How to pack for moving abroad

allandanyways

I'm moving to Spain in three weeks for a year, and I have absolutely no idea how to pack.

I'm going to Valladolid , just north-west of Madrid and even though it's a city, I'm wondering what the hell I'm going to bring with me, having never lived away from home before and also travelling with ryanair and only having 2 suitcases.

Anybody have any advice on packing for living abroad for a year? Obviously I can bring stuff with me when I come home every now and again, but when I move in September, I probably won't be home until the end of October-ish, so need a lot of stuff.

InTheTrees

The biggest shock i had moving to the usa was finding out flats arent furnished.

So do you know what kind of place you'll be staying?

Dr. Greenthumb

You'd be surprised how little you actually need. Spain would be cheaper than Ireland as well I'd imagine so you can pick up so stuff you forget over there.

I went abroad for work with the intention of it being for only 6 weeks so brought one suitcase. I'm still out here 7 months later. I'm in a hot climate though so all i need outside of work clothes is shorts and t shirts.

Lucy Lu

Along with packing clothes and all the necessary items I found taking a lot of pictures with me helped. I took them out of frames and bought new ones when I moved but it was just nice to have some familiar items around me

You really wont need as much as you think you do, I am sure anything you forget will be available to buy nearby

Tom Dunne

Make sure and pack what you actually need - clothes for work, clothes for play, one or two small personal items.

I have been told I don't in fact need my beer fridge, PC, projector or coffee grinder.

regina falangeee

Hi andallandanyways...

jus wondering how the move to spain is goin...

im hopin to make the year move to valencia or alicante in sept 2011 & would love some tips on living & making the adjustment to espanye dailly life..

iv been workin in spain teach for the past 5 or 6 summers but would love some info on autumn/spring & winter spain livin!! appreciate its Villavoid & not valencia.... also if im not 2 cheeky.. why Villavoid?

thanks

number10a

One thing you could do is have some boxes ready at home with the less important stuff, like Box 1, Box 2, Box 3 (you get the idea ) and as long as you know what's in them, you can always ring home and ask for Box 2 to be sent out. It could cost about €50 if the box is heavy enough, but it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than paying Ryanair the excess luggage!!

Having said that though, you will be surprised how little you actually need.

allandanyways

regina falangeee wrote: »

Hi andallandanyways...

jus wondering how the move to spain is goin...

im hopin to make the year move to valencia or alicante in sept 2011 & would love some tips on living & making the adjustment to espanye dailly life..

iv been workin in spain teach for the past 5 or 6 summers but would love some info on autumn/spring & winter spain livin!! appreciate its Villavoid & not valencia.... also if im not 2 cheeky.. why Villavoid?

thanks

Ahh, I don't know if this is the answer you'll be hoping for!

I came home after two weeks, couldn't handle it over there. Basically, it was a nightmare. I hated the school I was supposed to be teaching in (not a case of "give it a chance", it was chronic). If you've been over there teaching already, I presume in the summer it was a language school, then it's probably a different experience, but I was teaching in a secondary school that hadn't had an English Language Assistant for the last 8 years after the last one was given a breakdown by the students. They decided to take a chance this year, it was just awful.

I chose Valladolid because being in Castilla y León, the accent is fairly neutral and there's no other dialects spoken in the region (Like Valencia has Valenciano), so I thought I would greatly improve my spoken Spanish. The problem was, despite me having near-fluency in written and reading Spanish, I couldn't understand a single word people said to me. They speak so, so fast it's not even funny. It was a horrible feeling, literally felt like an alien.

Aside from all of that, I can honestly say that tea was really the only thing I couldn't have gotten out there (I mean I could have, but it wasn't particularly nice). The Corte Inglés has basically everything you could want, and their supermercado is fantastic.

If you plan to go over for the year, you'll have to sort out your NIE which can be a bit of a long process, depending on where you decide to go, so would definately recommend finding out where to go and how to do it before you go over, and do it as soon as you go over. I'd also highly recommend sorting out the job before you go over, maybe get in with the school you've been teaching in already?

Anyway, sorry for the rant. I didn't have the best experience of my life over there but you could. If you've lived in Spain before, you'll be used to the ways and manners of the Spanish and the daily routine (up late, siesta, go to bed very late) so you shouldn't find it too hard to adjust.

regina falangeee

Thanks allandanyways...

you're right i'm kinda used to the ways of life over there so maybe wudnt b as big an issue for me...

but just wondering what you meant by "finding out where to go and how to do it before you go over, and do it as soon as you go over" and "sorting out the job before you go over"...

The school(s) ive been at are not an option really as they ate just summer based schools/ programmes but am hoping for Valencia or Alicante are!!

Im glad 2get any details from ya or anyone on moving to live/ work in spain for a year+ as I cant seem to find ANY info on this site as all of it seems to be Oz/ Nz and more further afield!!

Thanks in advance...

regards.....

allandanyways

regina falangeee wrote: »

Thanks allandanyways...

you're right i'm kinda used to the ways of life over there so maybe wudnt b as big an issue for me...

but just wondering what you meant by "finding out where to go and how to do it before you go over, and do it as soon as you go over" and "sorting out the job before you go over"...

The school(s) ive been at are not an option really as they ate just summer based schools/ programmes but am hoping for Valencia or Alicante are!!

Im glad 2get any details from ya or anyone on moving to live/ work in spain for a year+ as I cant seem to find ANY info on this site as all of it seems to be Oz/ Nz and more further afield!!

Thanks in advance...

regards.....

If you want to work in Spain, you need an NIE (numero de identificación para extranjeros), which is like a PPSN for foreigners living in Spain. You have to get it from the Oficina de Extranjeros wherever you're living. It's a bit like getting a passport, bit of a nightmare.

Sorting out the job before you go over is basically hugely important. English schools and English teachers are in abundance, and the rate of unemployment in Spain is huge (they also don't give nearly as much dole out either) so if you're in the mindset of going over thinking "Ah, I'll get an English teaching job no problem", that's far from the truth.

For the majority of reputable English schools, being able to speak English is not enough. You either need to be recommended on behalf of your university or possess a TEFL or other English teaching qualification (which you probably have, seeing as you've worked in the other schools yeah?)

If you're in college or a recent graduate, I would recommend checking out if the Irish Dept of Education are still doing the English Language Assistant scheme, haven't got a link now but googling should set you right. The British Council have cancelled theirs due to lack of funding, I don't know what the story is for Irish ones.

You could also choose where you want to go and start contacting EOIs (Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas) in the area, they're more like Language Acadamies.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

regina falangeee

So I ave to wait til i get there in Sept 2011 to obtain the NIE??
also I did have on of these NIE's back for the teachin work I did back in Madrid in 2005... Will this suffice or does it change 4m year to year??

I am aware of the jobs situation out there.. but im eternal optimist & it would be a change to the security I enjoy here... Im teachin 5/ 6 years and have a perm job so feel I have to take this chance to take the break as it would be a shame & waste not to use it also really want to come back with much better command of the language and the exp. of 'living' abroad as opposed 2 or 3months durin the summer as its all iv done before!

Yeah Ive a TEFL cert but I really think those are over-rated and the very fact that Im a teacher here for 5years in permanent mainstream capacity is of much more importance & relevance.... also the experience of working within 2/ 3 different schools out there... Madrid, Bilbao etc would also far out weigh any piece of paper: (Tefl cert)

Your posts are extremely helpful & thanks so much4 taking the time to put them up...

when I get a chance Il try to do as much of the things you suggest...
Fair play y gracias.....

hasta luego

allandanyways

regina falangeee wrote: »

So I ave to wait til i get there in Sept 2011 to obtain the NIE??
also I did have on of these NIE's back for the teachin work I did back in Madrid in 2005... Will this suffice or does it change 4m year to year??

Yep, that's grand then. As far as I know, once you get an NIE, that's it for life. Double check with the Departamento de Inmigración or whatever it is but pretty sure if you still have your from 2005, it should be grand.

I am aware of the jobs situation out there.. but im eternal optimist & it would be a change to the security I enjoy here... Im teachin 5/ 6 years and have a perm job so feel I have to take this chance to take the break as it would be a shame & waste not to use it also really want to come back with much better command of the language and the exp. of 'living' abroad as opposed 2 or 3months durin the summer as its all iv done before!

I'm not saying you won't get a job, I'm just saying that it's not as easy as it may seem to just walk up to a school/language academy/university and say "I speak English, do you have any work for me?".

As I said, there's a lot of things like exchanges, for want of a better word, worked out between places that teach English and universities and schools in Ireland, the UK, the USA and Canada and a lot of the jobs in secondary schools and government funded language schools will go to people who go through the Language Assistant scheme in their home countries. There's a lot of competition out there between English speakers for private classes too.

Just a heads up, that's all I'm saying- perhaps contact schools/language schools before you go over to suss out the possibility of getting a job.

I do hope it works out for you, you seem really enthusiastic and ready for it. Suerte

regina falangeee

gracias amigo,,, gracias

que sera, sera pero pienso es muy possible con tu ayuda especialmenté

luego

TO_ARTHUR!

I'm studying spanish and i'm planning on moving to either Madrid or Seville for the summer of 2011. I was just wondering what the craic is with getting a job over there?

allandanyways

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

I'm studying spanish and i'm planning on moving to either Madrid or Seville for the summer of 2011. I was just wondering what the craic is with getting a job over there?

Depends on what kind of job you're looking for. Spain is in a recession too, it's unlikely that you can just "come across" a job. Unemployment rate is worse than here like.

Assuming you're in university, you should ask your department of Spanish if they have links with any language acadamies in Madrid/Seville. There could be summer schools run in the University of Madrid, but as I said to regina falangee, try and sort it out before you go over. When I was in Spain, I met several English and Irish people my age living in Madrid and Salamanca who had gone over on the assumption that they'd just pick up some work, not a hope. If you go through your college, you might have a better chance of getting something in teaching.

TO_ARTHUR!

I'm studying first year arts degree Spanish from beginners level and basically my idea is to go over there for the summer, get a job in a bar or restaurant or the like and pick up a good deal of the language so i'm better prepared for learning it in my second year. Would it be better to do this in a tourist area or someplace else?

allandanyways

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

I'm studying first year arts degree Spanish from beginners level and basically my idea is to go over there for the summer, get a job in a bar or restaurant or the like and pick up a good deal of the language so i'm better prepared for learning it in my second year. Would it be better to do this in a tourist area or someplace else?

Well, if you do it in a tourist area, you're more than likely going to end up speaking English to the tourists like! On the other hand, if you go to somewhere where they speak very little English, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you're just starting from beginners.

I'll probably get slaughtered for saying this, but it's not like the good days a few years ago. It's very hard to just go to Spain and get a job in a bar or restaurant. The Spanish themselves can't even get a job there at the minute.

That all sounds very negative but I'm sure it can be done, it'll just take a bit of work and forward preparation on your part. Ask around, see if other people have done the same thing. Failing that, you could always save up and just go on a months holidays to somewhere non-touristy where you have to speak Spanish, but you don't have to go through the messy work process (One of my friends who just graduated with me did that at the end of 2nd year, went to somewhere near but not in Alicante for a month, where they spoke little or no English, and she found it a great help)

Talk to the Spanish Department, you'd be surprised who they might be able to put you in touch with if you're dead set on going there for the whole summer!

regina falangeee

excellent advice as always anyways.....

just wondering To Arthur... why did u decide either Madrid y Seville...
would def be on for travellin to those cities when/ if i get set up there!!

TO_ARTHUR!

allandanyways wrote: »

Talk to the Spanish Department, you'd be surprised who they might be able to put you in touch with if you're dead set on going there for the whole summer!

Thanks very much for your advice.

Do you know what the craic is with earning declarations and claiming benefits here while you're working there?

regina falangeee wrote: »

excellent advice as always anyways.....

just wondering To Arthur... why did u decide either Madrid y Seville...
would def be on for travellin to those cities when/ if i get set up there!!

My thinking behind moving to Madrid was that it is capital of Spain and therefore a good accent to pick up as opposed to a regional one. My idea behind Sevilla was that a good friend of mine went on Erasmus there and said it was brilliant craic.

allandanyways

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

Thanks very much for your advice.

Do you know what the craic is with earning declarations and claiming benefits here while you're working there?

You mean claiming jobseekers or something whilst working over there? Have a feeling that it's illegal. You wouldn't be living in Ireland, you'd be living in Spain, you wouldn't be looking for a job in Ireland. Ergo, you'd be claiming benefit off the Spanish government and paying taxes to them.

Not sure what the story is for other kinds of benefits if/that you're receiving off the Irish govt. I would question whether you'd be able to receive them or not if you were planning on living away from Ireland for 3 months. I'm not very good at that sort of thing, but I'd ask in your social welfare office.

TO_ARTHUR!

I was thinking that I could get a cash in hand job and claim that while also not telling the feds that i'll be over there at all. I'll be in Spain roughly from end of May/start of June until mid September.

I realize I'm getting a little bit off the point here.

allandanyways

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

I was thinking that I could get a cash in hand job and claim that while also not telling the feds that i'll be over there at all. I'll be in Spain roughly from end of May/start of June until mid September.

I realize I'm getting a little bit off the point here.

Not sure this kind of thing is up for discussion. By right, if you're claiming jobseekers, you have to tell them that you're going on holidays! Tbh, I don't want to get in trouble with the mods or anyone else for that matter, so I'm just going to wish you luck and hope you have a good summer and enjoy the immersion experience! Suerte!

TO_ARTHUR!

Muchas Gracias