SUN, sea and sangria – for a lot of Brits, that’s the dream.
However for Daniel Efford, a British expat who’s spent almost 4 a long time residing in Spain, the fantasy typically clashes with a much more sobering actuality.
In a TikTok video that’s racked up greater than 100,000 views, Efford gives a blunt reality bomb to would-be expats: “It’s good, however not straightforward. Let me clarify.”
READ MORE: Are you an expat or an immigrant in Spain? The Olive Press canvassed the debate on this hot topic
Efford, an operations supervisor for GRSA Worldwide primarily based in La Cala de Mijas on the Costa del Sol, isn’t new to this dialog.
He additionally runs a YouTube channel with good friend and co-host Mark referred to as Life in Spain Unfiltered, the place the pair share their mixed 60 years of expertise navigating Spanish life.
They describe the channel as ‘unfiltered and sincere’, promising to sort out every part from forms to cultural clashes, with ‘nothing off limits’.
His TikTok video strikes a chord with many, significantly these contemplating a everlasting transfer to Spain primarily based on week-long holidays.
“I believe one of many greatest obstacles that individuals have, is that once they come to Spain, they arrive as holidaymakers,” he says.
“They have a look at life from the holidaymaker view and don’t actually contemplate what occurs behind the scenes.”
And it’s these behind-the-scenes realities – coping with Spanish forms, securing secure housing, discovering a job, and studying the language – that always catch new arrivals off guard.
“So they arrive for every week, see the way it works or see the lifestyle, and assume ‘I can do this’. It’s only a mistake,” Efford warns.
For Efford, the important thing to creating a life in Spain isn’t simply good climate or low-cost beer – it’s preparation and perspective.
He urges these pondering of relocating to dig deeper than the seaside bars.
“In the event you’re pondering of transferring to Spain, first you may try what occurs in Spain by asking native folks,” he says.
“Do a little bit of homework, communicate to locals – I’m not speaking in regards to the Brits at your favorite bar – discuss to native Spanish individuals who communicate English or who you’ve been in a position to construct a bond with.”
Efford highlights how the vacationer lens typically clouds actuality.
“We now have this drawback that the vacationer view clouds frequent sense. It clouds it as a result of we see a way of life that we take pleasure in as a result of we’re a vacationer.”
It’s a sentiment that’s echoed throughout the remark part of his video.
One person, who moved to Lanzarote in 2020, shared: “We did our homework. One factor for certain is you don’t need to be residing in tourism areas.”
One other commenter supplied a tip that Efford totally endorses: “The very best factor anybody can do is study the language. An enormous variety of doorways will open to you as an English speaker with Spanish! And also you’ll make associates who will enable you to settle in.”
Efford encourages folks to step exterior the expat enclaves and get to know the day-to-day Spain that isn’t discovered on postcards.
“Speak to the native folks and take note of what they are saying, how they are saying it, the knowledge you’re getting… And never simply from one particular person – hearken to as many individuals as attainable, as a result of there’ll be some scary tales. I can share a number of…”
Regardless of the cautionary tone, Efford isn’t right here to kill the dream – he simply desires folks to enter it with their eyes open.
“You simply have to search out the proper elements for that life to be livable.”
And for some, these elements have already been discovered.
As one TikTok commenter places it: “I completely find it irresistible, the very best transfer we ever made! Visiting the UK now, climate is good however individuals are depressing, struggling financially, retailers run down and so forth. It’s such a disgrace.”
