englishbird

so im going to be working in gibraltar in the new year but having looked for property since july with no luck i am looking at la linea.... my son is 13 (tomorrow) and doesnt speak spanish but i cant afford to put him in private school at £700 a month ... if i placed him in spanish school how much would he struggle or would he pick it up? he is home schooled now and can be when out there and i can get a tutor in for spanish if this is easier .... tia

Opinion

I imagine not speaking Spanish may make it difficult to learn things taught in Spanish.

VFR

How much would he struggle ?
Lets look at this another way, you live in Gib and are given a job in La Linea but do not speak a word of Spanish ............. would you struggle ?

mikelincs

He would struggle for a good few months, expect him to lose about a year of teaching, he would become fluent in about a year, but just imagine the upheaval he will have surrounded by people talking in a different language, he would have problems making friends. My own opinion is DON'T DO IT.

Fredbargate

The simple solution is to live in Gibraltar and receive free education in Gib which follows the UK curriculum.
OK accommodation is more expensive in Gib but will probably work out similar to Spain when all factors are taken into consideration.

https://www.propertygibraltar.com/se...rom=&price_to=

snikpoh

Don't forget that home schooling isn't exactly legal in Spain!

He'll lose at least a year (have to retake the first year) and then will struggle with the Spanish curriculum .....

Perhaps best to try and school him in Gib.

Moses2013

But it's often the case that kids from other countries are automatically put in a lower grade/year in most schools. They then have enough time to concentrate on the language. Well that's how it was for me and other kids but of course 13 is nearly too old in some cases.

dougal03

You would also have to consider if you are going to remain being employed in Gib. The Spanish system is different & if he returns to UK having been educated for some years in La Linea,he then has to return to his old method.My granddaughter has done this in reverse.She is Spanish & was taken to England at 14years old but her family are settled there permanentely.Fredbargate has suggested the sensible solution,I think.

knadian

Homeschooling Is not legal in Spain.

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst myself and BEVS moderate Europe. Please read the Site Rules http://britishexpats.com/site-rules/ adhere to them so that the site runs smoothly. Moderators are there to ensure that the rules of BE are maintained. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

chopera

He won't be fluent enough to follow the Spanish curriculum within a year. He might be able to scrape by after 2 years but that's still a big ask. By then it might be too late anyway. I would try to keep home schooling him for the first 6 months and then you'll be better placed to decide for yourself. You don't need to become a resident in Spain until you have spent 6 months in Spain, so the legality of homeschooling (which isn't clear) shouldn't be an immediate issue. I suspect the long term solution would be for him to attend school in Gibraltar.

scot47

Fluency will not come automatically. Young children pick up a language quickly. Teenagers do not., And they certainly do not aquire enough to pass exams in Physics or write essays in the new language.