# Hello I'm a newby



## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

Hi everyone,

I have just joined the site today and I just wanted to say hi to everybody and to ask for some advice.

My husband and I tried to move last year to Spain, but due to the credit crunch we did not make it, we did put down money but as usual lost all this!!! and yes we are now thinking about the move again, my hubbie has just landed a job overseas and staying in the UK paying taxes is no good, we have a 3 year old daughter and the place we are looking at moving to is called Hondon De La Nieves which is on a urbanisation that expats live and we are going to rent for approx 1 year for the time being to see how it goes. 

What I am looking to get advice on is the schooling in that area, if anybody has any information that would be great, I tried to get onto a website for The British Primary School but it is just blank, and I think the schools are still on holidays over there.

Looking forward to chatting with you all on a regular basis and if there is anything over here you need to know about let me know and I will try and help from here in Aberdeen (raining today as usual).

Thanks for your time and any informaiton is helpful.

Audra


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hi, you need to get your child into a state nursery to start with. School isnt obligatory intil theyre 6 over here. If you're moving to an expat community you need to chat with other mums to get "the low down" on what schools/nurseries are good or not and then get a feel for it all. But at 3yo she'll speak spanish and intergrate in no time at all!

I dont know the area you're planning to move to, so I cant help I'm afraid. But rest assured you'll soon find other mums there who will have their opinions

Jo xxx


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Not sure an urbanisation of expats is the way to go Audra!


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

XTreme said:


> Not sure an urbanisation of expats is the way to go Audra!


Why would you say that?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

auds1234 said:


> Why would you say that?



Xtreme is very into the Spanish way and tends to avoid Expat urbanisations. So dont worry too much... I assume thats what you mean Xtreme???

Jo xxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> Hi, you need to get your child into a state nursery to start with. School isnt obligatory intil theyre 6 over here. If you're moving to an expat community you need to chat with other mums to get "the low down" on what schools/nurseries are good or not and then get a feel for it all. But at 3yo she'll speak spanish and intergrate in no time at all!
> 
> I dont know the area you're planning to move to, so I cant help I'm afraid. But rest assured you'll soon find other mums there who will have their opinions
> 
> Jo xxx


Jo, don't want to confuse the issue, but they don't _*need *_to get their 3 year old into a state nursery, do they? I mean they can if they *want *to, but they can also get into a primary school, can't they?
My daughter was in a state nursery until she was 4 I think because it was GREAT, but she nearly didn't get into the local primary school because of the availabilty of spaces which had all been taken up by children transfering from the nursery school the year before. People tend to put their children in Primary school as soon as poss. because of work and money issues...


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

I'm not necessarily into the Spanish way.....it's just that large groups of expats in one place brings a whole host of problems.

I prefer to live in an environment with people of similar outlook and ways......so a Brit ghetto just doesn't fit the bill.

Audra.....make friends on the same basis as you would in Britain. Don't look to make friends based on what passport they have....cos you'll end up very disappointed I'm afraid.


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

Hi and welcome Audra 

I dont recognise the area you mention - forgive me and my crappy geography - wherabouts is it ?

Im sure Xtreme will answer you himself re his comment on living in a big expat urbanisation / community.

As always each person has their own ideas and needs / wants on where to live - but if you are moving to Spain, and with such a young child, it may be that living in a more Spanish community (or at least one with a smaller expat population rather than the brits being in the majority) would be a better idea.

Otherwise you could end up living completely among expats, with very little Spanish culture or community and in affect be isolated from anything "Spanish" .... which would be shame ....

Sue :ranger:


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

XTreme said:


> I'm not necessarily into the Spanish way.....it's just that large groups of expats in one place brings a whole host of problems.
> 
> I prefer to live in an environment with people of similar outlook and ways......so a Brit ghetto just doesn't fit the bill.
> 
> Audra.....make friends on the same basis as you would in Britain. Don't look to make friends based on what passport they have....cos you'll end up very disappointed I'm afraid.



Hi XTreme

I understand what you are saying, but we have 2 villages about 5 mins in the car on either side of the urbanisation (which houses, dutch, brits, scots (thats me and more), german and so forth and I know what you mean but because I have a young daughter then I would be mixing with people from brit and spanish when she is in nursery and then in school.

Thanks for the information

Audra


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

auds1234 said:


> Hi XTreme
> 
> I understand what you are saying, but we have 2 villages about 5 mins in the car on either side of the urbanisation (which houses, dutch, brits, scots (thats me and more), german and so forth and I know what you mean but because I have a young daughter then I would be mixing with people from brit and spanish when she is in nursery and then in school.
> 
> ...


Sorry XTreme should have said that the 2 villages are spanish villages so would be integrating as much as possible.

Audra


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

Suenneil said:


> Hi and welcome Audra
> 
> I dont recognise the area you mention - forgive me and my crappy geography - wherabouts is it ?
> 
> ...


Hi Sue

Thanks for taking the time to reply, In understand what you and XTreme are saying, and as mentioned the urbanisation is housed with brits, scots, german, dutch and I do think there is spanish also, but as mentioned in my last thread there are 2 spanish villages either side of the urbanisation which is where I would be mostly anyway.

The place is 30 mins from Alicante Airport, called Hondon De La Nieves it is inland west of Alicante and Elche is it's nearest city. We have the other village which is Hondon De La Frailes on the other side of the urbanisation which I think has a nursery for Spanish and Brits so will have to speak to them, but as I mentioned I think they are all closed for holidays at the moment? Also Albertera and ASPE are the nearest towns to us which I think is only 10-15 mins in the car.

Thanks also for the information

Audra


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

auds1234 said:


> Hi Sue
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to reply, In understand what you and XTreme are saying, and as mentioned the urbanisation is housed with brits, scots, german, dutch and I do think there is spanish also, but as mentioned in my last thread there are 2 spanish villages either side of the urbanisation which is where I would be mostly anyway.
> 
> ...


Hi Audra

Thanks for the geography lesson  Im not too familiar with the Alicante region - but then again Spain is a HUGE Country and its hard sometimes to understand just how big it is - and more importantly, where every place is!

Good luck with your research and subsequent move .... keep in touch and let us know how everything is going.

Sue


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Audra.....it's not just about integration....it's about quality of life. If you want the same life as you had in Britain (but with more sun) then an expat area is probably for you.

But just beware the enemy within......won't take long for the chancers, hucksters, and bullsh1tters to come calling when they smell new blood and new money.

Even if you don't get taken, you can bet your life that within a short period of time the rumour mill and outright lies will start if you unknowingly join the wrong clique.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

XTreme said:


> Audra.....it's not just about integration....it's about quality of life. If you want the same life as you had in Britain (but with more sun) then an expat area is probably for you.
> 
> But just beware the enemy within......won't take long for the chancers, hucksters, and bullsh1tters to come calling when they smell new blood and new money.
> 
> Even if you don't get taken, you can bet your life that within a short period of time the rumour mill and outright lies will start if you unknowingly join the wrong clique.



I'd second that. Brits are all well and good, heck AM one! But I've yet to find one that I'd want to do any work for me. When we first arrived we paid a british satellite man to install our satellite and TV etc.. he charged 300€ and it didnt work. Someone reccomended a spanish chap down the road, who took one look at what the Brit guy had done, unpicked it all, put it back together, replaced a faulty part (the brit guy had used a second hand transformer or summat)and charged 40€

The same with our broken swimming pool recently, the british company quoted 1,800€ and the Spanish 600€, we used the spanish! Also, en masse sometimes, the british can appear quite loud, arrogant and unruly. I guess it depends on why you're leaving the UK, to be in Spain and the spanish lifestyle or to be in sunny "little Britain"

Jo xx


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

XTreme said:


> Audra.....it's not just about integration....it's about quality of life. If you want the same life as you had in Britain (but with more sun) then an expat area is probably for you.
> 
> But just beware the enemy within......won't take long for the chancers, hucksters, and bullsh1tters to come calling when they smell new blood and new money.
> 
> Even if you don't get taken, you can bet your life that within a short period of time the rumour mill and outright lies will start if you unknowingly join the wrong clique.


Hey XTreme

I am not the type of person that enters into clique's so there is no chance of that, I have my own mind and I do not rely on other people to help me out. I am very independent and want to integrate with the locals as much as possible, the urbanisation is just a cheap way to stay in Spain and it has a pool, it does not mean that I have to mingle with the locals on the urbanisation to make friends. See a true scottish person will listen to gossip but never comment on it...then you can't be blamed for anything that is said!!!

Maybe come time we will move as we are only renting to somewhere locally...

Thanks again for the heads up

Audra


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

jojo said:


> I'd second that. Brits are all well and good, heck AM one! But I've yet to find one that I'd want to do any work for me. When we first arrived we paid a british satellite man to install our satellite and TV etc.. he charged 300€ and it didnt work. Someone reccomended a spanish chap down the road, who took one look at what the Brit guy had done, unpicked it all, put it back together, replaced a faulty part (the brit guy had used a second hand transformer or summat)and charged 40€
> 
> The same with our broken swimming pool recently, the british company quoted 1,800€ and the Spanish 600€, we used the spanish! Also, en masse sometimes, the british can appear quite loud, arrogant and unruly. I guess it depends on why you're leaving the UK, to be in Spain and the spanish lifestyle or to be in sunny "little Britain"
> 
> Jo xx


Jo

I understand what you are saying, and yes I would agree with the workmanship. I was looking at your lovely house on your page and it is beautiful, where are you based yourself?? There are probably lovely areas everywhere but getting round them and knowing people that can recommend good areas that will give us a better way of life with the sun and also for my daughter as we need to make sure that she is integrated into the spanish way also.

It will be strange to be there on my own as hubbie works away a lot but I am sure I will meet new people, but don't want to just be in the cliques of the mothers meeting and where everybody knows everybodies business, this I know what XTreme is saying on his replies.

You hear so many horror stories and you hope that you will not be that person, but as mentioned I am very independent, sometimes too much but hey that never stopped me before.

Thanks again
Audra


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

auds1234 said:


> it does not mean that I have to mingle with the locals on the urbanisation to make friends.


They'll call you antisocial and stuck-up then Audra! 

Which is odd....cos back in Britain the only thing _they_ ever said was that I was stuck-up was a sheep!

Though I still get that now of course!


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

XTreme said:


> They'll call you antisocial and stuck-up then Audra!
> 
> Which is odd....cos back in Britain the only thing _they_ ever said was that I was stuck-up was a sheep!
> 
> Though I still get that now of course!



If they want to call me that, then not a problem, as I said small minded people have nothing better to do...

So how long you been over in Spain then and is there a lot of sheep about then?? lol

Audra


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

auds1234 said:


> Jo
> 
> I understand what you are saying, and yes I would agree with the workmanship. I was looking at your lovely house on your page and it is beautiful, where are you based yourself?? There are probably lovely areas everywhere but getting round them and knowing people that can recommend good areas that will give us a better way of life with the sun and also for my daughter as we need to make sure that she is integrated into the spanish way also.
> 
> ...


Thanks, we've just moved to this house. Its a bit "out in the sticks", but our previous house was on an Urbanisation and was quite noisy alot of the time, building works, dogs, noisy bars etc..! 

We're in a village called "La Alqueria", near to Alhaurin de la Torre, Malaga and its lovely. The Town itself is very Spanish, but modern, clean and has all the amenities, like a big leisure centre, supermarkets, shops, bars, restaurants, medical centres..

My husband works in the UK and comes back here... well theres no pattern to it. He's due back for 3 days on Sunday having been away for the last 10 days! I have a few friends, but I'm not one who lives in other peoples pockets, I'm ok with my own company, but I do find the kids can be hard work without their father being here much!

Anyway, cos I'm in a new village I havent made any friends here yet, I know there are quite a few Brits here and as much as I'd love to make friends with the Spanish, the bottom line is my spanish isnt up to having a really good chat with any of them sadly! So I guess I'll eventually meet and make friends with Brits here. As for the cliques?? well, I'm far to opinionated to be easily lead into that sort of thing!!!

Jo xx


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

auds1234 said:


> If they want to call me that, then not a problem, as I said small minded people have nothing better to do...
> 
> So how long you been over in Spain then and is there a lot of sheep about then?? lol
> 
> Audra


4 years in November Audra....we love it, but we do live in a different world to most.

Loads of animals here....not a lot of sheep though! /snip!


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

jojo said:


> Its a bit "out in the sticks",


You don't know the meaning of "out in the sticks" Jo!

But having said that there's plenty of other words you don't know the meaning of either.


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

XTreme said:


> You don't know the meaning of "out in the sticks" Jo!
> 
> But having said that there's plenty of other words you don't know the meaning of either.



So XTreme where are you based in spain then??


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

XTreme said:


> You don't know the meaning of "out in the sticks" Jo!
> 
> But having said that there's plenty of other words you don't know the meaning of either.



I'm in the middle of lotsa fields now! thats what I mean!! Hey, I understood your previous message and duly edited out the naughty bits 

jo xxx


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

auds1234 said:


> So XTreme where are you based in spain then??


Huescar Granada Audra! The place looks like the surface of the moon and is mainly inhabited by subhuman mutants!


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Jo, don't want to confuse the issue, but they don't _*need *_to get their 3 year old into a state nursery, do they? I mean they can if they *want *to, but they can also get into a primary school, can't they?
> My daughter was in a state nursery until she was 4 I think because it was GREAT, but she nearly didn't get into the local primary school because of the availabilty of spaces which had all been taken up by children transfering from the nursery school the year before. People tend to put their children in Primary school as soon as poss. because of work and money issues...


Yes, thats a good point. I think it often depends on the area but I know parents who havent managed to get their 6 year old children in the primary school they wanted because there were no places as the majority go at 3 years old. And its worse if its in an area where there has been a large influx of foreigners in the past few years. 

The other thing is, its not always that easy to get them in a state nursery school. For nearly 2 years I fought like you wouldnt believe toget my son into the state nursery school (we should have had more points than most but strangely didnt seem to work like that) and he ended up going to private one first of all, then 6 months later got place at another state nursery further away and then finally in the following September to the state one 100 metres from where I live.

At least at 3 years old they may have a better chance of getting into the infant school in the local primary.


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

XTreme said:


> Huescar Granada Audra! The place looks like the surface of the moon and is mainly inhabited by subhuman mutants!


Gosh that sounds lovely, bet you have a great time


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

XTreme said:


> Huescar Granada Audra! The place looks like the surface of the moon and is mainly inhabited by subhuman mutants!


Xtreme for one :eyebrows:

Jo xxx


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## auds1234 (Aug 28, 2009)

Caz.I said:


> Yes, thats a good point. I think it often depends on the area but I know parents who havent managed to get their 6 year old children in the primary school they wanted because there were no places as the majority go at 3 years old. And its worse if its in an area where there has been a large influx of foreigners in the past few years.
> 
> The other thing is, its not always that easy to get them in a state nursery school. For nearly 2 years I fought like you wouldnt believe toget my son into the state nursery school (we should have had more points than most but strangely didnt seem to work like that) and he ended up going to private one first of all, then 6 months later got place at another state nursery further away and then finally in the following September to the state one 100 metres from where I live.
> 
> At least at 3 years old they may have a better chance of getting into the infant school in the local primary.



Caz

Thanks for this and I thought the Scottish system was bad enough, when you are speaking about points what does this mean??? Do you have to be in an area for a certain amount of time etc??

Audra


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

auds1234 said:


> Caz
> 
> Thanks for this and I thought the Scottish system was bad enough, when you are speaking about points what does this mean??? Do you have to be in an area for a certain amount of time etc??
> 
> Audra


You're welcome, Audra. For entry into the state system you are awarded points, depending on your circumstances. So that if there are more children applying than there are places they decide who gets in based on the points system. For example, you get points for being in the catchment area, having a low income, having a disabled child, if the child already has brothers or sisters there, if you have a large family (3 or more) or if you are a one parent family (though all of this depends on having the right papers to prove it which isnt always easy and sometimes impossible). 
Plus in some places, it depends on the school how they apply the rules, and if you know someone who works there (the "enchufe" system - depends who you know).
Actually dont know what the Scottish system is like now since havent been there for many years - and has been a very very long time since I was at school  but I know there are always problems with different systems wherever you are. But here the more you can find out before the better.


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

What's happening? We got two Jock Chicks and one Posh Chick!


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

Sorry forgot to say you dont have to have been in the area a certain amount of time (well only to have time to become best pals with the nursery/school staff!)


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

XTreme said:


> What's happening? We got two Jock Chicks and one Posh Chick!


We're taking over - we know you love to be dominated really, dont you?


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Caz.I said:


> We're taking over - we know you love to be dominated really, dont you?


I can't win here see Caz! Cos as soon as I put in one of my usual risque double-entendres to reply....the Posh Chick nukes it!


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

XTreme said:


> I can't win here see Caz! Cos as soon as I put in one of my usual risque double-entendres to reply....the Posh Chick nukes it!


Quite right too!. We're relying on her to be there, ammunition at the ready. :boxing: You'll just have to outwit her - and no dodgy references to obscure American actors, please!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

XTreme said:


> I can't win here see Caz! Cos as soon as I put in one of my usual risque double-entendres to reply....the Posh Chick nukes it!


I aint posh! I just happen to have a "south of england" accent!!! 

Jo xxx


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

jojo said:


> I aint posh! I just happen to have a "south of england" accent!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Where I come from (Swansea).....you're posh! 

Mind you, as Swansea girls go, any bird who can throw their pants at the wall and they _don't_ stick to it, is posh.


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## theagentmo (Aug 22, 2009)

auds1234 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I have just joined the site today and I just wanted to say hi to everybody and to ask for some advice.
> 
> ...


Hi Audra

The villages are great the Fiesta is on in Hondon de las Frailes this weekend, has a great atmosphere with parades fireworks and people enjoying themselves.
There are some houses to rent on the urbanisation, so you shouldnt have much trouble finding something. There will be lots of advice re schools from others who have children in nursey and schools. A family we know moved here with 4 children and they all speak Spanish now. Good Luck with your plans.
Mo


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