New members of the Gibraltar forum, introduce yourself here

I'm not all that new but am new enough 

I'm Zoe - originally from the UK and now live in Spain and work in Gibraltar.
I moved out here in October 2013 and am very much enjoying myself so far... though I'm sure when the better weather rolls round I will be happier still!
I lived in Madrid for two years as well and am lucky enough to be an ex-pat twice over now.

I have a cat called Dave and live with my partner. Still finding my feet here and am always open to meeting new people 

Hi guys,

I'm Lisa (but I much prefer Leese!) I recently turned 26 and I'm stuck in rainy England! My dream right now is to get out of here and move onto sunnier ground.

I fell in love with Gibraltar after visiting a couple of times. I know living somewhere is much different than visiting as a tourist, but I met quite a few people in Gib who came from the area I live in and absolutely love it there. One has been there for 16 years and never looked back.

I'm currently at a point in my life where I know that if I don't at least try, I'll regret it in the future. I'd hate to look back 5 or 10 years from now and wonder "what if....?" I'd much rather give it a go and have it not work out than not try at all.

Having said that, I'm not going into this recklessly. I know that the best way for me to go about it is to live in La Linea and try to find work in Gibraltar. I'm saving up some money by putting in all the overtime I can at work so that I can get out there sometime this year and see what I can do.

I have a lot of experience in customer service and call centre work, and previously worked in a bar, but I know that the job market isn't that great for people who only speak one language, so I'm not going to be picky when it comes to jobs. I have an advanced grasp of Dutch after living in Holland for a year and a half, but since I haven't used it in 10 years, I'm far from being fluent these days.

Still... it's good to have goals and dreams, right?
i look forward to learning more about living in Gibraltar and the chances I'll have of succeeding.

Hi all

New to the forum.
Looking at relocating to gib or nearby , really struggling to find any good sites etc for current job searching for the area .
Any hints and tips would be fantastic.
Quick question
I take it most x pats live outside gib and travel into it or actually are lucky enough to live and work in gib ?

Hi, we are new    We are definately moving to Gib in the next future. Actually, we are researching about living there. All the best for everyone! Kasia & Abdelhadi

Hi
Are you retiring to gib or working

Hi I am Gavin I am a ex British Army soldier. After 14 years in the infantry specialising in communications I left and I am now a qualified data/telecoms engineer looking to get into IT.

I visited Gibraltar with the army in 2000 for exercise and loved the place and people. Now hoping that myself and my fiancé can eventually move to Gib for a new start to our lives.

Hi Guys

I am looking to relocate to Gib... need as much help as one can get!!

I grew up on the Costa Blanca ( good old Benidorm!) I attended a Spanish state school for a few years where I picked up the language.

Finally persuaded my partner Dave to up sticks and move abroad as he had never been to Spain until 2 years ago, was going to move to Marbella and a few days before we was going to get on a flight out of the UK...boom..job offer he had went to pot no more Spanish dreams so after 2 years of convincing him again and mending my broken heart of not coming back to Spain we are on the hunt for a secure job.. if anyone can help us it would be hugely appreciated.

I am looking for any job that includes office/admin/online gambling etc...
Dave is looking for a bar job preferably in management 8 yrs experience in running a bar.

The move out to Gib is so my daughter (7) can experience what I had growing up as in England you don't live....

So if anyone can help us or know anything to help us move out quickly yet responsibly please let us know...

Thanks in advance

Rach & Dave

Hi Im Heidi Almonte, from Guernsey, another small friendly Island.

I recently moved to Gibraltar & loving it, so nice to see blue skies and sunshine in winter, despite some thinking its cold! 

I love dancing, especially Salsa & Bachata Dancing (Ive taught with World Champtions).
I am also really passionate about complementary therapies, as they have changed my life so much for the better, especially Tapping, Reiki & Energetix Magnetic Jewellery. 

I am privileged to work with all I love, so lucky that now Im working in the sunshine aswell

I would love to meet more people here in Gib -
Come and say Hi at Ocean Village Market Sundays 11am - 5pm -
Im the 1 with the happy smile and the shiny blue table clothe.

Heidi Almonte

Hi ,

My house is in Cancelada Estepona for the moment.
I ll try to come to the market soon.
Glad you love Gib.
My family is from Gib but I was born in international Tangier.
Take care and nice to read you.

Allan.

Hi

My names Andy and I now loathe the UK with its feckless politicians and cold winters. I intend to retire to somewhere warm and with a decent healthcare service.

Hi all I'm currently learning Spanish (struggling) living here in the West Midlands I love gibralter and have been there many times I work as an hgv mechanic does anyone now if there is much need for my profession in gib atm ? I will probably be living in la línea when I am finally able to make the move however on my last trip I found the place slightly hostile. What are your honest opinionon this?  Thanks in advance nuffz

Not hostile enough to deploy Typhoons I hope..

Hi,

Contemplating a move to Gib which I see as a halfway step to a future retirement (10 years plus) to Spain and whose climate would be kinder to my joints. It is also propelled by my desire to learn yachting, scuba diving and spanish. Those are the pull factors.

There are no great 'push' factors such as thinking that GB has gone down the plughole and I don't see Gib as some kind of utopia or haven. At least, I don't think I have unrealistic expectations but I could be deluded.

I have been in the regular Armed Services and found the station environment to be suffocating so I am wary of small town life in case it has that kind of nosey claustrophobia but I know I could be comparing apples with pears, its just something worth bearing in mind as I've usually lived in cities so its a big adjustment.

Also, having been English/Welsh and lived in Scotland, I am aware of how national pride, which I admire in the Scots, can tip into prejudice, discrimination and bigotry.  I don't see these as potential issues in Gib but do think its worth considering them as risks. We are the types to get stuck in, try new things, explore and mix.

Not sure whether my partner is fully onboard but is certainly going to do some research in the area. One of their anxieties as a cinephile, keen gig goer and fine diner is whether Gib might be a cultural desert when it comes to their interests but there's much more research needed before their worries are proved to be unfounded. I feel anything that is 'lacking' in this area at all can probably be found over the border, plus we are on a mission to learn Golf so would be well placed to take this up along the spanish coast.

My partner found Gib to be overwhelming white but this isn't something that I find peculiar but they had a much more mixed upbringing and the multi-culturalism they feel is absent at the surface level, I just see in a different light as clearly there is a good mix of Spanish and British and Gibraltan, plus many different nationalities.

One of the things we were horrified  about is that Civil Partnerships are not currently recognised though we are aware that it is about to change. Currently the island also has no legal protections against LGBT discrimination in the provision of goods and services  or governing crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity.  Many of the same-sex laws around consent, marriage, adoption and so forth came about a good decade after their implementation in the rest of Britain and seemingly sometimes parliament just had to adopt measures because of pressure from the UK or because the judicial system came to a decision that they could not ignore, so that's not very positive. We find this attitude very dinosaurish and wonder if it expresses itself in other policies and attitudes, in different areas.

We are graduates with software testing (fluent in spanish) by my partner and project management support experience from me so would be suited to the online gaming industry. However, I would probably prefer a general administrative position rather than the full-on corporate project office work that I've done to date, think I would like to work in a less pressurised role in a smaller company rather than another big corporation.

From my very basic research, it looks like admin jobs can be hard to get  but I would be extremely flexible about the type of work I seek though there is seemingly strong competition for vacancies from the spaniards over the border.

We are in the fortunate position to be able to buy property in Gib but would rent at the outset before putting down more long-term roots. Despite living in London in the past and other major cities, and appreciating the population pressures versus infrastructure supply that causes high prices, it is a shame to have to shell out sums for a pokey flat there when we've enjoyed houses for similar prices but that's life.

I've browsed the possibility of living in Spain and working in Gib but obviously appreciate that the trade off is queuing at the border, not having access to Gib healthcare and potentially having demands placed to pay tax/healthcare in Spain.

So lots more research needed before taking a go/no-go decision.

Hi everyone!

My partner & I are wanting to move to Gibraltar. We both have good jobs here in the UK but we just love being on rock.  So much that we visit there at least 3 times a year.

I work in I.T. Support, management & development and my partner claire works for a medical software company. 

With our savings I think we could live (in la linea) easily for over 12months as I'm thinking it would be easier to find a job in Gibraltar if we was local.

Anyway we'll probably see you in Casemates soon.

Peter

Hello,

I moved to Gibraltar with my husband in April because I got a job here. We absolutely love it, but we are a bit miffed that BBC iPlayer has stopped working.

Andrew

Just thought I would pop on here and say hi.

I am thinking about moving to Gibraltar next year to work.. I work in I.T. so there seems to be quite a few jobs over there that I could apply for.. plus the wages are about the same.

Anyway so signed up on here maybe to get some more info over the next few months,.

Hi
im wayne
left uk in july2011
work in gib and lived there for a short while before deciding to live just over the border
i love the sunshine and the beach and bbqs dont miss uk at all(well maybe going to football but thats it)
hi everyone by the way!

Apologies - think I originally posted this in the wrong thread.

Quick paragraph to introduce myself. I lived in Gib in the early 80's & have always had a hankering to go back - our plan is to move out there when I retire (4-9 years time depending on how things pan out). We found a house there recently & the vendor accepted the offer but even though we are putting down a substantial deposit, we can't find any lender that will lend on the house in Gib whilst we are still living in the UK!

Looking forward to hearing everyones experiences on living in or moving to the Rock!

Hi kerryjaggs

Welcome to the forum

I would advise you to post your employment question under a separate new topic as this thread is for introductions

Regards

Grumpy

Move to Gibraltar with a job. First challenge is to find an accommodation. Studio, shared flat, room rent £400-500.
Cheers
Iftek

Hi all, new to this but here goes. Recently left UK and travelled down europe. Now in south Spain with a little bit more travelling to do in portugal. My plan soon is too settle in Gibraltar or over the border and get a adult nursing job. There it is. Anyone know of a relatively cheap place to live. :-)
Jacky

Male professional taken job at Gibraltar. Fun loving and responsible. Trying to find an accommodation- Studio, room, flat, flat-share within £400-500.
Any help would be highly appreciated.

Iftek

Hello everybody.

Hope you're all well.  My name's Joe and I live in England, but my dream is to live and work in Gibraltar!  An ambitious dream, but hey, we only get one life so why not aim high.

I've always been interested in Gib, and finally visited for the first time in June 2014.  Now I'm in love with the Rock and would like to find a career there, as daunting and exciting as that might be.

Thanks for reading

Joe

Hi everyone,

I moved here 2 years ago from the UK and work in online gaming. Looking to make meet new people and share experiences

Hi All

I'm Tom.  I'm moving to Gib in June 2015, initially for a one year secondment with the engineering firm I work for, but with a view to perhaps staying if all goes well.

This will be my biggest move yet after migrating north from Bournemouth to Essex and then to Edinburgh three years ago.  I try to keep possessions to a minimum, should I want to up sticks and leave, but there are several boxes of books that will have to follow me around wherever I go.

Feel free to say hi and to offer tips on where to eat, drink and be merry.  I'd also appreciate any recommendations for a Spanish teacher, ballroom dancing classes and courses in wine tasting.

Thanks
Tom

Currently employed by the Ministry of Defence as an Electronic Warfare (EW) Intelligence Analyst responsible for the research, assessment, collation, Analysis and validation of all available information to populate the Defence Electronic Warfare Database (DEWDB), a Priority 1 Defence Critical Asset. Previously employed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) as a TETRA AIRWAVE radio communications specialist and operations manager responsible for 20 shift working staff providing 24/7, 365 support to NCA operations including ANPR, PNC intelligence databases and management of secure communications and crypto. Previously employed for nine years as an I.T. training manager responsible for a training facility helping people with or recovering from mental health problems to gain meaningful employment and access to social inclusion. Experienced in role as an NHS Data input supervisor, Remote Video Control Room Supervisor and twenty four years employment as a Signals Intelligence Analyst in the Royal Air Force with eight years employed in the area of training specialising in ELINT and COTS. Holder of DV security.

Looking to relocate to Gibraltar so would be grateful for any worthwhile contacts for employment.

Hi Tom
My name is Maria de Fátima and I am new in Gibraltar
I am working in an insurance company but I still need to improve my English
Maybe you would like to make a language exchance (Spanish - English)
Let me know if you are interested
Cheers

@ Maria de Fatima,

This topic has been created only for the introduction of new members.

Concerning your query, it will be best if you can drop an ad in the Language Exchange in Gibraltar section.

Thanks

Priscilla 

Hi Priscilla
You are totally right
Sorry by my mistake
Let introduce myself
I have arrived to Gibraltar two weeks ago after living in London for one year. I went to UK in 2014 because I wanted to learn English and find a job there. My time there was incredible but it was very hard to find a job. Finally I got one here in Gibraltar and I so happy for that. I wish to make new friends to share with them my hobbies (jogging, swimming, music, films, hiking) and new experiences.
Feel free to say hi
Thanks

Dear all members here!

Thank you for welcoming me here in this expat web.

I'm 43 years old Czech man, living for more than 13 year on lovely south cost of UK, in Brighton with my girlfriend.

I run a small guest house and my girlfriend works as a housekeeper for the UK Blind Veterans.

We love the the Gibraltar as we spent a nice holiday there so  we are thinking to relocate.

I can see that people keep posting  a lots of helpful advises, so for sure. I'll be checking  that regularly and once we have moved down there, we'll be happy to share our experience and give with the others!

Frank & Lili

Hello guys, Im 32 years old, Im spaniard guy, my name is José.

I will move to Gibraltar next week. I was living in Madrid for 3 years and a half.

Feel free to contact me to make things there, hiking, tapas, sea sports.

Kind Regards,
José.

HI Forum,

My name is James, I presently live in Scotland

I am looking to move to Gib in Sep/Oct 2015......My background is in the Casino Ind but unfortunately i don't have any online gaming exp, an area in which i am trying to get into (just about to send my C.V to recruiters)....Is it easy enough to pick up some temp work in a bar/restaurant or some other temp work until i can secure a full time job.(also bearing in mind the time of the year). As i think it has to be much easier to secure a job if you are already there...

Additionally if someone could point me in the right direction for some cheap accommodation it would be much appreciated ( i was thinking of staying in the Back packing hostel in Gib) better) although it does get some pretty bad reviews im sure that i could put up with it for a week or 2 .....until hopefully something better came along......

Any information would be gratefully received....

Kind Regards

James...

Hi JAmes
heck this website in FB
GIBRALTAR LIVING SOCIAL
I think it can help!
Ask there

Hi Maria,

Thanks for the info, it would be nice if there was a pub that everyone could meet up in and share any potential job openings or accommodation etc.....as you can can never have enough contacts

Regards
James.......

Hi James,

when are you arriving in Gib? I have an apartment there and will be taking BnB guests from mid Oct, so if you will be looking for temp accommodation around that time get in touch either through here or look me up on facebook or facebay the property ladder gibraltar and spain. I guarantee I can do better the hostel, which as you say, has terrible reviews!
Best wishes, Nick Osborne.

Hi nick,

Thanks for the reply,  all going well i am looking around mid to late September. How much would you be looking to charge per week ?.

Hi,

coming over to gib in 2 weeks and failing to get rented accommodation i would be interested in your temporary bnb accommodation. could you give me the details/your details please.

kind regards

Julian

Hi James,

for BnB a single would be £35 a night, so £245 a week but if you book for a week I could do it for £150. By the way, many people look for flat shares in La Linea and walk across every day, its cheaper....

Hi,Just come across this site whilst trawling for retirement communities.
We are active,youthful,early retirees who are hoping to afford to live abroad somewhere warm.A recent trip to Gib seemed to provide the ideal choice for location,language,health services,climate...but we are wondering if there is a thriving ex pat community with easy access so that making new friends would be facilitated??