BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

Hi,
I'm Victoria and I'm a newbie. My hubby really wants to move to Spain (Benidorm) I'm open to the idea but have so many questions......
We have 4 children (18,17,13 & 11) and 2 dogs.
Where are the best places to live for families? What is the schooling like?
Are jobs easy to come by (He's a chef, I'm in beauty)

Can anyone help with this through their experiences.

Thank you so much 👍

Re: BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

Sorry to be negative but you did ask. ;)

Re: BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

Hi,
I would rather be realistic so your comments have been useful.
Thank you 👍 xx

Re: BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

Generally speaking, putting children into a Spanish school much after the age of ten if they aren't already fluent in Spanish, is going to set them back at least a year, and may permanently damage their potential to do well at school.

No doubt someone will be along to tell us about how their teenager(s) thrived on the challenge of becoming fluent after being dumped into the Spanish school system with minimal Spanish, but the truth is that most teenagers will struggle to become fluent enough to do well at school if they are taken to a non-English-speaking country and placed in the local school system.

Re: BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst myself and BEVS moderate Europe. Please read the Site Rules Site Rules | British Expatriate Community adhere to them so that the site runs smoothly. Moderators are there to ensure that the rules of BE are maintained. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

Hi Victoria (& Hubby),

I live in Benidorm and without going into to much detail I know you both will struggle to get decent employment here. I agree with the other posters comments about schooling etc.

Benidorm is a fantastic place to live if you don't need to work. I'm afraid Chefs are standing in a long line here waiting for work to come along. There are a lot of hairdressers here in Benny and you might get work but it will be low paid and long hours.

Don't forget that you and your hubby will need to arrange private healthcare for all the family and prove to the authorities that you have enough income so you will not become a burden on the state before you will get residencial status. There are loads of rules and regulations nowadays to follow to be fully legal in Spain and might be more difficult after Brexit.

Try an extended holiday here and do a lot of research into the jobs market.

If I can help you with any specific questions about Benidorm please ask.

Steve

Re: BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

+1
On the France forum, the general consensus is that any child over 11 should go to an International School. A child of 10-11 would best do last year Primary before being thrown in at the deep end in Secondary, but even then, their level of Grammar and General Culture (Literature, History, Geography) would never reach that of their local peers and they'd always be behind, with probably little chance of getting the national Bac. An International School would allow them to get A-levels and go on to Uni if they wish.
In the present case, the two elder children could finish their schooling in the UK before the family moves, and the two younger ones would go to an International School. What, in fact, would the two elder ones do after their A-levels, and where?
Can't comment on the employment situation, I'm only commenting on the children's future prospects....

Re: BEST PLACE FOR FAMILIES
 

As said, you could try going over all together for summer holiday weeks and see how you feel