# Family wanting to move to alicante area.



## maico97 (Oct 28, 2010)

Hi, we're a family of 4, children aged 10 and 12 yrs old, lots of questions need answering please.
we're looking in the alicante area , any advice on english schools primary and secondary, area's where there is a good ex pat community as my husband will be working on the rigs 2 weeks at a time.
we would like to rent for a year to see if this is going to be the right move for us, any advice on where to start looking for a nice property to rent, basically anything you could tell us on what we might need to know. we've been to la marina for a holiday and loved it, is this a good area for schools and expat community??
any info from you guys would be a big help
maico 97


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Welcome to the forum
I'm afraid I'm not the right person to ask as I think Alicante city and the surrounding area is not too nice

Are you talking of the city, or the province in general


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Hi

I really am not sure why Starvisnky thinks Alicante and surrounds are not nice, I guess that not everywehre is to everyones taste. Alicante obviously, like everywhere has its rough parts but it is a beautiful city and the province of ALC has some wonderful towns and cities. 

El Campello is close to Alicante and has a huge expat community, as does Gran Alicant which is very close. My partner and I often go to Gran Alicant so he can practice his english!!! Elche (cerca el Aurepuerto) is mixed, mainly Spanish but a lot of Brits there. Santa Pola is lovely, loads of nice places to eat if you get into the heart of the town, BUT mostly Spanish. I personally think that if you are movnig you Spain and want to really embrace it then avoid areas densly populate with brits. I know that you want company etc when hubby is away BUT get the balance right, english, spanish, international and you will really enjoy life in Spain to the max. My life here really became fulfilled when I began to mix with Spaniards rather than just brits!

I am not sure about International schools in ALC itself, but further up the coast there are plenty - Xabia etc etc

I would say Alicante itself is more Spanish but obviously brits are there. Gran Alicant, El Campello, Benidorm, etc are all areas with huge brit communities if that is what you are looking for. Dont rule out the mainly spanish areas though, mix in with the locals - its great fun!

As Starvisky said, you thinking City or Province?


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## maico97 (Oct 28, 2010)

steve_in_spain said:


> Hi
> 
> I really am not sure why Starvisnky thinks Alicante and surrounds are not nice, I guess that not everywehre is to everyones taste. Alicante obviously, like everywhere has its rough parts but it is a beautiful city and the province of ALC has some wonderful towns and cities.
> 
> ...


thanks for the info. We don't really want to be in alicante itself, as i said earlier we had a holiday last year in La Marina and thought it was lovely.Any community 30 mins either side of alicante airport(for my husbands Work travelling) would be ideal. We would love to mix the balance of brits and spanish, like you say "embrace the culture". we just need to find out as a priority about schooling for 10/12 year olds, the last thing we want is for the kids to struggle at school and resent the move.

any further info would be much appreciated.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

maico97 said:


> thanks for the info. We don't really want to be in alicante itself, as i said earlier we had a holiday last year in La Marina and thought it was lovely.Any community 30 mins either side of alicante airport(for my husbands Work travelling) would be ideal. We would love to mix the balance of brits and spanish, like you say "embrace the culture". we just need to find out as a priority about schooling for 10/12 year olds, the last thing we want is for the kids to struggle at school and resent the move.
> 
> any further info would be much appreciated.


we're an hour or so away in Javea/Xabia, and as previously mentioned there is a choice of international schools here - & a lot of part time single mums with partners working away - I'm one myself!


the first step to finding an International/British school has to be NABBS - the National Association of British Schools in Spain


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

steve_in_spain said:


> Hi
> 
> I really am not sure why Starvisnky thinks Alicante and surrounds are not nice, I guess that not everywehre is to everyones taste.


Nearly everyone I know who has come to stay with us has said that when you leave the airport at Alicante and drive North their initial impression is of a barren countryside strewn with industrial areas. Then as they move away the countryside becomes nicer. I'm not talking about Alicante province and area anyway, just the city itself and immediate surrounds. I have been to Elche, and I have driven the inland route from Alicante to Gandia area. All very nice.

Ive lived in and near cities most of my life, its just that Alicante wouldnt be one that I would choose


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## maico97 (Oct 28, 2010)

thanks guys for all your replies.
this may seem a daft question, but please remember we're very green here, alot to learn and loads to take on board. to put the children into an english school, there will be fee's? does that same rule apply in spanish schools?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

maico97 said:


> thanks guys for all your replies.
> this may seem a daft question, but please remember we're very green here, alot to learn and loads to take on board. to put the children into an english school, there will be fee's? does that same rule apply in spanish schools?


No fees as such in a state school but you have to pay for a lot of stuff that you might not have to in the UK.

English schools more often than not will be "private" and therefore fee paying.

In a Spanish school of course the kids will learn Spanish very quickly

Xabia will know more as shes the expert


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

maico97 said:


> thanks guys for all your replies.
> this may seem a daft question, but please remember we're very green here, alot to learn and loads to take on board. to put the children into an english school, there will be fee's? does that same rule apply in spanish schools?


yes - the English/International schools are feepaying - cheaper than private schooling in the UK though

this shows the fees at one of the schools near me

Laude LES 

click on 'prospectus' & you can look at the fees

at state school the lessons are free - but you have to pay for everything else

have a look at this thread & you'll get some idea of the costs

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/57285-back-school.html

bear in mind that all classes are going to be in Spanish at state school & certainly for your older child - & maybe for the younger one too - most wouldn't recommend putting them into Spanish school at that age

if you have a search of the forum it has been discussed many times


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> No fees as such in a state school but you have to pay for a lot of stuff that you might not have to in the UK.
> 
> English schools more often than not will be "private" and therefore fee paying.
> 
> ...


I knew I had my uses!!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> yes - the English/International schools are feepaying - cheaper than private schooling in the UK though
> 
> this shows the fees at one of the schools near me
> 
> ...


Also it maybe worth remembering that Spanish state schools (aside from the language issues) teach in a different way, using a different curriculum with a different aim and isnt compatible with the British system of SATS, GCSEs, A-Levels etc. 


Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> Also it maybe worth remembering that Spanish state schools (aside from the language issues) teach in a different way, using a different curriculum with a different aim and isnt compatible with the British system of SATS, GCSEs, A-Levels etc.
> 
> 
> Jo xxx


it's not so very different tbh


different subjects are studied - but within the subjects the content isn't terribly different

but you're right - language aside - it would be hard to do the graduado or Bachi here if you were aiming for GCSEs & A levels


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> it's not so very different tbh
> 
> 
> different subjects are studied - but within the subjects the content isn't terribly different
> ...


Well no, knowledge is knowledge afterall, so ultimately the content of whats actually learnt isnt different!! I was thinking in particular about........ MATHS!!!! Also the teaching methods here (certainly in the spanish schools I've seen) seem to be more strict and less "fun"??? Is that a bad thing tho????

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> Well no, knowledge is knowledge afterall, so ultimately the content of whats actually learnt isnt different!! I was thinking in particular about........ MATHS!!!! Also the teaching methods here (certainly in the spanish schools I've seen) seem to be more strict and less "fun"??? Is that a bad thing tho????
> 
> Jo xxx


maths is probably the one I can compare most directly since I teach it from both Spanish & English textbooks (and Valenciano)

yes - the methods are completely different as far as long division & multiplication are concerned - but there the difference ends tbh


and a completely bilingual English kid (like mine) could easily pass a GCSE if they studied for graduado

but not the other way around

in 2008/9 I was teaching 2 teens - one of them in Spanish school for graduado & one for GCSE maths

the required level of knowledge & understanding was frighteningly higher for the graduado than for GCSE - required topics in Spain weren't even touched upon for GCSE


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