Moving to Tenerife
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain.
Are you fed up with cold damp weather even during the summer months?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a country with all
year round sunshine?
Is it your ambition in life to relocate to Tenerife?
If so Love Tenerife can help you through the process of relocating to Tenerife, providing you with hints and tips on what to bring and what not to bring.
Once you have made that decision to sell up and move to Tenerife you will probably be wondering ´where do I start´, ´what should we take with us´, what don’t we need to take with us´, ´how much money will we need´, and ´how do we get the best exchange rates´. At Love Tenerife we are able to help answer those questions and many more besides.
First things first, if you have a property to sell before you can relocate to Tenerife put it up for sale and have a good clear out. Car boot sales are a great way of turning unwanted items around the home into cash, especially children’s toys they no longer play with and clothes that they have grown out of. Have a good clearout of everyone’s clothes as you won’t need those thick woolly jumpers once you relocate to Tenerife. The classified ads in local newspapers are a great way of selling bulky items of furniture and electrical equipment.
You may be wondering whether its worth having all your household items shipped over, and that will depend on your circumstances If you intend to buy property in Tenerife before you relocate to Tenerife then it may well be worth thinking about, but if you have to rent property in Tenerife before you buy then we would advise against shipping your goods as most rental property is fully furnished.
What do you do with the car? Having a car shipped to Tenerife can be costly and time consuming due to the paperwork involved and if your car does arrive in Tenerife safely you can only legally drive it for 6 months before you have to have it re-registered. New cars in Tenerife are approximately 10% cheaper than in the UK. Our advice would be to sell it unless you really can’t part with it.
Young children adapt very quickly to new surroundings but it would be wise to let them bring a few of their favourite toys to help them settle.
It is really important that you bring with you Birth Certificates for each member of the family, Marriage Certificate, (Divorce Certificate if applicable), passports obviously! And any other personal documentation that is important to you or may be required once you have relocated to Tenerife. If you have children who need to attend school in Tenerife you will need all their school reports and at least their last year’s school work.
Don’t forget you will need to cancel bills such as contents and building insurance polices, TV licence and any other bills that will no longer be required once you have relocated to Tenerife.
There is little point in applying for work in Tenerife while you are still in the UK. Employers won’t take you seriously, but it does no harm to look on the internet at what jobs are available on the island. Jobs are varied and although there is a lot of bar work and waiter/waitressing jobs, there are other jobs that don’t necessarily require you to speak Spanish although a little knowledge of the language can help.
If you want to run your own business in Tenerife there are different ways in which this can be achieved. The simplest of these to be autonomo´ which is similar to the sole trader status in the UK. If you work for yourself it is you who is responsible for paying your tax and social security. Social security payments are currently 238.00€ per month.
If you do choose to work for yourself it is highly recommended that you employ the services of a Gestor to oversee the legal paperwork.
If you have school age children and want them to continue in an English education there are several schools to choose from, it is recommend that you make contact with the schools before you relocate to find out whether they have places available and the cost. As a rough guide you can expect to pay around 85€ per subject per month for secondary education.
Some of the Schools that provide a British education in the south of Tenerife are:
Britannia School, Los Cristianos (Secondary Education)
www.britanniaschoolonline.com
Wingate, Cabo Blanco (Nursery, Primary and Secondary)
www.wingateschool.com
English Education Centre, Golf del Sur (Nursery, Primary)
www.englishedcentre.com
Whether you send your children to an English language school or Spanish school the following documents will be required before admission:
NIE
Birth Certificate
School Reports
Medical Vaccination Card
Passports
Photographs of each child
A full Birth Certificate showing the fathers name
Spanish schools may request that all documents are translated into Spanish.
Here are some good reasons why people move to Tenerife:
The relaxed way of life in Tenerife helps to diminish the stresses and strains of a hectic lifestyle and the warm weather soon relieves the aches and pains brought on by damp weather.
Tenerife is situated just off the coast of Africa and so enjoys warm temperatures throughout the year, so while your friends and family back in the UK are snuggled in front of the fire throughout the winter you will be enjoying the sunshine and relaxing on the terrace in the evenings, enjoying a drink with new friends.
The cost of living in Tenerife is lower than in the UK. Mortgage rates are lower; petrol is cheaper as is tobacco and alcohol and often there are no heating costs. A weeks shopping for a family of four at the local Spanish supermarket costs less than in the UK.
Tenerife is only a 4 hour flight from the UK; with low cost airlines providing regular flights to and from the UK you can book a flight today and be back in the UK tomorrow (if you really want to!!).
If you really can’t live without British TV, there are several companies on the island who offer packages at very reasonable prices so no need to worry about missing your favourite soaps. British newspapers and magazines are also available.