New2Spain - Live and work in a Spanish city!
Thinking of living, studying or working in Spain? Here you will find everything you need to know about the joys and pitfalls of living in a Spanish city. This site is dedicated to assisting English speakers find their feet in Spain as from our own experience we know about the problems one can experience when they find themselves in a foreign land without the ability to speak the language. From looking for accommodation or work to learning Spanish, you will find everything you need on here. Advice, information, city guides, language assistance and much more..
Why This Site?
The purpose of this site is to create an information and resource centre for people like me who are thinking of either living or working in a Spanish city where free advice can be gained on many aspects and problems you might encounter based on our own experiences. On top of the free advice and info you will find on this site we also offer a range of services that will hopefully allow you to settle here as quickly as possible.
Who are we?
We arrived in Spain with the intention of learning the language and then finding work once the language was up to scratch. Initially the plan was to stay for around 6 months and then head back home to England. As our destination I selected Valencia as I wanted to go to a big city but wanted to avoid Barcelona and Madrid as the cost of renting is quite high in comparison (although still cheaper than most places in England!!). Valencia turned out to be a great choice as it is fast becoming one of the most up and coming cities in Europe. There is so much to see and do here and for the moment prices on property remain fairly cheap (but expect to see prices rise as the city becomes more popular).
When I arrived here I spoke very little Spanish and knew nobody. I came armed with a very heavy suitcase and the intention of finding an apartment but initially I began my adventure spending a few nights in a hostel (there are many in Valencia). The hostel was great as the place was full of travellers most of whom were able to speak English so I managed to get some advice of where to begin my quest for finding an apartment. It seemed that the best way to find somewhere was to take a wander along the streets and take note of some of the adverts that people had stuck to trees and lampposts so this is what I did..
The best place to look was around the student area of the city, however usually you will only find notices advertising rooms in flats to share whereas I needed a flat to myself. The other option was to head for an estate agent but straight away you will cost yourself a months rent in estate agent fees so unless you are desperate avoid this course of action. In the end I did manage to find somewhere. Through sheer fortune I met an English student who was leaving her flat the next day but if it wasn't for her I don't know what I would have done. I expect I would have had to go bite the bullet and gone through the agents but even this would have been difficult with my very limited Spanish!
So hopefully travellers to Spain will see this as a useful resource. Check out the site here... www.new2spain.com
Dan Carwardine
admin@new2spain.com
22 November 2005
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