Anyone homeschooling in South America?

[jens2sons]

My husband and I are considering a move to South America for work.  I am interested to hear from parents specifically in Chile and Argentina as to how things are going for you.  How do things work for you there?  I do know that in Chile it is legal, not sure about Argentina but I think you can.  What is life like there for homeschool families?  Etc.  Thanks!

[OneStepAtATime]

You might also post on the Gen Ed and Chat boards to get more viewers and responses.  While I have seen a LOT of responses from other continents, I have seen very few from South America so also posting on those other boards may be a better bet for reaching them.

 

Best wishes....

[Matryoshka]

Lanny's in Colombia, hopefully he'll see this!

[lamolina]

I was homeschooling in Peru until January. It was no problem. We has visas and Peru did not ever ask about how our kids were being educated. It was sometimes hard to get the books we needed due to weight and also hard not to have a library. Other than that, no problem. Plus we had some amazing field trips! :)

[mamiof5]

I am from Colombia (haven't been there since 1999 though, but I believe certain things have not changed much).  I don't know as far as Chile and Argentina, but one fascinating thing for me here has been the access to a public library... that was something foreign for us while growing up.  Our closest public library was downtown, probably 45min-1hr (in car, longer if we took the bus) from where I lived.  Also, I do keep somewhat in contact with some relatives who still live there, and when we talk about my homeschooling ideas I can tell that they think I probably lost it, or I am a weird monster with 2 heads :)  Can't speak for other countries, but I do get the impression that this is not something that is not done in Colombia very much at all (which makes me question how easy/affordable it would be to get your curriculum?  I know my mom has to pay VERY expensive fees any time she has to mail anything over there)

[BrittanyM]

I do not live in South America but I went to Argentina 7 years ago and met a couple families who were homeschooling at that time. I do not believe it was illegal then, although it was very culturally unusual.

[Lanny]

My husband and I are considering a move to South America for work.  I am interested to hear from parents specifically in Chile and Argentina as to how things are going for you.  How do things work for you there?  I do know that in Chile it is legal, not sure about Argentina but I think you can.  What is life like there for homeschool families?  Etc.  Thanks!

 

Argentina?     PLEASE follow current events in Latin America, if you are seriously contemplating this.  If the President of Argentina defaults on the payments the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Argentina to pay, by June 30th, all hell will break loose in their economy. That has already begun... If you pursue this, look before you leap...

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/17/argentina-president-defies-us-court-orders-on-repayment-debts/?intcmp=latestnews

 

 

Also, DO NOT for a minute consider living in Venezuela.

 

We are TTUISD Distance Learners, in Colombia, and we communicate with, occasionally, another TTUISD family, that was, until very recently, in Brazil.

 

The people I "know" from the web forum of my favorite singer/group in Chile seem to be more numerous than those in Argentina. I believe there are several in Argentina, but a bunch in Chile. I met 3 of the people from Peru, when they came to a concert in Bogota, in 2009.  

 

GL with whatever you decide to do and practice your Spanish! Fortunately, Latin Americans are very forgiving about errors foreigners make when speaking Spanish.

 

ETA: A couple of years ago, I exchanged 2 or 3 emails with an American woman who was HSing her children. They live in Bogota.

[Lanny]

 

mamiof5, on 17 Jun 2014 - 01:52 AM, said:

I am from Colombia (haven't been there since 1999 though, but I believe certain things have not changed much).  I don't know as far as Chile and Argentina, but one fascinating thing for me here has been the access to a public library... that was something foreign for us while growing up.  Our closest public library was downtown, probably 45min-1hr (in car, longer if we took the bus) from where I lived.  Also, I do keep somewhat in contact with some relatives who still live there, and when we talk about my homeschooling ideas I can tell that they think I probably lost it, or I am a weird monster with 2 heads :)  Can't speak for other countries, but I do get the impression that this is not something that is not done in Colombia very much at all (which makes me question how easy/affordable it would be to get your curriculum?  I know my mom has to pay VERY expensive fees any time she has to mail anything over there)

One of the rights of children in Colombia is the right to an education. I forget what the number of that is, in the list of the rights of children in Colombia. It is in the list of the rights of children.

Children here must be educated, but it is not specified as to how that is done.

With regard to shipping things to/from Colombia. From the USA to Colombia shipping is very inexpensive, compared to shipping to many other countries in the world. When I moved here from Texas, the Saleswoman from the moving company told me, "Colombia may be the only country in the world you can move to, for less, by Air, than by Sea" My things went in a Cargo Jet, from Miami to Cali.

Books enter Colombia without paying taxes of any kind. No IVA (Value Added Tax) and no "Arancel" (Duty).

We have a service (it is free unless we are shipping something) with Coordinadora USA (Coordinadora in Colombia) to receive small packages for us in Miami. Then, we pay them, and they include our shipment (which may include several things we have received) into one Consolidated shipment, send to Bogota, get it thru Colombian Customs, and they send overnight to Cali and deliver to our house.

Shipping from Colombia to the USA is VERY expensive. Once or twice a year, I need to send a 1 page form to the USA. I go to the Post Office and ask for the least expensive way. My letters are delivered in approximately 15 days. Shipping anything heavy would be prohibitively expensive. The Colombian Post Office does not receive a subsidy from the government.

On the Jet Freighters (there are usually 5 or 10 a day from Miami to Bogota), going from Colombia to the states, they are carrying perishable products (fresh Flowers, fresh Fruits, etc.) and that is where they make their $, with high rates per kilo. Going from Miami to Bogota it is a backhaul and the rates are very low and they carry TVs, computers, books, etc.

Yes, it would be wonderful to have Public Libraries here like I used until I moved from the states...

There is a lot of Distance Learning in Colombia at the University level. My wife was a Distance Learning student (actually, hybrid, because she went to the campus one or 2 Saturdays each month, to take classes, examinations, etc.) at Univalle (Universidad de Valle). My Brother in Law got a 2nd degree, via Distance Learning, a few years ago.

[jens2sons]

We are looking at Chile and Argentina not Columbia, Venezuela, etc.  But thank you for the info.  Of course we are following events and yes, spanish is already being taken care of.  The nice thing about curriculum for our family is that we don't really use textbooks.  We use the Charlotte Mason method and can download living books on a Kindle or tablet if we can't find them in a library.  The SCM website has downloadable pdf's for the teacher's guide as well.  I'm not too concerned about that aspect of homeschooling.  My oldest will be graduating this next school year, so either he takes a break and travels with us, or we find him a school down there after he learns some Spanish.  The nice thing about Chile or Argentina is that most in the cities speak English too.   I'm leaning on the side of Chile more than Argentina, but it depends on which job opportunity opens opens up.  I know for sure that Chile is open right now.  

[mamiof5]

I guess it all really depends on where in the USA you live and where are you shipping from?  We live in AZ and don't have as many companies that ship directly to Colombia.  My mom tried for many years to ship through some companies in CA, but more often than not her package did not make it to the final destination. In AZ we don't have services like those in CA or Miami, so shipping for us is extremely expensive (and that is, if your package makes it).

 

As far as education...we do have wonderful programs at the University level.  I went to a couple universities in the capital city and liked them both.  However, I have to disagree with the enforcement of "all children have the right to education" over there.  At least in the capital city, elementary and high school public education is pretty much non existent (at least not in the medium-high class neighborhoods).  We were discussing with one of my cousins the other day, there are no public or affordable schools anywhere near where she lives (and she is not a millionaire, just lives in a medium-high class neighborhood), all the schools in those areas are private and the cost to send your children there is outrageous.  I was raised in a private school like this myself, and there is no way on earth I would be able to afford education for our children in such a school now a days.

 

One of the rights of children in Colombia is the right to an education. I forget what the number of that is, in the list of the rights of children in Colombia. It is in the list of the rights of children.

Children here must be educated, but it is not specified as to how that is done.

With regard to shipping things to/from Colombia. From the USA to Colombia shipping is very inexpensive, compared to shipping to many other countries in the world. When I moved here from Texas, the Saleswoman from the moving company told me, "Colombia may be the only country in the world you can move to, for less, by Air, than by Sea" My things went in a Cargo Jet, from Miami to Cali.

Books enter Colombia without paying taxes of any kind. No IVA (Value Added Tax) and no "Arancel" (Duty).

We have a service (it is free unless we are shipping something) with Coordinadora USA (Coordinadora in Colombia) to receive small packages for us in Miami. Then, we pay them, and they include our shipment (which may include several things we have received) into one Consolidated shipment, send to Bogota, get it thru Colombian Customs, and they send overnight to Cali and deliver to our house.

Shipping from Colombia to the USA is VERY expensive. Once or twice a year, I need to send a 1 page form to the USA. I go to the Post Office and ask for the least expensive way. My letters are delivered in approximately 15 days. Shipping anything heavy would be prohibitively expensive. The Colombian Post Office does not receive a subsidy from the government.

On the Jet Freighters (there are usually 5 or 10 a day from Miami to Bogota), going from Colombia to the states, they are carrying perishable products (fresh Flowers, fresh Fruits, etc.) and that is where they make their $, with high rates per kilo. Going from Miami to Bogota it is a backhaul and the rates are very low and they carry TVs, computers, books, etc.

Yes, it would be wonderful to have Public Libraries here like I used until I moved from the states...

There is a lot of Distance Learning in Colombia at the University level. My wife was a Distance Learning student (actually, hybrid, because she went to the campus one or 2 Saturdays each month, to take classes, examinations, etc.) at Univalle (Universidad de Valle). My Brother in Law got a 2nd degree, via Distance Learning, a few years ago.

 

[Lanny]

We are looking at Chile and Argentina not Columbia, Venezuela, etc.  But thank you for the info.  Of course we are following events and yes, spanish is already being taken care of.  The nice thing about curriculum for our family is that we don't really use textbooks.  We use the Charlotte Mason method and can download living books on a Kindle or tablet if we can't find them in a library.  The SCM website has downloadable pdf's for the teacher's guide as well.  I'm not too concerned about that aspect of homeschooling.  My oldest will be graduating this next school year, so either he takes a break and travels with us, or we find him a school down there after he learns some Spanish.  The nice thing about Chile or Argentina is that most in the cities speak English too.   I'm leaning on the side of Chile more than Argentina, but it depends on which job opportunity opens opens up.  I know for sure that Chile is open right now.  

 

Well, again, I  suggest that Argentina be VERY low on your list.  Chile sounds much better and I "know" people there, from a web forum I participate in. And, I believe one of the people in the forum, he is from Venezuela,  moved to Chile. And that the sister of one of the forum members from Colombia is down there and she is going to marry one of the forum members who lives in Chile.

 

It will be VERY  interesting to see what Argentina does, on/before June 30th.  If they default again, the situation in Argentia will become very bad again, very fast... 

 

I suggest if those are your only 2 choices that you should spend 99% of your time looking into Chile. 

 

GL

[chiguirre]

If you want your oldest to continue to take high school credits, I'd look into online classes. PA Homeschoolers offers almost all the AP courses. You'd need to make sure someone can offer the exam, but if you're in Santiago or BsAs, I doubt that would be a problem. There are lots of providers of regular high school classes too (BYU, Kolbe, WTM, Memoria Press, Landry, Potter's School, etc.).

 

I lived in Argentina about 20 years ago and Venezuela 10 years ago and I agree with the PP who said it would be very unlikely you'd run into trouble hsing independently. If you are at all concerned (or if your dh's company will give you a stipend) you can look into signing up with an accredited distance school. The cheapest and most flexible I've personally found is Kolbe, but there are other options.

 

With the Kindle and iTunes stores, you won't have to carry a lot of books with you. That will make hsing so much easier!

 

Good luck!

[Lanny]

I guess it all really depends on where in the USA you live and where are you shipping from?  We live in AZ and don't have as many companies that ship directly to Colombia.  My mom tried for many years to ship through some companies in CA, but more often than not her package did not make it to the final destination. In AZ we don't have services like those in CA or Miami, so shipping for us is extremely expensive (and that is, if your package makes it).

 

As far as education...we do have wonderful programs at the University level.  I went to a couple universities in the capital city and liked them both.  However, I have to disagree with the enforcement of "all children have the right to education" over there.  At least in the capital city, elementary and high school public education is pretty much non existent (at least not in the medium-high class neighborhoods).  We were discussing with one of my cousins the other day, there are no public or affordable schools anywhere near where she lives (and she is not a millionaire, just lives in a medium-high class neighborhood), all the schools in those areas are private and the cost to send your children there is outrageous.  I was raised in a private school like this myself, and there is no way on earth I would be able to afford education for our children in such a school now a days.

 

Topic One - Shipping:  From California? No!   They need to sign up for a service like we have, with a Colombian company that is huge here in Colombia.  I have a free account with Coordinadora USA in Miami. They receive things for us. If there is more than one thing, they Consolidate our things into one shipment for us, to save us money, and then they Consolidate that into a much larger shipment and they ship via air cargo (they use the same airline that handles DHL packages as it happens) and they send them to Bogota. Everything goes through customs in Bogota. After Customs clearance, they put our package into their domestic network, send it overnight from Bogota to Cali and deliver to our house that day. The only time I can think of a package disappearing would be in the unlikely event the aircraft crashes or the truck from Bogota to Cali crashes. They include insurance, which they charge for. My wife and I believe Coordinadora and TCC are the best shipping companies in Colombia and they both have services like that. Also, Servientrega and other Colombian companies have services like that. Books come in free. Shipments below USD$200 are free of the IVA (VAT) tax. The Refurbished Laptop we bought on Amazon in March came in without paying ANY tax (IVA or Arancel ("Duty").  Coordinadora USA charged us just under USD$28 to send the Laptop from Miami to Colombia and then to Cali.

 

Topic Two - Education: It is much more expensive in Bogota than in Cali. That's one thing. Also, if they are in a "medium-high class" neighborhood, no, I don't believe public education would be available to them. As I recall, some years ago, when DD was in the $$$$ private school here, our next door neighbors told me of someone who had their children in a similar  school, in Bogota, and it was about twice the cost of the school in Cali... My guess is that real estate and everything else is more expensive in/near  Bogota.  In April 2012 when I attended a *long* meeting in the brick and mortar school DD had been attending (her 2nd school), they wanted to close the school. One of the reasons they told us was that many people were leaving private schools for public schools, because of improvements in technology, etc., and it it saves the parents a lot of money. When I wrote that it's one of the rights of children in Colombia, I meant that it is one of the things parents must provide to their children. Sadly, I doubt that all of them do that...

[mamiof5]

Lanny, LOVE to hear your perspective from someone living in Cali.  Amazing to hear the huge difference between cities.  I never visited Cali, or Medellin (I wonder how elementary and high school education is going on there?).  From what I've heard about Bogota, education is as expensive (or even more expensive) as some private schools in Arizona.  And forget the concept of a public school... they are all VERY far from where you live, and I do question the quality of education at those public schools (since most of them are located in areas that have huge violence and socioeconomic issues).  So glad to hear Cali is doing much better though!  Educations is so important, it should be more accessible :(

 

Thanks for the info on the shipping companies.  Will definitely have my mom check into it!

Topic One - Shipping:  From California? No!   They need to sign up for a service like we have, with a Colombian company that is huge here in Colombia.  I have a free account with Coordinadora USA in Miami. They receive things for us. If there is more than one thing, they Consolidate our things into one shipment for us, to save us money, and then they Consolidate that into a much larger shipment and they ship via air cargo (they use the same airline that handles DHL packages as it happens) and they send them to Bogota. Everything goes through customs in Bogota. After Customs clearance, they put our package into their domestic network, send it overnight from Bogota to Cali and deliver to our house that day. The only time I can think of a package disappearing would be in the unlikely event the aircraft crashes or the truck from Bogota to Cali crashes. They include insurance, which they charge for. My wife and I believe Coordinadora and TCC are the best shipping companies in Colombia and they both have services like that. Also, Servientrega and other Colombian companies have services like that. Books come in free. Shipments below USD$200 are free of the IVA (VAT) tax. The Refurbished Laptop we bought on Amazon in March came in without paying ANY tax (IVA or Arancel ("Duty").  Coordinadora USA charged us just under USD$28 to send the Laptop from Miami to Colombia and then to Cali.

 

Topic Two - Education: It is much more expensive in Bogota than in Cali. That's one thing. Also, if they are in a "medium-high class" neighborhood, no, I don't believe public education would be available to them. As I recall, some years ago, when DD was in the $$$$ private school here, our next door neighbors told me of someone who had their children in a similar  school, in Bogota, and it was about twice the cost of the school in Cali... My guess is that real estate and everything else is more expensive in/near  Bogota.  In April 2012 when I attended a *long* meeting in the brick and mortar school DD had been attending (her 2nd school), they wanted to close the school. One of the reasons they told us was that many people were leaving private schools for public schools, because of improvements in technology, etc., and it it saves the parents a lot of money. When I wrote that it's one of the rights of children in Colombia, I meant that it is one of the things parents must provide to their children. Sadly, I doubt that all of them do that...

 

[jens2sons]

I am so new to this I am overwhelmed.  We are in Oregon and are starting the process of researching how we want to go about all this.  It's happening all so fast.  We will be applying for our visa's next week.  Meanwhile we are looking in to the cost of shipping our belongings down there.  We are trying to figure out what is 'worth' taking with us.  We are also looking in to housing and transportation.  If anyone can chime in and tell us who (companies,etc.) to use/who to stay away from in terms of moving down there I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Stuart O]

I know this thread is very old but it is a fascinating read - thanks to all who commented.

Would just like to let you, and anyone visiting, know about an English home school group I've started for Colombia. It can be found here https://sites.google.com/view/homeschoolingenglishincolombia/

With regards to literature and shipping, Amazon do free delivery direct to Colombia.

All the best to you all,