Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Craig7

Once again I really appreciate all the help and advice.
Its something we've spoken about for a long time, and I think we're going to go for it.
As I said earlier the Schools are the priority, I would'nt mind putting my 7 year old to a Spanish school, as I think she's young enough. However our eldest will be 13 by the time we move, so I think a English school is best for her.

flotsum

we moved with our kids 3 years ago they are both at spanish school but if we had moved with a 12 year old we would have put her into an international school, your youngest will probably be fine in a spanish school as she will be learning the dreaded verb tables at about the time the spanish children have to. My youngest now has a struggle with his written english and reads english with a lovely spanish accent because" thats how all the children at school do it" well that his reason for not reading with me every night!! My husband also commutes to work and is away for 2/3 weeks at a time which can be a bit daunting and a push time wise so remember when you look at schools that if you have them in different schools the school days maybe different. When looking at airports remember that the winter timetables are very much cut back which can be a nightmare, we use Alicante but sometimes struggle for flights in the winter months around my husbands onward connections or work hours, in the summer its fine.

Kayak

Why would you want to move your kids to Spain? What hope have they got?

At the end of the year or early 2013 Spain will be a very different place. Stay in the UK until they are in UNI or have jobs...

Don't bring them here.....

anonimouse

Sadly this is true, no future for them, even working in bars is getting scarce,

It's a real shame

Craig7

The thing is though guys, I’m not bringing my 12 and 7 year old kids over to Spain to work. As far as I can gather the schooling and education system in the area is of a high standard, particularly international schools.
Once the kids have completed high school, if they choose they can go back to the UK to university, or may wish to go to one in Spain.
We’re looking at moving over as a lifestyle choice.
Although I welcome any advice and different opinions guys.

jojojojojo

Lifestyle in Spain these days for kids isnt so much different from the UK apart from the weather. I found that. Mine were 10 and 13 when we moved over, but they still wanted Xboxes, PS3s, computers etc. They missed their UK friends terribly. The novelty of having a pool in the garden, a beach down the road soon wore off and by our third year, I think mine spent their summers indoors because it was too hot and hardly went in the pool. By the time my son was 15, he was out clubbing in Fuengirola/Benalmadena til 5am - which I have to say, I wouldnt have allowed in the UK - in fact now we're back in the UK and he is 17 I still dont allow it!

I dont mean to sound negative and yes, life is better in Spain (the weather, the views, the space...), but I think what I'm pointing out is that kids and their little worlds tend to be the same wherever you go. Just like I found my life in Spain, I loved it., but it was the same as anywhere else. Washing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, school run, kid nagging......... The washing dried quicker, I used a broom rather than a hoover and it was Mercadona not Tescos lol!!!!!

Jo xxx

billgates

I would say lifestyle for kids is usually better in Spain.
Obviously it depends on where you live - a rough area in Spain is probably the same as a rough area in the UK.
Why is the lifestyle better?
Well, I can only speak for my kids, but even after seven or eight years they still spend much of the day in the pool in the Summer holidays - even my four year old swims like a mermaid (no swimming lessons required over here).
Kids can play outside with their friends all day and well into the evening because it's not raining or cold. Less temptation to sit playing xbox because they're less bored.
Village life provides many fiestas and community activities that we certainly didn't have where we lived in the UK.
I believe that the education system is certainly no worse than the UK, and in many respects it is better. Kids don't need to worry about employment prospects until they're well into their teens. As long as they're achieving the grades in school and not repeating years then they're doing well.
When they do get to school leaving age and are considering uni or employment then they have a choice as to where they want to go - UK or Spain, and they have that choice because they are bi-lingual. Complete fluency in a second language is a big advantage over many other kids in both Spain and the UK.

I don't have rose-tinted sunglasses anymore - lived here too long. But what do most areas of the UK offer kids these days?

jojojojojo

I think your post proves that you need to move when kids are still very young. In retrospect we left it too late and our children were "formed" in their life choices sadly (10 and 12)! But yes, there is so much more in the way of fiestas, outdoor activities and altho mine initially enjoy the "Spanish lifestyle", as time wore on, they simply wanted to stay in their rooms, chatting to their UK friends on Skype and play on the dreaded computer games!!! My suggestions of "lets go to the fiesta" were generally met with moans and refusals. Even when I could "persuade" them, they'd make it clear that they werent happy lol!!!!!!

Jo xxx

Domino

May I say, as someone who has a 30yo daughter firmly planted in the UK, no language skills etc.....

If it is possible to bring up a child in Spain in a multi-lingual society, with the relaxation facilities i.e. swimming, beach etc, that surely that is far better than bringing them up in a UK house surrounded by Xbox and all the other thingys, not going out, depressed all the time ??
do all those parents taking kids to Oz have the same problems - possibly so why not ask them ?

some kids will take to it like a duck to water, some will pull back into their shell - which is what they would have done any way.

To be able to bring your child out here, where they will see far further horizons than they ever would back home, be given the opportunity to get a further step ahead than their old friends in the UK, just look at the multi-lingual jobs available in Europe they can aspire to, becoming part of the International Community.

Your children should be resiliant enough to be able to make the move and turn it into something positive for you as well as them. If they aren't then they never would have been.
Life is full of missed opportunities, what-ifs. What if you had married that person down the road instead of the one you did marry, what if you hadnt taken that job, a different one may have been offered, what if you hadnt stayed in the UK but made the move to Spain..........

Remember, you will usually hear the sad stories never the good ones

Oh and just if you are interested - I did have an opportunity many years ago, but my then wife wouldnt leave her mothers fireplace. The worst thing in her life was the 18m living in Scotland because she couldnt get home, so the phone bills were astronomical.

billgates

Definitely! Do it when the kids are young. My eldest was six when we moved. My youngest was born over here.
Wouldn't have come over if the kids were anywhere near teens - they'd miss their friends and struggle with a new language. Better to leave it a few years and let them finish school first.

cricketman

Where is this fabled multi-lingual society in Spain?

When I was in the Costa del sol, every time I saw British schoolkids, they were hanging around in groups with other British schoolkids. No integration and a real waste in my opinion

Yes there will be exceptions, but that was one of the main reasons why we wanted to leave that area

Zaragozaram

To echo Shoptillyoudrops sentiments we settled in Alhaurin El Grande as it had a mix of a small English community (if you want it) in a typical Spanish town. 20 minutes to the Airport and twenty minutes to the beach, but away in the Campo away from the Costa. We have been here three years, children are 8 and 10, and do not regret the move one bit.

As for schooling, slightly different view, as both my wife and I are teachers in an International school (won´t say which one) on the Costa. My kids come with us for ease, otherwise I would have no hesitation in putting them into Spanish state schools.

I know several families in your possible situation, i.e. Husband commutes to work in UK whilst Wife looks after house and schooling of both primary and secondary aged children (One does exactly the same line of work as you). If you need any more specific advice PM me. Good luck.

jojojojojo

My kids both went to international school and had international friends. My daughters best friend in Spain had a spanish mother, an Irish father and was herself born in Canada, my sons mates were all manner of nationalities and mixes. In fact mine were the only "purebred Brits" that I knew of lol!!!! The gangs of Brits "hanging around" you mention, if you look closer, you'll see that they're not all British and the gangs of "Spanish" kids, arent all Spanish. That is IMO the great thing about international schools, they integrated the kids of ALL nationalities. Its a myth that International schools are simply an elite few British kids who dont mix - they're full of all manner of nationalities, the majority being Spanish. My daughter initially went to a state school and was bullied by both the Brits and the Spanish - the Spanish and British kids hated each other too!!!

Jo xxx

cricketman

Exactly, not an environment I would want to bring up my child in