# Moving from Canada to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria



## Superfish

Hi everyone,

My husband (a pilot) has been offered a job (within his current company) based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. They are offering €85,000/year plus housing and living expenses, on a two year contract.

We live in Canada and would be moving over in the spring/early summer with our two daughters (they will be 5 years old & 2 years old, then) and hope to bring our dog along. My husband is 31 and I am 27. Right now we're talking about renting our house out while we're there (and putting our major furniture in storage), and moving back to Canada after the two years is up; although selling our house is an option (though I really love our house and would rather not sell it if we're going to come back, anyway).

Right now I have so many questions I don't even know where to start! Can anyone tell me what the process is like moving from Canada to the Canary Islands? Where should I look for information on the process?

What is the education system like? We would be moving over right when my older daughter would normally be starting kindergarten here. None of us speak Spanish; are there any english speaking schools around? Would I have to just stick her in a Spanish speaking school and hope she figures it out? Would I be better off to homeschool?

Any information anyone could provide would be very helpful!!


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## xabiaxica

Superfish said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My husband (a pilot) has been offered a job (within his current company) based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. They are offering €85,000/year plus housing and living expenses, on a two year contract.
> 
> We live in Canada and would be moving over in the spring/early summer with our two daughters (they will be 5 years old & 2 years old, then) and hope to bring our dog along. My husband is 31 and I am 27. Right now we're talking about renting our house out while we're there (and putting our major furniture in storage), and moving back to Canada after the two years is up; although selling our house is an option (though I really love our house and would rather not sell it if we're going to come back, anyway).
> 
> Right now I have so many questions I don't even know where to start! Can anyone tell me what the process is like moving from Canada to the Canary Islands? Where should I look for information on the process?
> 
> What is the education system like? We would be moving over right when my older daughter would normally be starting kindergarten here. None of us speak Spanish; are there any english speaking schools around? Would I have to just stick her in a Spanish speaking school and hope she figures it out? Would I be better off to homeschool?
> 
> Any information anyone could provide would be very helpful!!


:welcome:

I can't help with the logistics of the move - but you''ll be living VERY comfortably on that salary 

generally the Spanish education system is good - obviously they study in Spanish, but for kids of 2 & 5 they'll pick it up frighteningly quickly & be chattering away within weeks! In my opinion, even if you only stay 2 years, at that age they'd get a great grounding in another language, & would be learning the same as in Canada, so it would be too good an opportunity to miss!

mine were 5 & nearly 9 when they started in the Spanish system, and where we live they have not only had to learn Spanish, but also the local language Valenciano - it hasn't held them back at all & they are both in Secondary school now, slipping easily enough from one language to another - although they neither of them _choose_ to speak Valenciano if they don't have to, but will as often as not prefer to watch TV in Spanish & read in Spanish

have a look at this thread about http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/62551-education-spain.html

here's a link for English speaking schools though, if you decide on that route http://www.nabss.org/

home schooling isn't exactly legal in Spain - but obligatory school doesn't start til the year in which the child is 6 (have a look at the info in the first post of the Education thread & you'll see what year your two would be age-appropriate for) - so you could 'homeschool' for a while til you get settled


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## 90199

I know what I would do if I was fortunate enough to be in your position.

I presume that your Husband will be working in the airport of Gran Canaria, if so you will not necessarily have to live in the City, for the airport is a 30 to 40 minute drive south of Las Palmas, depending on traffic.

Here is a link to English speaking schools, however you may wish to consider Spanish schools, if so I can ask my Canarian friends who live on the island.

Schools in Gran Canaria | Gran Canaria Guru 

You do of course realise that when you have lived on the island of Gran Canaria for a while you may have a problem, you might never want to leave


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## Superfish

xabiachica said:


> :welcome:
> 
> I can't help with the logistics of the move - but you''ll be living VERY comfortably on that salary
> 
> generally the Spanish education system is good - obviously they study in Spanish, but for kids of 2 & 5 they'll pick it up frighteningly quickly & be chattering away within weeks! In my opinion, even if you only stay 2 years, at that age they'd get a great grounding in another language, & would be learning the same as in Canada, so it would be too good an opportunity to miss!
> 
> mine were 5 & nearly 9 when they started in the Spanish system, and where we live they have not only had to learn Spanish, but also the local language Valenciano - it hasn't held them back at all & they are both in Secondary school now, slipping easily enough from one language to another - although they neither of them choose to speak Valenciano if they don't have to, but will as often as not prefer to watch TV in Spanish & read in Spanish
> 
> have a look at this thread about [link removed]
> 
> here's a link for English speaking schools though, if you decide on that route [link removed]
> 
> home schooling isn't exactly legal in Spain - but obligatory school doesn't start til the year in which the child is 6 (have a look at the info in the first post of the Education thread & you'll see what year your two would be age-appropriate for) - so you could 'homeschool' for a while til you get settled


Thank you so much for the education links! It's good to know that homeschooling isn't really legal - my husband had suggested the option, and frankly the idea didn't really thrill me  I don't mind the idea of having them in a Spanish speaking school; we had planned on putting them in French schooling here, originally, so at least they would still be getting a second language (my husband is fluent French & English, I however only speak English). I am hoping to enroll in a Spanish for beginners course at the local college before moving over, and plan on starting to speak Spanish to the kids as soon as I am able, to give them a start. Hopefully, it will give them enough that going to school and making friends won't be too much of a struggle. My older girl is already fairly shy, so I am bit concerned that the "culture shock" might make it worse. How did your kids do, socially? Did they find it fairly welcoming?

Are there a lot of English speaking people and services on the island? Is it possible to get by without knowing much (or any) Spanish?

It's good to know that we wouldn't be living in poverty on that salary  I had assumed it was a decent amount (it would be pretty good where we live), but I have no idea what the cost of living would be like, so I wasn't too sure. We're hoping to be able to put a fair amount of money into savings for when we move back to Canada. We don't expect to get rich by any means, but we do hope to be a bit farther ahead when we come back home. If we come back, that is - after spending two years in tropical paradise, I don't know how we'll ever come back to -40°c winters 

Is the culture on Gran Canaria fairly similar to that in mainland Spain? All i know of Europe is what i've heard from relatives (my dad and grandparents emigrated from the UK in the 60s) and what I've seen on TV. On top of that, the only tropical-like places I've been are Florida and Jamaica; my brain has invented some sort of crazy mishmash between the two, and then crossed it with the Europe I've seen in movies. It's getting quite confusing lol.


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## 90199

The Island of Gran Canaria lies on the same latitude of the northern part of Florida. It is in itself a mini continent. The south of the island is arid and dry, that is where the main tourist resorts are, in Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Puerto Mogan. There are sand dunes at Maspalomas that run down to the ocean, the sand over a great period of time was blown in from the Sahara Desert, Africa.
Many tomato and banana plantations are situated here, but tourism is the main industry.

The northern part of the island is lush and green and a lot cloudier and wetter than the south, the temperature can vary by 10ºC especially in the winter months all types of crops are cultivated here. In the small city of Arucas there is a famous rum distillery, which makes the famous Arrehucas rum.

The inland areas of the island is extremely enchanting very green with small Canarian villages and small towns dotted around. There is a town in the centre called Teror there they have a Sunday Market which is very interesting. The town is very pretty with a beautiful church.

The island rises to a height of 6394 feet above sea level, the area around Tejeda has snow in winter and the people from Las Palmas drive to the peak, build a snowman on the engine cover of the cars and drive back to the city before it melts.

The Canary Island culture is somewhat different from that of Iberian Spain, here we only have one language Castellano, or Spanish, there they have several. I find that here the people are warmer, friendlier there is always a smile ready, they love to joke and laugh, usually at my expense. The cuisine is also different, influenced by the products produced locally, and the fish that are caught in the waters locally. There is also a a South American influence both in language culture and cuisine. I find the main pastimes are eating and drinking, and of course football and basketball.

The climate is very agreeable we neither have heating nor air conditioning, I do have a pullover for winter and a straw hat for summer.

On Gran Canaria in the south of the island you could perhaps get by with just English, but if you try to learn the language, so many new doors will open, and it is not a difficult language to learn.

For your vacations visit the other islands they are all different, the link below shows photographs of where I live.


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## Superfish

Hepa said:


> I know what I would do if I was fortunate enough to be in your position.
> 
> I presume that your Husband will be working in the airport of Gran Canaria, if so you will not necessarily have to live in the City, for the airport is a 30 to 40 minute drive south of Las Palmas, depending on traffic.
> 
> Here is a link to English speaking schools, however you may wish to consider Spanish schools, if so I can ask my Canarian friends who live on the island.
> 
> [link removed]
> 
> You do of course realise that when you have lived on the island of Gran Canaria for a while you may have a problem, you might never want to leave


Thank you so much for the response! About 5 or 6 years ago, we had been talking about someday moving overseas, and giving our then-theoretical children the opportunity to experience other countries and learn new languages. We had always talked about it as a 'maybe in 5 years' scenario. Then life got busy and we stopped talking about it. Now, it's five years later and this opportunity has come up! It feels like the universe is giving us a gift and it would be foolish to reject it!

From what I understand, my husband's company provides housing in las palmas for its employees, but gives the option of arranging your own. We have talked about my husband taking the provided housing at first and keeping an eye out for rentals around the island for when the kids and I join him (he will probably be moving out a few months before us). Are there any areas you would recommend for young families? I would love to live somewhere that has everything within walking distance. The idea of being able to go outside all year round, without 5 thick layers of clothing, is very exciting to me and I plan on taking advantage of it!


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## Superfish

Hepa said:


> The Island of Gran Canaria lies on the same latitude of the northern part of Florida. It is in itself a mini continent. The south of the island is arid and dry, that is where the main tourist resorts are, in Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Puerto Mogan. There are sand dunes at Maspalomas that run down to the ocean, the sand over a great period of time was blown in from the Sahara Desert, Africa.
> Many tomato and banana plantations are situated here, but tourism is the main industry.
> 
> The northern part of the island is lush and green and a lot cloudier and wetter than the south, the temperature can vary by 10ºC especially in the winter months all types of crops are cultivated here. In the small city of Arucas there is a famous rum distillery, which makes the famous Arrehucas rum.
> 
> The inland areas of the island is extremely enchanting very green with small Canarian villages and small towns dotted around. There is a town in the centre called Teror there they have a Sunday Market which is very interesting. The town is very pretty with a beautiful church.
> 
> The island rises to a height of 6394 feet above sea level, the area around Tejeda has snow in winter and the people from Las Palmas drive to the peak, build a snowman on the engine cover of the cars and drive back to the city before it melts.
> 
> The Canary Island culture is somewhat different from that of Iberian Spain, here we only have one language Castellano, or Spanish, there they have several. I find that here the people are warmer, friendlier there is always a smile ready, they love to joke and laugh, usually at my expense. The cuisine is also different, influenced by the products produced locally, and the fish that are caught in the waters locally. There is also a a South American influence both in language culture and cuisine. I find the main pastimes are eating and drinking, and of course football and basketball.
> 
> The climate is very agreeable we neither have heating nor air conditioning, I do have a pullover for winter and a straw hat for summer.
> 
> On Gran Canaria in the south of the island you could perhaps get by with just English, but if you try to learn the language, so many new doors will open, and it is not a difficult language to learn.
> 
> For your vacations visit the other islands they are all different, the link below shows photographs of where I live.


It sounds incredible! Your description has pretty much sold me on the idea  I do plan on trying to learn Spanish, but I have a really hard time learning other languages. Hopefully it is just that I've never had a good reason to try very hard; from what I hear it is much easier when you are surrounded by the language, so maybe I will actually succeed


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## Guest

A couple of thoughts: 
Has your five year old ever been in school/pre-school? (You don't have to answer this, but...) How are her reading and writing skills? 

A very large percentage of Spanish kids start pre-school at age 3 or 4, which means that by 4 years they're holding pencils and crayons fairly well and can color and are beginning to write. By 5 years, the vast majority can write their names well and copy words. These are benchmarks you might want to have in mind if she goes into the Spanish public system. 

How old will she be next September? I wonder if she'd go into 5 years _infantil_ (pre-school) or 1st _primaria_ (elementary school).


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## Superfish

halydia said:


> A couple of thoughts:
> Has your five year old ever been in school/pre-school? (You don't have to answer this, but...) How are her reading and writing skills?
> 
> A very large percentage of Spanish kids start pre-school at age 3 or 4, which means that by 4 years they're holding pencils and crayons fairly well and can color and are beginning to write. By 5 years, the vast majority can write their names well and copy words. These are benchmarks you might want to have in mind if she goes into the Spanish public system.
> 
> How old will she be next September? I wonder if she'd go into 5 years infantil (pre-school) or 1st primaria (elementary school).


Good things to think about! She started preschool at 3 years old, and is in a 4 year old class right now. She can write her name, as well as the names of all our family members, and knows her letters and their sounds, and her numbers up to at least 30. All of this is in English, however, and I assume the letters have different sounds in Spanish (and I think there are a few more, correct?).

It sounds like the school system has a similar structure to the ones here in canada. I've been looking online at Canterbury school in Las Palmas (sorry, I can't post links yet since I'm a new member). It is a British school, but apparently it is designed so that the students are fluent in Spanish and are able to seamlessly transfer into the Spanish school, if desired. It looks like it might be a good compromise. My daughter looked at the pictures of the school with me, and has very excitedly asked if she can go there 

She will just turn 5 in May (my younger one will be 2 in May), so I guess she would be going to the 5 years infantil class.


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## Guest

Awesome, she sounds like she's all set then! I'm sorry to ask such personal information, it's just something I've seen with new arrivals here. 

I truly think the youngest kids can survive going into the Spanish system, especially in infantil. But, if you're willing to put her into private school that's great too!


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## Superfish

halydia said:


> Awesome, she sounds like she's all set then! I'm sorry to ask such personal information, it's just something I've seen with new arrivals here.
> 
> I truly think the youngest kids can survive going into the Spanish system, especially in infantil. But, if you're willing to put her into private school that's great too!


Hey, no problem! You brought up some good information. I have never been outside of North America, so I really don't know what to expect in foreign school systems. It's good to know that she will be well prepared


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## 90199

Superfish said:


> It sounds incredible! Your description has pretty much sold me on the idea  I do plan on trying to learn Spanish, but I have a really hard time learning other languages. Hopefully it is just that I've never had a good reason to try very hard; from what I hear it is much easier when you are surrounded by the language, so maybe I will actually succeed


My wife at one time hated having to learn the language, then she realised that she couldn't converse with our new none English speaking friends. Oh if I could go back in time, for now she interrupts my conversation both in English and Spanish and I cannot get a word in edgeways at all.

I think you will soon learn especially if you are interested and want to learn. 

Keep asking the questions, if we the forum cannot answer I have friends on Gran Canaria who can, including a couple of Air Traffic Controllers,


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## Guest

Superfish said:


> Hey, no problem! You brought up some good information. I have never been outside of North America, so I really don't know what to expect in foreign school systems. It's good to know that she will be well prepared


No worries. Let us know what we can do to help!


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## 90199

This link will give you an insight to the Canary Islands, the main musical instrument is the Timple, a tiny guitar, backed by the flute,


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## Mexberry

Hi Superfish,
We moved to Canada from S. Africa many years ago with our 2 children. Within a week they were enrolled in school and shortly thereafter sounded just like a Canadian ! You will find that the kids will adapt more easily than you think. Learning Spanish will be such an advantage for all of you ! I wold expect hat your husband's employer will have staff who can guide you through the process of enrolling the kid in school etc. Good luck, enjoy the experience. We are considering retiring to Spain and experiencing European cultures.
Mexberry.


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## Amina

Superfish said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My husband (a pilot) has been offered a job (within his current company) based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. They are offering €85,000/year plus housing and living expenses, on a two year contract.
> 
> We live in Canada and would be moving over in the spring/early summer with our two daughters (they will be 5 years old & 2 years old, then) and hope to bring our dog along. My husband is 31 and I am 27. Right now we're talking about renting our house out while we're there (and putting our major furniture in storage), and moving back to Canada after the two years is up; although selling our house is an option (though I really love our house and would rather not sell it if we're going to come back, anyway).
> 
> Right now I have so many questions I don't even know where to start! Can anyone tell me what the process is like moving from Canada to the Canary Islands? Where should I look for information on the process?
> 
> What is the education system like? We would be moving over right when my older daughter would normally be starting kindergarten here. None of us speak Spanish; are there any english speaking schools around? Would I have to just stick her in a Spanish speaking school and hope she figures it out? Would I be better off to homeschool?
> 
> Any information anyone could provide would be very helpful!!





Hello Superfish, 

I wanted to started by congratulating you and your family with the move to Spain. I do realice that you have posted this add over two years ago and i truly hope it has all work out well for you and your family and hope that you are all enjoying your time in Gran Canaria. My name is Amina and I'm currently living in Toronto, Canada finishing up my undergrad studies in Economics with a minor In Psychology. I have lived in the Gran Canaria during my childhood, period to my arrival to Canada and I have been completely in love with the island since. As i was looking looking online for work opportunities in the island as I Canadian I came across your post. I wanted to ask you if you have any tips on how to find a stable position in island, as it will truly be a dream come true for me to move back there. Most specifically I was wondering if they are any Canadian companies that have any kind of conation with Gran Canaria. I have constantly looking for position in Gran Canaria but I can not seem to get much done online. If you have any information i will really really appreciated. 


Thank you in advance for your help, 
Amina


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## redshoes

The problem with the British and American schools is that the children will speak english to each other when at play and when meeting up after school, which means that english will always predominate, which is ok, unless you would like your child to learn and be comfortable in spanish. At your child's age she will pick spanish up like a sponge! I believe too that when a young child is exposed to another language so early their brain forms synapses etc. that will 'fire' up again years later when they are trying to pick up the language again or learn another one.

My daughter was 14, english was her only language, when she jumped right into a junior high here in Norway. She not only became fluent after a year, but graduated with a C in all her classes after that first year, which I thought was amazing. The way children learn is amazing...wish I could get some of that! She also made lifelong norwegian friends. I have friends who work at one of the international schools here, and the problem children have is that their expats friends come and go and there are often lots of tears when a good friend moves away because daddy has a new job somewhere else, a long way away.


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## redshoes

I just now saw the date on the original post


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## jojo

redshoes said:


> The problem with the British and American schools is that the children will speak english to each other when at play and when meeting up after school, which means that english will always predominate, which is ok, unless you would like your child to learn and be comfortable in spanish. At your child's age she will pick spanish up like a sponge! I believe too that when a young child is exposed to another language so early their brain forms synapses etc. that will 'fire' up again years later when they are trying to pick up the language again or learn another one.
> 
> My daughter was 14, english was her only language, when she jumped right into a junior high here in Norway. She not only became fluent after a year, but graduated with a C in all her classes after that first year, which I thought was amazing. The way children learn is amazing...wish I could get some of that! She also made lifelong norwegian friends. I have friends who work at one of the international schools here, and the problem children have is that their expats friends come and go and there are often lots of tears when a good friend moves away because daddy has a new job somewhere else, a long way away.


 I have to say that both my kids learnt more spanish in their international schools than in the 18 months that my daughter was in a Spanish school. There were many Spanish kids and other nationalities in their classes, in fact I think my son was one of only three Brits. That said, mine were 10 and 12 when we moved to Spain, so they were a bit too old to expect them to become bilingual, altho we thought my 10yo may do ok in a Spanish school - however, she hated it!

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica

jojo said:


> I have to say that both my kids learnt more spanish in their international schools than in the 18 months that my daughter was in a Spanish school. There were many Spanish kids and other nationalities in their classes, in fact I think my son was one of only three Brits. That said, mine were 10 and 12 when we moved to Spain, so they were a bit too old to expect them to become bilingual, altho we thought my 10yo may do ok in a Spanish school - however, she hated it!
> 
> Jo xxx


it so much depends upon the school though

one of our local International schools has a really low pass rate at Spanish GCSE, especially considering they all live in Spain - the other is actually bilingual & the kids spend a lot more hours a week learning Spanish & learning IN Spanish so do better


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## anles

jojo said:


> I have to say that both my kids learnt more spanish in their international schools than in the 18 months that my daughter was in a Spanish school. There were many Spanish kids and other nationalities in their classes, in fact I think my son was one of only three Brits. That said, mine were 10 and 12 when we moved to Spain, so they were a bit too old to expect them to become bilingual, altho we thought my 10yo may do ok in a Spanish school - however, she hated it!
> 
> Jo xxx


I also think it has a lot to do with the child. I have always sympathised with your poor Ruby  as I lived through the same experience although I was much younger at the time. I was brought to Spain when I was 7, well I was just turned 8 when we settled here as we spent some time travelling before. I hated Spain, but it was not just Spain, it was the whole situation, leaving my grandparents who had brought me up since I was about 10 months old, I didn't want to live with my mum, I didn't get on with my new stepdad. So my only way of fighting back was refuse to learn Spanish, as anyway, there was no point because I was going "home" as soon as I could. After a few months (I am very stubborn) we went to visit a family who were Spanish, but lived in the UK, and were on holiday at the time, whose daughter was my age more or less and was bilingual. My step father said on the way back..."Wasn't that little girl amazing? What a shame Andrea is too stupid to learn another language". That is a very cruel, unkind thing to say to a child, but for me it worked because I thought, right I'll show him and it seems to me now, that I was bilingual the next day! Obviously I must have had some problems, made mistakes but all the time I had refused to learn, it was soaking in and I truly can't remember not being able to speak the language. We moved here in May and when I started school in September I never had a problem. Although I was fortunate to start my schooling in a small village school where there were only 10 children aged between 4 and 14. And there were no other foreign children so it was Spanish or Spanish, as at that point Galician was still forbidden. What I'm trying to say is that maybe she didn't speak the language at the Spanish school because she didn't want to, not because she didn't have the ability or the opportunity.


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## nnnmmm5050

Wondered if you are still in Gran Canary. We are a newAmerican family to the island living in the south with 3 kids. I am looking for a group planning to get together for 4th of July.


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