Spaniards on the move

A friend sent me an article from the ABC newspaper on Sunday evening.  The title of the article was Spanish kingdom.  An English title to an article written in Spanish in a Spanish newspaper.  (Apologies to those of you reading this entry who do not speak Spanish - but have a go at reading it anyway!)


The article talks about the fact that last year, over 25,000 Spanish people started paying into the British National Insurance scheme.

On a recent visit to London, I myself was witness to the large proportion of shop, pub, hotel and restaurant staff from Spain working there.

From the first day I set foot in Spain, I have always been impressed by the hard work and initiative shown by the vast majority of Spanish people I have met.  My personal experience definitely throws into doubt the stereotype of the Spanish being people who leave everything to 'mañana', drop everything for a siesta.

Although some of the people featured in the ABC article are working in bars and restaurants, others are working and getting on well in professions such as graphic design, translation and interpreting, accounting, computing, etc.

The figure of 25,000 Spanish people joining the existing number of Spaniards already working in the UK  is on top of the 40,000 people from Spain who go to the UK each year to take a language course.  This is the figure given in the English Language Market Report:Spain, prepared by the British Council for UK ELT providers.

Spain, the country where I live and (mainly) work, is facing challenges to its economy.  Let's hope that the country rises to the challenge in a way similar to the Spanish people featured in the ABC article!

Ánimo!