Customer Reviews

Live & Work in Spain and Portugal (Live and Work Abroad Guides)

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In contrast to typical travel guides, Mr. Parker's book offers a wealth of valuable information about the mundane, often-overlooked aspects of building a life on the Iberian Peninsula. What may not be clear from the title, however, is that the book is almost exclusively directed at citizens of the EU (ie. UK and Ireland) who wish for a variety of reasons to move to Spain or Portugal. On specific points of how to obtain permits and visas, the book will seem painfully vague to any non-EU citizen, with Mr. Parker's view painfully slanted toward the English Pensioner or long-term vacationer. In short, if you are a non-EU citizen interested in living on the Iberian Peninsula but will not be content to sequester yourself in an enclave of sunburned, English-speaking Britons along the Costa del Sol, you may want to keep shopping.

Jonathan Packer's guide LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL is a book to steer clear of for those facing the challenge of moving to Spain. The book suffers from numerous problems.

LIVE AND WORK is first of all quite out of date. Although it was last updated in 1998, this update didn't change much from the original 1991 edition. As Spain is more and more integrated into the European Union, and the Euro is now the official currency, this guide's advice is often too old to be useful.

The layout of LIVE AND WORK makes the guide vexing to read. The text is often so compacted that it is difficult to see where one section ends and another begins. There are spelling mistakes here and there, and typesetting errors. The book also contains advertisements, which may disappoint those looking for independent advice.

Finally, this book is written for Britons who are thinking about moving to Spain and Portugal, for an American to learn about Spain and Portugal through this book, first one would have to be familiar with life in Britain.

If moving to Spain, I would suggest acquiring CULTURE SHOCK: SPAIN instead of this guide. It doesn't have nearly as many details, but it gives you an overview of the culture. One could augment that book with other resources that are up-to-date. All in all, however, it is best to avoid LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.

When I started looking for a place in the sun I found this book very helpful. It provides a bird's eye view of life and work in the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the kind of book to start with before you make a decision and then start focusing on the country of your choice. It is concise and to the point.