Should we /should'nt we

I am a mother of two girls aged 14 and 9, we are contemplating moving to the Costa del Sol this summer. We have an apartment there already so we are fine for accomadation. The reason we are thinking of moving to Spain now is due to my husband recently being made redundant. He wants to purchase an existing food based business that wlll give us our initial income (he has researched the business he plans to buy and is satisfied with what he has learned)
My biggest dilema as a mother is moving my two children from really good schools in the UK where they have lots of friends and out of school activities. My eldest daughter is very accademic and attends a grammar school in the UK and we have found it quite difficult to find a school on the Costa del Sol that compares to the education she is receiving at the moment. With my daughter just about to start her GCSE's in September its kind of now or never to make the move as we do not want to move her schooling again once she starts her studies.

I would like to hear from any other parents who have made the move and get an idea of the negatives and positives of family life in Spain. If you have regrets about the way you have done things what are they? We now really only have about 10 days left to make the biggest decsion of our lives so we can make our move over at the end of July so the kids can start school in September. Looking forward to any help and advice other members can offer.

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Hi there - education isnt just about schooling, the kids will learn a lot about diversity and strength of character - vital for their future.

I see you are asking about the costa del sol - which area as there are international schools which have a very high reputation - Aloha College in nueva andalucia has high standards as does the english international more east towards elvira.

Many of their pupils go on to universities in the uk etc. Mine were young when we came here to Spain so they have been through the Spanish system and my daughter is just taking the secetividad exams for university in Spain.

It may be an idea to come out with the kids and go to some of the schools and talk to them - you will have a better feel for it
Good luck!

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Hi Rixy

Thanks for your response. We have taken the children to see most of the schools along the coast. EIC is the school  we found to be most suitabe for my eldest daughter not just accademically, it also seemed the most friendly, both pupils and staff. 
We have a two year plan to rent our house in the UK and stay in our apartment in Spain, let my daughter do her GCSE's in Spain then re evaluate the situation in 2010. If its definately for us then we plan to sell in the UK and buy somewhere bigger in Spain. That is another little worry of mine moving from a spacious house in the UK with large garden into a two bed two bath apartment!

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Sounds a great plan! Yes it will be strange adjusting, I never thought I was an apartment sort of person - we get so used to large spacious houses in the UK dont we! But then again the weather is so appaling we have to be indoors! Here its more outside living and if it gets too tight, you could rent the apartment and move to something bigger.

I now love the idea of no stairs! Dragging the shopping from the car into the lift then into the kitchen, so easy!

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

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Hi,

We had a child out here so I know it's not the same but we have known people who've come over with older kids and it is much harder for them.  I would say no problem at all for the 9 year old - but a 14 year old girl who loves her school, has lots of friends and is doing well may be a different matter.  Then again people have to move all the time for various reasons so it is just part of life now.  You may also find being on the Costa del Sol in an international school may not be much of a culture shock - just hotter. You don't mention what your kids think about it?  If they're excited and positive about it now then that's half the battle - if they (particularly the 14 year old) aren't keen they may resent it from the beginning and resent you for doing it to them.

You say you have to make a decision in 10 days but it's a huge thing to decide.  Is there any way you can hedge your bets for the summer? ie, delay buying the business, keep the girls in the UK schools and enrol in the Spanish ones, rent the house short term and give it 2 or 3 months trial?  The last thing you want to do is jump in then feel you've made the wrong decision and can't go back on it.

I hope this is some help,

Greg

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Hi Gocat

When we first had the idea to move about 4 months ago the eldest daughter was totally against it and there were lots of tears for her and me. But after seeing a few schools and letting her choose the one she liked and involved both of them as much as possible she has come round to the idea. So much so now that every night she gets home from school she asks if we have put the deposit on the new school yet, and can we just make our minds up on whether we are going to Spain or not. Although i was initially all for it i am the one one with cold feet now. Just not sure she is agreeing to come now just to please us. What makes it harder is if she has been on a sleepover or a day out with her friends and she tells us how much fun she has had it makes me feel bad that i will be taking her away from all that.
Regarding only having a few day left to make our decision this is because the schools close at the end of June until September so we would need to enrol them. With registration fees and deposits for both of them its nearly 8000 euros. Trying it out for 3 or 4 months would not be an option as she would never be able to re-enter the school she is leaving in the UK. Places there are well sort after even though you have to sit an entrance exam.

Our plan was to keep both the girls in school until end of term which is about 22nd July. Let them have a week or so with there friends then move around 31st july. This wil give them about 5 weeks before they start there new school. We have liased with a couple of parents whose children go to the school to try and let the eldest one meet up with a coupe of pupils her age before she starts.

I think we have done everything we can to make the transition as easy as possible. Just got to satisfy myself now that its the right decision!

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Hi Bluenude,

Just to throw a spanner in the works you might consider Benalmadena International College. We moved out here six years ago when our son was making the move up to senior level. He took his IGCSE's last year and ended up with three A*, four A and one B. The teachers really are excellent, and the fees are lower than EIC, Aloha etc. True they don't have the sports facilities of other schools, but academically they are really very good. Only down side is the Director of the college who is, to put it bluntly, a bit of an ass. Luckily he isn't involved with the teaching aspect and is mainly involved with the admin of the school. However, the Principal ( Lynne Patterson ) and vice-principal ( Ian Patterson ) are absolute gems ( as are the rest of the Senior staff ).

Worth a look at the very least !

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Hi Frustarted owner,

You made me laugh with your comments about the director of  BIC as me and my husband got the same impression,and he did put us off the school. When he showed us round he carried the dog everywhere with him, yes i did say carry! and as you know its not a small dog. Also he could not help name dropping pointing out relatives of "c" class celebrities.
You are right about the fees though they are half the price of EIC. BIC is right on our doorstep as well.
By the way congratulations for your sons excellent results,has he gone onto sixth form at BIC or has he gone somewhere else?


This message was last edited by bluenude on 6/18/2008.

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Hi Bluenude,

He's stayed on and has just completed his AS exams - A levels next year. 

.......and yes, "The Ass" is prone to name dropping - bet he mentioned Billy Piper's sister, lol. He's only interested in the money so he says whatever he thinks will best entice potential donors to part with their money. Pity really, because like I said, the education standard is quite remarkable.
........ yup, know what you mean about the dog - he shows more affection to that than he ever does to his wife !!!!

If you ignore him the rest of the staff ( bar one or two ) are excellent and really know how to get the best out of the students. Junior school is a bit hit and miss - I also have a 10 year old daughter. This year has been a bit of a disaster for her, but she's really looking forward to next year because her new form teacher is, quote, " really coooool "

Best of luck in deciding where to go, but whatever you do, avoid St Anthony's like the plague !

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I would second that on St Anthony's - its always had a poor reputation.

Dont know the BIC so best of luck with it

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Hi Frustrated owner

Can i ask if you looked at the other schools in the Benalmadena area like the British college and Sunnyview at Torremolinos. The fees are very similar to BIC. If you did look at them what are your views on them and what was the deciding factor to go for BIC? Besides Sandy the dog.lol

You are right it has put a spanner in the works spent most of last night discussing BIC again now.

We have also heard from other people about St Anthonys so will stay well clear.

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Hi Bluenude,

We did look at British College but both children took and instant dislike to it. I think a certain snobbishness came into play and it was a bit rougher than they were expecting. As far as Sunnyview is concerned, we didn't look there but have heard varying stories from bad to mediocre. 

We did have some friends who took their children from BIC to Sunnyview but brought them back after one term. Evidently Sunnyview had adopted a policy whereby if IGCSE students didn't achieve a certain level they couldn't advance to AS/A level and were asked to leave. This was later confirmed by one of the teachers at BIC. However, that was a couple of years ago, so things may have changed.

The deciding factor for BIC was really down to the children. We adopted the approach that they had to be happy where they were going, rather than telling them they were going to EIC or Aloha because they were considered the best. They both decided BIC was where they wanted to go, and, to be fair, we think their decision was the right one. True, there are issues that crop up from time to time, but nothing that wouldn't arise at any other private school on the Costa del Sol.


This message was last edited by Frustrated Owner on 6/19/2008.

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Frustarted Owner

Maybe we should give BIC another viewing then,even if its for our youngest. She has a more relaxed aptitude to the eldest,but still does well at school. 
You did the right thing letting the children have the final decission on the school,least then if they are happy that is half the battle. We have looked at a total of 6 schools and the eldest picked EIC, she got on really well with the staff there and spent almost 3 hours in discussions with the staff and pupils (she is very thorough for a 14 year old) and that is the school she chose out of the six we viewed, no influence from us. We did not tell her about any of the fees as we did not want that to influence her.

So do you think your children have done better in the schools in Spain than they would have if you stayed in the UK? or do you think they are about the same? 

Like most parents we just want to give them the best opportunities in life and dont want our decsion on moving to Spain be a setback for them. Did your children find it easy to make friends in and out of school and again do you think they have a better social life in Spain or in the UK?

Really sorry for all the questions!

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No problem about questions – that’s what these forums are for – help one, help all !

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Thanks for your reassuring comments about your children settling in. Its made me feel a whole lot better about that side of things. By the sounds of it as well you feel you have made the right move going to Spain and with the schooling side of things. I dont normally get this worried about issues so all being well we will be out there next month. Spoke with BIC and the British College today, they both have spaces for September so no need to rush. We can enrol them when we are ready,even at the the start of term. If my eldest does still want to go to EIC i will have to do this by next week. So will give it lots of thought over the weekend.
If you have any other tips you can share with me i would be most grateful.


This message was last edited by bluenude on 6/19/2008.

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Hi Bluenude,

Have sent a PM.

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HI

I hope you dont mind me jumping onto this thread but i too need some assistance.  i am looking at moving to Duquesa this year and need to look at teh best schools for my 2 sons aged 6 & 12.

So far i have been in contact with Laude San Pedro International College (this will cost £15k a year for both kids plus travel), I have also been incontact with Sotogrande which is so expensive.

Do you know what Mayfair International is like or give me some ideas of other schools that are not too far away from Duquesa?

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I recommend Lisa Sadlier at http://familylifeinspain.com/. Family Life im Spain. Have a look at her website, get in touch with her, she knows everything there is to know about moving to Spain with children!

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Thank you very much xx

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