Anonymous
Post 11/10/2024 08:49     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
^^
came back for high school
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2024 08:48     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
In a NY minute. My cousins raised their kids there and then came for high school at a cushy private one.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2024 08:44     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:We have the opportunity to move. One of my parents is a British citizen so they would move with us. The idea of giving up our entire life seems terrifying and appealing in equal measure. We have three young kids. I don't know, am I losing it? Would you do it?


Living in Great Britain sounds very appealing, but I would not choose to live inside a big city. For me, a market town would be about perfect and a village also would be ok. YMMV.

Separately, cost of living, particularly housing, seems so much higher in the UK and northern Europe when compared with here. In my case, I really could not afford to move there.

Keep in mind that a US citizen student attending college in the UK pays exorbitant “overseas” rates even if ordinarily resident in the UK. (I know of a US citizen faculty member at a UK university who naturalized as a UK citizen so his kids could pay UK rates for college.)

- Have you run realistic budget numbers ?
- Does the British subject you would move with already have a house in a suitable (for your needs) place ?
- Is there a schooling plan ?
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2024 03:44     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Make sure you understand the local slang: https://youtube.com/shorts/P2dogUoOh0Y?si=xGlN4eA-DrHXhHdK
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2024 03:34     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:The 6th graders don't get enough English and math, and the 11th graders would not be ready for a US university, with distribution requirements./quote] Not true - UK students are only required to take 3 A levels for US universities. That's because GCSEs are considered rigorous enough to meet distribution requirements.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 20:26     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
I would not make an indefinite move like this. London is nice, I've lived there, but I don't like the lack of a real summer,.and I would not want to be so far from family and friends. We like where we are now. It's not perfect, but it's home and we're not surrendering to MAGA so easily.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 20:25     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:We have the opportunity to move. One of my parents is a British citizen so they would move with us. The idea of giving up our entire life seems terrifying and appealing in equal measure. We have three young kids. I don't know, am I losing it? Would you do it?

Yes!! I'd go in a heartbeat. What a fantastic experience for your children! Great schools, too.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 19:23     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:Yes! Especially after this election


Plus 1
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 18:33     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Never there are huge Islamist enclaves popping up all over that hell hole
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 18:00     Subject: Re:Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:Hell yes!! I’m so jealous. That would be a dream come true. Free healthcare, free education, no school shootings, access to all of Europe, incredible countryside and shorelines and good public transportation -
This would be a fantastic gift for your kids!



You sound very naive
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 15:27     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Good luck getting into CofE school. We lived next to the best one but had to go private as lottery/waitlist. Top private but still a lot more$. No regrets.

Also where will you live? Some parts of London aren’t London let’s be honest.


We would be paying for private. Sorry this is all new to me- are their private CofE schools? Is it difficult to get into a private primary school?

DH's job would be in the city of London. My dad grew up in Mayfair, not sure we can afford that but we have friends in Hampstead and they seem to like the area. My parents would live separately but would prefer to be near us.


I'm no expert but I attended school as a child in England. CoE schools are what we would call public schools. Public schools are religious in the UK. My village school had chapel and we all said the Lord's Prayer. That's just how it was.

Getting places at your local school (aka our American public school) is very difficult and my expat friend ended up having to send her children to school across London, even though there were many local schools including one right in their house. Getting into what we'd call private school is both easier and harder: there isn't the same admissions process we have here, BUT you put your child's name down many years in advance (used to be at birth, don't know if that's still the case). So that could be very challenging too.


I wouldn't quite say that all state schools are religious. A deal was struck when universal education was established in the UK that the religious schools (mainly CoE) would become part of the public system in exchange for all schools (the majority of which are not religious) having a religious assembly in the morning. Currently, all state schools are legally required to provide an act of “collective worship” that is “broadly Christian” every day. Many heads admit privately they no longer stick to this, preferring to run less religious assemblies more relevant to their diverse student bodies. Parents can opt out of this assembly.

I actually found these assemblies quite helpful as a kind of "inoculation" against organised religion.


Interesting, thanks!
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 15:18     Subject: Re:Would you move to London with your young kids?
Hell yes!! I’m so jealous. That would be a dream come true. Free healthcare, free education, no school shootings, access to all of Europe, incredible countryside and shorelines and good public transportation -
This would be a fantastic gift for your kids!

Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 15:15     Subject: Re:Would you move to London with your young kids?
Absolutely! In a heartbeat. Even if one of my kids had red hair.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 13:18     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We have the opportunity to move. One of my parents is a British citizen so they would move with us. The idea of giving up our entire life seems terrifying and appealing in equal measure. We have three young kids. I don't know, am I losing it? Would you do it?


Only if you have a huge amount of money.


What is huge?
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2024 12:21     Subject: Would you move to London with your young kids?
Anonymous wrote:We have the opportunity to move. One of my parents is a British citizen so they would move with us. The idea of giving up our entire life seems terrifying and appealing in equal measure. We have three young kids. I don't know, am I losing it? Would you do it?


Only if you have a huge amount of money.