Spanish Civil Servants To Help Expats Integrate

With so many British expatriates living on the Costa del Sol and so many of the locals involved in the tourist industry able to speak their language, in some ways it’s easy to see why so many fail to learn more than just a few words of the Spanish language.  According to recent reports, however, not getting to grips with the language and not understanding the laws and the regulations of the country is not only causing them problems, but can also leave them feeling socially isolated.  Help, however, is at hand.

In a deal struck up between the British and Spanish authorities, Spanish civil servants are to be placed at the British consulates in Malaga and Alicante in a bid to help expats deal with the local bureaucracy.  They will be on hand to offer advice on property issues, registering with local authorities and finding their way around the country’s health services.  In many cases, British people living on the Costa del Sol have failed to make themselves part of the Spanish system by registering with the proper authorities, something which has caused them difficulties particularly when urgent situations have arisen.

While in some ways speaking the international language of the world can have huge benefits, in others it can prove to be highly demotivating when it comes to learning the local language when Brits move abroad.  Those who originate from countries where their native tongue is not understood elsewhere generally pick up the language of their host country very quickly…because they have to.  For the British, however, their mother tongue acts as a disincentive when, in many situations, they can already make themselves understood.  For both practical reasons and from the perspective of improving their quality of life abroad, however, learning the language, becoming part of the country’s system and understanding its rules and regulations can offer huge benefits to those who choose to make the Costa del Sol their home, and it seems that both the Spanish and the British authorities are keen to help.