I, along with many pre-Brexit generations, made the most of free youth movement by seasonal working abroad, learning new languages, experiencing other cultures and generally broadening the mind. Sadly, post-Brexit, it is another of the many freedoms the UK has lost, despite industry, especially tourism, crying out for the return of season workers.
But the ambassador fears it highly unlikely the UK government will change its stance. Yes, Erasmus will continue but we know for many that’s a great excuse for a party. And what really brought it to my attention was a conversation I had with a group of Mallorcan parents the other day. All their children are aged between 22 and 28.
The 28-year-old has now spent three years working at Paris’s largest hospital in the intensive care unit and has no intention of moving back to Mallorca or Spain. Another had spent six months working as a physiotherapist in Lyon and, after having returned home to Mallorca, has decided Lyon is where his future lies.
The youngest has just embarked on a philosophy degree in Belgium and he is taking it in English. And needless to say, many of their friends are also either studying or working abroad and are multilingual. What great opportunities young Europeans have. The Brits did once, but now I fear the dawn of lost and isolated generations in the UK.