spain

out of interest anyone have kids that have left school and not going on to further eductaion ???

what jobs are they doing or looking for ??

just wondering what the job prospects are for English kids here that have gone through the Spanish education system

we bring our children to Spain in hope of a better future for them but a few stories I have heard makes me wonder if they will actually be any better of career wise here than in UK

trentino

I also would be very interested to hear your opinons, having just sent over my two boys, although one is still at school.

lynnxa

my older one's only just starting at the instituto in a few weeks - and fully plans on uni afterwards

I've heard some horror stories, too

the only one I know well, didn't actually go through the state system, in fact went the private 'international' route - worked as a waitress, and now at 19 or 20 is a mum of a nearly 1 year old

it does worry me, but I've also heard of kids who came here as young as my two, who went through the system, through uni & are doing very well

I think, like everywhere, it depends a lot on the attitude of the kids








I hope so, anyway

spain

yeah I think youre probably right in that its the attitude of the kids themselves

Im just curious as you dont meet many people with teens who have completed schooling, its either older retired people who didnt come over with kids or people that have kids at school now

Im just looking to the future for our 12 year old who starts at the institute in September too - at the moment he want to be a chef !

trentino

Well I suppose at least he wont go hungry and there is always a market place for chefs. What about other jobs, anyone else had teens working?

lynnxa

funny that - mines actually cooking dinner tonight!

she loves cooking - but I've told her the horror stories from when I was in hotel & restaurant management & I think I've put her off!

littlelambfound

It's an interesting question, and one which I have asked myself, having just started my little mite into the Spanish school system.
Though I have no experience re teens leaving school, I do have several acquaintances who have put their children through school and university here. None of the kids could get any foot up in the professions of choice. They all ended up working back in the UK.
Unfortunately, it all seemed to go pear shaped once someone saw the names were not Spanish. I can't bring myself to find this "racist", it's just the reality that in a competitive jobs market, the home players are always favoured.

Fred James

I can understand the problem although I am not in the situation of having children in Spain.

It seems to me that prospects for Brit kids that get through the Spanish educational system are pretty poor for many reasons not least of which are related to your "racist" comments.

We have some good friends who have lived and worked in Spain for over 25 years. Their daughter was brought up in Spain and has spent 6 years at university in Spain studying Philology (to do with languages). Now that she is qualified the best job she can get is teaching Spanish children to speak English at 8 Euros an hour (at least it's on a contract).

Unless they are very lucky prospects for Brit kids in Spain are very poor. The current economic situation in Spain will soon lead to huge levels of unemployment and the chances of a decent job, even with a University education are becoming very poor. Most well qualified Spaniards are moving to northern Europe to get better jobs.

I love living in Spain and can cope well on a UK pension but Spain is about the last country in Europe that I would move to if I had young children and was interested in their future prospects.

I am sure that my post will invoke a barrage of criticism but that's my opinion.

spain

very interesting points, may make those coming with young families think a bit more before making the decsion

spain

I heard this exact same thing only a few days ago

gallerie9

I think I agree Fred, we have children but I have looked at the books my spanish friends children study, in my opinion the system is not good, I do not think the chance of work for well educated spainish young adults is very good , so I can quite understand the racist comment. I have a very good friend she has a good degree and wants to teach, she earns well doing home tuition, but wants to get into the system, I believe it is a very hard system to get into. she is constantly studying.
We would not have brought our children here, unless they were under 5 and could start from the begining, and then I would have made sure they kept up with the UK system.

jackytoo

I only know of one who has gone to Spanish University and she is not exactly British, Mum is but Father Spanish. All the ones I know have sort of dropped out of school early. The lucky ones manage to get a job in a supermarket or a bar. If I had a young family I would not even consider moving here unless I could send them to one of the good British schools and on to University in the UK otherwise you are not giving them a chance.

littlelambfound

As said Fred "but Spain is about the last country in Europe that I would move to if I had young children and was interested in their future prospects".
Hmmmm....I'm not completely convinced that work prospects are really any better or worse wherever the hat is laid. Personally, I've always found slightly developing countries to offer more prospects than those already ahead of the game.
I guess that having been "freelance" virtually all me vida taints my views. Coming from a tiny village in the South of England, where a "good" job was the security of working in the local bank, and then seeing that even those jobs were expendable, gave me the realisation that nothing is that secure.
So, moving to Spain and enrolling the mighty mite into school here was not done thinking 18 years ahead (just thinking about tomorrow gives me a head ache!). It was done more so to give him "life experience" which may later stand him well (or not, who knows!). The only practical help is that we put him into the best private Spanish school we could find, as the contacts he makes now can be very helpful later on.
Though I want the best for him, I think it would be foolish for us to choose anything less than what we want and where we want to be. His time comes later.

spain

thats a good point

was that in Gandia ? Las Colinas ?

littlelambfound

That it is!
It's an old fashioned heavily academic school run by a very strong/scary character...in the last 40 years only 1 child has failed the end of school exam...and he's now buried in the foundations!! When I asked about the sports they do, was told tennis, football and....chess!!
Had him fitted out for his school uniform the other day.