More on Girona schools, property, working and living in Girona, plus other thoughts.
A very informative free guide (in Catalan) about all the schools in Girona is provided by the local council (Ajuntament de Girona) entitled Girona, Ciutat Educadora. Centres Educatius Publics i Privats Concertats. Try asking for this at the main Ajuntament reception, we were given ours by a friend. Produced annually it gives a brief description with colour photo's of each Infant, Primary and Secondary school inside Girona city.
The 'Privats Concertats' schools are a combination of state-run and private, where parents have to make a monthly payment which varies according to which school you choose. The consensus amongst Catalans is that these have a better standard and are often over-subscribed. To get a deeper understanding of where the good schools are you'd need to speak to other Catalan parents that have children. Unlike in the UK we have'nt so far found any public records online or offline of school league tables.
The process of pre-registration starts around March-time and you have to send your forms back between March 24th to April 4th, the schools office in Devesa (mentioned in the previous page) is where you need to go.
Other things we noticed; Parents are given a list of things by the school that each pupil needs and you must buy all the different subject text books, excercise books, pens, pencils, practically everything they use on a daily basis at school. This can add up to about 200-300€ in total per child. There's no provision for pupils to bring in and eat a packed lunch, kids can only eat a small snack or sandwich at morning break-time. You either eat the school lunch or go home for your lunch. The typical cost per month, per pupil if they eat in the school dining room (menjador) is about 90-100 Euros per child.
It's possible to get the monthly menu in advance so you can see what they'll get to eat each day and there is an emphasis on healthy food. Another common complaint by our kids is that the food is often cold as they serve the food for the pupils before they sit dow to eat, rather than lining up in the dinner queue and then sitting down. (Update: our kids have moved to another school where they serve hot food at the tables!)
When any kids school trip needs to be paid for you often have to pay via a designated banks ATM with your credit or debit card, and follow a long list of instructions which by the way are all in Catalan! I managed to stumble my way through this and kind of got there in the end, but you'll find that kids take trips during each school term and at least one involves an overnight stay.
During the summer months and at other times like Easter many schools organize school camps (colonies) and activities called 'Cassals' which need to be paid for but keep the kids busy during the very long summer break.
This apartment block (left), near the station has some unusual murals around its facade.
International Schools in Girona.
St. Georges is a mixed, fee-paying (approx.600€/mth.), international English school located in Fornells de la Selva just outside Girona and has a wide catchment area. There are mixed opinions as to how good it is but my feedback has been largely negative.
Renting Property in Girona.
If you have no intention of buying a property in Girona as we did, then renting is the only other option. If you have time then it's worth coming here prior to your move and exploring which parts of Girona appeal to you and visiting rental agents to check their inventory and inspecting some apartments. In our experience and with what we've heard good places go quickly so you need to act fast. Also they don't seem to pay too much attention to you if you say your'e looking for flat in two months time. It seems things happen only when you have a few weeks to find somewhere.
Alternatively, if youv'e found some properties being advertised directly by owners via the internet then you could possibly line up some places to view this way. The Catalan for renting is lloguer (alquiler in Spanish) so look out for these signs.
The rental market is not that big here and not many property agents offer rentals but there are a few websites where agents and private owners advertise rental property in Girona. Here's a list of some you can check-out, just use the search criteria to narrow it down to Girona. This way you can compare prices and locations.
www.loquo.com Click on Girona from the list of places and choose the English option. Good local site with 'flats to rent' section and other ad categories.
www.mundoanuncio.com (Spanish)
www.milanuncios.com (Spanish)
www.sitioanuncios.com (Spanish)
www.idealista.com (English option) Mostly agent listings.
www.segundamano.es (Spanish-choose the Girona option)
Info on buying or renting property in Girona.
I have created a more detailed information file (about 10 pages) on Girona property which is available to buy at a small cost via Paypal. It has a full and comprehensive list of estate agents, letting agents, developers etc in Girona and also in many other locations inland and coastal, covering the Costa Brava region. Their full contact details, website etc. and some additional advice, opinions and background info. Just email us for full details. The price will be reasonable, save you time looking and it'll go towards the running of this site!
Also, check the local daily newspapers like Diari de Girona and freebie newspapers like Revenda (weekly) and Punt de Venda which have flats to rent. Flats or apartments are called pisos (Spanish), pis (Catalan) and are offered either as furnished (amueblado in Spanish, amb mobles in Catalan) or unfurnished (sense mobles in Catalan) and slightly cheaper. In our case we rented a furnished apartment as we arrived by plane and this was more convenient for us. We had rented the same flat the year before and by chance the owner was interested in a long term rental so we commited to a twelve month contract.
When you sign a rental contract you should get a copy to keep as you need to show this when obtaining a school place, opening a bank account and for obtaining the town hall registration (empadronamiento). Rental contracts will of course be written in Catalan and the duration can vary according to whether you rented through an agent or a private owner. Our current contract is for 5 years as we found it via an agent but our previous rental was through a private owner and ran for only one year.
It's normal to have to pay at least two months rental as a deposit so make sure you obtain a receipt. When dealing through agents, in addition to the two months deposit they'll also charge you a fee (+va,t called IVA here) equivalent to one months rental so you could end up forking out four months rent (including the first months rent in advance) before you have set foot inside!
Update, August 2007: We've moved to a duplex flat in the Devesa area of Girona. We like this part of Girona a lot, its central, close to the station and the old town, has many cafe's, restaurants and shops within walking distance. It's a corner flat with two balconies and a large roof terrace with great views of Girona. Also, finally we have our own undeground parking space but its so awkward to use that I still prefer to park in the street!
Large square in La Devesa
Where to live in Girona?
Like most cities there are good and bad areas in which to live in, and below I have also mentioned some places nearby which are nice, residential and almost suburbs of Girona. Inside Girona I like these zones, Devesa, Migdia, Girona old town, Palau, Quimics and Montilivi. The hilly area known as Montjuic is very residential but friends tell me that it's congested in the mornings and evenings because of its one road in-and-out. If you like a bit of countryside around you and be literally a stones-throw from Girona try the Vall de St. Daniel area. It's not that big and has few shops, plus you go uphill for most of the way, but I reckon it's hard to find rentals here.
Vall de St. Daniel
Buying property in Girona.
When we first arrived I thought and still do that property prices were quite high. I know many regions of Spain have had strong capital growth and here is no exception. Lately, the consensus amongst locals is that prices have peaked and the advice is to wait for 1-2 years as prices may begin to fall but, it may also be a good time to find a good deal from motivated sellers.
We've recently been approached by a Girona based agency which is part of a much wider, multi-national franchise and they look very professional and have English speaking staff. If you are looking to buy or sell anything not only in Girona but on the Costa Brava coast, please send me details of what you are looking for. Some sample properties, pictures etc. can be seen on our Girona Property page.
Going to Hospital in Girona.
Engaging with the medical system in your home country is usually straightforward and maybe something you have done already in the past. Doing it in another country can be frought with many doubts and worries, not withstanding the language problems.
My own personal story involved me seeking and getting medical attention for a serious eye condition. Although I was registered with a local GP (health service=Cap Salut) I decided to bypass the GP and go to a private opthalmologist for a speedy consultation. On his advice I then went to Girona's main hospital (Hospital de Josep Trueta). I later heard that this process is quite common for Girona locals, that they pay for a private consultation and then go back into the state system for treatment.
As I didn't have any medical insurance or private scheme I had liitle choice but to place my faith in the Catalan health service. By this time even thinking about flying back to the UK for treatment wasn't an option as my eye condition worsened and I had been advised not to travel by air. Plus, I was alone and looking after my two young kids.
My wife who, at the same time
was in the UK could do little to help other than seek some
medical advice herself about my condition.
For my first visit to the hospital I took a Catalan friend
who speaks English. We headed for the casualty department
(Urgencias) or ER for our American readers, and were
re-directed to go up to the Ophalmology floor straight
away. Having someone who spoke Catalan was reassuring and
I'd recommend you do the same if possible even if its only
Spanish. I know some Spanish and next to zero Catalan but
dealing with medical matters is different to using your
Spanish in a restaurant, hotel or a shop.
I was rather unimpressed with my initial visit as the
doctor seemed rather young and it concerned me when she
started messing about looking at my right eye, for me to
point out that it's my left eye that was the problem!
However, I was informed that I would have an operation the
following week. Subsequent visits were necessary to meet
the aneathetist and the eye surgeon who would be doing the
operation. Both spoke reasonable English so this part went
better. Local, native Catalan friends reassured me that
Girona's main hospital was good and I need not worry.
Having had the operation and spending one night there I
would not feel hesitant in using the medical system again
if needed.
Working in
Girona.
If
your'e not retired or that that flush and you still need to
work to pay the bills the thorny question of work may well
determine your chances of staying here or going back.
Moving to a foreign country and trying to find work are
probably two of the toughest challenges you'll have. I can
see why many Brits that have a trade, head to those parts
of coastal Spain (little Britain) where many ex-pats live,
as it makes sense that they are potentially your customer
base and speak the same language. However, what if you
don't have a trade and you desire a more authentic
experience where you intergrate more into the local
community and don't rub shoulders with Sue and Dave from
Essex.
Mastering the language even at a basic level is important,
whether its before you travel or when you arrive (better to
start before if you can). Your holiday Spanish may be fine
to begin with but will limit your conversation (more on
this in our Catalan language link) and potential employers
will almost certainly need someone who speaks Spanish
fluently.
Here's a very useful site I found for help in learning
Spanish:
Learn
Spanish with SpanishPod.com
Learn Spanish with free lessons, vibrant community, web
review, vocab study & more.
Once
your'e here it should be fairly easy to find a local
language school that offers Spanish courses or try ones
offered by the local education places. Girona has an Escola
Oficial de Idiomas (The Official School of Langages) that
offers Spanish as well as other languages, at various
levels including begginer. Check our Links page with
details of websites that cover the labour market in Spain,
although many will be in Spanish. For me, I decided to
re-train whilst still in the UK and try teaching English
with a longer term aim of running some sort of business
here or working remotely over the Internet. Not every Brit
teaches as we've met people that do other things.
Working as an
English Teacher in Spain.
If you
plan to live out here whether its in Girona, Barcelona or
on the coast then teaching English is one of the best and
most obvious options open to you. The details given below
are purely my own experiences and reflect on just Girona
city and not elsewhere in Spain. There are plenty of
websites that advertise English teaching jobs abroad just
enter 'TEFL teachers jobs' into Google. The TEFL (Teaching
English as a Foreign Language) certificate is about the
minimum teacher qualification that its possible to get and
I studied for mine from a UK based Co. called I-to-I which
I highly recommend as a reputable and professional outfit.
This was an online based course with an assigned tutor who
checks each completed module as you progress and there are
generous time-limits so you can fit in around other things.
I'd spent a bit extra and did an additional weekend course
which helped as it was more activity-based than textbook
stuff and you got to meet other like-minded people.
If you want to find out more click the link below.
When I knew we were going to
live here in Girona I guess I began to wonder what I could
do to earn some money, my wife kept encouraging me to start
the course and asked the stark question "well what else are
you going to do out there"? I suppose she was right in a
way and I signed-up.
The ironic part of it all was that when we arrived here my
wife was the person to find teaching English work first! By
chance there was a new school about to open in the same
street as we lived in and a fruitfull call to the owner
paid dividends.
In my case I happened to meet a young Catalan guy for
language exchange (inter-cambio) who worked at a language
school in Girona. From a casual remark from him that the
owner might be needing some additional teachers I quickly
found a few hours of teaching English each week, which over
the following months grew steadily more. It seems that here
in Girona the current trend is for more people to learn
English when just a few years ago it was French.
I had hoped to find additional work teaching private
students to supplement and add to my income which I did,
but after several months of teaching I've reached these
conclusions.
We arrived in August just before the academic year starts
in September so you get a chance to start looking for work
and canvassing local language schools. Rather than hide
behind an email, its better to search out these places
using the internet or local phone books and go to a few
every day, leaving a copy of your CV and better still
trying to speak to someone that matters, not just the girl
at reception. If the schools are shut in August as many
are, just see when they re-open and make a note in your
diary.
The pay rates in the schools are not that great, I work in
two schools currently, one pays me each month in cash (but
I only teach for 8hrs/mth) but, the main one has given me
an employment contract, in Spanish which means I pay into
the social secuirty system and I have'nt bothered to
translate it into English. My Catalan friend who I
mentioned earlier also works there told me its a fairly
standard contract which means I get paid only for the hours
I teach, so no sick pay or holiday pay. My good wife seems
to have faired better again, as her contract is permanent
(hard to get)and includes paid holidays and sick pay.
The upside with teaching English to private students is
that the pay is almost twice as much per hour (15-20
€/Hr.) but, I've found most of them don't last for
more than couple of months and frequently cancel lessons
for any reason, so this is not a totally reliable way to
earn a living! So, while the language schools pay less the
work is more steady and reliable.
Also, I'd been fortunate to be offered work before I had
finished my online TEFL course. Both schools didn't have
much of an interview process, no reference checking,
background checks etc which routinely happens back in the
UK, but I can't say that its the norm eslewhere.
As I have to fit my working time around looking after my
young family, collecting them from school and my wifes
teaching timetable it does limit me to what I can earn, but
then some money is better than none. I get offered the
chance of more work from both schools and individuals but
most people prefer late afternoons and evenings so
reluctantly I do turn down a lot of work because I can't
fit everbody in. The annoying thing is that during the day
when I've got more time like between 10am-3pm there's
nothing available.
It helps if you speak and understand some Spanish as often
when potential students call you, even though they may be
able to converse adequately in English they will prefer to
speak in Spanish.
I do think that female English teachers currently are more
in demand as many Catalan parents are increasingly starting
to think about starting their kids learning English at a
younger age. Many of these academies prefer females and if
your'e a native speaker it makes a big difference. I hope
to be able to post some additional comments here from my
wife who teaches young Catalans.
Learn
to speak Spanish with the Locals for Free!
If you find yourself in Girona looking for teaching English
work these are the best places where you can advertise your
teaching services, which have worked for me. (Also send me
an email if your'e looking for work in Girona or
Barcelona-I might be able to help).
The Girona Official Language School (EOI-Escola Oficial de
Idiomas) is owned and run by the local government and most
cities will have one. It has wall space inside where you
can pin an advert and another wall space which advertises
teaching jobs and one which language-exchange
(inter-cambio) students use.
Casa de Cultura. Walk in and turn right and go through some
glass doors towards the library, before you enter, on your
left you'll see a long, wide table full of pamphlets,
leaflets and offers about all-sorts. Just leave your card
or leaflet here and hope for the best!
The cheapest method and one often used here is to print
your own ad on your PC and printer and have a 'strip' of
contact details, pre-cut at right angles to your text which
potential clients can tear off if theyr'e interested. Check
back from time-to-time and replenish your ad if its gone.
The consensus I have reached is that we seem to have picked
a good time to be here in terms of the demand for English
teaching as a whole, which includes schools, private
individuals, companies and even native Catalan teachers.
Recent changes and new government initiatives here has
meant that teachers will be required to teach certain
school subjects in English so furthering the demand for
more teachers. Online sources which also apply to any other
part of Spain include these below. These websites (the 1st
has an English option) have relevant sections where you can
place a free ad.
www.loquo.com Good one, I use this site
and get more enquiries than from the others (choose the
Girona option). 60 day ad.
www.milanuncios.com
I've had a fair
amount of enquiries form this site as the Ad stays live
for 90 days or more.
www.sitioanuncios.com
www.profesor-particular.com
Update, Oct. 2007. It seems that this academic year has
changed for the better as I've dropped the previous schools
and secured two new teaching jobs, one in the morning 9-1
and the other in the evenings, one with paid holidays! If
you are looking for English teaching work in or around
Girona and Barcelona send me an email as I might be able to
help.
Other
thoughts.
At the
moment these are just a random collection of my thoughts
that I think are worthy of a mention if you intend to live
here.
What about telephone, TV and internet services?
Well, if you rent an apartment the chances are that it'll
already be hooked up to one of the Cable Co's like ONO
which we use. There are no problems with fitting dishes,
the engineer (the one's we've had didn't speak any English)
will install all the decoders, Wi-Fi routers/ modems etc
and the service is normally quick and efficient. The call
centres have English speaking, you just have to wade
through the various options (in Spanish) when your call
gets answered. The package we have includes telephone,
broadband internet and TV channels for about 70€/month
plus calls, though national calls within Spain are free.
www.ono.es tel 902 929 020 / 902 929
000
Getting a bank account.
After one failed attempt at opening a new account with the
BBVA bank because of misunderstandings, endless waiting etc
we found the nearby German Deutsche bank branch (C/ Marques
de Camps) more approachable, and with a staff member that
spoke English. You will need to provide some id and you can
also arrange to access your account online, by filling-in
more forms!. After we had arranged our residency papers it
meant we had to have a new account which we were told was
necessary in regards to your tax/fiscal status so we duly
obliged. When we asked about having an overdraft we got a
blank look, no, nothing like that exists here. After
several months we wanted a Credit card which seemed to take
weeks and when asked to collect it from the bank only my
wife's came and not mine! So, I guess these banking things
just take a bit longer than what we were used to in the UK.
Well, forget about doing any supermarket shopping on a
Sunday as there are all closed! That's fine as long as you
remember to get what you need on a Saturday, but I couldn't
get used to this for a long while. Our local Mercadona
supermarket gets very busy on Saturday evenings so I try to
shop mid-afternoon. I have found one small shop open on a
Sunday just near where Grand via Jaume starts, opposite the
big Correus (Post Office) building. They stock pastries,
wine, juice drinks and a small range of foodstuffs, it's a
bit more expensive but then they have no local competition.
There are a few small bakeries open that sell baguettes,
cakes and pastries until about 2pm, notably in my area of
Devesa and I've seen one or two in the old town area.
However, restaurants are open and areas like Placa
Independencia get busy.
Another point about Sundays, more so during the summer
months is that many areas feel like a ghost-town because
the locals escape to the coast or into the countryside.
The 'Pont' (Bridge) day. A rather nice arrangement that I
got used to very quickly! namely that when a public holiday
falls on a Thursday, as many do, most working people take
the Friday off also, making it a nice extended weekend.
At this point I guess I should mention the good wife's blog
at http://afamilyingirona.blogspot.com/
which gives her
own slant on things, but currently well out-of-date.
But, she will be updating it soon.
I've also come across a rather good site called
www.mumabroad.com which has a lot of useful
stuff for mums with kids, but mainly covers the
Barcelona areas and further south. Still, the insights
and general advice it offers could be equally applicable
elsewhere in Catalonia.
Girona
city is the regional capital of the Girones county, called
comarca in Catalan. It borders with the other comarca's of
Selva, Baix Empordą, Alt Empordą, Pla de l'Estany and
Garrotxa
The following municipalities of Girones are:
Aiguaviva
Bescanó
Bordils
Campllong
Canet d'Adri
Cassą de la Selva
Celrą
Cervią de Ter
Flaēą
Fornells de la Selva
Girona
Juia
Llagostera
Llambilles
Madremanya
Quart
Salt
Sant Andreu Salou
Sant Gregori
Sant Joan de Mollet
Sant Jordi Desvalls
Sant Julią de Ramis
Sant Marti Vell
Sant Marti de Llemena
Sarrią de Ter
Vilablareix
Viladasens