Moving to BA in July 09

[BlahBlah]

The teachers are very dedicated considering their ridiculously low salaries, but there have also been innumerable strikes, so be aware that a public school could be closed at numerous points during the year with no notice.

This is just not true, public school teachers are paid well and the ones exploited are normally the ones who work at private educations

Public school teachers do have to keep up with unteachable kids, sucky buildings, books, etc and strikes

 

[BlahBlah]

I wouldnt even send your kids to school for 4 months, give them private education and send them back to school in febuary in your home country

 

[betts]

My husband was relocated here for 4 months and we used Bairesapartments.com to find housing. We had a good experience with them. We picked the apartment on-line and it looked just like the pictures and video. The area was just what we wanted etc.

You will also be advised by many on the forum to come and look at the apartments first, but we may have just been lucky - but by using the internet, this forum, google earth and asking lots of questions to friends who had been - we hit the ground running by being able to check into the place we lived straight away.

I don't know if you have any experience in homeschooling, but that is what I would suggest if you are only going to be here for 4 months. Or perhaps hire a private tutor.

 

[katti]

Any specific recommendations for private/catholic schools in this neighborhood?

this school was recommended to me :http://www.colegiopalermochico.com.ar/

 

[captdave]

Hey guys!

Why not take 1/2 the $$$ it would cost to send the kids to school and let them travel around Argentina instead?

I guarantee they would learn more (and have more fun) then sitting in a class room full of strangers for 4 months!

There is SO much more to Argentina then Buenos Aires!

Just a thought...

David

 

[fred mertz]

Do you´re kids speak fluent Spanish? There probably isn´t a single foreign child in any Buenos Aires School.

From what I understand renting an apartment for a long period of time can be very difficult. It is the not unusual for an owner to require a years´ rent in advance.

Have you been to Buenos Aires, recently? Do you know the different areas? Do you know that the school years, like the weather is the opposite from that in the U.S.? The Lincoln School in a Northern suburb is the exception, their school year is the same as it is in the U.S.

I knew an American family, who lived in BA for about 6 months. The kids were home schooled. It was impossible for the kids to meet other kids in their Palermo area. They left BA.

 

[jp]

This is just not true, public school teachers are paid well and the ones exploited are normally the ones who work at private educations

Paid well compared to who? They earn a scratch over minimum wage. How is that well paid?

 

[livingabroad]

Definitely lots to conisder. Thanks again to everyone for the input. Our local school district is giving us all the materials we need to home school our kids, just in case we can't find a suitable school and/or we decide to travel around. Our kids want to stay in one place but more and more we like the idea of moving around. We'll probably settle on something in between! We will check out the websites you all have provided and hopefully get this figured out soon!

All the best!

 

[syngirl]

Our kids want to stay in one place but more and more we like the idea of moving around.

Arriving smack in the middle of the year, your kids are not just going to be the new kids, they're going to be the new foreign kids. That's piling on a lot for them to deal with -- new country, new language, new school, now new places every few weeks? few months? -- Your kids are 10 and 13 -- I'm sorry, but they are at the age where rather than embrace the experience, they could turn on you two for dragging them through it!

I know a lot of friend's who were diplomat's kids. They didn't think moving around was a great adventure -- they thought it sucked.

How long are you coming down here for? You say you'll only be in BA for four months, but then is your entire trip much longer? Because aren't the American schools about to get out for summer, in which case won't it only be a month or two of school that they'll miss? If that's the case I would just get a private tutor for them -- contact the American or British embassies, they keep lists of schools for expats, so they may also have names for tutors, and if not the schools should be able to provide them.

Anyway, make sure the kids are involved in the decisions, that way they won't feel like this is all being forced on them.

 

[katti]

just in case we can't find a suitable school and/or we decide to travel around.

If you come to BA as an extended holiday, then maybe you should let your kids enjoy the holiday as well, instead of sending them to a where they will not be accepted -who will do the efford for kids only staying 4 months-.