Have you ever thought of spending a year in Spain?

Plan your days to relax …

I have just met up with a beautiful American family who are at the start of an exciting family adventure. They are spending a year in Spain. The children are going to attend a Spanish state school and they are going to visit and learn as much as they can about this wonderful country, it’s people, history and culture, during their family adventure year in Spain.

What a fantastic experience, particularly for their children.

I have been in contact with the family for the past few months, assisting them in the decision-making process and providing information along the way.

I will not give too many details at this point as one of their sons, Theo, has promised to write up his adventure and decision-making process to share with you.

All I will say is that the majority of their luggage is currently in storage at Madrid airport whilst they are travelling around the South of the country, looking for what will be their home for the coming year in Spain. Where will it be? Malaga? Mijas? Cadiz? Seville?

What a wonderful adventure. I cannot wait to share it with you.

Beach fun in Cadiz

Have you ever thought of spending a year in Spain? If not, why not? It is such a great idea, for so many reasons.

In an article*10 Reasons to Encourage Your Children to Study and Live Abroad, they quote some of the benefits of spending a year abroad as:

Increased self-confidence
Increased maturity
Develop a broader mind
Greater commitment to learning a foreign language
Learn more about different cultures and values
Find it easier to understand and interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures.
Learn new skills
Acquire a lifetime of benefits!

*http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/reasons-encourage-children-study-live-abroad-10086

It shows how children of all ages can benefit from time spent in a different culture, and how student aged ‘children’ of broad minded and encouraging parents can gain so much from their time spent abroad.

In the early 1990s, Dr. Ruth Hill Useem, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Education at Michigan State University, conducted a study on Adult Third-Culture Kids that revealed that people who spent at least one year or more of childhood outside of their home country were likely to have a higher level of education, more advanced problem-solving skills and foreign language abilities.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/about_5384622_advantages-living-abroad.html

Your children do not need to travel alone to experience this. Why not do it together, as a family?

Many British people contact me to ask for assistance during a permanent move to Spain but hardly ever do they say they are coming for a year. Is it really only US citizens who chose this option? If so, why?

I really believe that a year living abroad for any child would be a fabulous life experience. Is missing a year of school really that important? Surely the world is a bigger, better classroom. What do you think?

If you are considering spending a year in Spain with your children, do not hesitate to get in touch. I can help you will the planning, decision-making and all the essential requirements.

If you are concerned about the children falling behind with their school work, remember that Spain has many International schools that follow the British curriculum. In some intentional schools, the majority of the students are Spanish so the opportunity still exists to pick up Spanish language skills.

If you are able to continue your child’s education at home and wish to immerse them in the Spanish language, research which areas of Spain have schools with availability and who will accept your children for one year. Again, I can assist you with this if necessary.

So, whether you are from the USA, Canada, Europe or beyond, if you have children, I would suggest from age six years and upwards, and are considering an exciting family adventure in Spain, contact me and let’s get this family adventure started.