Just wanted to say thanks to Val and everyone else who gave me so much encouragement almost a year ago. This is a very supportive message board Jer from which I've been absent for a while. The typical British subjects of property, money making and negativity do not seem to appear here. Thank you.

Hey sooz, thanks for checking in, better late than never

So, how about an update on your life?

Are you here in Spain?
Have you been here lately?

I think I read on another thread that you are currently in UK (Near London, as in your profile), no?

Saludos,
jer...

Oh dear, an update, er, I'm here, yes near London UK, shall we say physically here, but my heart's in Spain as always. Was last in Spain in the summer and everyday in the UK is a day too long. Had one false promise of a business arrangement, was going to help run a small hotel, then the guy who made the offer disappeared off the face of the earth for no apparant reason. At first I thought he must have been ill or dead. In the end, I concluded that I'd had a lucky escape! After that there were a couple of possibilities work wise, both teaching, one a part time position in Valencia, my subject and the other teaching Business English, a freelance contract in would you believe Seville. I was quite suprised to have been offered one interview and one possibility of a contract from a distance and in hindsight should have jumped at the chance of Seville, allbeit the usual relatively short notice.

I think I have resigned myself to the horrible prospect of being here for the foreseeable future mainly because my son is very happy in the UK. If I could find a bilingual school with places that offers sporting facilities, then maybe things would be different, but I can't find one for him. In addition, he is a "towny", unfortunately into the "system" here in the UK, can't see him adopting a slower way of life on one of the Costas somehow. Never mind, I've suggested a gap year at 16 (only another 18 months!), bit unusual, can just see that, not, a teenager and his ancient mother backpacking. Well I'd enjoy it, not sure about him though!

Hope to be in Spain again soon, good job we have Ryanair, pity they don't fly into Madrid though, Valladolid seems a distinct possibility, just need a teenage sitter....

Hi there!

Hey, if the only thing holding you back is finding a good English school...there are tons of them here.

I don't know if you are looking for a certain sport, but King's College (where my son used to go) won the Madrid soccer championships last year. They have all types of sports.

If Beckham could find the "right" English school, Runnymede, so can you! You can see the list of all the English schools in Madrid by looking at the British Council website.

For me, the problem was not that King's wasn't a good school, its great, but the cost and the distance. Most, not all, English schools here are out in the suburbs. The International School and Hastings School are in Madrid and are both English.

However, for Sports, better to live in Madrid but physically as close as possible to the highway going to the school you like and let your son take the bus. The suburban schools are the ones with the great sports facilities.

Good luck!

I would have to agree with Val. There are plenty of English schools if that is what you want. I moved here (okay, its not the mainland, but it was where I wanted to be!) with my two children, from Cambridge, and put them straight into the English school here. You know the score, oh poor kids, already uprooted them, must let them go to English school etc etc. Don�t disrupt them any more etc etc.!!

Sooz, I actually don�t remember asking my children whether they wanted to come overseas, I just knew I would be a better person not living in the UK, hence they would have a better life!!!! And as I was responsible for them they had to come with me!

They did go to English school for a while, but the expense was just too much for me, and in fact the Spanish State education provided a much more rounded education, and my son with so many sports opportunities.

If the education is the only thing stopping you from making a life in Spain now, I would say come now, neither of you will regret it!!!!