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Possible move to Spain or U.K. - how do I even start researching?


Jackie
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My husband's employer has offices in London and Barcelona, among other places. It is possible that we could be moving to one of these places this summer. The move is voluntary, so no relocation help, though the company would arrange work visas and do a COLA.

 

Where do I even start researching? I know little about the practicalities of an international move at all. I know next to nothing about living in either of these places.

 

Editing to cover school concerns that have come up: DD isn't quite 7yo, and we're taking where we live on a year-by-year basis. Our current assumption is we will return to the U.S. by the time she would be high school age. I know homeschooling is a legal gray area in Spain. If we lived there, we would enroll in an online U.S.-based accredited private school to deal with potential issues.

Edited by Jackie
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I know a family from TX that have been in the UK for approximately 5 years.  I do know that the paperwork for them to get their UK Visas was extremely thorough and invasive.  His company I believe pays a qualified International Tax Accountant to prepare his UK  tax return and his US tax return.   The company your DH works for would need to obtain the Visas for your family.

 

NOTE:  I read, years ago, that people who have experienced both a House Fire and an International move say that they are comparable, with regard to the stress.

 

There is an exemption from U.S. Federal Income Tax for people who are bona fide Overseas Americans.  I think up to approximately USD $93K is exempt from U.S. taxes. That number varies slightly each year.  You will need to pay UK  Income Tax and be covered by the Health plan and pay the appropriate UK taxes. There (probably) is an agreement between the USA and the UK, so that you are not taxed twice on the same income.  You need to confirm that that is correct...

 

My stuff went by truck, from TX to Miami International Airport, and then in a jet freighter, from Miami to Cali. In my case, that was not only the fastest way, that was less expensive than ocean freight. You will not have that option, unless you have megabucks,  so if you ship anything it will go by sea.  

 

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!

Edited by Lanny
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My Aunt and Uncle lived in Barcelona for a few years and loved it. I visited them. It's a beautiful city. London is fun, too.

 

I have moved back and forth internationally a few times . The only time I took furniture was when we went to Canada. Honestly, it's cheaper to buy new. shipping is probably the cheapest way to send things. I can't remember any companies as my non-North America moves were over 20 years ago.

 

How exciting!

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I've put in join requests for Facebook expat groups in both places. I'll definitely do general google searches, too. We knew this was a possibility in the past, but it became much more of a real possibility just in the last week.

 

I assumed it would be the end of doing my taxes in an hour or so with TurboTax.

 

I haven't done many moves in my life, but I always leap before I look. It's easier to just run with things that way. ;) The only furniture I think I would miss is my wonderful mattress.

Edited by Jackie
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If you plan to move your entire household the moving expenses will be huge. The first question is how long are you moving for? We simply rented a furnished flat and bought the extras as needed for roughly the first year. We started our move back in the days of two bags per passenger and simply filled the bags and bought a couple extras occasionally when we were home. After 10 years our normal 4 bag luggage allowance does us fine. ;)

 

After a year we moved into an unfurnished home. We had picked up a few things along the way like a good bed for dh and I but needed quite a bit. The solution was IKEA. I think I spent about £1500 to furnish the house. We decided somewhat disposable furniture was far cheaper then the shipping fees for what we had stored. Fyi, Curiosity drove me to price my purchases in US dollars at a US Ikea stores too, essentially the same overall. The stuff has lasted far better than we wish. So tired of it but it served its purpose. We actually bought a house a couple of years ago so I upgraded and bought some furniture that I really like. But the original IKEA almost all moved too.

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Look before you leap is good advice. Moving overseas can be frightful, and also wonderful. 

 

I would frequent a LOT of ex pat forums to see what others are saying. Maybe you can pm Laura Corin with specific cultural and practical questions about living in the UK.

 

Now that said, I'm the type that would jump at the chance, and simply move with my laptop, kindle, two checked bags, and a back pack. LOL, I am kind of zany that way, love to travel, and want to live overseas anyway so am prepared to give up all my stuff.

 

No matter what, I'd have a qualified accountant for taxes. My sister has a dickens of a time with the IRS as an ex pat living in France and married to a French citizen. Oh yes, the US government actually tried to tax HIS income! NUTS! She is in the process of getting her French citizenship and then will pay the $4500+ fees to renounce her US citizenship so she stops the double taxation mess.

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I agree that expat forums are a good place to start. If any info sounds really unlikely though, I'm happy to confirm - I was an expat and I know how rumours can take on a life of their own.

 

London is very expensive and living space is limited. How much does having an expansive house and garden/yard matter to you? Home education (the preferred term here) is easy but dual enrollment is not.

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If you plan to move your entire household the moving expenses will be huge. The first question is how long are you moving for? We simply rented a furnished flat and bought the extras as needed for roughly the first year. We started our move back in the days of two bags per passenger and simply filled the bags and bought a couple extras occasionally when we were home. After 10 years our normal 4 bag luggage allowance does us fine. ;)

After a year we moved into an unfurnished home. We had picked up a few things along the way like a good bed for dh and I but needed quite a bit. The solution was IKEA. I think I spent about £1500 to furnish the house. We decided somewhat disposable furniture was far cheaper then the shipping fees for what we had stored. Fyi, Curiosity drove me to price my purchases in US dollars at a US Ikea stores too, essentially the same overall. The stuff has lasted far better than we wish. So tired of it but it served its purpose. We actually bought a house a couple of years ago so I upgraded and bought some furniture that I really like. But the original IKEA almost all moved too.

  

 

I really will miss my mattress.

 

Now that said, I'm the type that would jump at the chance, and simply move with my laptop, kindle, two checked bags, and a back pack. LOL, I am kind of zany that way, love to travel, and want to live overseas anyway so am prepared to give up all my stuff.

 

No matter what, I'd have a qualified accountant for taxes.

This is kinda me. Most of the time, I'm a Type-A planner. But I know I have a huge tendency to overthink and overplan and then back out because I'm overwhelmed. If this is ever going to happen, I need to NOT look too much. Same with our travel. We're currently in Guatemala for a month, and we've done a month of immersion each of the previous two years, with people telling me I'm insane - for our locations, for traveling with my daughter and not my husband, for doing homestays, for every bit of it really - and we've always loved it. Bumpy road and all. For a month, we travel with a school backpack each and one shoulder bag.

 

My brother is an IRS agent. Not only would I use a tax professional, but I'd have him check anything weird before actually filing.

 

I recently read a blog that said homeschooling was illegal in Spain ... but I haven't confirmed it by reading something official. So that's something to consider .....

Homeschooling is a bizarre gray area in Spain, with individual judges having full power. We would enroll in Clonlara's distance education to cover us as "registered in an online school". I know this solution has worked well for others, while still allowing homeschool freedom.

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I agree that expat forums are a good place to start. If any info sounds really unlikely though, I'm happy to confirm - I was an expat and I know how rumours can take on a life of their own.

 

London is very expensive and living space is limited. How much does having an expansive house and garden/yard matter to you? Home education (the preferred term here) is easy but dual enrollment is not.

Thank you.

 

We would be looking at this as a "trial" for 1-3 years before making any more permanent decisions. In that time period, dual enrollment won't be an issue, so I'm kicking the can down the road on that. We've talked about being back in the U.S. for homeschooling purposes during DD's teen years for dual enrollment but all is negotiable.

 

I would prefer not to have a yard. I don't like the upkeep. I need fairly little space, though that will be a balancing act between my preference for small spaces and DH's and DD's preferences for larger spaces. DH has largely reconciled himself. We're definitely moving this summer, it's only the "where" that's up in the air. The least expensive place we're seriously considering in the U.S. is San Diego, so he's accepted living in an apartment that costs much more than our current rent for far less space.

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I would prefer not to have a yard. I don't like the upkeep. I need fairly little space, though that will be a balancing act between my preference for small spaces and DH's and DD's preferences for larger spaces. DH has largely reconciled himself. We're definitely moving this summer, it's only the "where" that's up in the air. The least expensive place we're seriously considering in the U.S. is San Diego, so he's accepted living in an apartment that costs much more than our current rent for far less space.

 

Vocabulary time: a yard is a specific kind of walled paved patio.  In British terms, you would prefer not to have a 'garden'.  

 

Where is the office so that you can think about commute?  If he works centrally, the commute will be almost certainly by public transport - cars are discouraged by charges levied to enter central London.

 

The expat forums might be able to help you with looking at areas of London, but many of those people will be on serious expat packages with housing to match.  I don't live in London any more, but these are some thoughts:

 

When we lived in central London twenty years ago as young people with two full-time incomes and no kids, we were in Islington (lively, good transport links with tube, train and bus, good access to shops, museums, parks, etc.).  Some two and three bedroom flats in that area:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E87515&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2

 

When my brother was newly married and had two small children with two full-time incomes 25 years ago, he lived in Earlsfield.  It's on the train rather than the tube and is further out but still within London proper:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html/svr/2120;jsessionid=6B8D12FC49615D98856214942FBC8848?searchType=RENT&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E70361&insId=1&radius=0.0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&minBedrooms=2&maxBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=flats&maxDaysSinceAdded=&sortByPriceDescending=&_includeLetAgreed=on&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&letType=&letFurnishType=&houseFlatShare=false

 

As do a lot of people, when the children were larger, he moved to the suburbs for more space.  Epsom is on the train for commuting into London:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E488&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2&propertyTypes=flat&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&includeLetAgreed=false

 

A lot of young professionals have moved into multi-cultural East London.  My sister and her partner with two small children live near Stoke Newington, which is cheaper than Islington because it is on the train/bus rather than the tube:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E85413&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2&propertyTypes=flat&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&includeLetAgreed=false

 

My retired stepmother has moved to a small apartment in East London (again, on the train/bus not the tube):

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E85312&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2&propertyTypes=flat&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&includeLetAgreed=false

 

I'm afraid that's pretty much all that I know about areas in London and some of it is probably out of date - the expat forums may be able to offer more.

Edited by Laura Corin
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When we lived in London we were in Barnet most of the time. It was somewhere middling price wise but had a small town feel which I think is nice when you have kids and easier for shopping, library, healthcare etc. since things still tend to be in close proximity. I also think it makes sense to figure out where the office is on train/tube lines and work out from there following the easiest commute initially. You can lose a lot of time commuting in London and there are definitely awkward intersections in the public transport that waste time if you have to pass through them.

Edited by lailasmum
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When we lived in London we were in Barnet most of the time. It was somewhere middling price wise but had a small town feel which I think is nice when you have kids and easier for shopping, library, healthcare etc. since things still tend to be in close proximity. 

 

Here's Barnet:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E93929&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2&propertyTypes=flat&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&includeLetAgreed=false

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City-Data.com is an awesome way to talk to locals -- scroll down to "World Forums." Also Craig's List -- go to "CL Worldwide."

 

I've made major moves as an adult -- be wary of anyone who gives you terribly negative opinions. Moving is a lot like having a baby in that respect: everyone loves to share horror stories. And everyone has a different birth experience.

 

Good luck! (We have family stationed in England and they're having a blast!)

 

Alley

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I think it can get *really* hot in the Barcelona area during the Summer.  We speak Latin American Spanish (well, for me, Spanglish) and would be able to communicate, more or less, with people in Spain.  In the UK, I think they get occasional Snow and possibly it can get hot there on occasion.   I would think there are more cultural/touristy things to do in the UK, but Spain probably has plenty of things to do. I think the Winters in Spain would be less severe. Possibly the COL in Barcelona would be (much?) lower than in London or near to London.   

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I think it can get *really* hot in the Barcelona area during the Summer.  We speak Latin American Spanish (well, for me, Spanglish) and would be able to communicate, more or less, with people in Spain.  In the UK, I think they get occasional Snow and possibly it can get hot there on occasion.   I would think there are more cultural/touristy things to do in the UK, but Spain probably has plenty of things to do. I think the Winters in Spain would be less severe. Possibly the COL in Barcelona would be (much?) lower than in London or near to London.   

 

The island of Britain is temperate due to the influence of the sea and the North Atlantic Drift.  London occasionally gets snow and sometimes gets hottish (up to 28 degrees C or so) but in general the climate is not extreme.

 

https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,London,United-Kingdom

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The office is between the Monument and Tower Hill stations. He would likely be allowed to work from the office or from home. (He works fully from home now.)

 

Now I'm off to find some type of map that names neighborhoods for me so I can see what is where!

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The office is between the Monument and Tower Hill stations. He would likely be allowed to work from the office or from home. (He works fully from home now.)

 

Now I'm off to find some type of map that names neighborhoods for me so I can see what is where!

Okay, that's the area called The City of London, because it's the old area of the early walled city. I used to work at Monument and walk to work from Islington. The City is well connected to tubes and trains. If he can mostly work from home though you could live somewhere perhaps further out and gain space without a long commute being an issue.

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Okay, that's the area called The City of London, because it's the old area of the early walled city. I used to work at Monument and walk to work from Islington. The City is well connected to tubes and trains. If he can mostly work from home though you could live somewhere perhaps further out and gain space without a long commute being an issue.

Thanks again. I generally prefer living centrally and am willing to give up space for it. It's extremely rare we spend a full day without getting out of the house to go somewhere. Additionally, I suspect our homeschooling days would be a bit easier without DH walking through interrupting, so I'm kind of pulling for him to work at t he office of possible. He prefers working at home, but his home office takes a fair amount of space (a small bedroom's worth, anyway), so it's likely more economical for him to work primarily out of an office than need an apartment with an extra bedroom.

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I think it can get *really* hot in the Barcelona area during the Summer. We speak Latin American Spanish (well, for me, Spanglish) and would be able to communicate, more or less, with people in Spain. In the UK, I think they get occasional Snow and possibly it can get hot there on occasion. I would think there are more cultural/touristy things to do in the UK, but Spain probably has plenty of things to do. I think the Winters in Spain would be less severe. Possibly the COL in Barcelona would be (much?) lower than in London or near to London.

Assuming aircon is a possibility, I don't mind it being really hot out. My current area gets snow in the winters and 90+ degree temps in the summers. I can do without the winters, but the summers don't much bother me. Between London and Barcelona, I have a definite preference for Barcelona's weather.

 

The language barrier is more difficult. Foreign languages are just plain difficult for me. But DD and I are on our third immersion trip in Central America and I can manage. We would all be in need of a tutor in Barcelona. Additionally, if we choose Barcelona, DD wants to learn Catalan. However, not having an English library would be a hindrance to our current homeschooling style.

 

COL is much, much lower in Barcelona. However, DH's company will do a COLA no matter what country we move to - this would mean an increase for London and a decrease for Barcelona. His income has us somewhere in the range of upper middle class in the U.S., and I'm assuming we would remain in that range after a move, but we need actual numbers from HR to know that for sure.

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COL is much, much lower in Barcelona. However, DH's company will do a COLA no matter what country we move to - this would mean an increase for London and a decrease for Barcelona. His income has us somewhere in the range of upper middle class in the U.S., and I'm assuming we would remain in that range after a move, but we need actual numbers from HR to know that for sure.

 

It's interesting with COLA how companies treat it.  When my BIL was moved to London from Chicago, his company gave him a salary/allowance that would allow him to live in the same way as back home, which immediately made him much more affluent than people in similar jobs in London (they paid for similar square footage of living area in central London).  Other companies try to match the way that people in similar jobs live in the new location, which may lead to a lower quality of life in some ways.

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Vocabulary time: a yard is a specific kind of walled paved patio.  In British terms, you would prefer not to have a 'garden'.  

 

Where is the office so that you can think about commute?  If he works centrally, the commute will be almost certainly by public transport - cars are discouraged by charges levied to enter central London.

 

The expat forums might be able to help you with looking at areas of London, but many of those people will be on serious expat packages with housing to match.  I don't live in London any more, but these are some thoughts:

 

When we lived in central London twenty years ago as young people with two full-time incomes and no kids, we were in Islington (lively, good transport links with tube, train and bus, good access to shops, museums, parks, etc.).  Some two and three bedroom flats in that area:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E87515&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2

 

When my brother was newly married and had two small children with two full-time incomes 25 years ago, he lived in Earlsfield.  It's on the train rather than the tube and is further out but still within London proper:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html/svr/2120;jsessionid=6B8D12FC49615D98856214942FBC8848?searchType=RENT&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E70361&insId=1&radius=0.0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&minBedrooms=2&maxBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=flats&maxDaysSinceAdded=&sortByPriceDescending=&_includeLetAgreed=on&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&letType=&letFurnishType=&houseFlatShare=false

 

As do a lot of people, when the children were larger, he moved to the suburbs for more space.  Epsom is on the train for commuting into London:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E488&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2&propertyTypes=flat&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&includeLetAgreed=false

 

A lot of young professionals have moved into multi-cultural East London.  My sister and her partner with two small children live near Stoke Newington, which is cheaper than Islington because it is on the train/bus rather than the tube:

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E85413&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2&propertyTypes=flat&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&includeLetAgreed=false

 

My retired stepmother has moved to a small apartment in East London (again, on the train/bus not the tube):

 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E85312&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=2&propertyTypes=flat&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&includeLetAgreed=false

 

I'm afraid that's pretty much all that I know about areas in London and some of it is probably out of date - the expat forums may be able to offer more.

 

When we moved to London, the law firm dh worked at recommended living in Islington. It was way more than we wanted to spend. We ended up moving to Barking - which is actually in Essex, so pretty far East, but still on the tube line. Dh worked right across from St. Paul's cathedral and I think it was about 45 minutes on the tube. Barking was not terribly multi-cultural when we lived there (about 16 years ago...) but seems to have changed considerably since that time. 

 

Depending on where your dh works, there may be more of a judgement of where you live. 

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When we moved to London, the law firm dh worked at recommended living in Islington. It was way more than we wanted to spend.

 

That's interesting.  When we moved to London in 1994, the relocation agent was trying to push us towards West London and looked very dubious at the idea of Islington - we went our own way. 

 

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I live in London (Southwark) and work in the City. Feel free to pm me if you want any info (prefer not to disclose too much on public board); we've been here for about 5 years now, and out of the US for 13 total now, so have a bit of expat experience to go on. 

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Assuming aircon is a possibility, I don't mind it being really hot out. My current area gets snow in the winters and 90+ degree temps in the summers. I can do without the winters, but the summers don't much bother me. Between London and Barcelona, I have a definite preference for Barcelona's weather.

 

The language barrier is more difficult. Foreign languages are just plain difficult for me. But DD and I are on our third immersion trip in Central America and I can manage. We would all be in need of a tutor in Barcelona. Additionally, if we choose Barcelona, DD wants to learn Catalan. However, not having an English library would be a hindrance to our current homeschooling style.

 

COL is much, much lower in Barcelona. However, DH's company will do a COLA no matter what country we move to - this would mean an increase for London and a decrease for Barcelona. His income has us somewhere in the range of upper middle class in the U.S., and I'm assuming we would remain in that range after a move, but we need actual numbers from HR to know that for sure.

It should be noted that homeschooling has very vague legal status in Spain. While the constitution alludes to educational freedom, the law stipulates mandatory school attendance. You may want to check into what this means for your daughter, and especially if you will be gone quite a while because if she is college bound, it can impact admissions.

 

Also note for college admissions, that if you are overseas during her junior and senior year, most colleges - even if you keep your home and pay taxes in the state - will not give you in state tuition because you were not a legal resident. So your tuition costs will be higher coming home. Now that might be offset by scholarships - colleges like diversity so a US citizen who has lived a abroad a good while might be a catch from their perspective - but no guarantees. So when you approach HR about numbers, you may need to insist on a major increase even if Barcelona is cheaper because you'll need it to counter the higher cost of college when she comes home.

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Do it!

 

We had the opportunity to live a couple of years in Belgium when the boys were tween and teens. We had a tiny furnished apartment close to two French bakeries. Mmmmm....

 

We were able to ship a couple of boxes of books over. Everything else went into storage here. We rented our house to relatives of friends moving to the States from South Africa.

THe rest of our stuff we did in our two bags each on the airline. Most of Europe has good shops and you can find almost anything you need there. Bottled ranch dressing might be the exception. ;) The only thing I truly missed having was our Christmas stockings during the holiday season.

 

Living overseas is a wonderful experience--I'd go to London in a heartbeat and explore every nook and cranny of England and Scotland that I could.

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It should be noted that homeschooling has very vague legal status in Spain. While the constitution alludes to educational freedom, the law stipulates mandatory school attendance. You may want to check into what this means for your daughter, and especially if you will be gone quite a while because if she is college bound, it can impact admissions.

 

Also note for college admissions, that if you are overseas during her junior and senior year, most colleges - even if you keep your home and pay taxes in the state - will not give you in state tuition because you were not a legal resident. So your tuition costs will be higher coming home. Now that might be offset by scholarships - colleges like diversity so a US citizen who has lived a abroad a good while might be a catch from their perspective - but no guarantees. So when you approach HR about numbers, you may need to insist on a major increase even if Barcelona is cheaper because you'll need it to counter the higher cost of college when she comes home.

Right now, DD is not quite 7yo. We're planning on taking this whole idea one year at a time, so I'm ignoring college and high school for now. I know of expats who manage the homeschooling laws by enrolling in Clonlara - the parents still have control over what is taught and how, but are technically students in an accredited U.S. private school. I'll have to train myself to call it virtual school if we move there.

 

We currently rent, so we will be without a U.S. home while living abroad.

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Right now, DD is not quite 7yo. We're planning on taking this whole idea one year at a time, so I'm ignoring college and high school for now. I know of expats who manage the homeschooling laws by enrolling in Clonlara - the parents still have control over what is taught and how, but are technically students in an accredited U.S. private school. I'll have to train myself to call it virtual school if we move there.

 

We currently rent, so we will be without a U.S. home while living abroad.

Well, 7 is a great, great age. Old enough to have a sense of adventure and embrace the change, young enough to still learn the language pretty readily, and young enough to not have to worry yet about pesky college admissions and tuition.

 

Awesome!

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I almost think there's too much information available these days! :) (not that I haven't pored over the ex-pat forums myself, now that we're back). We moved to Switzerland before kids and before Internet, so there was such a sense of anticipation and mystery (although we had traveled widely, and I had lived overseas before). Like others have posted, we took two full suitcases each; had a few things shipped to us (mainly books :) ); and bought IKEA furniture there (which we hauled back to our apt on the train) when we moved to an unfurnished apartment. (Since my husband's company paid for our move when we eventually returned many years and several kids later, some of that IKEA furniture followed us across the Pond, and we are still using our couch and dining room table, which bring back memories.)

 

My husband had offers from England, Germany, and Switzerland. Switzerland had the highest COL, but by far the lowest taxes, so it was the best value. Plus we already spoke both English and German and were wanting an "adventure" and to learn French (which we started doing before we left the U.S.), plus do a lot of hiking and skiing.

 

Enjoy your new home! I'm jealous :)

 

 

ETA: I just saw you are living in Guatemala now. Sweet! You obviously have experience living internationally, so you will do fine! The Barcelona pronunciation will be quite different, but I expect you know that. :) We are so used to Mexican/Latin American pronunciation here in CA, the European-Spanish accents and slang (and different meanings for words such as for tortilla) sound quite funny :D

 

Edited by Laura in CA
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The office is between the Monument and Tower Hill stations. He would likely be allowed to work from the office or from home. (He works fully from home now.)

 

Now I'm off to find some type of map that names neighborhoods for me so I can see what is where!

 

He will be quite close to London Bridge station which has a number of lines to South East London and towards Kent. We lived in Herne Hill and Sydenham Hill, near Crystal Palace and it was not a bad commute up to the City at all via the Thames Link train service.  Rent wasn't too bad out there and there are plenty of lovely big parks close by if you don't have a garden.

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It should be noted that homeschooling has very vague legal status in Spain. While the constitution alludes to educational freedom, the law stipulates mandatory school attendance. You may want to check into what this means for your daughter, and especially if you will be gone quite a while because if she is college bound, it can impact admissions.

 

Also note for college admissions, that if you are overseas during her junior and senior year, most colleges - even if you keep your home and pay taxes in the state - will not give you in state tuition because you were not a legal resident. So your tuition costs will be higher coming home. Now that might be offset by scholarships - colleges like diversity so a US citizen who has lived a abroad a good while might be a catch from their perspective - but no guarantees. So when you approach HR about numbers, you may need to insist on a major increase even if Barcelona is cheaper because you'll need it to counter the higher cost of college when she comes home.

 

My brother and his family have lived in Spain for several years (Andalusia). VERY hot in the summer, dustings of snow @ their elevation in the winter. NOT homeschool friendly; not even sure if it is legal there. Their kids did Spanish jr hi/high school, which has exit exams for every class every year; don't pass, don't move on. A lot of memorization. OTOH, very affordable conservatory classes - one nephew did classical guitar, the other cello.

 

When they applied to universities in Canada (mom is Canadian citizen so lower tuition than US would have been),  they were treated like spanish-speaking students, had to take the TESOL (for non-english speakers) and were dinged for not having English, despite high SAT scores (taken in English). They ended up @ community college for a couple of years and then went to Canadian university....it was good for their acculturation as well as their budget, they said.

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