Putting Irish children into school in Spain.

Hello,

Can anybody help,  We are moving to spain for about 8 months in December 2012 and would like to put our four children

into school there.  Can anybody advise how difficult  this would be and what we need to do, we are very anxious that we will all speak spanish by the end of our time there.  No final decision has been make on where we are moving to yet but it will be somewhere in Southern Spain and hopefully a large town or city were they will meet lots of spanish children. They are all in primary school here in Ireland.

I would be delighted if any of you have any ideas or thoughts on our plan.

Looking forward to hearing from you.  

Thanking you

Jester

 Hi Jester,

We brought our son when he was 10 three years ago and there was no problem getting in to the local school. He learned Spanish very quickly. If you pick up accents quickly that is great. HOWEVER the system is different in many ways. Homework, even holiday stuff, is part of it.

Regions vary but where we are in Murcia, pupils can be asked to repeat a year. In secondary if they do not pass 7 out of the 9 subjects.there are set days for resits early September and there is no choice in that they have to study in the Summer. Any of the 2 subjects still failed have to be 'carried' and taken again.

Best wishes as you plan. If you can support yourselves financially and not expect to find work here that is great. Otherwise think again before you come as so many of our friends and neighbours have had to return some with bank repossessions. Everyone would advise you to rent property of which there are many.,

Hi Daveil,

Thank you so much, it was so exciting to hear by email I had received a reply!

No we dont need to work, my husband will be bringing work with him,  The trip is mainly for the children to learn spanish and as I said for us too to learn the language. 

Do you need to organise the school or any paperwork for the school before you arrive or can you do so out there? They realistically will only be in school for a couple of months in Spain.

We would love to rent in a spanish village possibly  near the Sierra Nevada/Granada where the kids would play in the evening with other spanish children. Having been out there for some time would you have any ideas?  

At the moment I'm looking at a village outside Granada called Alfacar,  anybody know anything about this village or got any advise or ideas.

Thanks again Daveil, best of luck to you and your family

Jester