riskaverse

Hi,
I'm fresh to this site having recently been offered an opportunity to relocate to NYC on assignment for 3-5 years (I wouldn't want to stay perm). I am a mother of an 11 year old girl due to start secondary school here in September and an 8 year old son. My husband is in IT and my firm will sponsor him to relocate with us, however he will also need to find work.

My biggest concerns are taking my kids out of great UK schools (top 100 in the country) and privately educating them at either an IB or British school in Manhattan. Does anyone have any advice or experience that they could share? Have you done this and how have they resettled back in the UK?

Secondly, I have only ever been to NYC as a tourist and wouldn't know where to live. Ideally I would like to live outside of the bustle of Manhattan but this would mean all of us would need to commute for work/school. Having a large house in the UK, the thought of an apartment is not appealing and I would like to have some outside space - again - any recommendations? I don't really want to spend an hour + commuting each day and I don't think it would be healthy for the kids.

And as we would all need to commute, I would need to look into supplementary childcare as I wouldn't want to force my kids to do all the extra curricular activities in order for it to suit us being able to take them to and from school. Any other advice?

Anything advice really on these and any general topics. As you can see by my user name I am risk averse but I also think this could be an incredible opportunity for all of us and I want to make sure that I have really investigated what it would mean for us with an informed, open mind.

thanks for taking the time to read this/offer support.

Bob

welcome to BE and good luck!

There have been quite a few recent threads on NY, so have a look down the forum a little and you'll find a few good starting points. Especially on the subject of schooling.

SockToy

A lot depends on where your work is in manhattan and what you consider a reasonable commute. We're looking at Hoboken and Jersey City as more affordable locations with the PATH providing good commuting capabilities.

themadpooper

I moved to New York originally but didn't have kids

Manhattan, as the op intimated, is not really representative of New York as a whole, the state of New York becomes dramatically more affordable the more upstate you go and less diverse. I used to live in Westchester, which is county about a 30 minute train ride from Grand Central station. Westchester is a highly desirable area for schools, some of the best schools in the United States are here and comparable to the best schools in the UK. Scarsdale, White Plains, Edgemont, Briarcliff, all excellent districts for schools (this info comes from a relative of mine who was a teacher in Westchester). Hilary Clinton has a 12m dollar home in Westchester, but it would still be significantly cheaper to rent in the area than New York City where you're talking rents on par, if not more, than the poshest parts of Central London

As for quality of life in New York City, again very similar to London, no space, safety issues and pollution. NYC is no place to raise kids or to live on a budget unless you like room sharing and living off ramen noodles regularly. I would strongly urge casting your net much further afield and Westchester, from experience, is the spot I would recommend, especially from a schooling point of view. The local trains are very good, not the same as commuting in the UK where you're treated like sardines and forced to pay an arm and leg for season tickets. Plenty of people migrate from New York City to Westchester for the reasons I've described. The drive is not advisable at rush hour but other times is very doable for a day or night out - 45 minutes to an hour depending on where you're headed in the actual city

Good luck

pejp

It really bugs me when people say 'NYC is no place to raise kids'. I know plenty of expats who have raised kids in NYC and plenty of people who were born and raised there. Granted you need to have the means to do it, but that's true of any city. It may be no place for you to wish to raise kids, but as someone who grew up in a major city and spent years in NYC, it sounds very judgmental when you state your own preference as fact.

manekeniko

The OP may wish to consider a home in southern Connecticut near a MetroNorth rail station. The cost of living is cheaper than Manhattan, schools are good, there's room to stretch a bit. It even looks a bit like England. They don't call it "New England" for nothing.

Many wealthy expats live in Greenwich, CT.

Wintersong

OP: are you specifically looking for a school where the kids can continue their British education, with a view to reintegrating them into GCSE and A-Level courses when you return?

kateinbrooklyn

Many families who work in Manhattan commute from New Jersey and other areas outside of New York City. Their children tend to attend school close to their homes and participate in after school programs. However there are many families who live inside New York City, whose children either attend public schools (ie. state) or private schools close to their homes or private schools in Manhattan.

My other half and I both work in Manhattan, live in Brownstone Brooklyn and our daughter attends public school close to our home. She has a longer school day than most kids, so I'm able to pick her up, but many people hire sitters (try care.com or urbansitter.com). Personally, I love living in Brooklyn - it's a short commute on the subway from work, there are lots of parks, restaurants, trees yet it's a stone's throw from some of the absolutely best culture in the world. I would suggest taking a look at some of the lovely areas of Brooklyn that are very kid-friendly, such as Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Boerum Hill. Brooklyn Heights is very nice, but extremely expensive. There are many British expats in these neighborhoods and it does feel a little like the nicer parts of London.

New York City is a wonderful place to raise children. I have found real community here, some excellent schools and a richness of culture. If you embrace it, I'm sure your kids will too.

penguinsix

I would note to watch the calendar closely. An 11-year-old + 5 years in the USA (maybe a sixth or so) and you could run into a situation where your child is classified as an "overseas student" for UK university and you'll be paying higher fees. Normally they need to be resident in the UK for three years prior to school to be consider a "home" student and not an overseas one.

There are some exceptions, especially related to parental employment, but I haven't found a hard and fast rule for each case.

UKCISA

themadpooper

I was born and grew up in North London, moved to New York in my 20s and now live in the second city of America, having also lived in Miami. I still have friends, both in London and New York who've had kids. I think I know what I'm talking about on the subject

Nutmegger

You are obviously talking about your opinion, not any kind of fact. NYC is a wonderful place for children and I have friends in all kinds of income brackets who have happily raised great kids in NYC -- both incomers and people actually born in the city themselves. It's a matter of personal preference.

pejp

What are you talking about? I too was born and raised in London, moved to New York in my mid 20's and have lots of friends in New York after over 8 years of living there, many of whom have kids. Some chose to move to NJ,CT, or Westchester, and some still live in Manhattan or Brooklyn. You said 'New York is no place to raise kids'...and I'm saying that's an opinion. Perhaps you wouldn't want to raise kids there, and that's fine, but to say 'it's no place to raise kids' isn't a matter where you can state it as fact. Whether you 'know what you're talking about' is irrelevant.