Would you like to move to Spain? Every year, large numbers of expats and immigrants opt for a life abroad on the Iberian Peninsula – oftentimes running into the same troubles. Here is a quick list of do’s and don’ts which you should definitely consider before your move to Spain.
Do try to find an employer in Spain before you actually move, and try to save up as much money as possible. This might sound trivial, but it will make things a lot easier if you move to Spain with an employment contract in your pocket instead of having to look for a job in the middle of the turbulent (and expensive) act of relocating to another country.
Do realize the importance of your decision and its consequences. In most cases, leaving your home country behind and starting a new life abroadis a huge step for everyone, one that changes almost everything about your life in a very short time. Make sure you are ready for this step. You will always have doubts about whether or not you are going to actually manage, or be worried about how things might work out. This is absolutely normal. Try to be as sure of your decision as possible before making it. If you would just like to see what life abroad is like without serious intentions of staying permanently or at least for a couple of years, leaving everything for good and just taking a chance is probably not the wisest idea.
Do prepare as thoroughly as possible. Try to think of everything that you will be confronted with during your new life, be it immigration legislation, the bus schedule in your city, whether or not pharmacies in Spain carry a certain kind of medication you regularly take, or how to dress in the workplace. Preparation is one of the most important aspects of relocating to another country, and living abroad in Spain is no different in this regard.
On to the don’ts: Don’t ever think moving abroad will not be a huge change for you, personally and professionally. Obviously, this is the other side of the “do” above. One of the biggest mistakes expats can make is assume that everything will be just like home. Even if many things in Spain are handled in a similar way to that in your home country, there are hundreds of little pitfalls, traps, and simple misunderstandings that will make everything more complicated if you take things too easy.
Another important don’t: Don’t bring everything, but carefully select what you want to bring. It is useless trying to ship all your belongings over to your new home. Sure, take the things that are most dear to your heart, be it clothing, furniture, books, or records, but also let go of stuff you can easily replace or simply will not need in your new surrounding – and that will surely amount to be a lot. Find out beforehand if everything you are sure you cannot live without is available in Spain, and take that which you think you cannot find a replacement for. On a similar note, don’t just come with just a backpack full of clothes either: buying everything you might need for your household from scratch will be a enormous strain on your budget!
One of the biggest don’ts probably seems very obvious to everyone who has spent time abroad, but is still a regular regret of many newcomers to the expat lifestyle: Don’t assume that English or limited knowledge of Spanish hastily acquired in a weekend course will be enough to get by. True, English is very widely spoken, particularly in business and academia, and has emerged to be the dominant international language in our globalized world. It is also true that the best way of learning a language is picking it up from native speakers. Still, you will always run into the pesky language barrier if you do not thoroughly prepare for your new life abroad by getting some knowledge of Spanish beforehand. This obviously applies to any country in the world; if you do not learn the language, you will never feel truly comfortable and at home.
Making a new home for yourself is everything but simple, but is probably going to be an unforgettable, treasured experience for you – make it a positive one by taking care of the small and large details of it all!
Written by: InterNations
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