Re: Schooling comparisons between UK & Canada
 

Looking back at our own experience and those of other Brit families that were on a 3 year contract in NS with us I would like to make the following comments:

If you are only going to be there on a TWP it may be worth considering having your child put up a year - most found that on their return to the UK the children were behind their peer group at school. We found that a lot of the subjects in NS were taught on a project basis encompasing all subjects so on a return to the UK the children did struggle with more in depth issues of a subject.

If you are going to stay permanently then I agree with most people keep your child with their own age group - it saves problems later on as they get to socialise without parental supervision - ie driving/smoking/drinking/other teenage interests(if you get my drift!).

Our son was 13 when we moved to NS - and after just 8 months in the NS system he declared that he would have to return to the UK as he didn't want to spend the rest of his life 'flipping burgers in McDonalds'. Reluctantly we agreed that he could go to boarding school in the UK, out of 9 Brit families we had 8 children return to the UK to boarding schools ranging from ages 10 to 16.

This isn't a reflection on the state of the NS education system - more to how it differs from the UK. If your children are younger they will soon adapt to either sytem - we just found that older children found it extremely difficult particularly if they had to return to the UK especially where GCSE's were concerned.

As I said just a personal observation!

Liff

Re: Schooling comparisons between UK & Canada
 

So long as you pick a school that offers the bac (www.ibo.org) your children will take courses and gain qualifications directly comparable to those of children in other countries. That way the children can avoid getting bogged down in contentious twaddle over faded flags and the quality of students admitted to universities in various countries.

Re: Schooling comparisons between UK & Canada
 

The main reason we moved to Gatineau, as opposed to Ottawa, was that we could put my stepson into a private school. Because he was born in Quebec, private schooling in Quebec is heavily subsidised by the government. I think it only cost me about $4k per year.

Waste of bloody money, mind you. He should be nearing the end of his first year in CEGEP by now, instead of trying to pass the minister's French course, without which he can't graduate from high school.