​When Anne first came to Málaga, it wasn't for a job. "I'd been coming here on holiday for 25 years, every single summer," she says. "The town felt familiar, I already loved the location, and I had a network of people here." So when she moved to Spain during her master's in International Business to complete an internship, she just... never left.

Six years later, Anne is our Marketing and Project Manager, married, a homeowner, and raising her family in the same coastal town she used to visit as a tourist. Her path there, and everything she learned along the way, says a lot about what actually makes a move abroad work.

What surprises people most

Anne grew up in a small town outside Aalborg, Denmark, and studied International Business in English, which planted the first seed of an international career. But the move to Spain almost felt inevitable. What she didn't expect was how much would still catch her off guard, in two very different ways.

First, the language. "I thought I'd pick up the language quickly after moving here," she admits, a common assumption for anyone weighing jobs abroad in a country where they already know the basics.

Then, the tourism. After 25 summers watching her town from the outside, she suddenly found herself part of the shift she used to observe: "It stung a bit, watching tourism take over my town, while knowing I was an expat myself." With the growing number of visitors each year, the town has inevitably changed. Housing prices have risen significantly, making it increasingly difficult for locals to find affordable homes, while the cost of everyday essentials, including food, has also increased. Many restaurants now cater primarily to tourists rather than the local community. One of the things she always loved was being able to wander into a small local bar, order a few tapas and a drink, and chat with the locals without spending a fortune. It was never about beautifully plated, Instagram-worthy dishes, but about authentic, home-cooked food served with genuine hospitality. Today, those experiences have become harder to find, often requiring a drive further inland to discover the atmosphere and authenticity that once defined the town.

The part that surprised her most, though, wasn't cultural – it was administrative. "The laws here don't always make sense, and the systems are decades behind when it comes to going digital," she says. It's a pattern anyone considering relocation jobs runs into sooner or later, no matter the country: the paperwork is rarely the fun part, but it's the part that decides how smooth your first year actually feels.

Her practical takeaways, earned the hard way:

• Expect bureaucracy to be slow and do things in person whenever you can.

• Never send money to a "remote landlord" before viewing an apartment. It's one of the most common relocation scams out there!

• Outsource the hard stuff. Hiring local, English-speaking professionals for tax filing, your NIE, or apartment hunting is what saves your sanity in the first few months.

Why she stayed

Beyond the climate (which, she'll admit, "played a huge role, of course") and beyond love, Anne stayed for something less tangible: a different way of measuring a good life. "I wanted to chase a slower life, one where every day could be enjoyed rather than escaped from. I didn't want to live for the weekends, I wanted to work toward a better life," she says.

Her route to Worldwiders was refreshingly simple too. A former office manager in Málaga spotted her on LinkedIn and reached out. It wasn't a grand plan, just the right person noticing the right profile at the right time. That's a good reminder that international careers rarely start with a five-year plan.

Anne's advice for anyone weighing a job in Spain, whether for love, a job, or just a feeling:"You will never regret it."

Are you considering living and working abroad to start a new chapter? Explore our open jobs and see where it could take you!