To be on time is crucial for success in life; a few minutes difference can mean the difference between getting that job offer you were after, catching a flight or meeting the love of your life, the latter being more a pleasant case of serendipity.
The fact is that punctuality is vital to getting ahead in life. Now of course, I too have been late on a number of occasions, throughout my life; we are all human and therefore falible or as the rabbit in «Alice in Wonderland» would say «I am late! I am late! …..for a very important date!» However it is true that punctuality varies from culture to culture and I think you all know what is coming next!
Spanish and Italian people are always late and British and German people are always punctual. This is how battles are won and modern empires are built 😉 or perhaps it is a little bit too easy to generalize like this. «Is there smoke, without fire?»
I think that Spanish people are equally professional to British people when it comes to professional engagements, but when it comes to social engagements from my experience, Spanish people will arrive 10 to 15 min later on average than British and German people, adopting a «better late then never» policy. Some Brits who have resided in Spain for a long time (ex-pats) may have also taken up this custom «When in Rome, do as the Romans do» but generally speaking they tend to be more punctual, I am afraid to say that some stereotypes hold true.
I would like to cover my back however by stating that as with all stereotypes, there are exceptions to the rule.
What do you think? Come along to «clases de ingles en valencia» where we can discuss this and much more 😉
