Just

Hi VivaJavea, I love Javea and I'm in the process of buying a place there to move into permanently in around two years time. My wife grew up there and lots of her family are there so let us know if there's anything in particular you need to know.

VivaJavea

Hi there, thanks for response, I really appreciate it.
I think my main concern is that most of rental properties have holiday let's in and am unable to secure a place on this visit. I am going to have to take a chance I guess and then come end aug there will be lots more about. Is this wise?

JLFS

14 is a tricky age, I know a few who made the move, education and job prospect wise things turned out bad for the kids.

VivaJavea

14 is definatly a tricky age!
That said she is really up for the experience/ challenge.
In London she went to a really big roughneck girls school and the new experience of this mixed school the new friends/ challenges she just can't wait.
We both believe in if you work hard you can truly do what you want.
I am not doing this move with rose tinted glasses and we all know horror stories of kids not liking it etc etc however even if worse case scenario that she wants to go back for 6th form in England then she will. But she will have a new experience learn a bit of Spanish and really if she was a insecure child who couldn't cope with change I would not consider it.
She is one of those out there kids who loves new challenges.
In fact when I was doing some work in Jamaica she went to school ther for a month! She was at primary then and she was in a local school and she still talks about how brilliant it was
I do appreciate replies but I have considered carefully all angles

cricketman

I assume you will be sending your daughter to a private English international school?

If not then you are frankly crazy. Sorry but there is no way your daughter can learn Spanish and do exams in that language in 2 years. And thats not saying what the teachers and other pupils will think of having a classmate who cant even understand them

Would you be happy to send your daughter back to the UK on their own at 16? Again, sounds crazy to me. Where would they live for one?

Its up to you of course, but making sure you have thought it through. A 16 year old with no Spanish and no education in Spain has zero opportunities

lynnxa

she is - she said so in her first post, though I guess you can be forgiven for not knowing that XIC is private 'international'

you do have a point though - I'm worried enough about my 16 year old who IS fluent in Spanish, English & Valenciano (with reasonable German & a bit of latin ) - I'm glad she is doing Bachi & intending to go to uni, which I'm realistic enough to realise might just be delaying the inevitable by a few years

whether she'll do uni here in Spain or elsewhere reamins to be seen - but after uni? Unless things improve dramatically I sincerely doubt her short term future after uni is here in Spain

cricketman

Given that the Valencian government is bankrupt then yes the future of education, health and almost everything else is in the balance..

The good news is it is still 5 years or so until a 16 year old needs a job after uni, so hopefully Spain will be on the rise by then.

jojojojojo

I havent read all the posts on here, but two things I would say. Firstly, theres a poster on here Lynnxa, who knows the area, the language, the people, the schools and I would trust should I move to that area. There are a lot of desperate "so called professionals" in Spain right now, who will see you as "easy pickings" so beware!!!
Secondly, moving a 14 yo, unless you send her, not only to an international school, but one that follows the same examination board as her english school would be a bad idea. I moved back to the UK when my daughter was 14 - in retrospect that was stupid, eventho in Spain she attended an international school, it was a different exam board. So now back in the UK, she's not predicted to do very well with her GCSEs. As for sending a 14yo to a Spanish school???? I wouldnt consider it, unless she was bilingual. At best she may make friends with some of the locals, at worst........... !! But as I say, international schools, altho the best at 14, still need careful consideration. Experience with primary schools in other countries, really has no bearing at all!!

My daughter was 11 when we first moved to Spain, she went to a Spanish school initially. she was teased, bullied and she obviously couldnt speak the language, nor did she pick it up particularly (one phrase springs to mind "I dont want to learn their stupid language"). She learnt more spanish by being in the international school and made much better friends - interestingly, mainly spanish friends. Lets face it, to learn enough Spanish to be able to fuklly understand lessons designed for 14 yos, you need to have been learning it for 14 years!. Oh and trust me, my daughter has never been a timid child (I wish lol!!!) - she is scaringly confident, loud, pushy and not to be messed with. an awesome character. that was actually why she had such a hard time in her Spanish school. The British children there didnt like her cos she didnt take nonsense, they also felt she was snobby and the Spanish didnt like her cos she was British. In the end we took her out because she kept bunking off, catching the bus and going to the beach, shopping mall, the park....

Jo xxx

lynnxa

trust me - I have everything crossed

she does have her mother's itchy feet though










& I don't mean athletes foot

JLFS

I know load of kids who have learned a bit of Spanish/English or whatever through living aboad for a while, but not learned enough for it to be any use whatsoever.

I know loads of kids in Spain like that, one in particular about 14 only knows one word for "footwear", she calls trainers, flipflops, pumps = zapatos.

Her parents think she is practically fluent. ?Fools

VivaJavea

Yes like I said really you get out of life what you put in.
I don't want to criticise other expats, each to their own, however I find it really ignorant to be living in a foreign country and not to try and learn the language. Especially as there is so much help around with Internet/ apps online tutors etc.
I learnt Spanish when I was living in Barcelona ( a hundred years ago!) by watching kids tv. A great way to learn especially sesame street!
Just had a memory in the docs in London with an Indian child translating for Mummy about her incontinence!
Anyway you get out of life what you put in

VivaJavea

Mmmm no response.....

cricketman

Oh I agree

JLFS

yeah shameful isnt it?

Thank god I didnt have to do anything like that with my parents when we were learning English.

Although they would not have asked anyway, they would rather have a friend go or pay for translation, and allow kids to be kids, without involving a youngster in plumbing probs or whatever.

lynnxa

that's why I learned Spanish - there was NO WAY I was going to be in that position

I remember not long after we moved here, going to view a house & Telefonica were there trying to install the internet - the 'agent's' son was having to deal with the engineer because the 'agent' spoke not a word of Spanish

now I had only been learning Spanish for maybe 6 months at that stage but I was able to get my questions across to the engineer - & thankfully I was able to understand that he was doubtful that he'd be able to get ADSL installed - the house was simply too far from the exchange & they were probably going to have to put some sort of radio system in - I didn't get all of it because it became too technical & even 8+ years down the line with WAY more Spanish I probably wouldn't understand it

however - the 'agent' was adamant that his son had spoken to the engineer & ADSL would be 'no problem'

now, whether that was an honest mistake or not, I'll never know - but we didn't rent that house.........


2 points to be made really - don't trust an agent who doesn't speak Spanish


& don't let your kids translate for you