40 Million Commitment-Averse People?

My personal experience has determined that at least half of all Spaniards have commitment issues. Other than the fact that the marriage rates are among the lowest in the world and that young people barely seem to get into relationships, the Spanish seem to avoid locking them into even the things they seek out. I say this based on my experience as a private English teacher. Plenty of people contacted me via e-mail saying they were interested and then quickly stopped responding when I gave them more information on scheduling and cost, which I can hardly blame them for.

My issue, however, lies with the ones who go through all the motions and then at the last minute back out. Out of the 10 serious candidates I've had contact me, I am now down to three students. It's hard to make a living out of something when clients continue to not materialize!

Two out of the first four people to contact me ended up deciding against everything after setting times to meet "due to personal issues." The next couple who wanted a tutor for their children kept me on for three weeks, and then told me on the day of our seventh class that it was my last day, no explanations given. Then there was Lara, a friend of my flatmates, who needed to improve her English for business meetings (she works for an Australian retailer). I tried to be as flexible as possible with her availability, but after two classes, she stopped calling me to schedule classes and only after I contacted her a week later did she say she didn't have time. She still owes me 36€ and has a book of mine. Next came Mario, who wanted an intensive refresher course for an interview he had in January. I tried to let him know that I would be travelling throughout December and it would be a good idea to schedule classes as soon as possible, but he continued to jerk me around until the first week of January. We never set an actual date, his interview passed and I still haven't heard from him. Then there was Carlos, who said he was interested in improving his English to change jobs. We exchanged approximately 20 emails, discussed availabilities and prices (he endlessly tried to haggle with me, begging me to lower the price because he "has two kids and a mortgage!"), and finally arranged to meet. A day later I get an email explaining that, not only did he not find a new job, but he also lost the one he had. I didn't know how to respond, considering I only knew he existed by a Yahoo! email address and was hardly in a position to sympathize. The most recent one to fuck with me was Igor, an assumed businessman. He wanted a rapid and intensive refresher course to help his transition to a new job. On top of asking for my CV, credentials, availability, etc., he wanted me to give him a full two-week lesson plan at the drop of a hat. He also expected me to begin the same day he proposed a schedule for the two weeks, which would have given me a whopping two hours to prepare. After I told him I couldn't possibly do it during exams, we arranged to turn the two weeks into one and meet this Monday. On Saturday I get an email telling me that he had decided to leave the topic of English classes for another time, only after I had gone through the effort of preparing the first class and rearranging my schedule to accomodate his needs.

Is it just me, or does it seem like this entire country has commitment issues? Am I wrong for expecting that setting a date means having a verbal contract? Everyone recognizes the importance of English in the working world, especially in Spain and Europe, but when it comes down to time to turn desire into deed, they all back out. My question is: Why do they even bother jerking me around if they don't plan to put anything into practice? GRR!