I made a lot of mistakes when I arrived. It took me a lot of silly moves and wasted time sorting my life out here. Reason being, I didn’t spend enough time researching.
What I wanted to do in this blog is give you 10 strong pieces of advice, so if you do want to move here, these will make your move a little easier and perhaps you will be more understanding of how things work.
I am still a new girl in town and as such I used the residents of Ibiza to answer this question. I posted one question on a variety of notice boards, Facebook groups, and forums.
If you were to give one piece of advice to someone who wanted to move to Ibiza, what would it be?
The following 10 points are a collective using the advice of locals and residents from all areas of the island, from different cultures and different stages of life.
1) Bring enough money. This may sound strange but here it is at number 1. This is the most frequent comment on the forums because most people underestimate the expense of moving to Ibiza. Ibiza is strange, plans sometimes just don’t work, housing doesn’t work out, mates let you down, the job you planned for didn’t work out. Ibiza IS expensive, living here, even without burning money in clubs, is STILL expensive. You need enough to live for a few months without things going your way.
“D lifestyle in Ibiza is very expensive, pple visit during d summer and find it very attractive and accommodating but I guess a little try in d winter will make u think otherwise……Ibiza is a very lovely place and fun-filled but make sure u have a lot of money that would take u a long way before u finally settle #mycandidopinion#”
2) Learn Spanish. This sounds like a no brainer but I am just learning now. For me having a business here is possible without speaking Spanish as I work a lot with English BUT it has made it a lot harder. Speaking to suppliers, speaking to new clients, even if they do speak English, you are respected if you learn Spanish, if you speak Spanish you will get what you need faster, easier, probably cheaper. There is a course you can sign up for just €20! Located on Via Punica in the centre of Ibiza town, a course created to teach foreigners who live here. So we have NO excuse.
Learn Spanish and take time to understand how it works…and avoid agencies..
3) Be patient. This is something I have had to take a long time to understand. Ibiza just doesn’t work like other places. It does take longer for things to happen, things work slower. If you need things to happen quickly, if you want everything to happen at a touch of a button, if you’re very impatient and always want things done in a flash, then perhaps Ibiza just isn’t for you. This applies to everything you do. Waiting in the supermarket, waiting for your car to be fixed, waiting for your NIE, waiting for your food in restaurants, waiting in the bank, waiting for your house application. You have to love the slow pace and roll with it.
I asked a nice lady at the bank the same question when I arrived, she simply looked over her glasses at me and smiled “be patient” she said. Best advice I’ve had.
Poco poc” becomes your mantra! It means “bit by bit”(so basically don’t expect everything to come together as you “thought”. Things tend to happen at their own pace and the more you relax and go with the flow a bit! x
4) Winter is very different to summer. I LOVE the winter here. The winter is desolate, it’s peaceful and it does feel like a deserted island. In the summer, the clubs open, the bars open, the island services start. It’s rammed, it’s hot, it’s mental. It’s everything most people think of Ibiza. It’s only 4-5 months of the year. If you want to live here long term expect to live on a quiet island for the majority of the year.
I would say anyone moving here should come and rent in winter first before making a permanent move as its very different to summer. Also very important learn Spanish
5) Attaining your NIE and your residency can take a while and seems complicated. When you arrive, legally you need an NIE to work in any capacity and you should register where you live. Then eventually you can apply for a residency, which means you can access everything a resident needs, healthcare, government winter funds etc.
The process for attaining your NIE can take two avenues. First you can do it yourself (It’s free) This involves a few trips to the National Police Station with your contract of work, passport and patience. You will be ushered around seat to seat and for the most part not really understanding what’s going on. Expect to wait a few hours each time you visit. The whole process can take months from your initial visit to pick up a form, to the interview then picking up your NIE number. The other option is to use a solicitors or legal service to help you. I used Gamaservi and they were extremely helpful.
http://www.gamaservi.com/#/presentacion
They fill out the right forms, make your appointment, advise you of your appointment times and for an extra charge will sit with you whilst the officiates sign off your papers. It makes the whole process easier. I paid €40. It saved me a lot of hours sitting and waiting and as they are professionals, they get seen straight away. Oh the other thing if you do it yourself and don’t speak Spanish it could be beneficial to bring along your friend who is Ibithenco or speaks Catalan. It helps.
http://www.policia.es/documentacion/no_comunitarios/nie.html
Get proper advice before putting yourself through the ordeal of getting your NIE
6) You have to do what you love and work very hard.Ibiza is an island filled with entrepreneurs. Filled with skilled people. Many businesses thrive here because they work hard. Ibiza isn’t an easy place to live all of the time, so the work you do, you have to do well and you have to have the passion and drive behind you to constantly succeed.
My advice do what you love – work for yourself, find a niche, work hard. and be the best at what you do and all else will follow… there are no short cuts, just passion, dedication, and focus… xxx
7) Try and bring a few skills to the table. We brought our sushi business here, which works in the summer. This is our first winter here, so unlike the big businesses who take time out in winter, we still need to work. So I also work as a freelance marketer for companies and my partner an architect, this helps cover our winter costs. You need a few skills to live here to supplement your winter living and you need to be intuitive, flexible and creative.
Lol, I agree… it’s not the easiest place to live but it’s worth the effort and it helps if you’re willing to do just about anything to supplement your income in the winter… and having several skills comes in handy. I’ve always fallen back on my hairstylist skills, baking and dog care and have always managed to get by but it can get tight!
8) Winter is colder than you expect. It doesn’t get down to minus figures here but you have probably just lived through a warm summer with glorious heat. When winter arrives, the houses are cold. Central heating is not a regular occurrence here. It’s all about the log or wood burners. So all those warm jumpers you joke about not needing when you move, bring them. Bring an electric blanket. Bring your fluffy warm slippers. You WILL need them.
Be practical as well as romantic – get adequate health insurance and some damart underwear for winter ! xx
Bring proper winter clothes. I’m dying over here
Yes to the fire… and say your goodbyes to central heating before u come here!
9) Make friends and make time to be part of the community. Ibiza is an island filled with tourists in the summer, when they leave there is a very tight community here, a very strong collective of people. From my perspective, being kind, helpful and friendly is the ONLY way. I have met some brilliant people here through taking the time to involve myself in local clubs, groups and attending events. If you want to stay here long term it’s so nice to be able to count on some good friends here. You never know what happens next and sometimes you just need some help.
Come with an open mind and a relaxed attitude… people value family and social time and then work, mañana can easily mean next week… and take the time to make good friends, winter is lonely without them and heaven with them.
10) Use the fantastic online forums to speak to locals and find out about what’s going on. I have used some good Facebook groups to find out from locals about pretty much everything (including this blog) What events are on, what dinner clubs are happening, workout clubs, markets, jobs etc. The ones I would advise to join are
- Verano Ibiza
- Winter residents Ibiza
- Jobs Ibiza (If you want a bar or club related job in the summer
- The Ibiza Inside Inspiration group
You can find out more about what I do here http://www.cardamomevents.com/sushiboy-ibiza
Or follow me on Facebook or Twitter on sushiboyibiza
Good Luck!
sushigirlsushiboy 
Reblogged this on Adventures of the Traveller Em and commented:
Great article from our friends in Ibiza, Sushi Boy!