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workingnomad
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 106
Location: SE Asia
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 Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 5:46 pm Post subject: Whats it like to live in Valencia? + and - welcome! |
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...from a general point of view?
I might be heading there to learn Spanish and if I like it enough I might stay on. I have read some pretty good things about it over the web but would like to hear any experiences.
I have heard the locals are not the friendliest in Spain? I have met some Valencians and found them friendly after a while but a bit cold at first.
Is this a fair comment? I don't like to generalise about people but would like to hear other people's opinions.
Finally I might try and pick up a few casual hours teaching work in the autumn - I have heard that it is fairly easy to get work, maybe not like Madrid easy but not too bad all the same.
Thanks!
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jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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From my point of view
Pluses
Year round good climate
Cheap cost of living compared to Madrid or Barcelona
Compact city with good transport links
Beaches nearby (unlike Madrid!)
Less tourists (especially versus Barcelona)
Minuses
Teaching market is dominated by kiddie groups
Valencian language - a hindrance if you want to learn Spanish
Less cultural attractions than the big cities
Less international flights (though the number has increased in the last five years)
On the subject of the friendliness of the locals, I found them a little parochial at times though less so than the Catalans. Finding work is indeed easy, if you're a native English speaker with a pulse then you should find something. |
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workingnomad
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 106
Location: SE Asia
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:19 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the comments.
Well I know Madrid and Barcelona pretty well and I echo your thoughts. I much prefer Madrid but cannot stand being so far from the coast and the climate is an issue for me (compared to the other two anyway, e.g. more extremes).
Spent some time in BCN and found it too full on to be honest in terms of tourists although I was there in the height summer.
Two things on your comments.
I have heard a number of people who live in and around Valencia say that Spanish is pretty much the spoken language in the city where as Valencian is more in the surrounding villages. Anyone care to comment?
As for teaching I would not be able to cope with Kids and would definitely be looking at Business English and corporate stuff if possible. I have to see what's out there I guess!
Lastly can anyone recommend a decent Spanish language school in the City? Thanks.
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jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 9:38 am Post subject: |
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| workingnomad wrote: |
I have heard a number of people who live in and around Valencia say that Spanish is pretty much the spoken language in the city where as Valencian is more in the surrounding villages. Anyone care to comment?
As for teaching I would not be able to cope with Kids and would definitely be looking at Business English and corporate stuff if possible. I have to see what's out there I guess! |
Having lived in both the villages and the city I can say that there's not a great deal of difference as Spanish is the main language that you'll hear everywhere. The only real difference would be that immigrants naturally tend to live in the city rather than the villages and use Spanish in their daily lives. The Valencian thing isn't all bad anyway as it has words that are similar to English where the Spanish equivalents aren't e.g. oncle (uncle), cosi (cousin) , sopar (to have supper) , ulls (similar pronunciation to eyes) etc
With less international companies there, there's definitely less in company work than Madrid or Barsa which means that kiddies are the main market. That is probably the single solitary reason that prevents me going back to Valencia.  |
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El_Che
Joined: 13 Feb 2007
Posts: 34
Location: Spain
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:43 am Post subject: |
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| jonniboy wrote: |
From my point of view
Pluses
Year round good climate
Cheap cost of living compared to Madrid or Barcelona
Compact city with good transport links
Beaches nearby (unlike Madrid!)
Less tourists (especially versus Barcelona)
Minuses
Teaching market is dominated by kiddie groups
Valencian language - a hindrance if you want to learn Spanish
Less cultural attractions than the big cities
Less international flights (though the number has increased in the last five years)
On the subject of the friendliness of the locals, I found them a little parochial at times though less so than the Catalans. Finding work is indeed easy, if you're a native English speaker with a pulse then you should find something. |
spot on! parochial hits the nail on the head  .
as you say, international flights have increased greatly, with both ryanair and easyjet flying in and out of valencia. both tourism and cultural attractions have also increased, although (obviously) still not on the scale of madrid and barcelona.
| workingnomad wrote: |
Lastly can anyone recommend a decent Spanish language school in the City? Thanks.
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i can recommend these two:
hispania
babylon idiomas
the first is cheap and cheerful, and located near the bullring. you can buy blocks of hours and attend classes pretty much at your leisure.
the second is quite expensive and located within a stones throw of plaza la reina. the classes are intensive (4 hour blocks), and there are weekly social/cultural gatherings with teachers for students, so a good way of building up a social network.
lastly, i would also recommend the intercambio nights (tuesday evening from 21:00) at the black sheep pub just at the top of calle colon. |
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workingnomad
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 106
Location: SE Asia
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks again.
I had my eye on the Babylon folks and will probably start of with them. I like the way they all charge for registration thus making you stick with the particular schools. The social thing sounds good.
As for parochial locals, well having lived in New Zealand I am pretty use to that attitude! 
Does Valencia have a HHH? Been looking on the web and nothing has turned up which is surprising for a city of it's size. |
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jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| workingnomad wrote: |
| Does Valencia have a HHH? Been looking on the web and nothing has turned up which is surprising for a city of it's size. |
What's a HHH?  |
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workingnomad
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 106
Location: SE Asia
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bnd1983
Joined: 16 Apr 2008
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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| jonniboy wrote: |
| workingnomad wrote: |
| Does Valencia have a HHH? Been looking on the web and nothing has turned up which is surprising for a city of it's size. |
What's a HHH? |
A prominent WWE star who was known as Triple H in his pomp and used his famous 'Pedigree' finishing move to take him to several World Titles. Was banging his bosses daughter Stephanie McMahon which led to some intersting bra and panties matches. He used to masquerade as an upper-class brit called Hunter Hurst Helmsley, possibly because he had one heck of a big nose and could do a great 'Stiff-Upper'Lip' face and do a stereotype of an old-school English lord on steroids....... |
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robashby1
Joined: 24 Dec 2006
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:17 am Post subject: |
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| jonniboy wrote: |
From my point of view
Minuses
Teaching market is dominated by kiddie groups
Valencian language - a hindrance if you want to learn Spanish
Less cultural attractions than the big cities
Less international flights (though the number has increased in the last five years)
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Just how dominated is the market by kid groups? I also am not the biggest fan of teaching kids... Is there anything in the way of adult groups, or are they a rarity? |
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jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:41 am Post subject: |
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| robashby1 wrote: |
| jonniboy wrote: |
From my point of view
Minuses
Teaching market is dominated by kiddie groups
Valencian language - a hindrance if you want to learn Spanish
Less cultural attractions than the big cities
Less international flights (though the number has increased in the last five years)
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Just how dominated is the market by kid groups? I also am not the biggest fan of teaching kids... Is there anything in the way of adult groups, or are they a rarity? |
Hmmm... in my final year in Valencia, I worked 24 hours p.w. Two of those early morning with adults, four in the evening and two with a private student at lunch times, making eight hours. There were another two hours with older teenagers, again in the evenings making a total of fourteen hours of kiddie groups versus ten with adults/older teens. That ratio was pretty common as most other teachers I knew were doing the same. I met one of them two months ago, he hates teaching kids also and after five years has managed to reduce it to five hours a week from 25. Probably for those willing to go there for the long haul it would be possible, but if you're only there for a year or two I'd say it would be difficult to make a living while avoiding the younger learners. |
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