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View Full Version : Advice wanted on re-locating to Los Cristianos, Tenerife



courtney129
19-05-2012, 01:55
Hi, we are planning to move to Los cristianos area in the next 6 months and would appreciate advice about everything! Especially schools as have daughter aged 13 and daughters aged 11. We spend a lot of time in Tenerife holidaying but shamefully we have little Spanish, wondering if this is going to make things hard. Is there much chance of a part time job for myself, also my husband is a plasterer, what are our chances of employment?
We are planning to rent for a year to see how we all settle before buying, although I never want to comeback to the uk when holidaying there which we do almost 4 or 5 times a year but also realise holidaying is much different to permant residence. Spending all of August there and would love to hear from anyone that has children of similar ages that have adjusted to the schools ok.
Look forward to hearing from anyone.
Courtney.

bonitatime
19-05-2012, 08:53
With children the age yours are please think very carefully. They will have serious dificulties adapting in School they will be put down a year and will probably loose a second year before they start to cope with the language. Many children who come at those ages never really cope with written Spanish or manage to finish school which pretty much ruins their lives.

courtney129
19-05-2012, 09:49
Thank you, I am concerned but thought and hoped they would pick the language up quite quickly. Do you think an English school rather than Spanish would be better for them?

golf birdie
19-05-2012, 10:01
Hi, we are planning to move to Los cristianos area in the next 6 months and would appreciate advice about everything! Especially schools as have daughter aged 13 and daughters aged 11. We spend a lot of time in Tenerife holidaying but shamefully we have little Spanish, wondering if this is going to make things hard. Is there much chance of a part time job for myself, also my husband is a plasterer, what are our chances of employment?
We are planning to rent for a year to see how we all settle before buying, although I never want to comeback to the uk when holidaying there which we do almost 4 or 5 times a year but also realise holidaying is much different to permant residence. Spending all of August there and would love to hear from anyone that has children of similar ages that have adjusted to the schools ok.
Look forward to hearing from anyone.
Courtney.

Chances of a part time job? Thats about all there is available if you are lucky you may get one that pays.

Work as a plasterer? Nil.

English school for your kids would cost a fortune, add this to your rent, food, petrol and your very low wage will not even cover a 1/3 of this. Plus if you are not working on a contract you will need private insurance which would cost around 200€ a month for your family. Simple advice, if you have not got jobs that bring in 2k a month don't come.

courtney129
19-05-2012, 10:45
Thanks for your reply, it certainly makes me think more as it sounds as though it's going to be tough. Fortunately we have savings to help us through but mostly concerned about schooling as so many mixed reports as to where to send our daughters. Being of ages 11 and 13.
So it seems work is virtually impossible to find then?

golf birdie
19-05-2012, 10:56
Thanks for your reply, it certainly makes me think more as it sounds as though it's going to be tough. Fortunately we have savings to help us through but mostly concerned about schooling as so many mixed reports as to where to send our daughters. Being of ages 11 and 13.
So it seems work is virtually impossible to find then?

You will need savings, I'd say at least 15k which would tide you over for a year. Please don't think 3k or 4k will last, it won't. You may think this is a lot but we went over 30k in the 1st 5 years, both working full time and times then were a lot easier than now.

Work is not impossible to find, in fact its quite easy. Finding work that pays and has a contract is the hard part.

courtney129
19-05-2012, 10:59
Hi, has anyone re-located with children of similar ages? Wondering how they adjusted, and also your opinion on schools for this age on the south of the island as could have some bearing on where we choose to locate, Los cristianos or adeje.
Eager for replies as have discovered this forum and all your views and comments are so helpful to us.

Vortex Wake
19-05-2012, 11:04
You will find all the info you need has been answered before :)

Have a look at this search link here and scroll to the bottom http://www.tenerifeforum.org/tenerife-forum/search.php?searchid=1194225

courtney129
19-05-2012, 11:05
We expect it to be costly, renting for the 1st year to be sure of the area we want to live. Did you have children that had to go through the education system?
Will building work for my husband be hard to find?

courtney129
19-05-2012, 11:08
Thank you, have looked through the comments on education but many of them are comments about schools that have closed so was after some up to date comments.
Finding this forum is so helpful and appreciate all your comments, thanks again.

golf birdie
19-05-2012, 11:17
I would say the 11 year old may fit in a Spanish School but the older one may find it difficult. If you are coming to stay I would just go with the Spanish system as they will need to learn the lingo to have any chance here. The best advice I could give you apart from don't come is to go to Spain for a 6 week holiday where you live with a Spanish family and learn the lingo. There are plenty of this type of holiday on the internet.

kangnkodos
19-05-2012, 12:00
ive had a building business here for 10 years now and ive never known it so quiet,i am also a plasterer by trade but it dont mean **** over ere,most of the so called builders i come across never felt a trowel handle till they hit the tarmac here,and then proclaim to be MASTER BUILDERS.
,most of the dicks were ice cream men or market traders in the uk.so you need to know that AMAZINGLY these bodgers will work for tbearerhe price of a pint an hour hence making it impossibl for real tradesmen like us to survive.and believe me there are thousands of em.forget working legally in the game,as its ridiculously expensive,social security alone is about 300euros a MONTH rather than 34quid in the uk.then youve got extortionate accountant fees and tax on top of that.,so hopefully you wont mind living illegaly.sorry to seem the real party pooper but you need to know the truth before making such a huge step,ive been a self employed builder ere for a long time now and ive eventually accepted the fact that the spanish self employment system is designed to destroy honest hardworking people.................i am currently looking for a little driving job.good luck.

golf birdie
19-05-2012, 12:23
ive had a building business here for 10 years now and ive never known it so quiet,i am also a plasterer by trade but it dont mean **** over ere,most of the so called builders i come across never felt a trowel handle till they hit the tarmac here,and then proclaim to be MASTER BUILDERS.
,most of the dicks were ice cream men or market traders in the uk.so you need to know that AMAZINGLY these bodgers will work for tbearerhe price of a pint an hour hence making it impossibl for real tradesmen like us to survive.and believe me there are thousands of em.forget working legally in the game,as its ridiculously expensive,social security alone is about 300euros a MONTH rather than 34quid in the uk.then youve got extortionate accountant fees and tax on top of that.,so hopefully you wont mind living illegaly.sorry to seem the real party pooper but you need to know the truth before making such a huge step,ive been a self employed builder ere for a long time now and ive eventually accepted the fact that the spanish self employment system is designed to destroy honest hardworking people.................i am currently looking for a little driving job.good luck.



Could not agree more. I have lost count of the number of people who move over here, moan about people coming to the UK and taking all their jobs by undercutting their prices. So their answer was to up sticks and move here and taxi people to the airport, clean apartments cash in hand and do any odd job for peanuts under cutting the legal workers here. You really could not make it up.

windowcleaningm
19-05-2012, 13:44
If you want to save yourself a lot ofb heart ache and stress and possible heart attacks read the 2 postings above very carefully ,,because what they have written is the absolute truth.
I do electrical inspection and testing in theUK and I am part P niceic approved.in manchester. I make the money in manchester and use it to pay rates ect out here
If you have any morals regarding stepping on some one to get work in tenerife then don,t come,
I have never seen so many bald headed bandits in one place.
On any given complex there are the bandit hyenas who have it down to a T.
In the bar at happy hour they are on the scout for people like you who want to make a better life in the sun,,,and they will lie to their back teeth to get your money,
they want your keys to your apartment ,,,ooohhhh yes they are lovely people ,,who will look after your apartment ,,,clean it ,,,do all thiose maintanance jobs that dont exist,,you may find your electric and water have costs that you would normally pay when you are staying .
Are any tea bags left in the kitchen cupboards????????????
They have been letting your apartment while you are not there.
They are builders ,plumbers, brickies and decorators,,,,my **** they are
Unless you have money to support yourself and I don,t mean just a state pension.
come out and rent for 6 months and that will open your eyes,,and if you are like me and have a thick skin and have a trust no one attitude you may survive.
The climate here eases your bones and almost every one feels better.
Go legal and you will fail ,,,,the Spanish will only help when they absolutely have to.
I think if after reading these 3 posts you still come ,,,THEN THE BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.

courtney129
19-05-2012, 14:40
Thanks, although it has definetly put a dampener on it, maybe I should just stick to my 5 holidays a year there!!
Gutted though, having spent a year there when I was 20 I have always wanted to return full time but obviously I have more responsibilities now to consider.
I have friends living in Spain and it has worked for them and their children, they've been there 5 years now,wondering if mainland Spain is a better option regarding work and schooling.
In Tenerife, it seems if you want to work legally we would struggle and have to live off our savings.
Definetly food for thought, thank you.
Would be interested to hear from some people who have re-located successfully with school aged children, are there any of you on this forum?

If not, am I brave enough to uproot and make it work?

big simmo999
19-05-2012, 15:42
With kids that age I would be inclined to stay in the Uk until they had finished school - it's only 4 years and then move. It's a bad time to take them out of their school and go to another - let alone a foriegn one. Plus with all the bother with the euro - just sit tight and wait till they leave school

slodgedad
19-05-2012, 20:20
With kids that age I would be inclined to stay in the Uk until they had finished school - it's only 4 years and then move. It's a bad time to take them out of their school and go to another - let alone a foriegn one. Plus with all the bother with the euro - just sit tight and wait till they leave school

With kids of that age it is only fair to THEM to put them into one of the English schools here, imho

The curriculum is the same here in Wingate as the UK so if you change your mind 2 years down the line then your KIDS should not suffer too much..