A year long sabbaticAL in Spain: Practical Advice from Parents Who Did It
Say hello to the Cochrans – Kev, Kat, their one-year-old daughter, and their dog – who took a bold step and moved from the US to Spain for a year-long sabbatical. Their story is filled not just with travel memories, but with honest, hands-on advice for anyone planning a family sabbatical abroad.
How it all started
It was on our first date I told my now husband, "I don't think this will be long-term, I will be moving abroad." Joke was on me, because I liked him so much that 12 years later a dog, a home, a baby we were still in the USA. We traveled extensively during our duel income, no kids life. However, there was this lingering dream of making this happen. When we found out we were pregnant, after many months of trying, we were excited to share the world with her. We started touring childcare centers in our area - the cost $1,900/month and the waitlist? Fall... of the following year. 1.5 years away.
So with no childcare and having an anxiety attack on our kitchen floor a few days before I was set to return to work, we decided something needed to change.
If the costs were this high and we didn't have childcare anyway, why are we trying to force to fit into this mold of life? We did the math, and I would have to make almost $40k more a year if I ever wanted to change jobs as I was full-time WFH, we shared one car, plus the childcare. Climbing the corporate ladder math started to not add up.
That's when we realized, the USA is a great place to live if you are duel income & if you are healthy. The minute you want to change that, or are forced to because of illness, life gets expensive and scary - fast.
We knew if we wanted to take a gap year or even a few months, it couldn't be in the USA as no jobs = no somewhat affordable health insurance. With a newborn, it wasn't worth the risk to stay unemployed in the USA. So that month we started reaching out to friends who lived abroad on how they made it happen.
Do you know those people who are determined to move to one country, and its their dream country? Yeah, that wasn't us...
I wanted to live abroad, anywhere. That could've been Argentina, Japan, or the UK.
We would've been happy.
Plus, it was just for a year, right?
How we moved to spain
Through a friend of a friend, we discovered the NALCAP program in Spain.
The NALCAP program is the North American Language Cultural & Assistants Program. Bringing native English speakers into classrooms in Spain. We work about 14-16 hours a week as assistant teachers for a stipend.
The last time I moved abroad? The Postmaster General put a stop order on all outgoing mail, I was physically climbing over mail bins, trying to find my passport to catch my flight that was set to leave in 4 hours.
This time? Smooth, and frankly, easy. Even as a couple, a baby, a dog, and a house to rent. I have a background now in project management and WOW what a difference. I loved the entire process, we ran into no issues because I detailed plans. With backup plans to those plans. I have now helped others move to different countries, in depth, because I love paperwork (Yes, I am crazy).
Spain just happened to give us an easy pathway with this program. It was an easy way to make some money and get us abroad. With the program, we were able to decide on region, but not on the city.
why the Castille y Leon region
We wanted to learn one language for now. Many areas of Spain we would be learning Spanish AND their regional lagnuage (i.e. Catalan in Barcelona or Valencian in Valencia). This region's Spanish is slow and clear compared to other regions. Plus, its not very touristy. I can count on one hand how many times we have heard English from stranger here. This puts us in the position to learn faster.
The other pro of a smaller community in a lesser-traveled region - we are "hot commodities" here. That sounds odd to say, but we have had people stop us in the supermarket to tutor their kids. The locals & our neighbors know us as as The Americans and welcome us over for lunch. I can honestly say, we have more of a community here in just 6 months, than we had back in the USA.
Its the complete opposite of what you hear of in other parts of Spain. You have seen the news stories about wanting tourist and expats to leave. They have a great argument because many stick to the same 6 cities. It's easy to only socialize with your English-only speaking friends, sending your kids to an international school, and never truly adapting to the culture.
But its a completely different Spain if you are just willing to step outside these regions. A more authentic Spain in our opinion.
Where is Castille y Leon located in spain?
Castille and León is a vast, storybook region in the heart of Spain, where medieval castles rise above sweeping plains and history seems to linger on every hilltop. Set high on a central plateau, the region is perfectly placed for exploration: coastal Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia lie to the north, Madrid and Castile-La Mancha to the east, Extremadura to the south, and just across the border to the west, Portugal’s Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro.
Exploring our new home
Unfortunately, with a 33lb dog, he's not allowed on most trains, busses, etc. Anywhere we want to go requires a dog sitter or a rental car. However, needing that rental car has provided us the opportunity to really explore towns most people bypass.
We have explored coast to coast from Vigo to Valencia. We try to highlight smaller towns and lesser known regions in Spain on our Instagram page because while some of Spain is suffering from overpopulation, most of Spain is suffering with a dying population. We believe it's part of our responsibility as strangers in a new land, and possibly as location independent workers, to contribute to these communities instead of taking from the overpopulated ones.
The impact of a move abroad on our relationship and culture shocks
For me, I have lived abroad before and so this wasn't such a culture shock. For Kevin, it was his first time and he's close to his friends and family, the distance was hard on him. I'll be honest, I think I was so caught up in finishing immigration paperwork, getting settled, and enjoying our new life, that I didn't notice his struggles. Like any big life change, including having a baby, your relationship needs time to adjust.
We did both those things in one year.
It took so much communication, figuring out new routines after both being WFH for years, and living off a tight subsidy. The one thing we know from others who have moved abroad, it will make you or break your relationships. You only have each other to lean on, which is both overwhelming and sometimes frustrating.
So is this forever?
This is the big question. This was intended to only be a year, we were ready to officially settle in the USA with the big house, big car, etc. I can remember how hard it was postpartum and my anxiety didn't allow me to drive and I was so lonely, now I am a few minute walk away from friends.
Big picture though, it was easy to get over here, but the future immigration issues are a problem when we don't have clear remote work or enough money to fully retire. And Spain's immigration is less flexible than neighboring countries on bridging the gap between the two.
For example:
I was offered a short-term freelance position for less than ten hours a week. That should've been fine as our visas allow less than twenty hours of work, BUT we had to request the right to work on it. We didn't realize wasn't automatically given and the request was a 5-6 month wait time, expensive, and frankly just not worth the short amount of hours for a freelancer.
If we wanted to transition off this visa, we have to reapply back in the USA, leaving our dog for an unknown amount of time to get this approval.
The driver's licenses - they are not transferable to Spain what-so-ever. No matter the State. The process is expensive, long, difficult, and usually the exam is only in Spanish. With our larger dog, it would eventually be a requirement to get a drivers license.
There are a lot of complications Spain has that other countries don't. So many people on social media state "the grass is greener" and "this is the most amazing place ever." Without addressing these complications. Most likely because they are trying to sell you a course or service.
Because, even as someone who actually LIKES the visa paperwork, these issues you can't avoid and can be a deal breaker for some people (maybe even us).
Plans for the future?
We are taking it year by year. Which is stressful for our type-A personalities. We also want to expand our family which is also scary with visa uncertainties, no longer-paying client work/jobs, etc.
But this has proven a few things for us - our identities are more than our 9-5s, we are so much more flexible and stronger knowing we took the leap, knowing we won't regret spending the first year or two with our daughter instead of working to just pay for childcare.
However, we know the next place will probably be for the long-term, even if that means we are putting things together paycheck-by-paycheck. Life is too short to be wondering "what if."