moving to madeira

CLAIRA

Hello everyone
I have been reading the threads with interest and gained a lot of insight from the information posted here so thank you for that. However if anyone can help us with any info on the following we would be very grateful....

My husband is Madeiran (now 42 left at 11) his parents returned in 2005 (live in Canico). There is a three bedroomed family apartment in Funchal (not far from the old fort) that we can move to so this would be a good start. We have a nine year old boy. My husband is fluent in portuguese and is a painter and decorator by trade, My son and I cannot speak the language although we are trying to learn. I am a complaints manager in the NHS but have also worked in mental health, learning disabilites, cared for older people and also run pubs! I am also a qualified reflexologist. My husband is longing to come 'home' and so we are seriously considering our options at the moment. We are trying to establish how much does it cost to live in Madeira (for a family of three) - taking everything into consideration?? Whilst we are lucky not to need a mortgage -it would seem likely that our son will need to go to an international school and so there will be private tuition fees for this - we are trying to establish from the outset the likelyhood of my husband being able to get a job and maintain the family on a single wage
many thanks for any insight you can give

biaria

Hi, I can understand your husband's longing to come back, as I also lived in a foreign country for a number of years, but feel more at home in Madeira - no wonder, it's my real home!

We have a high unemployment rate here, so it may not be easy for your husband to find a job, but it's worth a try, especially if he's prepared to do anything. The vast work experince you have will be favourable, when seeking for a job.

How much it will cost for you to live in Madeira, depends on your living standards, so difficult for others to calculate.

At first, it may be wise to give your moving to Madeira a trial period and see how things turn out.

Bee

I understand it's difficult for non Portuguese speakers to get any kind of job other than perhaps "timeshare" and I don't imagine that's a great option. If your husband did find a job,wages are very low compared to the UK, but your household bills would be considerably less too. Council Tax is much cheaper in Madeira than the UK and most people manage without air conditioning or central heating year round, therefore, gas and electricity bills will be much less. If you buy local produce in the supermarkets rather than packaged foods which are flown in I think your food bills will be reduced. A coffee in the UK is around £2.00, a coffee in Madeira is less than a euro. However, cars are expensive to buy and to run, most local people can't afford to insure them fully comprehensively and make do with third party insurance. Why not contact the International School direct for the cost of school fees. Even living rent free you will probably struggle to make ends meet if you have school fees to pay, but that's just my opinion. I'm sure your husband's family will be able to tell you exactly what it costs them to live from month to month as well as any job prospects. It can be a little lonely if you don't speak the language, I expect your son will pick it up, children seem to adapt very quickly, adults less so. It's a beautiful place to live and I wish you well if you make the move.