Jerseygirl

She hasn't got a 16 yr old. Her children are 7, 9 and 11.

Bob

she does, she said in another post, that first one were years in school...

Jerseygirl

I see that now...thanks Bob. Apologies Englishmum

Patrick Hasler

I would consider Delmar/Bethlehem as probably the best area of Albany and the best schools. We live just over an hour north of there. As already said WINTERS ARE F'KIN COLD heating bills will be out of this world as I found out when we came here............. The tax wouldn't be so high when you claim for the kids and if you pay a lot you may well get it all back and more at the end of the tax year.

Bob

yeah, find a place that includes heat and water...cost of oil is tad high and all that...

Ben

I have 3 children and I have found the NYS education expectations to be very good. Your 16 year old, if coming over with GCSEs would be better off at the local community college going for an Associates Degree. That way, if he/she goes back to the UK for university the Associates Degree is equivalent to A levels. However, if you choose to stay in the US, it will only be another 2 years after this degree for them to get their bachelors degree. NYS colleges are very good and well priced. You do have a 12 month out of state fee but on an L1/L2 visa you are charged at the local rates after this so the prices aren't too bad. However, without a greencard your children won't be able to work. the alternative is to look into private colleges and see if your child can work in the college and have his pay off set against fees.

NYS math standards include a good amount of metric and in science it is all metric. Very different to what we found when we lived in NJ.

On the whole I have found the school system to be flexible and willing to work with the child rather than dictate what they want. There is a young woman I met at the local college I work at who was in the UK school system until she was 16 and then went to the local college rather than the schools. she works there too and she loves it

Your 14 year old - it could be worth seeing how they test into the school system (they test children in their reading ability and math I believe) on whether it is worth at 16 having him/her take the GED rather than continue until 18 in high school. Then let them move onto college too to do the Associates Degree. That way if you do go back both your older two will be ready for university in the UK and they have the experience of attending an education outside of their country

Beer:30

If you do move there be sure to visit Saratoga in August.
Your heating bills will of course depend on the size and construction of the house and how warm you like to keep it.
The winters can be long, cold, and dry. I have seen snow up there in Sept/Oct although that is an extreme case.
Problem with NY taxes isn't so much income as it is property tax. They are very high. They also have a school tax that all property owners pay.
The housing market in that area is not the greatest so renting might make sense. It all depends on what kind of package the employer offers.
Good luck!

Mini-mum

An interesting article. Thanks.

Mini-mum

Thanks Ben. Do you know how I can find out about Associates Degrees? Did you have to get your children 'tested into the school system'? If so, were they put into their age group or an older or younger year group?

Bob

GED is the way to go, high school diploma equiv...somin' a monkey could pass though...

Ben

You can go to any 2 year college website and find out about them. Basically you can do whatever you wish regarding an associates degree. They are a very broad spectrum of subjects. For example, if you child knows that they want to go into nursing or any type of science they can do the associates degree with a concentration in the sciences. So, they would complete all the general education requirements for that college - math, english, humanities (these can include literature, public speaking, sociology or an actual humanities class), sciences, language etc. Then their electives can be in the sciences that they need for their 4 year college. Or, if the student has no idea what they want to do they can do what is called a 'liberal arts' associates degree which is even more broad and allows for the move up to a 4 year college.

What I would suggest is if your children know what they want to do, and which college they want to go to to do their bachelor's degree, talk to the 4 year college first and tell them that your son/daughter will be attending a 2 year college first but wishes to transfer their associates degree over - which courses should they take that will help towards their 4 year degree. That way your son/daughter isn't wasting their time doing courses that although transfer are of no good to their 4 year college.

If you visit www.suny.edu website you will get all the colleges within the state of new york university system and what courses they offer. Many 2 year colleges have associations with 4 year colleges so their courses match up. All the colleges have catalogues which have all their courses and requirements in them. They are generally called a 'bulletin' and you can ask for someone from the colleges you are interested in to send you one.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. I work in a local 2 year SUNY (State University of New York) college helping students with choosing courses and subjects and I also tutor and teach there too. I also attend a local state university.

Yes, my children were tested before entering the NY school system. It is a requirement and done at the school in which they will enter. You can get in touch with the reading teachers of the schools your children will enter and tell them your concerns. My children were in NJ for 18 months in what was supposed to be an excellent school district but it pulled their education right down so when they tested into the school system here they tested at age level so they all went into the years for their ages. I was very concerned about the move again because all three had been through so much. The reading teacher tested my children as soon as we moved so that the children knew where they were going. They don't encourage children to go into years above their age levels because there are accelerated classes to cater for the bright child. All 3 of mine settled into their new schools really well and the reading teacher kept an eye on them for me to make sure their placements were good for the children. They also tried to match up personality of the child with a teacher for that first year and it worked exceptionally well. However, the older the child the less chance this will happen because after 6th grade the children have different teachers for different subjects.

In the last couple of years of high school there are AP classes which are college level courses which will give you college credits to transfer. So if your 14 year old is bright and does well, he/she will be placed in those. However, I would highly recommend you look into the GED and see what is required to pass that. You may just need to supplement your child's education for a year and a bit for them to take the GED and then follow what the older one does and go into the college system at 16. If your 14 year old finds his/her peers to be too immature then this route would probably work well. If he/she gets on well with their peers and enjoys high school then you can change your plans. The 2 year colleges are similar to the local colleges in the UK - a type of bridge between school and university. the students are to work independently but the professors 'mother' the students a lot.

As I said, if you have any questions at all, just PM and I'll try and help as much as I can.

Marsh

Hi,
I live about 2 1/2 hours North of Albany. I have an Aunt who lives in the Albany area, in Latham, its a very nice area, she happens to be a school teacher there, their school system there is highly recommended versus some of the surrounding areas, she loves the area. Latham is just outside of Albany, and a very short commute.
One area I would stay away from would be Schenectady, housing cheaper but generally not a nice area and the schools will reflect that.
The taxes in NY are high.
If you bought a home and wanted to sell a few years down the road, the real estate market in that area is very good.
Good Luck!

Patrick Hasler

About as extreem as 5 out of the last 6 years

Patrick Hasler

You must live between me and Rushman then, although almost a local to him

Marsh

I think we all know by now that Rushman lives in a world all his own!