have to buy all books and materials (once you've been working here for a while, if it's a difficult year moneywise, you can try and claim goverment aide for books etc thought good luck with that one - there's at least one lady on here that will be able to advise on that) .... I think nowadays you have to allow for about 200-300€ per child for books, materials (pens, paper etc) and in some cases, school uniform. That expense is normally when they start school term mid September beginning October (that's one of the few gripes I used to have, that they don't give you the school list before summer so you can buy some bits and pieces beforehand instead of having the huge expensive all at once)

Thanks Chifleta, another helpful post from you, many thanks!!

Your son sounds great to me - say hi from one heavy metal head to another!! lol!!

Your parenting skills are in line with ours, we are quite strict when needed and give them slack if they're earned it. Our kids are polite too but recently they are picking up horrible words and antics... I know it's the older kids from our street but what can I do? I have asked the older kids to not say stuff to mine and they apologise, but then the next day it happens again, I've not mentioned it to the parents as I know it will come back to haunt me - one neighbour had a fire started in the garden for shouting at the kids... and my area is considered a good one, god knows what other areas are like??

Anyway.. I'm under no illusion that the move may be a hard and long path, but the one were on now is too, so the way I'm feeling is that we might as well try pastures new where the sun shines stronger and for longer! :)

Added after 16 minutes:


I have to commend you Elaine as you are really looking into things and your choice of joining this particular Forum was a great move! I know there are a lot of what seems like negative posts about you moving here but it´s all meant to be helpful and constructive. I have been here over 7 years and like others on here have seen a lot of disappointed people returning to the UK more so in the last 2 years or so...however there are a lot that stay and make a complete success of it so I hope you and your family fall in to that category!

Thanks SueJ, I really do appreciate everyone's input - it is very important that we get to know the good, the bad and the ugly!! We already know that there is good in Tenerife, but obviously we have no idea of what pitfalls to look out for - that only comes with experience, so please please everyone continue to pass on your honest views.. it does all help and as nothing is set in stone as yet I still need to keep in the loop with current trends. Many many thanks to you all. xx

[amosgreenfield]

I have read through all the posts here, because I to will be coming out to stay, I have noticed that 90 percent of the posts are negative and posted by people who live there. If things are that bad why are you lot still there????

[ElaineTV]

I have read through all the posts here, because I to will be coming out to stay, I have noticed that 90 percent of the posts are negative and posted by people who live there. If things are that bad why are you lot still there????

It's a good point amosgreenfield, but I think everyone is too poor, too sick, and poorly educated to get out!! lol!! Sorry folks - couldn't resist abit of humour!! :twak:

[tracey_in_tenerife]

Hi Elaine
I wish you all the luck in the world with your move to Tenerife
We moved here last august with our children, 18mths, 5,7 and 11 and have not regretted it one bit, yes its the quality of life that you need to think about for the children
Back in the UK we could never go anywhere, have bbq´s etc, cos we didnt know what the weather would be like from one day to the next, even in the summer months!!
We do have the advantage over you as we do have a very good income coming from the UK and do not need to work
But moving over for the kids yes i would definetly do , anything has got to be better than gloomy old england
My children are in spanish school and even though sometimes it is hard for them, they are learning the language quickly and probably know more spanish than i do now and i know they are are happy, i let them play on the street, i never left them do that back in england,
I pay 280 euros for private health care a month for the whole family and i have no quarms with that, we was both was paying 400 a month NI and for what????
As i said good luck with your move to Tenerife and lets hope its a smooth one, as the paper work is a nightmare, you will need to come over in April to enroll your children in to school for them starting in Sept and sort the paperwork out what goes with enrolling them

[golf birdie]

I have read through all the posts here, because I to will be coming out to stay, I have noticed that 90 percent of the posts are negative and posted by people who live there. If things are that bad why are you lot still there????

a lot, and I mean a lot are in denial and hang on to the dream as long as they can. Some just won't admit it was the wrong move and stay, sitting in bars moaning about how bad the UK is, how immigrants have taken all the jobs. All this whilst waiting for their next illegal taxi run. The funny thing is most would not consider doing the same sort of jobs in the UK as they think it would be below them.

I was in London a few months back and loved it, really loved it. Would I live there? not in a million years.

As for spending days on the beach, walk around and look to see how many workers here have suntans, you won't see many.

[ElaineTV]

Hi Elaine
I wish you all the luck in the world with your move to Tenerife
We moved here last august with our children, 18mths, 5,7 and 11 and have not regretted it one bit, yes its the quality of life that you need to think about for the children
Back in the UK we could never go anywhere, have bbq´s etc, cos we didnt know what the weather would be like from one day to the next, even in the summer months!!
We do have the advantage over you as we do have a very good income coming from the UK and do not need to work
But moving over for the kids yes i would definetly do , anything has got to be better than gloomy old england
My children are in spanish school and even though sometimes it is hard for them, they are learning the language quickly and probably know more spanish than i do now and i know they are are happy, i let them play on the street, i never left them do that back in england,
I pay 280 euros for private health care a month for the whole family and i have no quarms with that, we was both was paying 400 a month NI and for what????
As i said good luck with your move to Tenerife and lets hope its a smooth one, as the paper work is a nightmare, you will need to come over in April to enroll your children in to school for them starting in Sept and sort the paperwork out what goes with enrolling them

YAY!! A very positive post!! Thanks Tracey! Your situation does sound a lot more easier than ours will be as we will need to work, but hopefully my hubby's business will be a success.

Do we all need to be present in April to enrol the kids in school? Do the kids need to be seen or can it be done via skype? :thanx:

[katja]

Elaine, please look into the health care a bit more, a couple of years ago there were posters in the social security office and health centres saying that if you're not contributing to social security (working, on the dole, retired) you would not be entitled to free health care under the canarian helth system. So please look that up, they might have realised since then that also people with no incomes need medical help...i hope so! As for kids behaviour, if I just look at our neighbourhood, the kids education and behaviour is awful. Some of them, the age of your kids, don't go to bed until midnight (including school nights), have parties when their single mum is out working (family downstairs with kids of about 3,8 and 14) and the way they speak..I had never heard kids swear that much before we arrived to tenerife. Mierda and **** are just basic words in their language, and i'm not talking just about teenagers but also they seem to start talking like that when they're 5-6 years old if not younger! We live right next door to a school and when i used to work different hourrs and was at home during school, i could hear the teachers shout and swear in the class. So no wonder kids behave how they do. Obviously the basic education, being polite etc should come from home but if you have a teacher that shouts and swears all the time, how are you supposed to learn anything? I was speaking to one of our neighbours who's got a f year old girl and a 6 year oold boy and they both stay at school to eat. The father was saying that one day they had asked for more water and the woman at the coemedor had told them that they coulnd't have any, that they should drink out of the tap if they wanted anymore. And when i come home at 2.30, the woman in the comedor iis always shouting at the kids, maybe because that's the only way she can gett their attention or maybe because that's the only way she knows to try educate the kids. But hopefully this only happens here in guargacho but i'm afraid it's not just here...

[ElaineTV]

a lot, and I mean a lot are in denial and hang on to the dream as long as they can. Some just won't admit it was the wrong move and stay, sitting in bars moaning about how bad the UK is, how immigrants have taken all the jobs. All this whilst waiting for their next illegal taxi run. The funny thing is most would not consider doing the same sort of jobs in the UK as they think it would be below them.

I was in London a few months back and loved it, really loved it. Would I live there? not in a million years.

As for spending days on the beach, walk around and look to see how many workers here have suntans, you won't see many.

I fully appreciate your views golfbirdie, forewarned is forearmed - being prepared is half the victory!!

[delderek]

Hi Elaine
I wish you all the luck in the world with your move to Tenerife
We moved here last august with our children, 18mths, 5,7 and 11 and have not regretted it one bit, yes its the quality of life that you need to think about for the children
Back in the UK we could never go anywhere, have bbq´s etc, cos we didnt know what the weather would be like from one day to the next, even in the summer months!!
We do have the advantage over you as we do have a very good income coming from the UK and do not need to work
But moving over for the kids yes i would definetly do , anything has got to be better than gloomy old england
My children are in spanish school and even though sometimes it is hard for them, they are learning the language quickly and probably know more spanish than i do now and i know they are are happy, i let them play on the street, i never left them do that back in england,
I pay 280 euros for private health care a month for the whole family and i have no quarms with that, we was both was paying 400 a month NI and for what????
As i said good luck with your move to Tenerife and lets hope its a smooth one, as the paper work is a nightmare, you will need to come over in April to enroll your children in to school for them starting in Sept and sort the paperwork out what goes with enrolling them

Oh dear, you younger generation, are you never going to get old and need a good pension, your NI if you are young enough will give you a very good state pension, your 280 private health insurance won't.

[ElaineTV]

Elaine, please look into the health care a bit more, a couple of years ago there were posters in the social security office and health centres saying that if you're not contributing to social security (working, on the dole, retired) you would not be entitled to free health care under the canarian helth system. So please look that up, they might have realised since then that also people with no incomes need medical help...i hope so! As for kids behaviour, if I just look at our neighbourhood, the kids education and behaviour is awful. Some of them, the age of your kids, don't go to bed until midnight (including school nights), have parties when their single mum is out working (family downstairs with kids of about 3,8 and 14) and the way they speak..I had never heard kids swear that much before we arrived to tenerife. Mierda and **** are just basic words in their language, and i'm not talking just about teenagers but also they seem to start talking like that when they're 5-6 years old if not younger! We live right next door to a school and when i used to work different hourrs and was at home during school, i could hear the teachers shout and swear in the class. So no wonder kids behave how they do. Obviously the basic education, being polite etc should come from home but if you have a teacher that shouts and swears all the time, how are you supposed to learn anything? I was speaking to one of our neighbours who's got a f year old girl and a 6 year oold boy and they both stay at school to eat. The father was saying that one day they had asked for more water and the woman at the coemedor had told them that they coulnd't have any, that they should drink out of the tap if they wanted anymore. And when i come home at 2.30, the woman in the comedor iis always shouting at the kids, maybe because that's the only way she can gett their attention or maybe because that's the only way she knows to try educate the kids. But hopefully this only happens here in guargacho but i'm afraid it's not just here...

Crikey it sounds like my school in England!! I know the Spanish language is different where the kids do swear and it's acceptable but usually it's within context - here my 5 yr old son is being taught to say stuff about sex which is so wrong. There's a lot of talk of guns and knives here too... it's got worse over recent years, we live in a seaside town and drink and drugs are everywhere - I know Tenerife has drugs too, but the club culture here is worrying to say the least!

[katja]

To amosgreenfield: because of our mortgage mainly...

[chifleta]

I have read through all the posts here, because I to will be coming out to stay, I have noticed that 90 percent of the posts are negative and posted by people who live there. If things are that bad why are you lot still there????

It's been a rough few years in Tenerife, rougher for some than others I suppose, so they're just trying to tell it how it is - but i've survived the rough, the "so rough I had to go back to UK with my son when he was a year old and crash at friends so OH could recoup the old coffers" for a couple of months... i've gone from that difficult time, to earning a good wage then for a couple of years earning fantastic wage, to earning minimum wage, but in a job I loved that went wrong in the end (don't work for "friends" type of job) to now being out of work (though I am taking full advantage of this, as i'm able to for the moment, for me and family time).... I am fortunate that mortgage is low and OH had a decent job, and we have tightened our belts so much so (and with a bit of help from Weight Watchers recipe books) that he's lost about 10kg in weight and i've lost over 35kg LMAO.

But going back to your "why do people stay" probably because they're hoping, along with the rest of us, that things can only get better from here........... and it goes back to the "is it any easier being broke in rainy old blighty, or sunny old Tenerife"?¿ I feel for the people that are really struggling, i've been there, so know what it's like, but i've survived for nearly 20 years here, and can say, apart from the 2 or 3 months I had to go back to UK, that i've loved living here, and I will be happy to struggle it out, if necessary, for another 60yrs(:wow:) rather than move back to England :spin:

[katja]

And to say something positive as well as obviously it's not only negative, we have been able to save some money and have never struggled financially over here. It's also great that kids can learn 2 or 3 languages (when both parents are not spanish) fluent before they even start school and comparing to finland the cultural variety is a lot bigger so the kids learn to be more tolerating towards other cultures, obviously in the uk you've got almost the same situation.

We're having our 2nd child in june/july and i'm planning on staying at home until the child's a year old or so, i think we can afford it with our savings but you don't get any help from the government what so ever. I think i will even loose the 100€/month chold benfit as it's only for working mothers. That's actually the only support i know of that a family with children gets from the government. We pay 150€/month for 6h/day in council's nursery+another 130 for 40h/month in a private one (as the council nursery only opens mon-fri 7.30-18(?) so just for one child we're paying 280€ so if i had them both in the nursery, wouldnt make much sense having us both working so makes even more sense for me to stay at home until the elder one goes to school next year.

Added after 8 minutes:

Oh and if/when you do come over here, the carboot sale in guaza is really good for getting 2nd hand goods really cheap.

[ElaineTV]

And to say something positive as well as obviously it's not only negative, we have been able to save some money and have never struggled financially over here. It's also great that kids can learn 2 or 3 languages (when both parents are not spanish) fluent before they even start school and comparing to finland the cultural variety is a lot bigger so the kids learn to be more tolerating towards other cultures, obviously in the uk you've got almost the same situation.


We're having our 2nd child in june/july and i'm planning on staying at home until the child's a year old or so, i think we can afford it with our savings but you don't get any help from the government what so ever. I think i will even loose the 100€/month chold benfit as it's only for working mothers. That's actually the only support i know of that a family with children gets from the government. We pay 150€/month for 6h/day in council's nursery+another 130 for 40h/month in a private one (as the council nursery only opens mon-fri 7.30-18(?) so just for one child we're paying 280€ so if i had them both in the nursery, wouldnt make much sense having us both working so makes even more sense for me to stay at home until the elder one goes to school next year.

Added after 8 minutes:

Oh and if/when you do come over here, the carboot sale in guaza is really good for getting 2nd hand goods really cheap.


YAY!!!! Another great positive post!! Thanks katja!! Congratulations on your pregnancy... June/July will soon be here!!

So.. if I am working does that mean we will get 100€ per month child benefit for our 3 children? That really does add to the pro's list!! :)

Added after 4 minutes:


YAY!!!! Another great positive post!! Thanks katja!! Congratulations on your pregnancy... June/July will soon be here!!

So.. if I am working does that mean we will get 100€ per month child benefit for our 3 children? That really does add to the pro's list!! :)

Just checked it out - it seems to be 100€ per month child benefit for under 3's then about 25€ per child per month from school age! BONUS!!!!! :c2:

[golf birdie]

if I had of read all of the negitives on here before I came, I still would of done it. Do I regret coming? No. Would I do the same again knowing what I do now? Never.

I have lost count of people I have advised not to come here, most are now back where they came from.

[ElaineTV]

if I had of read all of the negitives on here before I came, I still would of done it. Do I regret coming? No. Would I do the same again knowing what I do now? Never.

I have lost count of people I have advised not to come here, most are now back where they came from.

Sometimes it is not the destination that is important but the journey! :)

[Topacciolo]

I love your spirit!!! How many people say No, Don't came!!! But at the end they live there and not many of those are actually going back to rainy UK!!!! Go for it go!!!! I will follow within the next year or so because my sun or doughter will grow up be able to ride a bicycle and swimming in the sea!!!!! The rest will came, it will not be easy but it can be done!!!!


Topacciolo

[Sundowner]

I think that you have already decided to move to Tenerife........and I wish you the best of luck........give it a go:)
But make sure you have an escape route if it does not work out!!

As I said best of luck, if you don't try you will never know.

[katja]

Yes the 100€/month is only until the child's turns 3. Didn't know about the 25€ though, well at least it's something :) Anyway I wish you and your family all the best and I hope that you make the right decision which ever it might be and if you do decide to come over here I hope everything goes smoothly and that you will both find jobs/will be able to get your business' running soon!

[Suej]

If the 700€ rent includes bills, that normally means water and electricity but obviously depends on your contract. Normally all the council related bills like IBI and rubbish are paid by the owner. We lived in 2 different rental apartments before we bought our own and we only had to pay our phone and internet bills (which we had installed). We're paying 40€/month for internet and phone including free national and international landline calls and free weekend and evening mobile calls. Then you'd obviously have your mobile phone bills but obviously some people use them more, some use them less, we pay 6-10€/month each. If you'll have a car, you'd obviously have the car insurance to pay. At the state schools you'd have to pay for comedor if the kids will be eating there and during school holidays at least some of the schools arrange camps that the kids can go to and if I remember right, the school just next door to us charged 90€ including food if the kid was to stay all day, 40€ if it was until 2 (without food) for the christmas holidays. Found the link (http://sanmigueldeabona.es/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=706:campamento-de-navidad&Itemid=260&lang=es) for the camp, not quite correct what I remembered but my son's only just turned 2 so I won't have to think about school camps for another year and a half.
Can't think of any other bills...

Hi Katja! sorry to go off topic here but I am interested to know who your provider is for your internet? are you an an offer?! I pay 60€ for Telefonica broadband/line rental/Free national calls etc... (which I did get cheaper at first) so 40€ seems very cheap in comparison!:thanx:

[katja]

Hi Sue! We're with orange. We got the free mobile calls for a year if we committed to stay with orange for another year. The international calls are included almost by accident. They had them included in one of their plans which they were almost hiding, had lots of trouble finding it again when we had decided to take it. We've had the plan for 3 or 4 years now. I think their normal offer is 39,95 for internet, line rental and national calls so we've done really well with it. It's saving us lots of money as the international calls are free. But only got 1mb internet, can't get more with our number/in this area.

[Suej]

Hi Sue! We're with orange. We got the free mobile calls for a year if we committed to stay with orange for another year. The international calls are included almost by accident. They had them included in one of their plans which they were almost hiding, had lots of trouble finding it again when we had decided to take it. We've had the plan for 3 or 4 years now. I think their normal offer is 39,95 for internet, line rental and national calls so we've done really well with it. It's saving us lots of money as the international calls are free. But only got 1mb internet, can't get more with our number/in this area.

I did wonder about the speed! Thanks for informative reply! :hello:

[golf birdie]

My 6 mb costs 44€ which is line renal/national call/ 300 mins mobiles, from telefonica (movistar). You need to call and tell them you been offered a better deal.

[Suej]

My 6 mb costs 44€ which is line renal/national call/ 300 mins mobiles, from telefonica (movistar). You need to call and tell them you been offered a better deal.

Thanks I think I´ll give that a try!

[tracey_in_tenerife]

Oh dear, you younger generation, are you never going to get old and need a good pension, your NI if you are young enough will give you a very good state pension, your 280 private health insurance won't.

we have quite a large business which will be our "pension"
Weve paid our taxes since leaving school and never got anything back from the government in fact when it does come to us retiring, there wont be a pension or heating allowances and all the pros and cons what pensioners receive here and back in the UK.
I pay 140 euros a year for council tax, 42 euros twice a year for rubbish, the electric bills over here are alot cheaper than in the UK, car insurance is alot cheaper in the UK, we pay 17 euros for a gas bottle which probably lasts us about 6 weeks, i was probably being charged that amount per day by rip off Npower,i was paying £125 per week childcare, i am paying 230 euros a MONTH for the same amount of childcare, the food is cheaper unless you do your weekly shop at iceland!!, so i think Tenerife wins hands down on cost of living

[Suej]

we have quite a large business which will be our "pension"
Weve paid our taxes since leaving school and never got anything back from the government in fact when it does come to us retiring, there wont be a pension or heating allowances and all the pros and cons what pensioners receive here and back in the UK.
I pay 140 euros a year for council tax, 42 euros twice a year for rubbish, the electric bills over here are alot cheaper than in the UK, car insurance is alot cheaper in the UK, we pay 17 euros for a gas bottle which probably lasts us about 6 weeks, i was probably being charged that amount per day by rip off Npower,i was paying £125 per week childcare, i am paying 230 euros a MONTH for the same amount of childcare, the food is cheaper unless you do your weekly shop at iceland!!, so i think Tenerife wins hands down on cost of living

You forgot the sun...that's for FREE!:D

[tracey_in_tenerife]

You forgot the sun...that's for FREE!:D
oh I forgot about the free sunshine!!
I live in Los Menores , haven't seen the sun for weeks 😒


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[palm]

I think you need to go to tenerife planning to stay for 3 months, with no income. Think of it as living somewhere else for 3 months, plan on returning to the uk. Then if you find you want to and are able to stay longer, you can. But start out assuming you'll be back.

Also, the UK is bigger than southport. Everywhere has problems in the uk, but some are worse than others. Consider moving elsewhere in the UK.

[ElaineTV]

I think you need to go to tenerife planning to stay for 3 months, with no income. Think of it as living somewhere else for 3 months, plan on returning to the uk. Then if you find you want to and are able to stay longer, you can. But start out assuming you'll be back.

Also, the UK is bigger than southport. Everywhere has problems in the uk, but some are worse than others. Consider moving elsewhere in the UK.

Thanks, however Southport is one of the 'best' places to be in the North West... I would not even think about going anywhere else in the North West as it is ten times worse and as for moving to another place altogether then abroad wins hands down as my asthma is bad in any region in the UK, it's far too damp a climate.

[palm]

Thanks, however Southport is one of the 'best' places to be in the North West... I would not even think about going anywhere else in the North West as it is ten times worse and as for moving to another place altogether then abroad wins hands down as my asthma is bad in any region in the UK, it's far too damp a climate.

Ok,well good luck with it all. I agree with you about the north west of england, I find it quite depressing. Have been to southport and surrounding areas. I think the north west is the wettest region in the uk! Dampness does vary within the UK. If you're just comparing tenerife to the north west you'll probably prefer tenerife, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't also like other places closer to home.

I hope it goes well.

[ElaineTV]

Thanks everyone, so according to this thread I think we can safely say that living costs are far more in line with what is acceptable, whereas in the UK we are charged far more for everything in general, higher rrp, taxes and vat. However, the wages kind of re-addresses the balance.. for some!

So my pros for Tenerife are:-

Better Weather - get a proper summer
Healthier environment for me & family (less damp air)
Cheaper fresh produce
Value for money (not getting ripped off by big fat cat companies ie utilities)
Longer daylight hours (feels like your living instead of hibernating for 4/5 months)
A more family orientated lifestyle
May have a pool &/or near the beach
Better medical facilities
Spanish Pension
Kids will have a better quality of life

Cons:-

Miss family in the UK
May have smaller accommodation
Intrim(s) period of no income
family will have to brush up on the language
Adjustment time for everyone to get their bearings - stressful!

So.. we are just waiting to hear back about my husbands job and currently more research on the business venture before we can proceed any further.

Many many thanks to all, each post has been useful, some more than others! :thanx:

Added after 6 minutes:


Ok,well good luck with it all. I agree with you about the north west of england, I find it quite depressing. Have been to southport and surrounding areas. I think the north west is the wettest region in the uk! Dampness does vary within the UK. If you're just comparing tenerife to the north west you'll probably prefer tenerife, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't also like other places closer to home.

I hope it goes well.

Thanks Palm, your absolutely right, there are other areas such as the South of the UK which is lovely and much warmer, but can still be very damp such as the Cornish mizzle which is frequent, and Devon too gets that bitter cold snap. I believe Bournemouth and that region is lovely too... but cost of living is way more expensive than we could afford down South.. so alas Spain/Canaries may be our only option.

Still more research is needed at this stage though but I am getting a bigger picture now. :o

[Simon-M]

Thanks everyone, so according to this thread I think we can safely say that living costs are far more in line with what is acceptable, whereas in the UK we are charged far more for everything in general, higher rrp, taxes and vat. However, the wages kind of re-addresses the balance.. for some!

So my pros for Tenerife are:-

Better Weather - get a proper summer
Healthier environment for me & family (less damp air)
Cheaper fresh produce
Value for money (not getting ripped off by big fat cat companies ie utilities)
Longer daylight hours (feels like your living instead of hibernating for 4/5 months)
A more family orientated lifestyle
May have a pool &/or near the beach
Better medical facilities
Spanish Pension
Kids will have a better quality of life

Cons:-

Miss family in the UK
May have smaller accommodation
Intrim(s) period of no income
family will have to brush up on the language
Adjustment time for everyone to get their bearings - stressful!

So.. we are just waiting to hear back about my husbands job and currently more research on the business venture before we can proceed any further.

Many many thanks to all, each post has been useful, some more than others! :thanx:

Added after 6 minutes:



Thanks Palm, your absolutely right, there are other areas such as the South of the UK which is lovely and much warmer, but can still be very damp such as the Cornish mizzle which is frequent, and Devon too gets that bitter cold snap. I believe Bournemouth and that region is lovely too... but cost of living is way more expensive than we could afford down South.. so alas Spain/Canaries may be our only option.

Still more research is needed at this stage though but I am getting a bigger picture now. :o

Something to add to your Pro's.

Rose tinted glasses just €5 off the lookie lookie man :)

[ElaineTV]

Something to add to your Pro's.

Rose tinted glasses just €5 off the lookie lookie man :)

I don't think I need them.. I clearly have my own pair!! :crylaughing:

[Muppet]

Thanks everyone, so according to this thread I think we can safely say that living costs are far more in line with what is acceptable, whereas in the UK we are charged far more for everything in general, higher rrp, taxes and vat. However, the wages kind of re-addresses the balance.. for some!

So my pros for Tenerife are:-

Better Weather - get a proper summer
Healthier environment for me & family (less damp air)
Cheaper fresh produce
Value for money (not getting ripped off by big fat cat companies ie utilities)Longer daylight hours (feels like your living instead of hibernating for 4/5 months)
A more family orientated lifestyle
May have a pool &/or near the beach
Better medical facilities
Spanish Pension
Kids will have a better quality of life

Cons:-

Miss family in the UK
May have smaller accommodation
Intrim(s) period of no income
family will have to brush up on the language
Adjustment time for everyone to get their bearings - stressful!

So.. we are just waiting to hear back about my husbands job and currently more research on the business venture before we can proceed any further.

Many many thanks to all, each post has been useful, some more than others! :thanx:

Added after 6 minutes:



Thanks Palm, your absolutely right, there are other areas such as the South of the UK which is lovely and much warmer, but can still be very damp such as the Cornish mizzle which is frequent, and Devon too gets that bitter cold snap. I believe Bournemouth and that region is lovely too... but cost of living is way more expensive than we could afford down South.. so alas Spain/Canaries may be our only option.

Still more research is needed at this stage though but I am getting a bigger picture now. :o

You've not met Telefonica then ??

The value for money from utilities should be in your "cons" list - and many asthmatics find the levels of dust and effects of Calima to detrimental.

[tracy hampshire]

i don't have asthma & found the recent calima horrible, really irritated my chest.

[Suej]

I don't think I need them.. I clearly have my own pair!! :crylaughing:

You clearly have a good sense of humour Elaine! Try not to take the negative comments the wrong way and dismiss them, you said earlier (I think) that you wanted facts not opinions so try to see the opinions as more true experiences. They're a friendly bunch on this Forum and I feel there is a lot of helpful advice being posted negative and positive it's still very helpful all the same!:wink2:

[primrose]

Better Medical Facilities???????? Just got my appointment for an urgent X Ray 27th June.

[ElaineTV]

You clearly have a good sense of humour Elaine! Try not to take the negative comments the wrong way and dismiss them, you said earlier (I think) that you wanted facts not opinions so try to see the opinions as more true experiences. They're a friendly bunch on this Forum and I feel there is a lot of helpful advice being posted negative and positive it's all very helpful all the same!:wink2:

I agree Suej, just trying to lighten the mood!! As I've said before I need to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.. it all helps!! :spin:

[doreen]

You've not met Telefonica then ??

The value for money from utilities should be in your "cons" list - and many asthmatics find the levels of dust and effects of Calima to detrimental.

Yes, I remember reading the Canarias have the highest level of asthma in Spain ... I, who have never suffered from it, ended up being prescribed an inhaler for a period after one dreadful chest infection that would not shift despite many courses of antibiotics and the doctor remarked on how many people she had to newly prescribe for here in Tenerife due to so much dust in the air :(

[ElaineTV]

Better Medical Facilities???????? Just got my appointment for an urgent X Ray 27th June.

I can only go by my own experiences, my family and I have only ever received excellent service from Spain with regards to healthcare, here in the UK they misdiagnose so much and I have all too often seen that they have no idea what the problem is.. for adults anyway, children's hospitals seem to be more on the ball, but waiting lists are appalling here too, my son had to wait 14 months for an operation. :(

[primrose]

I can only go by my own experiences, my family and I have only ever received excellent service from Spain with regards to healthcare, here in the UK they misdiagnose so much and I have all too often seen that they have no idea what the problem is.. for adults anyway, children's hospitals seem to be more on the ball, but waiting lists are appalling here too, my son had to wait 14 months for an operation. :(

Have you ever lived in Tenerife?

[ElaineTV]

Yes, I remember reading the Canarias have the highest level of asthma in Spain ... I, who have never suffered from it, ended up being prescribed an inhaler for a period after one dreadful chest infection that would not shift despite many courses of antibiotics and the doctor remarked on how many people she had to newly prescribe for here in Tenerife due to so much dust in the air :(

Eek!! My son and I never use inhalers in Tenerife... why don't they just treat patients with the IV? I had an attack in Spain once and was given the IV and never suffered again until my adulthood - the UK climate took it's toll sadly.


Have you ever lived in Tenerife?

No but I've lived on the Mainland & Lanzarote.

[tracy hampshire]

the good is the climate & a nice way of life, the bad is if you have no money you are stuffed, no state help to fall back on, and i was very nearly homeless when i lost my job here, i got paro but that was only 340€ a month, not enough to live on & no more help available, sadly my mum died in july and left me some money, otherwise i don't know what would have happened, so just err on the side of caution, & always have a fallback plan, i'm sure you do, yes there have been alot of negative posts but people are only trying to help you not make the mistakes they have seen so many make before, i wish you the very best of luck, and hope you make a great success of your new life here .

[golf birdie]

as for medical care being better, maybe so if you pay private. I know of some horror stories from here, only last week it was in the press about beds in corridors for weeks on end. Look at the so called south hospital:laugh: You'd think it was 1912, not 2012. You only find how bad it is when you need it.

[timmylish]

Elaine. I,ve read you thread from start to finish and back again. There are a lot of very neggie people on this one. They should really look at moving back to the UK as that would seem to me to be the best for them. I,ve lived here for 23 years and never, ever do I recall wishing to go back to the UK, or elsewhere. During that time I,ve encountered a massive stroke which has left me permanently ill and I do feel that the medical attention is as good if not better tha I would have receieved in the UK. Source. My Darling Daughter who is in the "care" field as her employment. She has said time and again I,ve survived here when I may not have done elsewhere! Turning to you there is no doubt your "Spanishness" has never left you and has now taken over, to the point that you are prepared to put your family to the point of no return. Take care, please. You are clearly reading all the comments being made but you have mad eyour mind up. I have to agree with you. All this nonsense of not seeing each other because of different hours etc etc. Fer heavens sakes. I see Mrs. T. a couple of hours in the evening, if I,mlucky. Our relationship is/has been strong enough to stand this notwithstanding my medical problems to add into the mix. My only area of doubt is your husband. Can he take it because, as I see it, its him who is giving into your wishes (no bad thing just commenting!). You have clearly done that in reverse for the time you,ve been together and in the UK. So I am not going to go thru' each point other than to make a couple of observations.
It seems to me that your husband may have been offered a job in Timeshare, an industry I was involved in for many, many years both here and elsewhere (no doubt the anti T/S brigade will come flocking out to take their usual "pop" at me) so what I don,t know is not worth knowing. If this is the case and he wants honest, accurate info on this type of job then get him to pm me and I,ll answer as best as I can.
It is cheaper to live here. End off. Again the lifestyle comes into focus as this is the most demanding aspect of living here. If you don,t understand Spanish (not you) you cannot possibly follow the system here. Just having it stranslated is no use. Its the "meaning" you need to follow, as you will, of course. Education. There is no doubt it does lack is certain key areas but since you could be living in a croft in the vastness of Caithness is that so different. Its up to parents to fill in. Heard of the internet. It helps. Oh, btw. Currently 36 €,s for ADSL (up to 10 Mgsps) with Telefonica alsi incl. free National calls and free movible at the w/ends and public holidays/ Reuter incl. plus servicing. We,ve had it now for more than one year with no probs.
That,s it. Let the kids get to the beach after school, with their pals or one of you. Teaching them to eat Canarian, BAH! Give them what you are having, end off!
So what else. Nothing as I,m not in the best of states to-day but wanted to throw you a life-line if needed!

[Suej]

Eek!! My son and I never use inhalers in Tenerife... why don't they just treat patients with the IV? I had an attack in Spain once and was given the IV and never suffered again until my adulthood - the UK climate took it's toll sadly.



No but I've lived on the Mainland & Lanzarote.

Can I ask Elaine how long you lived on Lanzarote and how you found living there? Was it a long time ago?:)

[cainaries]

Better Medical Facilities???????? Just got my appointment for an urgent X Ray 27th June.

Which year, Primrose?! I have been waiting for 2 years for a follow up appointment at ENT. I suspect I have fallen out of their pending tray and been binned.

[primrose]

Well not as bad as you it is for this year but was supposed to be very urgent, so don't know how long a non urgent one would be.

[katja]

My boyfriend's brother has a hereditary kidney disease, was discovered a few years ago and his doctor (in the uk) recommended all the family to be tested. We got an appointment with the urologist in El Mojon pretty soon (can't remember if it was a week or maybe 2), he had an ultrasound, some blood and urine tests and then 2 months or so later an appointment with the nephrologist in Candelaria. I have to say that I was surprised how quick we got him checked (everything was clear)

And another good thing I have to say about the health system, my 2 year old is allergic to cow's milk protein and since the allergy was diagnosed (with a blood test) at the age of 11 months, we were getting soya formula for free with a special prescription until he now turned 2. The formula costs 15€ for a small 400g tub (which makes about 3l) so that has saved us a lot of money. Also we've always got in to see a doctor when we've wanted to. To get an appointment, here in Guargacho anyway, it takes normally less than a week, often they give you an appointment for the next day and that goes for us adults and as for the little one's "pediatrician" as well (he's not actually a trained pediatrician). Also when we've just walked in for something "urgent" like my boyfriend's possible swine flu and my son's eye infections, fever etc, we've never had to wait for over an hour (I have had to wait over an hour with an appointment though).

With the first pregnancy I had one ultrasound in each trimester and on top of that the 20 week scan and towards the end of pregnancy from week 36, I was having scans done every week until week 40 and after that every 3-4 days. With this one they've left out the 2nd trimester scan (as the 20 week scan's done anyway) but got a blood test in each trimester as well as in the first one and meeting the midwife once a month. This is all with social security. Also getting the recommended vitamins&minerals on prescription so saving money on those (80%). Obviously you need to know spanish to be able to go to all these social security appointments but I think that if you live in the country, you should at least try to learn the language. My bf still needs me to go to all the medical etc appointments with him...

Added after 2 minutes:

oh and my son also had an x-ray and ultrasound as he's got a heart mur mur and again the waiting time was weeks rather than months. Maybe we've just been lucky with the appointments..or more patient, don't know. Oh and I had my wisdom teeth taken out by social as well, took 6 months and as they couldn't do it in candelaria within that time, I was told to go to a private hospital to have it done under the social.

[tracy hampshire]

Elaine. I,ve read you thread from start to finish and back again. There are a lot of very neggie people on this one. They should really look at moving back to the UK as that would seem to me to be the best for them. I,ve lived here for 23 years and never, ever do I recall wishing to go back to the UK, or elsewhere. During that time I,ve encountered a massive stroke which has left me permanently ill and I do feel that the medical attention is as good if not better tha I would have receieved in the UK. Source. My Darling Daughter who is in the "care" field as her employment. She has said time and again I,ve survived here when I may not have done elsewhere! Turning to you there is no doubt your "Spanishness" has never left you and has now taken over, to the point that you are prepared to put your family to the point of no return. Take care, please. You are clearly reading all the comments being made but you have mad eyour mind up. I have to agree with you. All this nonsense of not seeing each other because of different hours etc etc. Fer heavens sakes. I see Mrs. T. a couple of hours in the evening, if I,mlucky. Our relationship is/has been strong enough to stand this notwithstanding my medical problems to add into the mix. My only area of doubt is your husband. Can he take it because, as I see it, its him who is giving into your wishes (no bad thing just commenting!). You have clearly done that in reverse for the time you,ve been together and in the UK. So I am not going to go thru' each point other than to make a couple of observations.
It seems to me that your husband may have been offered a job in Timeshare, an industry I was involved in for many, many years both here and elsewhere (no doubt the anti T/S brigade will come flocking out to take their usual "pop" at me) so what I don,t know is not worth knowing. If this is the case and he wants honest, accurate info on this type of job then get him to pm me and I,ll answer as best as I can.
It is cheaper to live here. End off. Again the lifestyle comes into focus as this is the most demanding aspect of living here. If you don,t understand Spanish (not you) you cannot possibly follow the system here. Just having it stranslated is no use. Its the "meaning" you need to follow, as you will, of course. Education. There is no doubt it does lack is certain key areas but since you could be living in a croft in the vastness of Caithness is that so different. Its up to parents to fill in. Heard of the internet. It helps. Oh, btw. Currently 36 €,s for ADSL (up to 10 Mgsps) with Telefonica alsi incl. free National calls and free movible at the w/ends and public holidays/ Reuter incl. plus servicing. We,ve had it now for more than one year with no probs.
That,s it. Let the kids get to the beach after school, with their pals or one of you. Teaching them to eat Canarian, BAH! Give them what you are having, end off!
So what else. Nothing as I,m not in the best of states to-day but wanted to throw you a life-line if needed! i completely agree about the health service here is far better than the uk, i have a friend here who has cancer , and a friend of hers has the same in the uk, the treatment she has recieved at the universario hospital is second to none, she has acsess to treatment that they won't give in the uk because it is too expensive, the health service here even paid for her and her husband to fly to madrid for scans, because they were fully booked up here, where in the uk would they do that ?

[primrose]

oh and we also had an x-ray and ultrasound on my sound as he's got a heart mur mur and again the waiting time was weeks rather than months. Maybe we've just been lucky with the appointments..or more patient, don't know. Oh and I had my wisdom teeth taken out by social as well, took 6 months and as they couldn't do it in candelaria within that time, I was told to go to a private hospital to have it done under the social.



Sorry but don't understand what you mean about being lucky with appointments ...or more patient. Are you saying that I am not being patient.As you don't know what the X Ray is for or what Department it's for I really don't think you can comment.Cainaries said she has waited 2 years for a follow up appointment and I think that is being very patient.I get so sick of people putting the UK Health Service down there is good and bad here and in the UK. My Son had Cancer in the UK and couldn't have got better treatment anywhere, we also had a friend who had a Cataract operation here and died from Septicemia within 3 days. I have lived here nearly 7 years and have seen both the good side and the bad side of Tenerife it isn't perfect and it certainly isn't paradise but I would say to ElaineTV if it feels right for you do it, you wont know till you try and you could regret it for the rest of your life if you don't.

[doreen]

My only area of doubt is your husband. Can he take it because, as I see it, its him who is giving into your wishes (no bad thing just commenting!). You have clearly done that in reverse for the time you,ve been together and in the UK. So I am not going to go thru' each point other than to make a couple of observations.
It seems to me that your husband may have been offered a job in Timeshare, an industry I was involved in for many, many years both here and elsewhere (no doubt the anti T/S brigade will come flocking out to take their usual "pop" at me) so what I don,t know is not worth knowing. If this is the case and he wants honest, accurate info on this type of job then get him to pm me and I,ll answer as best as I can.


Elaine, please do take up that offer ... we may not see eye to eye on things, but timmylish is The Expert about working in the field of TimeShare (and that's what your OH's offer is despite what they might call it)

[katja]

Primrose, didn't mean to say that you nor cainaries were unpatient, was just trying to say that for us it seems we've got all the medical appointments pretty soon, in my opinion, so was trying to say that maybe we've just been lucky in getting them that soon or maybe we've just imagined we would have to wait longer and therefore it feels like soon. I suppose it also depends a lot on why you're having the appointments/tests and the medical area ie ent, kidneys, etc. Can't say the same about the court system though..or maybe it's just our lawyer...

[cainaries]

oh and we also had an x-ray and ultrasound on my sound as he's got a heart mur mur and again the waiting time was weeks rather than months. Maybe we've just been lucky with the appointments..or more patient, don't know. Oh and I had my wisdom teeth taken out by social as well, took 6 months and as they couldn't do it in candelaria within that time, I was told to go to a private hospital to have it done under the social.



Sorry but don't understand what you mean about being lucky with appointments ...or more patient. Are you saying that I am not being patient.As you don't know what the X Ray is for or what Department it's for I really don't think you can comment.Cainaries said she has waited 2 years for a follow up appointment and I think that is being very patient.I get so sick of people putting the UK Health Service down there is good and bad here and in the UK. My Son had Cancer in the UK and couldn't have got better treatment anywhere, we also had a friend who had a Cataract operation here and died from Septicemia within 3 days. I have lived here nearly 7 years and have seen both the good side and the bad side of Tenerife it isn't perfect and it certainly isn't paradise but I would say to ElaineTV if it feels right for you do it, you wont know till you try and you could regret it for the rest of your life if you don't.

All I wanted to do was just to point out that the OP has put 'better medical care' in her 'pros'. OH and I wouldn't agree. She'll find out one way or the other when she lives here.

It would be quite interesting to hear from Elaine and her family in about 2014 - see how they're getting on?

Elainetv - I have a question because i didn't understand what you had written about treating asthma with iv? I thought iv was an abbreviation of intravenous (which I can't spell) - as in a drip. I've certainly never heard of treating asthma like that ... or have I misunderstood you?

[ElaineTV]

All I wanted to do was just to point out that the OP has put 'better medical care' in her 'pros'. OH and I wouldn't agree. She'll find out one way or the other when she lives here.

It would be quite interesting to hear from Elaine and her family in about 2014 - see how they're getting on?

Elainetv - I have a question because i didn't understand what you had written about treating asthma with iv? I thought iv was an abbreviation of intravenous (which I can't spell) - as in a drip. I've certainly never heard of treating asthma like that ... or have I misunderstood you?

Yes, when I was a child I had my first attack, I received a drip and walked out of hospital several hours later breathing normally and with no inhaler. My 2nd asthma attack happened in the UK when I was 22 and was made to breath into a brown paper bag, given a course of antibiotics and two ventolin inhalers and have been on them ever since!! I'm nearly 40 now and sick to death of the poor treatment when I know the IV will work but my gp says it is too expensive to import, I couldn't even get it privately as they just don't do things the same, legislation etc.

Added after 17 minutes:

Thanks guys... as I have said before.. it appears that we all have good and bad experiences wherever we are and I have some great replies bringing insight to the good and bad of life in Tenerife.

I would just like to reiterate, that it is my husband who has started the 'move abroad' idea and not me... he is the driving force of this plan, but as I am dual nationality I am doing the research as it has been a number of years since I lived in Spain and things have changed over the years.

My hubby originally wanted us to move to Australia but the cost of living there has doubled and we would no way be able to afford to go, you do seem to get more for your money with regards to housing, but that's about all, and depending on what state you move to it's pretty much like living in the UK, plus I don't like the idea of being so far away from family... 4.5 hrs is much more do-able!!

I do have a strong link to Spain.. my family is Spanish and I grew up there and have some of the happiest memories there so naturally I would pick Spain/Canaries over anywhere else. We have often thought about living on the Mainland as we could stay with relatives which would be easier, but I have done that before and it can get quite unbearable.. if we're going to do it, it will have to be under our own steam and do things our way.

My hubby loves Spain and still insists that his favourite holiday of all time was when we stayed with my aunty in Costa Brava before we got married... therefore any move would most definitely be a joint decision as we have to do what is right for us as a couple and hopefully give our children a happy childhood with a better quality of life. :crazy:

[cainaries]

Thanks, Elaine. I've never heard of it and have never been offered it here or heard of anyone else having it. I shall try to find out more about it as ... like you ... I don't like being dependent on inhalers.

Very good luck with it all and do keep us posted!

[ElaineTV]

Can I ask Elaine how long you lived on Lanzarote and how you found living there? Was it a long time ago?:)

Hi Suej,

I loved Lanzarote.. I lived in Arrecife, a little windy and wasn't keen on the black sand but it certainly didn't have any affect on living there. I lived there in my late teens for about 9 months with a friend from the UK working on a timeshare resort.. the work was awful but the days went quickly and there was so much 'networking' involved that it didn't feel like work at times. The wages were great... we only got a third of it in our pay packet but the rest went straight towards our digs, so it was all my money to spend on me!! How life was so easy back then!! ha ha!! :spin:

We only came back because we had a falling out with the boss.. who was notorious for drug dealing which we only found out through hearing a number of bad stories (rumours??) and kind of got frightened and headed straight back home... looking back now it was foolish but hey ho I was only 18yrs old.. and everything happens for a reason I believe.


Thanks, Elaine. I've never heard of it and have never been offered it here or heard of anyone else having it. I shall try to find out more about it as ... like you ... I don't like being dependent on inhalers.

Very good luck with it all and do keep us posted!

I will ask my mum exactly what is was.. I'll pm you if and when I find out. x

[doreen]

Thanks, Elaine. I've never heard of it and have never been offered it here or heard of anyone else having it. I shall try to find out more about it as ... like you ... I don't like being dependent on inhalers. !

It's a topic for another thread, but the Chinese believe in IV treatment for a huge number of ailments
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-02-18-chinaIV18_ST_N.htm

[cainaries]

I will ask my mum exactly what is was.. I'll pm you if and when I find out. x

Thanks very much. May be it is used when someone has an attack so serious they get taken to hospital rather than as a routine replacement for inhalers.

[ElaineTV]

Thanks very much. May be it is used when someone has an attack so serious they get taken to hospital rather than as a routine replacement for inhalers.

Yes, I think it was because of the attack.. IV works far more quickly than any other method, maybe it was just an anitbiotic for a bad chest infection which triggered the attack, I have no idea if I'm honest, but the drs knew straight away how to treat me.

My son has had a few attacks here in the UK and they do bugger all for him... put him in a nebuliser for hours on end and has to stay in hospital for days... the system they have is costing the nhs thousands of pounds!!

I get a few attacks during the winter months in the UK.. would be interesting to see if I get any in Tenerife if I'm there long term??

[cainaries]

May be we should have an 'asthma' thread?

[ElaineTV]

May be we should have an 'asthma' thread?

Would be interesting to see how others are being treated and how bad they get it... and what the difference is from the Uk if any.

[golf birdie]

also in regard to medical care here. Pop down the green hospital on any day and see how many prefer private insurance rather than rely on the state. A huge number of Spanish and others take out insurance as they don't want the social option which speaks volumes.

[timmylish]

also in regard to medical care here. Pop down the green hospital on any day and see how many prefer private insurance rather than rely on the state. A huge number of Spanish and others take out insurance as they don't want the social option which speaks volumes.


I have to take issue with that as you don,t seem to realise that the Green Clinic is primarily a private medical centre not a public one. Chayofa being the nearest. To be frank, if this were the UK then you would not be able to see any public health clients at all since the centre would refuse to see them. The Green Clinic has an "Urgencia" to meet the requirements of the Spanish Govt. in having access to such care. So, as a consequence there is an element of public care.

[golf birdie]

I have to take issue with that as you don,t seem to realise that the Green Clinic is primarily a private medical centre not a public one. Chayofa being the nearest. To be frank, if this were the UK then you would not be able to see any public health clients at all since the centre would refuse to see them. The Green Clinic has an "Urgencia" to meet the requirements of the Spanish Govt. in having access to such care. So, as a consequence there is an element of public care.



my point was, this huge hospital is packed everyday of the week with card waving clients. If the social option was so good why do all these people feel the need to go private. As for Mahon, that is a shining example of how bad things are, will it ever be finished?

[bonitatime]

If the islands health services ever got paid by central government and the other european governments for work done not 2 years later

[Alba]

Hi there

I moved here 8 years with my 3 children and I am still here with all my kids now 21 14 and 10, I only spoke a little spanish but got by, you have an advantage there and I have a friend that has salons if you want me to pass your number on to her when your here I will do and as for a handy man tenerife is lacking professional handymen that are reasonably priced so good luck. Also I have a family member that moved here 2 weeks ago and is now working telesales.

[Del929]

Personally I would think £1000 a month would be really stretching it with 3 children!:goodluck: how much do you think a couple would need to live a decent life in Tenerife today Sue?

[languagefan]

Cost of life is incredibly cheaper here than the UK, but I can't say about 1000£ etc as it depends on the person. I know of a family of 5 who live on 1200 Eu, but very frugally without eating out, and any luxuries, but seem happy. They are not the typical consumer type and are in to living minimalistically with respect of Mother Earth etc philosophy.
Good luck

[pikano]

Back to the "how long is a piece of string" question - how about 1,000€ a month for a single guy not including rent? I plan to buy, probably in/near Puerto de la Cruz. I like to eat out occasionally, but am not much of a drinker.

[dznstudios]

Tenerife is way cheaper!

[Ecky Thump]

Tenerife is way cheaper!

Is this due to property prices, food, electricity, food or what, as generally we have not found a great deal of difference in the price of general shopping, but definetly eating out in restaurants is far cheaper than the UK.:dontknow:

[delderek]

Is this due to property prices, food, electricity, food or what, as generally we have not found a great deal of difference in the price of general shopping, but definetly eating out in restaurants is far cheaper than the UK.:dontknow:

Agree eating out is way cheaper than the UK, but that's about all. Electricity is now higher than the UK (but of course you use less). Water is about the same. Food costs in the supermarkets are now higher than the UK (a lot less competition). Ciggies and Alcohol are still considerably cheaper than the UK. So I suppose if you eat out a lot you smoke heavily, and drink too much, living in Tenerife is going to be cheap. And of course you don't pay council tax, but community fees Basura local taxes etc, bring things up pretty close.