the big move with 2 kids? is it worth it?

[rjnpenang]

JoJo has all the answers, however I cannot emphasise too strongly the problems you are going to have with your kids, they are both the wrong age to start Spanish school and spend one year in a lower class learning Spanish, and the private schools are so exspensive. My wife & I celebrating 25 years here in Mijas Costa, We have seen so many families, not just English, with teenage kids roaming the streets or working in their parents bars, or even in some cases going home to live with their grandparents, I can understand you wanting to leave the UK but why not wait another 2 or 3 years until the 14 year old is off your hands and give the 11 year old extensive Spanish lessons.
Your hubby could probably find work with the big removal firms and you as a nurse posibly in the private clinics now springing up.

[merlindale]

thanks to everyone who has replied, we feel like we know loads, but when you actually speak to people who have taken the plunge we actually know nothing!! We are not looking to buy a property as we do know 70k will not be enough, we are looking to rent, for a few years anyway and hopefully we will be able to find employment of some sort to keep our heads above water, but we will not make the move until we have done all of our homework, and we have received advice from all you fab people on this forum, ive been on other forums, and some people are very hot headed when you suggest moving teenagers out of the uk school system, felt like i was getting a row from a few!! Im watching living in the sun, ha ha i hear you all say, but its the next best thing to being there, which i will be this sunday, hooray, away from the typical scottish drizzle, to hopefully some sun!!

Thanks again and ill be in touch with a load of new questions soon no doubt!!

di and shane

[jojo]

Originally Posted by rjnpenang

JoJo has all the answers, however I cannot emphasise too strongly the problems you are going to have with your kids, they are both the wrong age to start Spanish school and spend one year in a lower class learning Spanish, and the private schools are so exspensive. My wife & I celebrating 25 years here in Mijas Costa, We have seen so many families, not just English, with teenage kids roaming the streets or working in their parents bars, or even in some cases going home to live with their grandparents, I can understand you wanting to leave the UK but why not wait another 2 or 3 years until the 14 year old is off your hands and give the 11 year old extensive Spanish lessons.
Your hubby could probably find work with the big removal firms and you as a nurse posibly in the private clinics now springing up.

I agree. But, thats is the problem we had - there is NEVER a right time, there was always something stopping us, my older kids, ex-husband, parents, work, money, commitments..... In the end we decided we couldnt leave it any longer otherwise we'd be coming out here to retire and I wanted to come out here to live with the kids as a family. Yes, we did leave it a bit late, but when the last parent "popped" off last summer (apart from pa-in-law who had alzeimers so didnt know) we decided it had to be NOW, otherwise we'd have had to have waited til 11yo was 18+ and I'm sure by then something else would have got in the way!


I think the answer is to come out as you're planning to do and have a look! You have a base with your parents, so thats a bonus

[merlindale]

hi jo jo,

we have problems 2 with x husband and wife, as my husband has 2 kids who will stay here with their mum and visit for long hot summers, his kids are 11 and 14 as well, 4 boys between us, how lucky are we, i know there is never a good time but ill look into schooling and fees etc as they do vary. once ive conquered the school, then its onto an apt/villa and also which area we wish to live, and then hopefully we can make the move, life is to short to be miserable in scotland, with all the fuel going up, gas/electric, and mortgages hard to obtain and a government thats running britain into the ground!!! enuf on the political side of things, it just bugs me, and its hopefully better in spain although we will not be coming over thinking its all sunshine, sangria, sea etc, we do appreciate we will have to climate change and thats its not a holiday we are on but our new life,

thanks again for all your advice, youv been a great help


di

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by merlindale

We are not looking to buy a property as we do know 70k will not be enough, we are looking to rent,

As I said before, there are apartments around here going for €70k .... renting is probably a good alternative at the moment and you should always try to barter on the rental figure

[eshock44]

Hi merlin

we have a similar situation here 5 kids in total 3 of them around the end of school age and 2 a lot younger the older one of those 2 being 8 this year, we do have some concerns about his education as he may find it difficult to adapt to a spanish state school as he knows next to no spanish the younger one doesnt worry us as shes only 1 atm hehe

[chris(madrid)]

IMO - if you intend to make Spain your home - your nippers NEED to get into a Spanish School as fast as humanly possible.

I've two mates in Germany whose experience I can relate. Both came from the USA. Had kids of similar ages - both had German born wives. One put his kids in a US school the other German.

The US schooled kids shot off back to the US as soon as they could. Never learned more than VERY rudimentary German and NEVER went anywhere except US base amusements. The others integrated despite a TOUGH 6 months at first. Stayed in Germany and fully integrated. Remember however tough it is - at home they'll have an escape.

The choice is yours and to some extent theirs too. My parents gave up living in the Caribbean and returned to the UK so that my brother and I received "proper" schooling without us having to "board". I recall being told about the options - I don't recall being happy at the thought of boarding. If we'd stayed I'm sure I'd still be there though. I recall having issues adapting to the UK for a while.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by chris(madrid)

IMO - if you intend to make Spain your home - your nippers NEED to get into a Spanish School as fast as humanly possible.

I've two mates in Germany whose experience I can relate. Both came from the USA. Had kids of similar ages - both had German born wives. One put his kids in a US school the other German.

The US schooled kids shot off back to the US as soon as they could. Never learned more than VERY rudimentary German and NEVER went anywhere except US base amusements. The others integrated despite a TOUGH 6 months at first. Stayed in Germany and fully integrated. Remember however tough it is - at home they'll have an escape.

I totally 100% agree!! Sadly if we make the move when they're at an important point in their education. ie just as they start the course work for their major exams (GCSEs or Baccalaureate). then they may suffer. either by lack of qualifications or lack of language/society skills.

But yes in retrospect I wish I'd gone for a state school for mine, but I am seriously thinking of moving 11yo into state in the autumn

Jo

[rjnpenang]

Welcome to Spain Diane, its 11am & its 27 degrees here on the Costa del Sol with not a cloud in sight, enjoy your stay!. Rob

[chris(madrid)]

Originally Posted by jojo

I totally 100% agree!! Sadly if we make the move when they're at an important point in their education. ie just as they start the course work for their major exams (GCSEs or Baccalaureate). then they may suffer. either by lack of qualifications or lack of language/society skills.

But yes in retrospect I wish I'd gone for a state school for mine, but I am seriously thinking of moving 11yo into state in the autumn

Jo

Jo - I can empathise. I moved school/area in the UK just before I started "O" levels. It was tough - Yes. You'd be wise to get them to Summer schools if only for SPANISH. Where I work they have "summer camps" set up at the pool/library etc.