Do you speak fluent spanish Sue? Not sure about Tenerife, but here in Lanzarote it is very difficult to be employed in this sector. Were you thinking of the private or public health system?

Hi
I don't know about Tenerife, but I have just had a baby in Spain and would have loved an English midwife. Not so much because of the language but because their attitudes and their way of doing things is so different. This was my 4th child and my first 3 were born in England, so I have experienced both sides. All my labours were fairly quick and very straight forward. When I had my 3rd child, there was just me, my husband and the midwife present. When I had my 4th (in Spain) there were 7 (!) medical staff present and my husband wasn't allowed in until the last minute. He also had to wear gown and mask. Also, I wasn't even allowed to hold my baby until after she had been cleaned up and the staff had done all their checks. It was all treated like it was some kind of medical procedure and my husband and I shouldn't be interfering, where as in England, as you know, the emphasis was on the natural.
I'm sure you would be welcomed with open arms by any pregnant english women.
Kathy

I had my third baby here in spain, and yes attitudes are a bit different, but I was lucky in that I remianed pretty much in control of what was going on and still did it my way, (even though the spanish doctor was appalled... they havnt seen it done standing up before!!) there are some private hospitals here on the costa blanca where non spanish midwifes work but also consider the option to have private care .. trouble is that unless the hospital buys into the service its not much use, also bear in mind that people that live out here arent on London salaries, so suddenly things like hiring some lovely lady to help you push seems like a bit of a luxury... Ante natal classes probably are not offered to expat mums in english tho, that might be a go-er?