When I moved to Tenerife with my family in 2005 I thought that it would be easy to continue with the work that I had been doing in the UK. I was a successful DJ playing the nightclubs of Manchester and I thought that moving to Las Americas would surely allow me to find similar work, maybe not right away, but sometime soon.

Life wasn't that simple though. Competition was tough and the money the nightclubs were offering was much less than those in the UK. It was a setback to our plans and time for a rethink!

We started to look at all the other skills we had that could help us to earn a living. It wasn't long before we came up with a plan...but that's enough about me!

Do's & don'ts of self employment in Tenerife:

To live or work in Tenerife for more than 90 days, UK Nationals (and other Non-EU Citizens) will generally need to apply for residency. From 2021 onwards you must now first apply for a Residency Visa (Visado de Residencia) via the Spanish Consulate in your home country before travelling to Tenerife. You won't be permitted to work without this although there are a few excemptions.

Do it legally. You will need a local bank account and an NIE number. You will also need to register as self employed (Autónomo) and you will also need to make Social Security payments each month. To ensure that these necessities are done properly you can get the help of an Asesoría.

If you have an idea or even a full blown plan to become self employed, make sure that you have a 'Plan B'. Having other ideas that you have already thought through will make it easier to move forward with your self employment if your original idea is not viable. Some types of self employment will require you to obtain a license to trade (for example if you wanted to open a shop).