Removals to Spain

Education in Spain

Starting School

British families who move to Spain with school-age or pre-school children should register at their town hall, who will advise about schools.

Compulsory schooling starts at the age of 3. Your child either enters the state education system, or is enrolled at a charter school which is a private school run by a religious organisation but funded by the state, or a fee-paying private school. Spanish families place high priority on giving their children a good education; consequently places at private schools are filled well in advance, and there are waiting lists. Parents should contact the school direct to find out what their procedures are.

State schools take children from their catchment area. In rural areas there will often be only one school that serves your village, but in cities there may be several possible schools. Where that is the case parents can specify which school they would prefer, but all applications are submitted to the education department and decisions are made on a points system. For instance, a family living in the same neighbourhood as their preferred school with children already at that school scores more points than a family in an adjacent neighbourhood with no child attending the school. Once all decisions have been made, the administration will write to all the families to inform them which school their child will attend.

Families who move to Spain during the school year should seek advice from the town hall.

Application forms for the state system can be obtained from the education department. You also need a medical statement from your doctor; your child’s vaccinations must be up to date, and you should be able to provide evidence of vaccinations in the UK.

Secondary Education

At 12, children begin the secondary phase of education. At 14 they can choose which subjects to take and which to drop. Upon successfully completion of four years of secondary education they are awarded their ESO (certificate of secondary education, Educación Secundaria Obligatoria). This may take more than four years since failure to make satisfactory progress can mean repeating the year.

Teenagers who have their ESO can move on either to higher secondary education and aim for their bachillerato or baccalaureat, or begin vocational training.

Youth Culture

Of course underage drinking and substance abuse exists in Spain to some extent. The legal age to drink in bars is 18. It should be noted that personal consumption of marijuana is legal in Spain and growing the plant for your own consumption is perfectly acceptable, but dealing or public consumption is illegal. The Spanish government is proactive in monitoring and combating these issues, and it also funds a network of youth organisations to try to provide constructive activities for teenagers.

Fiestas in Spain

Many aspects of the Spanish lifestyle are extremely easy to get used to: the sunshine, the wine and the sangria, the paella, the tortilla and the tapas, and the uplifting rhythms of the bossa nova and the flamenco as the sun goes down and nightlife begins.

Local Fiestas

Some fiestas are location-specific, based on a local legend or a real historical event. A good example of this is San Sebastian, in the Basque country, which holds a festival each January to celebrate their liberation from French rule by Lord Wellington in 1812. If you decide to make Spain your home, you will have plenty of opportunities to explore the regions, find out more about their local traditions customs and history and also discover the landscape and even language which make them unique

Frivolous Fiestas

Some famous Spanish frivolities border on the surreal. There’s a tomato fight, La Tomatina, in Buñol (Valencia) every August, where crowds 10,000 strong gather with the sole purpose of throwing tomatoes at each other. On Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, several places including Madrid stage a colourful fancy-dress event whose centrepiece is a sardine’s funeral.

Summer Celebrations

Spectacular fireworks are a popular feature at fiestas, and probably the most spectacular of all are the ones that light up the skies at the Summer Solstice, when bonfires are lit to celebrate the longest day. This tradition is especially strong in the south of Spain.

Food and Drink Festivals

Seville, the tapas capital of the world, holds its annual tapas festival in February. September is the time when the wine-growing regions celebrate their local specialities. In Catalunya there is Cava week, where you can try Catalan’s answer to Champagne. The Fiestas de Otoño at Jerez de la Frontera, celebrating sherry, horses and flamenco, carry on for three weeks. And in La Rioja, the heartland of Spanish wine, Logroño hosts the Fiesta de San Mateo.

Music Festivals

Among the biggest and best known are Cordoba Guitar Festival, the San Sebastian Jazz Festival, the International Festival of Music and Dance at Granada and the Jerez Flamenco Festival.

Religious Festivals

Many of today’s colourful fiestas have their origins in religion. In a lot of towns, the first festival of the year is on January 5th when the theme of the celebrations is the arrival of the Three Kings; this is a family event with street processions and gifts for the children. Then in April, a traditional way for towns to celebrate Holy Week is with a parade of floats, each depicting a story from the Bible. Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga are particularly noted for their Holy Week celebrations. Alicante stages a representation of the struggles between the Moors and the Christians (Moros y Cristianos).

Healthcare in Spain

The Spanish healthcare system works well, and it is often even possible to find English speaking medical staff. However, before moving to Spain you need to be sure that the costs of future medical treatment will be covered. Spanish healthcare is not free, but individuals who are covered by the State system pay only a small contribution towards the cost, depending on their personal circumstances. UK residents who visit Spain as tourists can obtain medical treatment via their UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), but once you cease being a UK resident, your EHIC is no longer valid.

Contact The UK Authorities Before Leaving

If you are in receipt of a UK retirement pension, the British government will continue to fund your healthcare when you live in Spain. Before you move, you should obtain a form S1 from the UK Department of Works & Pensions Overseas Healthcare Team (0191 218 1999). In Spain, you take this form to the local social security office who will issue a certificate. You present this certificate at your local health centre, who will arrange for you to be issued with a TSI (Tarjeta Sanitaria Individual). This is your Spanish health card, which you will need each time you collect prescriptions or visit the doctor.

If you are going to continue working in the UK whilst living in Spain, you should contact your tax office, who will give you advice based on your individual circumstances.

If you are planning early retirement, you should contact the National Insurance Contributions Agency to check how long the UK government will continue to fund your healthcare if you move abroad. Typically, cover under an S1 may last for around two years, but this will depend on individual circumstances.

Private Health Insurance

If your S1 expires and you do not qualify to join the Spanish system, you will need to take out full private health insurance. Health insurance providers also offer a range of supplementary policies that will, for instance, refund healthcare costs not covered by the State.

Working In Spain

If you are employed or run a business in Spain, you will pay into the Spanish national healthcare system and earn the right to treatment and benefits on the same basis as a Spanish national.

Salaries, working hours, holidays and workers’ entitlements in Spain are regulated by the Government to a far greater extent than in the UK. There are different types of employment contract, from verbal agreements and temporary contracts that provide minimal job security, to indefinite contracts for those lucky enough to obtain them. Employment vacancies are advertised in the press, online and through employment agencies, but many jobs are found through networking. EU citizens are entitled to set up a business in Spain; the simplest way to do this is through a gestor, as the system is fairly complex. Finally, whether you plan to work for yourself or for someone else, good language skills will be a great asset.