My family live in tenerife, have done for almost 20 years, so we spend alot of time over there. Personally, I like it... For a holiday, any longer and it just gets hot, and boring. We've done longer stays over there in the past, and got a long term air bnb and spent a few months there before the kids started school. After the first couple of weeks, it was just bloody hard work. Everything is hugely expensive, even in the non touristy parts. They grow bananas... Lots and lots of bananas, most other things have to be shipped in, so life becomes expensive quickly. The island is small, and once you've seen it all... You've seen it all. Like most of Spain, it's set up for holidaymakers and some stuff can be seasonal, but it benefits from winter sun tourism too, so alot of places carry on to try and make as much money as possible in the busier periods, unlike some of the balearic islands that basically shut down over winter. Unlike the touristy parts of mainland Spain, alot of the natives don't speak much English, so you will have to make a huge effort with learning the lingo to get by. My family speak Spanish pretty fluently now, but have had issues in the past with communication, when buying cars, property, maintenance work, and have had to use translators sometimes, which is also an added expense, but obviously worth it with improtant purchases and documents. And they're slow. Building work, and basically anything you need done takes forever and a day. "Mañana, mañana" is their favourite phrase, which means "tomorrow... Sort of", as tomorrow never comes! My family were without hot water for months (literally) as trying to get someone to fix their boiler was impossible. The expat communities comprise of mainly older people (like my family) who have gone there for retirement. I'm not sure you'll find a huge English speaking community of young families, with school age children, in a similar position to yourselves. It's mainly retirees, or those with holiday apartments, that they fly out to for some winter sun. It's certainly not somewhere I'd long to move to, it's fine for a holiday, but the dust and heat is just gross somedays. Calima warnings come often, which means not leaving the house much, as the dust can affect the respitory system, especially in children. Wildfires are also becoming more and more common, and frightening. Mainland Spain (which yes, has issues too like every country) but has so many more opportunities, especially for children and young adults, theres a far more international scene, and much more tolerable weather. Is the reason you've decided on Tenerife purely because your in-laws are there? That seems like a bit of a whim to base a move on, and if an international move is something you definitely want to do, I'd look into places which are going to be the best suited for your family requirements, not just choosing somewhere on the basis you know a couple of people who live there. Tenerife is definitely not the best place in the world to bring up (non Spanish speaking) children, and living on a relatively small island, could become very isolating over time. Your chidlren would likely not stay on the island forever, as the job opportunities just aren't there, unless they want to work in a waterpark or hospitality, so you could find yourself lonely in the future. My DM has basically lost the plot over the past decade or so, and we worry about her constantly. I'm sure it's the isolation and life style that's created it, but they will never return to the UK, they have their life there, and we visit as often as possible. Always can't wait to get home though!