Thinking of moving somewhere near Gibraltar

[rrbrigi]

Hi,

Cut the long story short. My husband works from home and he can keep his job. We have a son who is 5 and we plan another child for next summer. We plan to move there next July or August, because I would like my son to start the new school year there in 2014. I will get maternity pay for 1 year. We would not like to live in Gibraltar just close enough to be able to work there after my maternity leave.

I have lots of question. First I worried about my son and his school. I would like him to go to a Spanish school. But how hard will be the first couple of month for him, without any Spanish knowledge? He is the type of child who very easy to bully (smart with glasses, small for his age, does not like sport too much, prefer books, does not find friends easily). And I spoke to him about moving to Spain, but he does not want to move at all. He feels England is his home, he likes our house and he does not want to leave his grandparents here. What can I do to make things easier for him now and when we arrived to Spain?

Also I do not know where to live? I looked resorts like Alcaidesa, Sotogrande, Santa Margarita. While they provide very nice house with very nice surroundings (e.g.: pool, garden, gated development), I assume most of the people there are English. I do not know if there is any Spanish school near there, and what happens whit these resorts in the winter? But I cannot find any nice Spanish villages near Gibraltar and on the beachside.

Please if you have any recommendation about the area, because you live there or one of your friends live there let me know. I am looking for a nice village where I can rent a house with garden, and where a great Spanish school in the village is as well.

I do think that I do the right thing to move to Spain, because I would like my kids to grow up playing a lot outside and learn different languages, but I just feel so sorry for my son who feels sad to leave our home.

Oh and I have not told you, that we moved to England 10 years ago. So my son gets used to traveling and visiting other countries.

Thanks for reading, and any advice much appreciated.

[EspressoMartiniToGo]

This is where I have lived for the last few years. Moved here when dh started working in Gib. Massive expat and quite transitory population here, not just Brits, but lots of nationalities. So if you want an authentic Spanish experience you'd be better looking elsewhere tbh. I don't hear great things about the state schools here. Andalucia has massive unemployment (30%) and no money for schools and healthcare. We pay our own way in these regards and are very happy with our kids school.
Jobs in Gib are not so easy to come by (you don't say what type of work you might be looking for after mat leave), plus as you may have seen in the news, getting in and out of Gib is a real grind.

That said, this is a stunningly beautiful part of the world, fantastic climate, friendly people and a wonderful place to raise a family. Look at Guadiaro, Casares, Castellar, Jimena - these are the more Spanishy towns not too badly overtaken by urbanisations. Santa Margarita is one big urbanisation, like Soto, but that doesn't make them bad places to live.

I guess the only way you'll really know the place is to come here and try it out. Loads of rental properties available. Good luck!

[rrbrigi]

Thanks for your answer.

I am an accountant and I will look for this type of work after maternity leave. The main reason is why I would like my son to go to Spanish school, to pick up the language quickly. He picked up English from non-speaking to the same level as a 5 year old English child within 2 years in the education system. I think this is the best way for him to learn Spanish. I am very good at teaching him at home; he is very clever so I am not afraid he will be behind in school. Also after 2-3 years in Spanish education I will move him to a Gibraltarian school (I know I need to pay for this or move there).

I think we would like a place close enough to Gibraltar to go there to work by electric bike or something like that. However Guadiaro looks a nice village. Do you know anything about Torreguadiaro?