Autoescuela & license info?

I assume you are not from Europe.  I was under the impression you can drive unlimited on an English licence.  Hope that is not wrong as I have been driving for over a year now     If anyone knows for sure please let me know.

That is correct, I'm non-eu. It would be much easier if Spain would allow a simple switch like we do with Spanish licenses but ho-hum, it is what it is. I'd just like the process to go as smooth as possible but not entirely sure what that actually means or how long I have to "learn" for.

As far as I know for EU license holders you still need to have the medical and after a certain time frame you will need to renew your license if you are a resident here which effectively switches it to a Spanish license.
Not certain entirely but it's probably best to double check.

Thanks I will check

I had to go through an auto escuela two years ago as my Canadian licence was not recognised here in Spain (Tenerife). Although I had been driving all my life I still needed to attend driving school classes several times a week in a classroom, along with computer self testing on sample exams. After finishing the textbook and class lessons I took the final written exam in Spanish, as I am fluent. There were several English people in the exam room who were given the same exam written in English as their Spanish was not fluent.
After passing the written exam I went on to road driving with an instructor which was actually a good thing as there were some differences between the current Spanish rules of the road and those I had learned in Canada years ago as a young girl. I was asked to drive many times to the busiest part of the city as well as out on the highway. When it came time for the road exam my instructor sat next to me and the examiner sat behind in the back seat. I passed both written and road tests with 100% and the whole process took 3 months. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply Canarybird, that is quite helpful and a bit of a concern at the same time.
Classes? And several times a week?
Those are things I hadn't intended on but at least the exam can be done in English, I am learning Spanish but am nowhere near the level to take an exam in it yet. Don't get me wrong it's probably quite useful but can you learn the book by yourself and then go for the exam?

When you are "learning" during the 3 months can you drive independently with L plates still on and are there any restrictions on people in the car you can have?
And afterwards once you have passed is there a probationary period or are you good to go with a full license.

Sorry for the extra questions, your post was already very helpful.

edit: I have just found that you can only get your L plate after passing the tests, is this correct?

Hi JB80...I believe it is the law that you have to get your licence through a driving school if your current licence is not an EU licence or one from a country which has a reciprocal exchange agreement with Spain.  Canada and Spain don't so that's why I had to go through the process.  You could try to find a driving school there that has a course for English speaking people. However I don't know if they exist there, although some driving schools have Spanish teachers who speak English.
I bought a couple of manuals, one set in Spanish which was sold by the driving school (consisting of the manual "Manual Programado de Circulacion y Seguridad Vial" ediciones MATFER along with a book of sample exams) and another set of the same in English, which I bought online.  The manual I bought online reflects the Spanish exam material but in English.  It's called: "Learning to Drive", published by ETRASA.  ISBN 978-84-96105-03-4. There is probably a newer edition now as this one I had was from 2009.  Here's the link to the online page for that book from one book company: m.casadellibro.com/libro-learning-to-drive-manual/9788496105034/1018982. There is also a second booklet with sample exams in English.  There are also online sample exams you can go through endlessly.  LATER: Sorry just saw the link to the online bookstore has disappeared.  However that manual in English should be available from other online booksellers.

Here is a link to an English driving school in Spain I just found that could be just what you need.  Check this out:
english-driving-school.com/learning-to-drive-in-spain/
I didn't have to use L plates at all.  Good Luck.

PS You can't use L plates until you have passed the tests, but if you have a current driving licence from another country they may waive having to use the L plates, as they did with me.

Thanks again for the info.

Unfortunately that driving school is out of my area but it looked just what I was after.
I have been in contact with another school close by and have set up a meeting to discuss exactly what we can fit into my schedule.
They seem certain that I could have the B license in under a month. That remains to be seen but from what they say I can do the theory classes online from home and when ready go to do the exam and then I guess I just need a handful of practical lessons to come to terms with the different rule variations and to freshen up on what Spanish I will need for the end exam as they say that will be in Spanish.

It seems they offer all sorts of insurance for house and car I think through allianz which I will check out because we need that stuff too.

Either way it sounds positive and if I can have the license in a couple of months then I will be more than happy.

I'll post how it goes for anyone else interested.

Hi
I'm an American moving to Spain in March.
I only know how to drive automatic, no stick in FL, we don't even have hills or curves
My question is can you take the driving  test with an automatic car or will it have to be stick?
How long is the course both written and practice and what is the cost, I'm fluent in Spanish so that part al least shouldn't be a problem,  I hope

Hi I'm Canadian and took my Spanish driving lessons over 5 years ago since my Canadian licence was not recognized, even though I've been driving all my life. I had to go to driving school for at least a couple of months as though I were a beginner, and do practical tests on their computers as well as classroom lessons and road lessons in Spanish.  I'm also fluent so took the written exam in Spanish and passed it as well as the road test. This was all in Tenerife so I don't know the conditions in other parts of Spain. I don't remember what I paid at the time, but if you can find a reputable driving school in your area they will give you the information you need. The road lessons and final test were all on a standard stick shift car, so you'll need to familiarize yourself with that as automatic gears are not so common here, even though my own car is an automatic.  I had to remember how to drive with gears again. Good Luck.