How property moguls are helping expats integrate into life in Spain

Where Spaniards speak English: Locals in Gea y Truyols are learning a foreign la

They are known as the por favors among their Spanish neighbours.

They are the foreigners who bought a place in Spain but whose knowledge of the local language extends only to a few words, like por favor – Spanish for please.

But help is now at hand for those who struggle to say more than a few words of the local lingo.

Calitona, a property company, is paying for local Spanish councillors in one part of Murcia, south-eastern Spain, to have classes in English.

The idea is to make living alongside their neighbours, from Britain and Germany, easier.

In the tiny village of Gea Truyols foreigners outnumber Spaniards, so the lingua franca is English.

Communication is limited to waving hands, drawing unintelligible sketches or resorting to dictionaries.

Valeriano Pérez, mayor of Gea Truyols, admitted it did come as something of a shock to some of the older members of the town council. 

"For us it is hard to learn a new language, but it does make sense because we need to be able to deal with planning applications and explain them to our neighbours," he said.

The move is symptomatic of a growing move among property developers to provide those who want to find that 'dream' villa in the sun with more than just bricks and mortar.

Increasingly, developers are realising many recently arrived expats do not simply want a holiday home to visit for two weeks.

So helping people to integrate with their new neighbours can prove an attractive draw for potential investors.

Some big companies are producing after-sales guides detailing local schools, health care, taxation, how to start a business and the background to aspects of Spanish society as varied as bullfighting and religion. 

In southern Spain one estate agent, Andalucian Dream Homes, publishes a magazine to try to show prospective buyers what life is like for people who have settled in Spain.

Cary Johnston, editor of Dreamlife magazine, said: "The idea is to give a feel for life here and how people have made their lives here, with features on the type of businesses, how they make their money and get into Spanish life."

In some parts of Spain, where regional languages are spoken, authorities even offer free language lessons in an effort to help British buyers to settle in.

In Catalonia, in north-east Spain, Catalan classes are free. Though most foreigners will speak Spanish as well as their own languages, if their children go to local schools, they will learn Catalan.

If their parents want to help them with homework, they may benefit from knowing some basic Catalan.

Analysts believe this is part of a new trend which could give developers the competitive edge in the near future.

Perhaps more importantly for buyers it might be just what they are looking for.

Mark Stucklin, who runs the independent website www.spanishpropertyinsight.com and who is as Expatica's property expert, said: "These developers are going to have to provide services to help people integrate, like Spanish classes, wine tasting classes or other ways to get into Spanish culture, because that is what people want and the market is so competitive." 

Catalonia: Where expats can learn Catalan for free

Many Britons look to retire to Spain and if they can be sure they can rely on private health insurance as part of the package, this would be hugely attractive, says Stucklin. 

Many estate agents or developers already signpost local hospitals on their A-Z guides on their websites.

Now many Spanish newspapers report how Britons and other foreigners enjoy sun, sand and salud (health).

They buy their second homes near decent hospitals and come to Spain to avoid lengthy waiting lists at home.

If they have to have emergency treatment, they can recover in hospitals, like the Carlos Moya in Malaga, which are often staffed by volunteers who speak English and can translate.

See: www.dreamlife-magazine.com

[Copyright Expatica]

[July 2006]

Subject: Spain; integrating