Nearly 300 people waited for up to nine hours outside Valencia's Goethe Institute language school on Monday in the hope of signing up for a German course.
It's an increasingly common sight outside German language centres across Spain when they open their doors at the start of the academic year.
"We had to double our teaching numbers last year to meet the increased demand," Frank Mönkemöller, co-director of Seville's ICA German language school, told The Local Spain.
"The average student is 28, has a good education already and is looking to increase his or her career options."
Mönkemöller said that many of ICA's students had a technical background such as telecommunications, engineering or architecture.
"A lot of them already have a good level of English but see German as key to landing a job," Mönkemöller added.
Back in May, Germany agreed to provide vocational training and jobs for young Spaniards starved of opportunities in their crisis-hit home country.
"In Germany we have a shortage of qualified personnel," Germany’s Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen told the press conference where the 5,000 annual job offers were announced.
"We have one million open jobs, desperately looking for people who can fill them."
READ MORE: Goethe Institute reports surging interest in German language
Alex Dunham
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