Guest IdahoMtnMom Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I am thinking about leaving the US in the next few years, but to be blunt, I have no idea where. I had originally planned on Ireland, where I have much family, before I decided on homeschooling but as I understand it, homeschooling there is highly regulated and quite a pain in the rear end... feel free to correct me if I am wrong on that. So I am looking for someplace that an American Family can fit in decently, where homeschooling is simple, where I could find work if needed, that isn't snowy more than 6 months out of the year, is SAFE, Christians are accepted, English is spoken, and HERE IS THE BIGGEST ONE... a family of 4 adults (my mom and I) and 2 kids can live on $3500 per month and not a penny more.... in a house (rental is fine) with a lot of land!!!!!! Preferably room for horses... I am open to any suggestions at all... I want to see YOUR ideas :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsJewelsRae Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Canada! We LOVE living here in southwestern Ontario, no restrictions on homeschooling either. We get snow from about December-March. Oh, and in our town you can rent a farmhouse with a piece of land for $600-$800 pretty easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veggiegal Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Lots of places in BC would fit the bill in Canada as well. The major centres would be too expensive, but smaller towns and communities--in the interior (away from the coast with Vancouver proper) or on the island (away from Victoria) would be easy. Safe, cheap, little snow, homeschooling is easy, etc. Where I am in southern Alberta is more expensive and colder (though not much actual snow though), and homeschooling is awesome with a huge community here. We get funding to boot. :D Now, if I were to pick another country to love in, Australia or New Zealand (where I visited about a decade ago and LOVED it) would be my choice. Don't know enough about HS laws there to advise; and I know Australia in particular has some very spendy areas. (Friends of ours in Calgary just moved to Sydney. Holy sticker shock, Batman!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 (edited) Hi, I'm in Northern Ireland. :D:D:D The regulations you speak of are in Republic of Ireland only so you could move to N. Ireland and just homeschool without restrictions. You may get "enquiries" but there is no legal obligation to register to homeschool or provide any reports. I have had no-one contact me for years and even when they did it was a simple 15 minute chat. Even if your family is in R.O.I., Ireland is so small and there are no travel restrictions between north and south for residents. There are no border checks, you just drive over. Despite our history, it is very safe to live here, Christian values are generally strong and housing costs are currently very low, they're almost giving houses and land away ATM. There are 6 counties, each with their own "personality" but affordable rural living is very possible anywhere. I love living here and can't imagine being anywhere else.:001_smile: Edited October 15, 2011 by lorrainejmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Have you ever lived outside of the US? Have you traveled outside of the US? Where have you been? What did you like or not like? Are you a sahm? What does your hubby do? Any chance of you all working for DoD? That might allow you the chance to live a few different places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Hi, I'm in Northern Ireland. :D:D:D The regulations you speak of are in Republic of Ireland only so you could move to N. Ireland and just homeschool without restrictions. You may get "enquiries" but there is no legal obligation to register to homeschool or provide any reports. I have had no-one contact me for years and even when they did it was a simple 15 minute chat. Even if your family is in R.O.I., Ireland is so small and there are no travel restrictions between north and south for residents. There are no border checks, you just drive over. Despite our history, it is very safe to live here, Christian values are generally strong and housing costs are currently very low, they're almost giving houses and land away ATM. There are 6 counties, each with their own "personality" but affordable rural living is very possible anywhere. I love living here and can't imagine being anywhere else.:001_smile: Sounds wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Sounds wonderful! Here is some information regarding Ireland's immigration process. You must have a work permit before starting employment. Some professionals (like doctors) are streamlined. It can get tough to get a work permit for those not in those categories. http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/ImmigrationProcess.pdf/Files/ImmigrationProcess.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Here is some information regarding Ireland's immigration process. You must have a work permit before starting employment. Some professionals (like doctors) are streamlined. It can get tough to get a work permit for those not in those categories. http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/ImmigrationProcess.pdf/Files/ImmigrationProcess.pdf That would only apply to R O Ireland, though. N. Ireland would have the same immigration laws as the rest of the UK. I haven't mastered how to provide a link.:o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 That would only apply to R O Ireland, though. N. Ireland would have the same immigration laws as the rest of the UK. I haven't mastered how to provide a link.:o http://www.ukimmigration.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 (edited) You might manage it in the north of the UK or Wales. Its much cheaper than the south of the UK. You could probably find a smallholding fairly easily. My sister works in immigration over here so if you have any questions about moving to the UK I could ask her for you. How about New Zealand. I know loads of people who have moved there, it was much cheaper than here for what my friends needed. Edited October 16, 2011 by lailasmum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I'll put in a word for Eastern Canada. Here in Nova Scotia the homeschooling rules are very simple and non-interventionist. You just fill out a form and send a report, but you can teach whatever you want. There is a fair amount of religious variety including Christians and there are churches of most types, though more limited in smaller places. I think you could find a place to live within your budget - the only exception might be if you wanted to go to the downtown of the capital. We don't get as much snow as Ontario but the winter and Spring are wet and cool. Summer is great and Fall is our best season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 a family of 4 adults (my mom and I) and 2 kids can live on $3500 per month and not a penny more.... in a house (rental is fine) with a lot of land!!!!!! This would pretty much exclude you from living anywhere in Australia. The average rental here is around $250-$300 a week and most of the places have tiny, tiny if any yard. To live in a place with lots of land you are looking at $350-$400 a week easy. Cost of living is high here -we spend $300 a week on food for a family of 5 and that is buying ONLY the very basics. Utilities are out of sight - our last electricity bill was $500 and you pay for every bit of water you use (also expensive). If you wanted to come to Australia your best bet would be to marry an Australian :tongue_smilie: My DH had to go through all the immigration stuff to move here to Australia (he is Canadian). I'm pretty sure you wouldn't meet the requirements (health, income, sponsership). Probably the easiest way to get into another country is to have a family member sponser you -thus I would be looking at places where you have family first. Ireland sounds like the best idea. Would it be possible to move somewhere else in the US? It's a really big country with lots of beautiful places. IMO if I wanted to start a new life moving to another country altogether is a little overkill in that it's an extremely tough thing to do (I've moved to other countries 4 times now) and I wouldn't want to do it with children especially on limited funds. When we moved from Canada to Australia the cost of moving and immigration expenses was $10 000 and that was 12 years ago. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKidAcademy Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 You could move to southeastern New Mexico, USA. Trust me, Roswell is a different country altogether. :tongue_smilie: But cost of living isn't cheap here. Your projected income would do nicely though; as it would back in my home of North Mississippi. Best wishes, whatever you decide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Would it be possible to move somewhere else in the US? It's a really big country with lots of beautiful places. IMO if I wanted to start a new life moving to another country altogether is a little overkill in that it's an extremely tough thing to do (I've moved to other countries 4 times now) and I wouldn't want to do it with children especially on limited funds. This might be something to think about. Immigration to *any* Western country is not easy unless you have some specific skill sets (construction, medicine, etc). Work permits, insurance, buying or leasing property, moving your belongings overseas, these can all be difficult as a foreigner. If it's a new life you want, nothing could be easier than packing a u-haul and driving off into the sunset across state borders. Did you know there are communities that give land away for free if you agree to build upon it? http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/10/19/click-here-for-free-land-five-places-where-land-is-free/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 This might be something to think about. Immigration to *any* Western country is not easy unless you have some specific skill sets (construction, medicine, etc). Work permits, insurance, buying or leasing property, moving your belongings overseas, these can all be difficult as a foreigner. If it's a new life you want, nothing could be easier than packing a u-haul and driving off into the sunset across state borders. Did you know there are communities that give land away for free if you agree to build upon it? http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/10/19/click-here-for-free-land-five-places-where-land-is-free/ OK, if you have a business that is run from home, this is a great deal! We can't move, but I would love to be on a farm in the middle of mostly nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I agree with sewingmama that it is highly unlikely you would be allowed to immigrate to Australia. Not all Australia has such high weekly rent. Out in rural areas, like the town I live near, you can get a house for $150 a week, with a large yard. From what I have heard I think England would be out too, they have toughened up their immigration laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 If you wanted to come to Australia your best bet would be to marry an Australian :tongue_smilie: :grouphug: They have tightened up on this as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsquared Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I think regardless of where you go, what you are doing is awesome and admirable. I am falling in love with Canada reading this thread. :001_smile: I lived in Austria (not cheap), but beautiful. I would absolutely live in Mexico with my family if I could. I have been to many places there, and had excellent experiences. If you have a college degree there are great opportunities to teach English there. Housing and all sorts of things are included. A couple we are friends with did it for years and really loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.