Clarin

I have the opportunity to move to the UK for a year - starting in summer of '07 - with husband & 13-yr-old child. Has anyone done this recently? If you could recommend any terrific resource materials, that would be swell. My primary concern is the schooling issue. I understand that I need to start now if I hope to get my daughter enrolled over there for Sept. '07. I'm wondering if the "American Schools" follow the US curriculum, as I wouldn't consider doing this if it could possibly result in my daughter's having to repeat a grade upon our return to the states.
Appreciate any advice on where to start researching this project. Thanks so much.

mvor

Here are some of the resources that we used in preparation for our 2005 relocation to London. Our relocation company (Phoenix) was wonderful to work with, so hopefully you already have a relocation specialist helping you.

(For us, one week before we were supposed to leave to arrange our London housing, my husband was offered his dream job here in the US!)

RESOURCES:

We found these books helpful (available at bn.com or amazon:

Expert Expatriate: Your Guide to Successful Relocation Abroad-Moving, Living, Thriving by Melissa Brayer Hess

Living & Working in London : A Survival Handbook by Dan Finlay

This might be more helpful to you since you don't mention a specific city/town:

Living and Working in Britain, Fifth Edition : A Survival Handbook by David Hampshire

There are some good links here from the Key Relocations Group for family/children relocation:

http://www.keyrelocations.com/Information.html

London neighborhood info including house prices:
http://www.upmystreet.com/

Quarantine/vaccination info for bringing a US cat or dog into the UK: http://tinyurl.com/rwvn9

Expat groups and info:

http://www.americanexpats.co.uk
http://www.expatexchange.com/
http://www.overseasdigest.com/country/uk.htm

UK salary info:
http://www.payscale.com/salary-survey/vid-3814

International Salary Calculator:
http://tinyurl.com/ofn7l

Fun: The American's Guide to speaking British:
http://www.effingpot.com/

Best of luck!

Clarin

mvor: Holy smokes - what a resource you are! Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to share your info. I assure you I'll put it to good use directly.

mvor

I'm glad to help and look forward to hearing about your upcoming adventure.

I'm not sure if you have a pet but be sure to look at that info ASAP. The UK used to have strict quarantine laws which they've since relaxed however it will still take you 6-8 months to meet their guidelines (pet tested for rabies/innoculated, info sent to USDA, pet micro chipped by certified Vet, six months wait, and pet retested) <u>before</u> your pet may enter the UK.

almcd

Regarding the education part of the question - having taught in the U.K. and in North America, it is highly likely that your daughter will be much further ahead after a year in Britain than she would be had she remained in the states.

steviegene

My family and I lived in england for a year 1995-1996. I was 16 at the time, and school was definetly an adjustment. I had a very hard time actually..

but the opportunities for travelling while living there were pricelesss. We travelled almost every weekend...seeing scotland, england, ireland, france, italy, germany, and the list goes on and on. It was quite an opportunity for such a young kid. great memories...

owain

If you mean your daughter will be 13 in Sept 2007, it'll be a suitable time to spend one year in the British system. She'll be in Year 9, the last year when they follow the full national curriculum, before narrowing down to around 10 subjects for the two year GCSE examination course. And at the end of Year 9 are national tests (confusingly sharing the name SATs with the unrelated American exams) in the core subjects, which will give a decent sense of conclusion &amp; purpose to a one-year stay.

Pausanias

Here's the url for the American School in London. It's in St John's Wood, a pleasant part of town.

http://www.asl.org/

Especially for a short transfer such as yours, staying in the American system would probably be easier for her.

steviegene

Where in the UK are you going to live?

Clarin

Thank you all so much very for your helpful responses. Should we decide to pursue this, we'd live in the Chiswick area, convenient to my husband's office. Since my last post, however, I've become more informed about what can happen to one's home when it is left vacant for a year. Alas, this has dampened my enthusiasm quite a bit, as I'd not have someone live in our home.

Ruth

That's sad to hear. Have you considered renting out your home with a reputable rental management company? You can specify &quot;no kids, no pets, no smoking &quot; for instance. Or if you don't like the idea of strangers living in your house maybe employ someone to come in weekly to check all is OK? And don't forget the garden - it can quickly make a house look neglected. It does seem a pity to pass up the chance of such an experience!

amelie

http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/kaydee/

highledge

Figure out the schools first. Don't get fixed on a specific part of London (Chiswick) and only look at schools in that area.

Every ex-pat with kids has a differng opinion on the schooling issue. It's really a decision that each parent muct make for themselves.
My opinion? Wiht a 13 year old girl and a one year stay in the UK, I'd look toward the American schools or international schools.
It's an easier transition and for such a short period of time a better option (in my opinion).
From the parents I know in the british system, too much of year 9 is spent on revision for the exams and getting ready. Not something that your child would want to be doing at this point in her schooling!

walkinaround

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;
it is highly likely that your daughter will be much further ahead after a year in Britain than she would be had she remained in the states.
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

this is doubtful. the question should not be a debate about the british vs. american education systems, it's about how easy it will be for her to &quot;slot&quot; into the british system and back into american schools after just one year.

listen the poster who said that there is a big concentration on revision for exams at this age. these exams mean everything to UK students but mean nothing to your daughter.

there is, of course, no guarantee that she can easily transition from her school to a UK american or international school but you are taking the safer route. she has two possible failure points to consider - moving into and out of a different school system in one year at a highly difficult age. also, being in school with other expat kids will probably help her to cope.

i know many people who went abroad from the UK to the US to work for short periods and their kids had great difficulty adjusting on both ends.

some people cannot afford these private schools but if you can, i would give it a serious thought.

david_west

If you can afford it Latimer’s in Hammersmith and St Paul’s in central London are excellent day schools for girls.

I can recommend a few more if you like.

mvor

Clarin, your relocation firm can manage your vacant home (or hire someone to do this). It's expensive so be sure to ask for this in your husband's relocation package. Good luck.

bcnuineurope

Clarin:
I would highly recommend The American School. The website is www.americanschoolofcorr.com.

~~~~~~~bcnuineurope~~~~~~~

Kate_W

I lucked out a few years ago when I moved to London for a year. I rented the apartment I owned to friend-of-a-friend who was completing her qualifying year in law while her husband stayed behind in the town where she'd gone to law school. Consequently, she wanted a furnished apartment (unusual where we come from) and was happy to take care of my cat for the year (who I didn't want to put through the UK's ridiculous quarantine laws). She took better care of my apartment, my furniture and my cat than I did.

Think about renting a place short term in the neighourhood you think you want to live in, before committing. I ended up living in three different apartments and neighbourhoods in London in the year that I lived there. The first was in a great location, but was dismal. The second was colourful but turned out to be in a dangerous neighbourhood (not immediately apparent). The third was terrific and well worth the splurge.

SusanM

I'm sure you've considered this alternative, but what about letting your husband go for the year and you and your daughter staying home? It would solve both the schooling and empty house problem, and you and your daughter could visit as often as $$ permits . . .

palmettoprincess

My family moved to Scotland for one year when I was 15. It was an wonderful time for us to bond as a family. We explored new things together and used our home (Edinburgh) as a base to tour whenever we had a school break.

My sister and I attended regular public school. I loved it. I joined the drama club, took a week long trip to the Hebrides with my school chums and returned later to visit my school friends. My sister did not enjoy the school.

I think things are what you make them to be.

As for the comment about British schools being way beyond US ones. I was only behind in Maths which to tell you the truth was not my favorite course in the US. In the others I was on par or ahead of my peers.

Yes the curriculum might not have linked with the US curriculum, but the intangibles exceeded any lost lessons. Check with your school district, but you shouldn't have any problem with having the year count. My high school accepted my grades from Scotland and my travels helped me interview for a college scholarship later. (I won.)