Young family moving to Tenerife, any suggestions?

[jessicarevell]

Hi, we are a young couple in our late 20's with a baby and toddler looking to move to tenerife in October. Where is likely to be the best place for us to settle? Are there places we should avoid or would struggle to make a go of it? We will be renting out our house in the UK so will have a small income (between 300 and 500 pounds per month) to go towards living in tenerife, plus we have our savings of about £18000. My husband is happy doing ANY work and we do not have expensive taste.. We like going camping and walking etc and have a fairly basic but active lifestyle. Currently both learning Spanish, though neither have much ability or confidence with the language.. yet.

My sister lives in La Palma and has done a celta/tefl course and teaches english out there, is this the best possible job in tenerife? My husband is a carpenter but not expecting to get construction work out there. He is considering doing a celta course but doesn't want to waste money doing something that will not be of any real benefit. He has had lots of experience working in bars and pubs and is a very sociable, outgoing kind of person. He would be happy to work in bars for a period to network and help to learn the language etc but does not expect to be able to raise a family long term off this kind of income. Is there any other kind of work that he could aim to work towards with a better outlook for the future? What kind of work is likely to be on offer on the island? I am also happy to do some part time work but obviously I don't know how possible this will be while we are raising a young family.

Could we make this work or are we being unrealistic? We are both adventurous people who know how happy my sister is living in the canary islands and want a change of lifestyle.

[Alvy]

Hola there,
A tad simillar our situation, just to say hi and to leech ideas and guidance too! :D

[vove]

Hi, we are a young couple in our late 20's with a baby and toddler looking to move to tenerife in October. Where is likely to be the best place for us to settle?

Depends on what are your expectations and what you are looking for.


Are there places we should avoid or would struggle to make a go of it?

Definitely yes.


We will be renting out our house in the UK so will have a small income (between 300 and 500 pounds per month) to go towards living in tenerife, plus we have our savings of about £18000. My husband is happy doing ANY work and we do not have expensive taste.. We like going camping and walking etc and have a fairly basic but active lifestyle. Currently both learning Spanish, though neither have much ability or confidence with the language.. yet.

300-500 pounds is close to none for a family of 4, even if you do not have expensive taste. I also imagine that eventual problems with the flat you are renting will have to be coverd out of your pocket, so that is not a fixed amount. Second thing is the fact that after brexit GBP exchange rates go down, so each month you will have less of that money to spend and your reserves might start melting at a fast rate.

It is nice that your husband is willing to work but I think you aren't familiar with unemployment rates in Spain. If you are not some kind of very wanted specialist you will have a lot of trouble finding a job and English teaching sector on Tenerife is dominated by natives working for really low rates.

Not speaking Spanish is a big downside and basically limits you to the resorts zones, where people don't even know that language.


My sister lives in La Palma and has done a celta/tefl course and teaches english out there, is this the best possible job in tenerife?

Of course not, there are thousands of better jobs and teaching is actually on bottom of the deck. What's more important here: if you have a sister in La Palma I wouldn't even consider coming to Tenerife. Go to La Palma where you have relatives who can help you out in case you would face any problems. Once you settle yourself think trough what to do next.


My husband is a carpenter but not expecting to get construction work out there. He is considering doing a celta course but doesn't want to waste money doing something that will not be of any real benefit.

You don't need a CELTA to teach English in here. I would actually say it's a waste of time and resources when you are a native. People employ natives without any knowledge/experience because it is cheaper.

If he's a carpenter why wouldn't he open a workshop and make stuff for people? Get in touch with real estate companies, make furniture for them, many possibilities.


He has had lots of experience working in bars and pubs and is a very sociable, outgoing kind of person. He would be happy to work in bars for a period to network and help to learn the language etc but does not expect to be able to raise a family long term off this kind of income. Is there any other kind of work that he could aim to work towards with a better outlook for the future? What kind of work is likely to be on offer on the island? I am also happy to do some part time work but obviously I don't know how possible this will be while we are raising a young family.

Depends what he likes but in my opinion working at bars is tough job for ****ty income. Especially in Spain where people usually don't tip. Opening a workshop would be the way to go. Thing to keep in mind is Spaniards struggle a lot to find work and many of them are forced to migrate to find a job, I think unemployment among young people oscillates around 40%.

Working at bars is some solution but you would have to look for a job around resorts where rotation is high. In cities populated by Spaniards waiters don't change that much from what I have noticed.


Could we make this work or are we being unrealistic? We are both adventurous people who know how happy my sister is living in the canary islands and want a change of lifestyle.

I think only you can answer that question, but if you ask it I think you have serious doubts about that plan. I can assure you that your start will be very difficult and you might lose your hope few times, it will also be a test for your relationship but if you are a smart person you shouldn't have problems.

What's best is to open your own company. Working for someone usually means many hours for not that much money.

Have you ever been on Tenerife? What if you don't like it?

Start planning, thinking what to do. Be sure to think trough everything that could go wrong and prepare yourself beforehand. If you are up to the challenge come and try it.

If it was only you and your husband I would say come to Tenerife straight away, but with kids you have additional trouble since they have to be 3 (or 4?) to start going to kindergarten. This means you need a nanny or 1 of you stays at home. If I were you I would think about starting in La Palma where you have a family and rent is much lower than in Tenerife.

[Hepa]

Have a read of the below link, which indicates the regulations you have to comply with to become a resident,

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/residency-requirements-in-spain

[TheBloke]

Vove what the hell do you know about teaching in Tenerife.

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

There is a shortage of good native teachers with experience and the will and motivation to work.I would advise the poster to do the course as it's quite lucrative compared to other work in Tenerife.

[vove]

Vove what the hell do you know about teaching in Tenerife.

Instead of showing your lack of manners you could've written: "Dear vove, on what basis do you come up with such presumptions?" :crylaughing:

I met the other day a group of teachers from a language school in SC (3 people) and their English was horrible, accent was like some dark village in the forgotten realms of West Yorkshire. Yet they were very happy because with no school whatsoever, no courses, no degrees etc. they were hired as teachers, I guess only thanks to the fact they were natives. Spaniards really value the sole fact of being native since they care about conversations, yet they fail to recognize that teaching without a proper knowledge gets you nowhere.

Another story from Galicia where I lived for some time: friend of mine who was teacher with master's degree and wonderful grades had problems finding a job as a teacher because private sector was already filled with natives. Same situation: people with no experience, no preparation, no knowledge.

Another story is my own company or my Welsh friend. I could keep on going giving you more and more and more of the facts about what do I know about teaching in Tenerife, but I simply don't feel like this is needed.

The real question is: what do you know about teaching in Tenerife? I am curious because you come up with such statement and then you say nothing.


There is a shortage of good native teachers with experience and the will and motivation to work.

You are right here, but no one will employ them for the money they would want, so either they will work like slaves for almost free or the no skill goobers take the place away from them.


I would advise the poster to do the course as it's quite lucrative compared to other work in Tenerife.

Comparing to what work? Mining? Working at the oil refinery? High altitude welding? Construction? If yes, then you are right again, but it is not as good as having particular skills and experience in any field. Compare teacher to senior IT specialist, I won't even tell you how much I was earning.


To emphasize:
being jessicarevell I would learn Spanish and open a carpenter workshop. Comparing to teacher's salary you can make a lot more money and you are not a slave.

[TheBloke]

Vove where do you come from.............

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

My computer doesn't let me use question marks at the moment!

[Alvy]

Vove where do you come from.............

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

My computer doesn't let me use question marks at the moment!

Where does he go to would be better question... or does he pay for drinks on a night out! :D