Wooly_Cow

Good on you for staying for your daughters 'O' levels (I still think of them like that ).

You need to be careful about which year your daughter will move into. Our son had to step up a year and so missed half of an exam year.

Now with regards to university, i have some bad news for you and your D

If she is not orinarily residnet in the UK for 3 years prior to going to universtity she will be considered an international student, and the tutition fees will more than treble in many cases. I don't know if she can claim Student Loan from the UK either and maybe not from NZ....all in all it's going to get an expensive promise to keep especially when you add in flights. We got away with it becuase our DD only visited NZ for a holdiay but remained resindent in the UK.

....and our son says he wants to go to uni here or Australia with his UK girlfriend joining him here.

teena

Thanks for info. We are secretly hoping she will love it in NZ and not want to return to UK - but had to make promise to get her into NZ in the first instance.

If she does want to return to UK we know we are making a very expensive rod for our own backs and will cross that bridge when we reach it!!!

With regards to your son - how old was he when he started school in NZ? Our daughter celebrated her 16th birthday in April and will start school in Feb 2010. I assume she will join the NZ year 12's.

It is so reasuring to know there are others in the same predicament as ourselves!!!

Tomsk

We did much the same. Son sat GCSEs in England June 08....then we got on the first available plane & got out here to join hubby. I'd had all kinds of worries about how the children would settle in, but they've both taken to NZ life like ducks to water . We had made the same university promise to DS, can go back to UK if he wants (hoping & praying that that wouldn't happen.......simply cos I very much doubt that we could afford it quite honestly). After 14 months here he's now talking about courses at Massey & Auckland which appeal to him, with never a mention of UK universities, although he tells me he'll be fitting in a UK OE at some point in the future.

That said, I can't help feeling the critical point is that neither of my children had serious boyfriends/ girlfriends when we moved over, loads of mates who they hated leaving but no strong romantic attachments. So they've missed friends & family, but they seem to have moved on with new friendships over here now.

Out of interest DS has a November birthday so one of the older ones in his year group in the UK, & had already completed year 11 & sat all his GCSEs, but he was put back into year 11 over here. Very much the school's decision with our agreement of course, and it worked well. He had 5 months at school settling in, finding his way around & getting used to the differences, even sat a few NCEAs. Now he's year 12 & well established in the school. He is the eldest in the year group....but that doesn't seem to matter one bit

Not sure if that was of any interest...but just saying that it can work well with teenagers. I hope it all goes well for you & your family

teena

Thanks for reply. Pleased your son is settling in. I am trying to convince the daughter to attend school when we arrive in October just for a couple of months until the school summer hols to make some friends etc. At the mo she wants to look around the schools but start afresh in February - we will let her decide when we get over - she may change her mind!!!