Spaniards learning English in ever greater numbers

English language classes in Spain are filling up as Spaniards seek to widen their skillsets

There’s an English language boom happening throughout Spain right now, triggered by the country’s struggling economy and record-high levels of unemployment.

With more than six millions Spaniards currently without a job – some 27 per cent of the population – Spanish job hunters are trying all they can to stand out in an increasingly competitive and cutthroat job market…

The ability to speak English is one of the surest ways to widen a domestic job search, and to also open opportunities for employment overseas. As a result, English language schools have experienced a huge increase in the number of pupils enrolling on courses, according to The New Statesman.

In Andalucía, where local unemployment figures can often top 35 per cent, there is incredible demand for English classes, the article reports, before speaking to a number of local Spaniards to hear of their own tales of woe.

Andalucía is already blessed with more English-speaking Spaniards than all of the country’s other regions, thanks largely to the demand created by British and other European expats who have decided to make this stunning corner of Spain their home – for holidays and permanently.

Non-Spanish speakers rarely encounter any language-related problems on the Costa del Sol, but the news that ever more Spaniards are equipping themselves with English can only be great news for them, and great news for the Costa del Sol’s enduring standing as the foremost destination for property and holidays.