OriginalSunshine

Hi there. We are looking at getting a job in Amsterdam South.

We have two kids just about to start secondary school. They are very active kids so need a school with good facilities. The eldest has Aspergers but is currently mainstream schooled, similarly youngest is dyslexic. We could be there for another 8-10 years, but due to lack of language and social skills, going cold into the Dutch system is probably not a good idea.

Does anyone have any advice on ISA?

Or would it be worth looking as BS in Voorschoten and spouse commuting to work by train?

Then, we worked for 6 years in Rotterdam leaving about 15 years ago (pre. children) so any 30% ruling would be limited.
So we were thinking of buying a house - any advice on the golden triangle of school, work and housing?

Thanks in advance!

Cynic

International Schools - once we found out how much they charged, not something we considered further; however our experience is further back than yours. In general, local schools are excellent and provide support for disabled kids; my advice is, assuming you are moving regardless, once you have chosen a place to settle, go and see the local schools and get some expert advice from the teachers.

Housing - this link takes you to a website that advises on buying (and renting) in Holland and provides some links to "makelaar's" that advertise on the internet. We have family friends that work in Rotterdam, they commute in from Breda which is about 50 km away (or 30 minutes on the train) and is much cheaper than Rotterdam, so that gives you an idea of the sort of commute to expect.

Best of luck.

Red_Wine_Fairy

It's worth saying that all international schools bar the British School follow the IB syllabus. Both ISA and TBS are fully private as far as I know, so you'd be looking at around 30k+ per year for both of them (not an issue if your employer is paying). Government subsidised International Schools are less than half the price and so the first question before housing/school is .... who's going to be paying?

There are three subsidised schools within a short commuting distance of Zuid. There is AICS in Amsterdam (waiting lists are very long), Hilversum and Almere - both of which would be a 15-20 min commute to Zuid by train. Bergen and Leiden would also be possibilities if you could run to doubling that commute.

My advice would always be to live close to the school (to accommodate friendships/playdates/parties) and make the adult do the travelling, so look at the living areas around the various schools and see which one would suit you best.

List of all Private schools can be found at sio.nl.
Lists of all homes on offer from national registered makelaars (to get a feel for prices and via streetview, what it feels like) are on funda.nl. There are other non-registered agencies so this isn't a complete list but it's pretty extensive.

OriginalSunshine

Thanks, that's very helpful! Not sure on paying yet, something that needs clarifying.

Are there any secondary schools to avoid?

Red_Wine_Fairy

Not on this side of the country.

However, I would pose some very challenging questions to them all about how they cater for children with special needs. The IB course is incredibly challenging and moves quickly (average or below children really struggle), and I have found with one of my own (and heard from a few others) that children with special needs do not thrive there. Mine was at AICS, for information, but that was many years ago.

OriginalSunshine

Thanks again!