i am looking to relocate in november 2013 with wife and 2 adult sons.looking for long term let with 3 bedrooms.also looking for work.any info grateful.

In a nutshell? Forget it. Seriously, forget it. For at LEAST 4 years.

Why.

Unemployment is, realistically around 45%...cost of living here is higher now than the UK...and there are 5 people for every job...if there IS one. And there are still a few who have stayed on here in the hope of surviving...and many of those have no option, if they are property owners. Because they will have employment 'history' here, why would an employer risk giving work to an unknown quantity, when he can employ somebody who is well known here?
You would be lucky to get a six month contract, which is what is required to be able to draw the pittance known as 'unemployment benefit'....and it is almost impossible to save enough during the summer for the long winter if you DO get work...and there is virtually NOTHING available during the Winter.
Generally speaking, the average take-home pay here is around 850-1000 euros a month, often for 72 hour weeks.
It gets cold here in the Winter, and you will have to pay for heating etc, which is expensive. A bottle of butane gas is around 16 euros, and having it on for the evenings at LEAST will use up bottles like there is no end.
A family of four adults will cost around 1200 euros a month to keep, NOT including entertainment and travel during the Winter...so you must save a MINIMUM of 7000 euros during the summer, to get through the Winter.

Some people might choose to argue with these figures, but I am only trying to give you a realistic picture of the expense of living/working in Salou.

There are many who have been here for years, and have given up and returned to the UK now, because it simply isn't cost effective to live here as an ordinary worker.
As a result of these circumstances here, Landlords will be very reluctant to let their properties longterm, simply because of the uncertainty of renters being able to afford to pay the rent and other associated costs of living. They will probably ask for a very hefty down-payment in advance, to cover themselves against failure to pay during the Winter.
There are landlords here who have taken a chance and rented out their properties, only for the tenants to default....and then face up to 5 years trying to evict them...and the bills continue to mount up.

Anyway...I apologise if it appears I am being rather pessimistic...but then, if it turns out not as bad as I predict...then you will be happier than if I DIDN'T...and things went pear-shaped for you.
Good luck and best wishes to you in your decisions.

Hello,
I have spent the last 20 years working in spain, and living in Salou..
I feel your opinion is unjustified "local"..
With the greatest respect you should be welcoming people to come and live and work in Salou. I have lived and worked here for 20 years and never had to seek any spanish benefits,winter and summer.
The gentleman who opened the topic may have more skills and experience than both of us.
Have you realised this may be this families dream???
There is employment for people who want to work..
Check out http://www.enalquiler.com/
This is a great website for longterm apartments..
Best of luck to you and Mr "Local"..

Dennis.... your best asset is that there is four of you. You can share an apartment and bills between you. It is also your biggest disadvantage as it means you are looking for four jobs. I would forget about finding a job October to May. That leaves you 5 to 6 months to earn enough between four of you to get you through the Winter. You have not mentioned any UK savings you might have which will also help.
The climate is excellent for most of the year and on 25th December 2012 the temperatures went over 20c. Thats like Christmas in Australia!
If you can make it work then the best of luck to you

Hi Dennis i like kimberly have been here over twenty years,ignore local as hes overly pessemistic.We are in desperate need of new people to fill local jobs during the summer season as a large percentage of the community are unemployable and only get jobs as there is a shortage of honest hard working people.
Summer season is 1st of may to 31st october usually you get a 6 month contract which entitles you to 430 euros a month for the 6 months nov to april.Most decent employers will give you an end of season bonus of about 1400 euros which is a legal entitlement if on a 6 month full time contract.
If you work in a restaurant you will get a meal and tips as well.Work is usually 8 or 9 hours a day 6 or 7 days a week for around 1200 per month. These are general guidelines that you need to clarify with your employer before starting work as some employers bend the rules.
Salou can get cold in the winter even though we have some great weather and is very quiet .You can get a modern 3 or 4 bed apartment with central heating and air con in salou for around 500 to 600 as prices have dropped in recent years, agood area is around calle tarragona.
There is very little work in the winter unless you have a useful trade like carpenter, electrician, plumber,builder then you will find a few jobs.I reccomend you come over early febuary time thats early enough to get to know the place ,make friends and get some jobs sorted for the summer without denting your finances to much.Good cooks/chefs are always in high demand.Anyway look forward to seeing you and best of luck.

I am all for differing opinions, and welcome the other comments.
Of course, you are free to ignore my points...but I would have thought it best to be informed of the worst possibilities,rather than gloss over them as 'another local' has done.
1200 euros bonus at the end of the season? In many peoples' experience, the Bosses will divide that up into 6, and add it to the monthly wage to enhance it. So they knock 200 euros a month off the real salary...and then add the 200 euros on to make it look good...but without the 'bonus' at the end of the season. So that 1200 euros a month is really 1000 euros..plus the 'bonus' spread over the six months, and nothing at the end of the Season.

Central heating and aircon. Is that included in the rent, along with other energy requirements...or is it an 'extra' that has to be paid by the renter?
Honest question: I have never rented an apartment here, and honestly don't have personal experience. But people I know, who HAVE rented long-term, have commented that they have to pay for energy used on top. Something that should be cleared up before signing an agreement.
Unfortunately Mr. Mirren didn't explain anything about what he is qualified to do, or his wife and sons. AV is quite right in saying having 4 wages coming into one apartment greatly enhances the prospect of being able to save enough for the Winter months: but as AV said...that is FOUR Jobs to find. Not forgetting that you need to have 15 years FULL YEAR contracts in order to claim a Spanish pension...that means 30 years in reality, because Salou usually only provides 6 months, or half a year, contributions.
No mention of languages spoken etc. Of course people can, and do, live in Salou without speaking or understanding basic Spanish, let alone Catalan.
But that was in the days when the majority of Jobs were working for a British employer...not so many around now.
It may well be the Family's dream, Kimberley...but it could also be a nightmare. THAT is why I tried to be as 'hard' on them in my comments as I did, because I don't know what they would be giving up to come here: and to risk losing it all.
Sure there are people in Salou who don't really have ANY skills, and yet get work. But sometimes, that is due to the Owners being prepared to take them on, and then get rid of them when somebody else comes along...and then doing the same to THEM. It is all about paying as little as possible for as much as possible. Yep, that is business....and it can be pretty harsh, and unfair.
So... I hope Dennis understands what the risks are for both himself and his family.
And one more thing, 'another local'.
February has been and gone...and although sound advice if given for the NEXT year, (and I always advocate that)... he wants to come in November THIS year.. So...I guess you meant postponing arriving until next February Just sounds a bit risky EVERYBODY coming at once...better for one person to come, sound everything out...maybe even take a cheap holiday THIS year to scout around?
Kimberley: congratulations upon your endeavours and success...I am SURE you will agree that your success story is FAR from typical.
PS. High unemployment inevitably results in income deflation...if somebody comes here asking for 1500 euros a month..and there are 4 other people who could do just as good a job and only want 1000 euros a month (out of desperation to work, usually)...guess who gets the job? In a temporary employment environment, nobody gets to command what they want...they can only accept what they are offered.

Thanks to everyone for their input on me and my family looking to relocate to salou area.local gives some negative advice but I have been holidaying in la pineda every year since 1993 so I know the area and we class it as home we are happy when their.we have made many friends in la pineda and salou over the years.I would not be coming over with nothing.I would be making sure we had enough to cover rent for a year giving us time to get settled.I receive disability benefit weekly so we are assured an income.my wife and oldest son have just been made redundant after years of working as professional cleaners so they have experience.my other son is just about to pass his diploma in ad min and I-t.so he would have qualifications.we are not daft in thinking we will walk straight into jobs but will not be for lack of trying.if we want to make this new life we are not silly in thing everything will easy but it is what we want to are willing to make it work.I appreciate all the comments especially the positive ones as they have been really helpful.we have done a lot of homework already so are not coming into this with our eyes shut.we plan to move in November as my son's college will be done.so that is giving us 6 months to get settled and look for work.again thanks for all comments me and my family appreciate them .

Hello, For the Attention of "another Local"
Myself and my partner are moving to Salou next week would it be possible to email you direct with a few questions?
Thank you

Admin and 'IT-tech' in Spain?? Professional cleaners?

I agree with 'Local', to be honest. There are a legion of Spanish people who could, and WILL, do this type of work...AND speak Spanish too. You will find it VERY tough to compete with the Spanish who are desperate for Jobs.

Think hard, before embarking on this 'venture'.

Hi Dennis, Ive lived here for ten years and I love the area. However, the winters I have spent here I have seen my savings dwindle and there is NO work from Nov to April/May.

You may prefer to keep your UK base and spend part of the year here relaxing.

The weather is certainly milder than the Uk but you still need the heating on during the winter and its always extra to the rent price.

Its not as cheap to live here as the Uk there are no Buy one get one free offers in the supermarkets so your food bills will be higher.

Same with utilities and mobile phones - No real deals to be had.

If you dont speak Spanish or Catalan you may feel a bit isloated in the winter as most ex pats go elsewhere for a few months.

Regarding the person who said the wages were 1500 per month can you please let me know of these vacancies??

Every job Ive had since 2002 has paid the same paltry nomina of around 1000€. No bonus. No holiday pay. Often not even a contract. (I am fluent in Spanish and French)

I can manage on that as its just me to look after.

Most admin jobs require Spanish/Catalan and often Russian or German languages too (for that low wage) around Salou and Tarragona.

In Barcelona, which is commutable - the wages are higher and there are several decent IT and Admin job websites to look at but you will be out of the house from 06.30am to 21.30pm due to the train timetable. Oh and it will cost you 8.20€ EACH WAY.


I back original LOCALs post - its not as easy to make a go of it as it was ten years ago and many SKILLED expats are leaving Salou - in droves.

Hi, I really don't think we should forget that this is just a recession and every1 is feeling it, but it's not the end of the world, far from it, you have just as much chance of thriving here as you do in Britain!!!! If not more, in Britain the British spirit is low but as ex-pats it's much higher, if we come up with good ideas and good quality services then we can survive, stop getting so glum about it and put your thinking caps on, bollox to the recession, promote Salou as I do and Salou will thrive.

Big Carl :-)

That is an admirable attitude to adopt; but we have to bear in mind we depend mostly on the amount of financial 'freedom' of other people in other Nations.

WE can't control that, and therefore no matter WHAT brilliant ideas we come up with to provide excellence in the services we provide...we need clients with enough disposable income/capital to fund those services.

When that catchment área shrinks to the level already prevalent in Europe, AND beyond, we begin to have to compete with a market área which is already geared up to service that catchment área of relatively'wealthy' people. Those áreas have already established their 'excellence' of service: a service which requires a lot more funding than the typical 'package holiday' amenity that Salou has depended on for so long.
Establishment of the type of infrastructure required to keep those clients happy is financially out of reach of Salou, and has been for a long while.

This type of infrastructure requires vast amounts of available and liquid assets to set it up. Salou simply doesn't have that scale of capital to invest, and is even LESS likely to be able to build UP that level of fiscal power. And when we are competing with financially 'rich' entities such as Port Aventura, who will obviously resist 'sharing' its clientele that sustains it with Salou, we will remain impoverished neighbours.
Perhaps the reality that Port Aventura will NOT enrich Salou as well as Port Aventura is finally hitting home.
We must develop an excellence of amenities which will entice their customers away from their amenities, and spend money in greater levels than is currently happening.
Salou needs UNITY and CO-OPERATION of and between Businesses...NOT petty
'one-upmanship' and ego battles. Maybe then a condensed and unified powerbase/capital can start to set things in motion.

Salou is tired and worn out and OLD-FASHIONED, and NOT very appealing to anybody above the 'package holiday' mentality it relies upon currently, and has done for decades.
And that 'package holiday' market of clients has been the hardest hit by the fiscal crisis in the Western World.
Salou can no longer rely upon the Marketing Stratagies of the Package/All Inclusive Companies of the UK and other Nations,when they DON'T specify destinations, and focus on them. Salou is just another Little christmas tree in a vast forest of Pines.

Salou need to unite the businesses which depend upon Tourism from Europe: to créate a financial strength and resource will can independently market SALOU...not the whole of the 'Sunshine' venues of Europe.

Set up a strong and well-financed resource which can afford the TV adverts focussing uniquely and specifically upon what Salou can offer...and also grow and develop Salou independently. And not waste those assets on fly-by-night out-of-town rags such as the one which appeared overnight, and disappeared just as quickly, a couple of years ago. The amount of capital which was feverishly poured into their coffers could have provided a potent sales advertising campaign FOR SALOU, BY SALOU. Instead, it just vanished into the coffers of a Company which couldn't give a **** about Salou, but was more concerned with reaping a quick buck at our expense.

Where in this thread has anyone mentioned 1500 per month wages

Do you think its wise to advertise that your on disabilty benifits and want to relocate to spain and so you will have a weekly income from that. Also looking for work.
Please be adviced i could be anyone looking through these blogs and come across such things,
Its been known in the past how cunning the uk goverment can be.
Am just saying be careful of what you write in these blogs
All the best for the future salou is a lovely place have been going there each year for years and a;ways enjoy it there

best regardas

I appreciate your comments.but I would not be looking for work.it would be my wife and 2 sons who would be looking for work.aim not that silly.moving to a warmer climate is for benefit of my health.seem to getting no joy though.

I've been following this post and I'd just like to add my opinion. I agree with many comments with regards to the viability of moving to Salou with a view to some of you earning a living. However great a place it is for a holiday, living there is a totally different proposition. The reality is, Salou has a 6 month season at best...this gets shorter every year. The tour operators now give such good deals for all inclusive, it takes away any chance of a business earning enough to carry them through winter. However, that's another issue. What I would like to advise is to try the Costa del Sol. I understand that you know and enjoy Salou but I really don't think it's the place to go to try to start a new life. The Costa del Sol is a 12 month season with an especially busy summer season. You'll have far better prospects in the long term. Before anyone has a go, I am speaking from experience. I lived in Salou for 3 years before realising that it's had it's day as a resort. I do hope that Salou can turn around it's fortunes but with the combination of Port Aventura and All Inclusive deals, I'm not optimistic. Come join us in the south. I'm not saying the streets are paved with gold...but they are paved.

Where in the south sounds intresting.I would like to add salou still has many thriving british /irish owned businesses its just alot of the less professional ones that are struggling and those in a poor position.There has been alot of locals aquire new businesses in the last 12 months as well as the poorer managed ones closing.

"All Inclusive" in a nutshell "It brings the people into the resort" it is then down to the local businesses to up their game and give those people something to enhance their stay.
The problem is not "All Inclusive" it is just the fact that many owners are too lazy to think up a solution and prefer to lay the blame on the tour operators.
As Andy mentioned "poorly managed" All Inclusive brings the people in, its up to others to use this golden opportunity to take advantage.

Andy, I'm in Nerja now. I've been here for the last 9 years since leaving Salou. It's not a better or worse place to be for lifestyle - just very different. Couldn't agree more with the comments suggesting that the hard working succesful business owners are still doing okay, they always will. But with the closure of many businesses which couldn't ride out the bad times comes the reduced number of job opportunities for everyone. Whichever way you look at it, All Inclusive does not do any favours to any business, successful or not. The fact is many families are on a budget and will not pay for goods or services elsewhere which are already included in their package...why would they pay again when that was the purpose of booking All Inclusive ? It's not really a business plan to rely on hotels not providing a good service. As I said previously, I don't want to start an argument and I am speaking from experience. Just thought I'd add my thoughts - nobody needs to take any action based upon them ! Good luck for this season to all in Salou

Hi Dennis. Have you made any plans yet ? I do hope we didn't put you off coming to Spain !

Where would you recommend to go and live/work in the costa del sol.
cheers.

Wonder if they ever came?

I believe that with regards to his disability that they have not moved as the British Government stop Benefits once you have been out of the country for several months. However you still need to inform them unless it's a holiday other wise it would be seen as fraud.

hello kim.

i am glad to see that you welcome people to come and work, live in salou. its such a beautiful location. i come here every september for 10 days holiday with my gay partner. we are getting married in 2017 and would love to live permanently in salou. we are hoping to move next april 2016. do you have any advice, how to find jobs? or apt in salou or not to far from salou. we are hoping to drive there so we will have our own car.

perhaps maybe we might meet for a coffee in sept this year.

regards
brian and greg

hi Dennis and every one else here.

here is my email address. could any body get in touch with me in regards to where is good to get apt to rent and work. myself and mypartner would love to move to salou permanently.

brianberry@live.ie

i can cook very well, i can also do pr, i can do bar work, i can do some kitchen cleaning. but would prefer to come on board and help run the business, i dont know any spainish and would be difficult for em to learn due to a slight hearing loss. but im good with people. i also have a business management certificate. can be a manager/supervisor.

hope ye have something for me

regards
brian

Hello to everyone on this forumn i am moving to Salou on August 15th i have work lined up in barcelona with an events company i have worked for here however i would love to find an english landlord who has some property to rent for a few months whilst i find my feet.

I really love the place and on my last visit i met a lady and we clicked and i have decided to move to Salou. I have looked at a few places but i would prefer to speak directly with an expat and would feel alot more confident.

If ANYONE has any info for me please either get me on here / facebook "Paul CT" or email me at pct81@icloud.com

I would really appreciate any help as somewhere to live is the final piece of the puzzle for me and i want to sort everything before i go

Thanks again

Paul

Hi guys

I live in Salou towards the Cambrills in a loveley apartment on the beach. Just a word of warning, there is so much unemployment there now and my apartment was broken in to. Then attempted break in again, then my van. This is a busy area and there are people around all the time but it didn´t stop them.

I am now looking for a 4 bedroom apartment in the centre for a long term rent, if anyone can point me in the right direction let me know.

Kind regards,

Adam