Settling in Tenerife

After the excitement of buying your new family property in Tenerife has faded, all the boxes are unpacked, the kids are enrolled in their new school and the new apartment is beginning to feel more like a home most people feel they can really start to enjoy their new life in Tenerife.

Occasionally it is at this time that a few doubts may creep in. Perhaps one or other parent is missing family and friends or one of the children just isn´t settling in at school. While we have found it rare for expats to regret their decision to move to Tenerife, there are ways to ease the transition for any of the family who are feeling homesick.

Learn the Lingo

While there are numerous on-line Spanish courses available on the internet, learning the language in a classroom setting will bring you into contact with a group of like minded people - most likely most of whom will be expats in a similar situation as yourself. There are many such classes to choose from. The Cultural Centre in Los Cristianos posts information on Spanish courses.

You need not be fluent in Spanish in order to use what you have learned. Tinerfeños will appreciate that you are trying and will be only too happy to correct your mispronunciation or offer a few words to add to your vocabulary.

Learning Spanish will not only help you integrate it will come in very useful when dealing with government offices. The Hacienda (tax office), Social Security office and others make no concession to foreigners and post large signs saying that if you do not speak Spanish you must bring an interpreter with you.

Socialise

There are hundreds of societies and social clubs in Tenerife. Some, like the Lions Club which meets in the Paradise Park Hotel are charitable, their events geared to raising money for those in need. Others like The Dining Club are simply social - an excuse to get together with old friends and meet new ones. Again the Cultural Centre is a good place to find notices about club and society events. You will also find updates in the community sections of the local newspapers.

Integrate

Tenerife does not provide as much of a culture shock as you could expect in Beijing, for example. Things are not that different here. You are unlikely to walk round a corner and come face to foot with an elephant as might happen if you were in Bangkok. You will not in an experimental mood ask for an unfamiliar dish in any restaurant and be served sea-slug, dogmeat or snake.

You will find on the other hand, that the island has frustratingly odd shopping hours - so adjust your personal clock. You´ll understand why the siesta is still an idelible part of the day here after you´ve lived through the blazing August heat. You may even find that a half hour nap in the middle of the day is a most enjoyable habit to have and forget altogether about the inconvienience of banks and shops closing for hours in the afternoon.

After time you will probably find that your shopping list has changed too. While it is possible to get just about any British product that you could possibly want, their Spanish counterparts are just as good and far cheaper.

Considerations

One big fear is to lose touch with family and friends but this is dispelled quickly, as many immigrants settling here discover. Although they live thousands of miles away here in Tenerife, they see more of family and 'freinds' while living here than they did back home in the UK. Once settled on the island it's surprising how many of 'friends' and family that we only normally see at 'weddings and funerals', suddenly not bear to see you, so they come to stay with you, very convenient for them, in sunny Tenerife! A word of caution you could suddenly become their cook, driver, cleaner, butler and apart from these 'jobs' there is the considerable added hassle of having a constant stream of visitors living in your home. On top of this there is a serious addition to your living costs here in Tenerife, remember the hidden costs of electricity, food, water etc. but also visitors do want to go out to eat and drink and basically enjoy their holiday and naturally expect that you will join them on their outings.

Another serious consideration; for the majority of prospective immigrants coming here to live permanantly without the knowlegde of fluent Spanish. The opportunities for well paid job without a skill are limited. For those with experience and money to invest in becoming self employed have an advantage but consider the overheads. Also the burocracy and the time and patience that is needed visiting various government offices and completing the necessary paperwork is something not for the faint hearted. For some reason the Spanish government does not like to use the postal service, so that many things which we in the UK are used to doing by post; require us going to several offices in order to complete the seemingly endless streams of paperwork, manana manana.

The first thought of most immigrants moving here looking for a means of earning a living is to have a bar. Typical scenario while on holiday, they would have spent some time in one 'local' enjoyed chatting to the owners and come away with the impression that 'this is the best way for me to enjoy living in Tenerife and earn money'. If your reason to come here was to enjoy the sunshine and relaxed style of life then working up to sixteen hours a day, seven days a week behind a bar the best way to enjoy your new relaxed life? Managing a bar that provides snacks and meals from a tiny kitchen is exhausting work and with the amount of competition the long hours are necessary in order to keep afloat.

Also families moving here with young children will need to consider very seriously the question of schooling. Children going to the English schools in Teneirfe cost a large proportion of the family budget, while those fortunate enough to find places in the local Spanish schools will be faced with teachers that speak only Spanish. Imagine a child suddenly being taught in a foreign language with no translation available! This is an important part of the planning when considering living here; it's a wonderful carefree life for children growing up here providing the parents have time and money to support them.

Salaries are lower here than in Europe but the cost of most items is also much less, the most noticeable being, eating out, drinks and tobacco products.

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