The education system in Spain is excellent and very affordable. The Spanish people take things seriously when it comes a child’s education. There are three options you can choose from: state schooling, private schooling and international language schools. The decision of into which school system you enter your children is an important one. If you want your child to follow the British curriculum you will have to enrol your child into a private international school. The fees for these schools can range from a few thousand Euros per academic year, to a few thousand Euros per term.

The state school curriculum is taught entirely in Spanish. Children can begin state education from any age from 3 years of age upwards. As worrying as this sounds, your child will adapt and settle in more quickly than you expect, and you can always try enrolling them in a Spanish speaking nursery (Guarderia) before they start school to try and get them used to the Spanish language. Most towns have a nursery, and the prices are very reasonable, starting from a Euro or so per hour. The only costs involved in state education in the majority of schools are the cost of your child´s books. You must be signed to the voters register and also have a wage slip (nomina) to qualify for free state education in Tenerife.

here are a number of Spanish courses designed for children available on the internet many based on songs and games which make learning the language non-threatening and fun.

ccording to reports, the best age to move your children abroad is either before the age of two or between the ages of six and eight because between the ages of three and six, they often get homesick and after the age of eight, it’s a lot harder for them to learn the new language.

he experience of new people, lifestyles, languages, traditions and cultures gives a child a better understanding of the world. It also makes them more compassionate towards people of different ethnic groups and races.

ith an all year round sunny climate, beautiful beaches and an incredibly diverse landscape, most of the Canarian people spend a vast amount of their time outdoors. Crime rates are also much lower in Tenerife, especially in the Spanish towns themselves rather than the tourist areas, and the general attitude in Tenerife is still of the day when you can leave your windows and back door open while you pop to the shops in Spanish areas. Overall this is a much more positive environment in which to raise your children, and there are plenty of other British children here that your child will get to know.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 2:59 pm and is filed under Children, Education, Information, Tenerife. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.