Hi all
We are moving to the coin area of malaga Spain next June with my job.I'm looking for any help regarding schools and health insurance I will be covered but unsure on my husband and children.my children will be 11 & 13.
Any help or advice will be great fully received.
Thank you in advance
Jan

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. 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

Thank you rosemary

Hello and welcome to the site, would say due to your childrens ages if they are not already learning Spanish get them going asap, then it wil be so much easier when they go to school, assuming you are putting them into spanish system

Working for a Spanish company and paying tax? Your family should be included. Ask your employer to confirm.

I had a friend who recently returned from the Coin area where she was a teacher at the International school. So there is 1 option nearby.

Thank you all for your reply I am getting the children a Spanish tutor in the UK. Does anyone know of a school called our lady of loudes in coin heard its a good state school .
Jan

Health Insurance is not a problem if you need it as you may well be covered by the State System if you are paying Social Security with your new job. Otherwise there are several companies and we use Medifiat which is easy and there is a clinic in Coin that we go to that is affiliated with them. Its Clinica Lacibis.
Schools and putting children into the Spanish system is much more problematic especially at that age. We know of several success stories but many failures. Its very difficult for them educationally and socially. How do they feel about the move? How are they getting on at school at the moment and what do their teachers think about it?
All the best and good luck.

Hi
The children are very excited about the move both children doing well in school, but my son has dyslexia so I am a bit concerned but think its an excellent opportunity for them and they are having Spanish lessons in the UK in preparation.Will getting the children into a state school be difficult?
Thankyou

Officially you are meant to apply to the state school in April of the same year, so make sure you are set-up to do that

13 is very old to start state school in a new language. You really need to ramp up the Spanish lessons this year - at least 4 hours per week, otherwise she will completely lost and Bacchi exams are only 3 years away!

You may also want to teach her a bit of Spanish geography and history so she isnt starting from scratch. That will be a lot to learn in just 3 years!

Thank you for your reply I will certainly push the Spanish hours.
Thank you
Jan

11 and 13 is pushing it putting them into a state School, unlike parts of the UK Schools won't employ English speaking support staff.

Think about 11 and 13 year olds, going to a new School in a new country with only a basic grasp of the language (and thats all they'll have) then add to that they will be on a major uphill battle trying to learn the various subjects for the not too distant exams. The 11 year old might wing it but the 13 year old needs an international School if you have any real hope for their higher education.

Being an international teacher working all over the world for example in Qatar and France I have seen first hand how adaptable children are from as late as 15. The children already speak English, welsh and French so feel they can adapt.from my own teaching experience children learn best hands on ,but thanks for the input.

You are quite right about children being adaptable but so are many adults. I have seen many foreign children go through the Spanish system and the success rate is very low. They struggle with the end of year exams often to repeat the year and leave school with results that mean nothing.
You are taking a big risk with their education and their social and cultural development. There will be advantages of living in Spain for them but I think at their age and with the problem of dyslexia it may be better to put them in an International school. There are several on the coast to choose from near Marbella.

You may find that you and your family will be entitled to treatment under the state health service. However, many expats prefer the security of also having their own private health insurance for reasons that include easy and rapid access to English speaking medical experts. Your employer may offer private health insurance for the family as an automatic employee benefit, or as an option that you can choose to pay for. Otherwise you can purchase bespoke coverage from health insurance providers. This is where I can help. Cost depends on age and which cover options are chosen, but as a rough idea you should budget anything between 29 euros (20 year old, standard cover) and 250 euros (64 year old, premium cover) per month per individual. Family discounts will then apply.