Originally Posted by metalmike

Hi Amitch,

When you come to visit, it is definitely worth coming inland for a gander! I am just in the Albacete province and handy for most places. All Spanish with a few expats. I don't know about the schools though, lucky for me that problem has long passed. The cost of living here is very reasonable as are houses and land prices. Compared to Valencia we are very laid back here and do not have many of the draconian rules that Valencia seems to favour. I have lived in several locations in Spain over the years, but I just love this area - its worth a thought and certainly a day out, if you have time.

What ever you do, don't be tempted to buy a home before you have had a chance to check everywhere out first. Moving is a pain, but its worth the extra hassle not to be stuck in an area you find you don't like,

because you can't sell your home.

Originally Posted by elspeth sinclair

I spent a day looking at the villages in the Ayora valley and thought they
were attractive, largely unspoilt and very spanish and the views were to die for. When we reached Zarra there seemed to be a battle of wills over whether the nuclear graveyard should be sited there. Expats against and local Spaniards, thinking of jobs for their children and grandchildren, for. A very tricky situation for all concerned. I saw on the news last night on channel 1 that it has become the government's first choice. This is in the province of Albacete so it is really bad news.

Originally Posted by steviedeluxe

Not so sure it's bad news, so long as it's stored correctly? Where better (in Spain) than in lowly populated Castilla-La Mancha?
I'm concerned about the power stations - it may well be we only get a CHernobyl (or 3 mile Island?) event every 50 years, but that can decimate the local countryside and towns.

Originally Posted by elspeth sinclair

The British schools are basically for Spanish children who want a traditional British education so you won't find many other nationalities there but they do employ British teachers who are not allowed to speak Spanish to the students and I wouldn't recommend this for your children. You can get a list of non-paying schools at the townhalls and no doubt they will advise you on the best ones.

Originally Posted by elspeth sinclair

In the private British school they would only learn Spanish as a foreign language as all other subjects are taught in English which would be the language spoken in the playground. In most schools both Spanish and Valenciana would be spoken in the playground. Many people in the provin ce are not natives of it so children are likely to speak in the language they hear at home. I don't think I've met a child here who wasn't bilin gual.

Originally Posted by lynnxa

but see my previous comment re playground language - with a large number of Spanish kids I bet they speak Spanish in the playground

Originally Posted by cricketman

The only problem with that is it wont help them get a good job in Spain. Writing a formal report or email in Spanish is incredibly different to English and requires an education in the language, not just informal conversation.

But in general kids who are bi or trilingual will be better at learning these skills, but they need to learn them somewhere, and they will not learn it through a British curruculum.

Originally Posted by lynnxa

true

& it would be just as important for the parents to facilitate that as it is for us to help our kids with their English - via private classes if necessary - in case they want to return to work in the English speaking world

Originally Posted by cricketman

Absolutely, the challenges of a mutli-lingual education!

But the advantages of succeeding are tremendous

Originally Posted by amitch

Hi all

I'm planning to move to Valencia in January with my family (we have 2 kids aged 7 & 9). I speak fluent Spanish, my wife speaks a little and my kids will have a very basic level. The main purpose of our adventure is to get the kdis bilingual and to enjoy Spanish life and culture. My wife is a primary teacher and is hoping to work as a tutor to kids at the British school, so we probably need to live around there somewhere.

We need some guidance on various topics and I'm hoping some of you can help! So I have a load of questions which I'm just going to list - any comments on any of them would be very welcome.

- which areas would be best to live? (we'd want to be within 20-30 mins of the British school, preferably in a predominantly Spanish area)

- does anyone know any good agents who could help us find a property to rent? (in case it helps, we'd be looking for a 4/5 bedroom house probably in an urbanisation with shared pool, probably inland a bit as I understand prices are cheaper)

- we want the kids to be taught in Spanish - is it still true that Valencian schools teach in Castellano?

- which are the best (Spanish-speaking) state schools in the Pucol area and what are the chances of getting our kids into them?

- are there any good bilingual schools in the area (and what are the chances of getting the kids in)? I assume these would be fee-paying, so any ideas on fees?

- what is the process for getting kids into school and when do we need to start applying for places?

- does anyone have any advice on how my wife can make English-speaking friends without being part of the British/International school scene?

Any comments on the above or general advice would be gratefully received.