philandsarah

penguinsix

Hi and welcome.

As it is only 6 am out on the West Coast at the moment, we'll have to wait for someone with more 'on the ground' experience in Oregon to wake up and reply, but in a more general sense, US schools do not offer GCSE's with the exception of a few British International Schools in big cities like Houston, Boston and Washington DC (and I think even some of them are now more IB-based). They could study 'correspondence' style online and whatnot, but if you are looking for classroom instruction you'll have basically an impossible time unless you happen to find a Portland-based tutor.

Bigger issue though is your long-term plans for the kids and the question of US or UK universities. If seeking a US uni experience, the 14-year-old would probably be better suited going into a US high school system and getting a GPA and an SAT score. If going back to the UK for uni then you also need to watch out for the UK-residency requirement for your kids prior to starting Uni as it is very possible they could be classified as "Foreign" students requiring you to pay foreign student fees (note: this happens frequently to expats who get sent over when the kids are this age). This is a good guide on what courses to take in what countries to go to unis in those places.

https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/i...culum-uk-or-us

Also worth noting: assuming you are getting a work visa for this move, will this job transfer have your employer's support for a "Green Card" permanent residency? I ask because if the kids stay on and go to University here, they could find themselves after graduation no longer welcome in the USA (i.e. unable to obtain a work visa on their own merits, too old to continue staying with you on your work visa). As a general expat observation: I can't tell you how many people I've met overseas who are on "year six, nine or twelve of a 'three-year assignment'" such that long term planning might need to be part of your decision-making process.

civilservant

The 17 year old would be primary concern. They will 'age out' and have to return to the UK at age 21 unless they can get a visa in their own right or you already have Green Cards by then.

There is much you need to consider before agreeing to this move.

lansbury

Where the job is makes a difference as to where to live. The west side is the expensive side and US26 is a nightmare most days at rush hour. The east side is cheaper and perhaps not as nice, or as newly developed with the exception of Happy Valley and Wilsonville. I live in Milwaukie bordering SE Portland.

If it was me I would be looking to live within easy reach of light rail to commute. If you are a raving left wing Corbynnitte City of Portland will suit you well, otherwise look to be outside the City of Portland somewhere in the Metro area which will be liberal minded but laced with common sense. Quite happy to answer any and all questions you might have, Oregon is a wonderful place to live.

Where you live will dictate what school your kids go to. Again if it where me I'd avoid Portland School District and some parts of North Clackamas School District.

scrubbedexpat099

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/02/opini...ano/index.html

I have not been to Portland but it does not seem to get very good coverage in the media, see above for example from today..

Lion in Winter

Boiler, stop trolling on threads where people are looking for serious immigration advice.

OP, pay no attention to him, he trolls multiple threads with this stuff - Portland is a delightful city, the area is beautiful, and the violent crime rate low.

I don't live there so don't have detailed advice on schools, etc, but do think carefully about the 17 year old especially. The 14 year old could not do GCSEs as explained above, but could still attend UK universities with US qualifications - my son is doing just that. But if you have not been "habitually resident" in the UK for the three years prior to uni you will absolutely be paying international fees which are approx double the UK fees.

scrubbedexpat099

Honoured to get a mention, you may have missed Lansbury's comment.

lansbury

Giantaxe

Compared to cities of a similar size, Portland is relatively safe. I guess the "left wing dictatorship" is doing something right...

My view on Portland is that it's a very livable place, with a lot of art, culture and quality academic institutions. For an America city, public transit is pretty good too. I'd choose somewhere on the east of the Willamette River, say south of NE Knott and north of SE Division. A lot of cool neighbourhoods in that area.

carcajou

Lion in Winter behaves the same way. She has spent a lot of time trying to "educate" Boiler and he still disagrees with her about a lot of things. Impossible - must be a troll.

That being said Portland is a fine city to live in with a high quality of life. All things being equal I wouldn't have any issues living there.

However the university scene there is not very robust. The University of Oregon and Oregon State University are both mid-range research institutions - both are fine - but neither are in Portland. As well Higher Education in the US is very state-centric and tuition rates for "in state" residents are much lower than "out of state" residents - however that is locally defined (and, depending on your visa situation). That is for public universities.

You need to pull out the calculator for your situation with the 17 year old and weigh everything up. University education in the US if classified as an "international student" can be exorbitant.

What is the name of that enormous bookstore in Portland that takes up an entire city block? Isn't it one of the biggest in the world?

Politics should play no role whatsoever in the decision.

By the way - Hillary under-performed Obama ('08 and '12) in Oregon, as well as John Kerry - and Bush almost beat Gore there. Hillary won there 50-39, with 4 percent going to the Libertarians and 2.5 percent going for the Greens. So combine the totals and that's about 52-44, 53-44 for left/right? Solid but hardly landslide territory, and nowhere near the margins Republicans put up in some parts of the South. Oregon is not nearly as reactionary as portrayed.

Giantaxe

Chunks of Oregon are right wing militia territory.

Lion in Winter

Yeah, the left-wing dictatorship seems to be faltering

https://www.salon.com/2019/06/26/ore...-wing-militia/

https://www.esquire.com/news-politic...ators-militia/

Some aspects of this country are quite mad.

In the meantime, the poor OP hasn't posted again - we really should keep this kind of thing out of the actual information threads.

scrubbedexpat099

If you are quick you can edit your post.

Giantaxe

Trolling.

lansbury

While in general I would agree in Portland's case I think it should be considered, as the council policies can have an effect on the quality of life.

For example in order to reduce green house gases they discourage car ownership. One way they do this is to allow developers to buy up single family homes and build apartment blocks in their place. These blocks are built without parking spaces resulting not as the council wishes in people not having cars, but in blocking the street with their parked cars. Now that policy suits most of the people who live in the City of Portland, but it might be something someone coming to live here might want to consider. Other parts of the metro area don't have such a policy and require a certain amount of parking spaces for new developments.