A new survey conducted by overseas property consultants at YourOverseasHome.com reveals that prospective British immigrants are looking to embed themselves in the culture of their new home country.
The survey used 4,000 responses from people who are in the process of buying a property in France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus or Portugal about their hopes and dreams for life abroad.
The results found that 67 percent of those looking to purchase property abroad said they would prefer to live amongst the local community rather than surrounded by other expats.
When it comes to learning the local language, 2 out of 3 of the people surveyed stated that they wanted to learn the native language of the country they’re interested in. And they were not put off by the relative difficulty of learning Portuguese or Greek either.
Only 7 per cent admitted that they probably wouldn’t bother to learn the language.
Christopher Nye, one of Your Overseas Home’s experts in buying property abroad, said: “It’s no secret that the British have a reputation for behaving badly when abroad. Tourists are typically known for being embarrassingly loud and uncouth, but this unfair stereotype often extends to expats and retirees abroad too.
“Many are quite wrongly thought to be looking to live the British lifestyle, just in a hotter climate, and therefore unwilling to immerse themselves amongst the locals or embrace the new culture and experience.
“However, our new data shows that people looking to buy and move abroad are willing and in fact wanting to live like the locals do. Instead of pigeonholing themselves into expat communities, the majority appear to want to live like a true Spaniard or Italian, and that involves becoming fluent in the local language too.
“For expats, learning the language of their new country is helpful for several reasons.
“It will help you settle in much more easily, being able to pass the time of day with the neighbours, build relationships and navigate your new life more smoothly.
“Knowing the local language will also be a prerequisite for many jobs (always allowing for post-Brexit rules) but also allow you to help out with voluntary opportunities, therefore opening doors to a range of new experiences.
“If you speak the local language, the bottom line is that it helps to demonstrate respect for the local culture, enabling expats to fully understand local customs and adapt to their surroundings.
“So if our data is anything to go by, perhaps Brits aren’t looking to establish Little England abroad, after all.”
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Richard PearsonPlease,tell me why you live here?Do you remember Kenya?
Richard PearsonMind your own business, Mr Pearson. If Sara has anything to comment on my writing, she is competent to write it directly to me.
Morgan WilliamsI didn’t write Thomas Cook.. I wrote Mr Thomas Cook on purpose. At least you have heard of him though and what he started. . Sorry, it was the English who dominated the first years in the Balearics. Did you read the article about the flying boats ? Enclave ? What enclave ? May I suggest that you leave your tiny village where you are the only Brit and see how the rest of us live ? You may get a surprise.
Ulla JacksonPlease don’t use capitals. Sara doesn’t like them.
Richard PearsonNice diversion attempt (if bleedin' obvious) ... ...but don't take my word for it. Leave the comfort of your little British enclave, and you'll see for yourself. And no, in terms of tourism, Mallorca has always been German dominant, along with other European nationalities. When combined, account for roughly 80% of tourism here. The rest is a combination of British, North Americans, Asians, South Americans... But you already knew that, right? By the way, Thomas Cook is owned by a Chinese company.
Richard PearsonOnes and for all, NO-ONE needs to give up their passport as long as dual citizenship is allowed. I guess you don't have that option. Mr Person I think you live very much, too much in the past, talking with pride of colonising half of the world and refering to the war. Try accepting the world as it is now, and do not attacking any one person because in your world only "native speaking English" are ok, the rest in the UK or living abroad are not.
Morgan Williams“But Brits are a rarity outside of the British enclaves. That suggests (generally) a more insular mentality. As if that's any surprise” Your quote, not mine. You have obviously not heard or read about Mr Thomas Cook. Ask anyone who knows anything about the birth of tourism in Mallorca (and Menorca) and they will tell you that the English were the pioneers and bloody good clients as well. Apart from tourism, the English did a pretty job of colonising over half the globe, whilst spreading their language (English, not Welsh) to every corner of same. Even India adopted it as their lingua franca. The Germans didn’t even manage that with Poland. Not bad for uncivilised islanders you are continuously looking down on.
Mt Williams, when are you going to renounce your British nationality, burn your passport and declare yourself a citizen of the world ?. You could also start conversing with the rest of us in Welsh, instead of using MY national language which is English.
Palma Nova, Magaluf, Santa Ponca,Pollenca Port. That's where most Brits live so this article is nonsense.
Ulla JacksonMost all other nationalities can be found everywhere here. We live in a small village which of course is Mallorquin dominant, but there's also Germans, Swedish, French, Swiss... We're the only British nationals around. Not all speak Spanish well, but Europeans seem to pick up languages easily, all of them we know also speak English and Spanish rather fluently, in addition to their native language. We know a few that are fluent in 5 or more languages. But that's a cultural thing. Europeans in general are long accustomed to living with other cultures and languages. Since the beginning of time, they've always had to socialise and conduct business with their neighbours. So they learn lots of languages. And more recently, have learned not to fear their (foreign) neighbours. Most of the Germans we know who visit for holidays consciously avoid German hotspots. They're more interested in experiencing local (or some different) culture rather than meeting up with more Germans. The same generally applies to most other Europeans. And that may help explain why you can find Germans and other Europeans everywhere here. But Brits are a rarity outside of the British enclaves. That suggests (generally) a more insular mentality. As if that's any surprise.