If you are a British expat with the intention of relocating to Spain then you should be prepared to travel to Spain before planning on relocating there. Knowing the country and their way of life is very important for British expats if you intend to move to Spain and live your life in the country. You will fit into the community if you learn their language; do not expect everyone to speak English. There will come a time when you are out and about and need to speak to a local but if they don't speak Spanish you will be stuck. Your car may break down or you might get lost in your travels. Whatever the reason there will be a time when you will need to speak Spanish. Learning a few phrases is ok for a holiday in Spain or a brief trip but if you intend on relocating permanently and becoming part of the Spanish community then learning the language is a must. There are many evening courses you could attend as well as online courses or cd-roms which can teach you Spanish.
British expats that chose to travel to Spain before planning the huge upheaval of relocating might like to consider some of the following:
Region - You should check out all the different regions as some might offer more than others. You could write a pros and cons list of what each region or town offers. If you have some 'must haves' in your itinery of what you expect the area to have this region this will be very useful. For instance you may want to be a 5 minute walk/drive from the beach, or you may want to live in a small village/town. You might like to be very close to an airport. All of this need to be considered before you starts looking for a property.
Jobs - You should consider the type of jobs being offered to British expats like yourself. Will you be able to find work in your chosen field? You might need to retrain or at least learn the language as mentioned above.
Schools - If you have children you will need to find out what the schools are like and the location of them. You might wish that the school has many other British expats as students. You should ask around for the opportunities being provided by the schools to immigrants such as incentives and scholarship programs that are available for British nationals.
Hospitals - You need to determine where the local hospitals are in the region. You will fine the Spanish hospitals very good and shouldn’t be worried about the health care. The only problem you will encounter with hospitals in Spain is the language. This is another reason why learning to speak Spanish is a must. You don't want to move out to Spain and then all of a sudden come down with some illness only to get to hospital and not be able to speak to the doctors and nurses. This will make their job harder and could affect the health care you receive. If you can tell the doctor in details about your health concerns this may leave to being wrongly assessed and treated.
