# Good place for living near Westhill



## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Good day, 

I may be moving to Aberdeen soon and my office will be in Westhill
Aberdeenshire Area. Aberdeen.

Can someone kindly advise me what will be best safe area to research to live for family

I have 3 daughters, grade 8, 4 and 2 and ideally would like to rent a place which is near to school and office and is a safe neighborhood.

If possible, I would like my school to get admission into girls only school.

Thanks for advise.
Regards,


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Good day,
> 
> I may be moving to Aberdeen soon and my office will be in Westhill
> Aberdeenshire Area. Aberdeen.
> ...


First of all - Aberdeen is generally a very safe city to live in. The very few 'unsafe' neighbourhoods would not be in your consideration set anyhow.

Without knowing where your daughters' schools will be, it would be impossible to recommend areas to live in which are near those schools. Having said that - Aberdeen is not a huge city, and people regularly commute to school/work from the other side of the city.

As your office will be in Westhill, which is a small town a few miles west of Aberdeen, good areas to look at on the west side of the city include Summerhill and Hazlehead. (You could also look at Kingswells, a village between Westhill and Aberdeen.) You would then be midway between your office and your daughters' schools.

Note that housing in Aberdeen is amongst the most expensive in Scotland (thanks to the oil and gas industry), but is still much cheaper than in the Gulf. In the areas mentioned above, you can expect to pay between £1250~£1500/month (QAR7000~QAR8400/month) for a 3-bedroomed house.

teuchter


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Thank you for elaborate response 

I will search some houses online in this area 

How does it typically work do I need to select house first or select school first ? Also I know elder daugher grade 8 will be in different school


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Would it be possible to get public girls only school ? For primary and secondary school thanks


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Thank you for elaborate response
> 
> I will search some houses online in this area
> 
> How does it typically work do I need to select house first or select school first ? Also I know elder daugher grade 8 will be in different school


You can do it either way, but it would make sense to get your daughters' schools sorted out first before you commit to a house in a specific area.

teuchter


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Would it be possible to get public girls only school ? For primary and secondary school thanks


In Scotland, all public (= state-run) schools are mixed-sex. If you want your daughters to attend a girls-only school, then you will have to enroll them in a private (independent) fee-paying school.

teuchter


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Thanks 
Regarding school my daughters in gulf are studying in Cambridge school (British system) class 8, 4 and 2 

If I arrive to Aberdeen in Jan time frame would it be easy to get admission in public schools or should I make a specific timings to keep in mind 

Hope I don't lose one year in process


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Thanks
> Regarding school my daughters in gulf are studying in Cambridge school (British system) class 8, 4 and 2
> 
> If I arrive to Aberdeen in Jan time frame would it be easy to get admission in public schools or should I make a specific timings to keep in mind
> ...


Normal school admission is in August, but starting at other times is permitted (depending on space availability). You will need to make a 'school placing request' directly to your chosen school(s).

Full details of the school placing request process in Aberdeen City is here: School Placing Request - scroll to the bottom of the page for comprehensive FAQs.

teuchter


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

Note also that the Scottish Education system differs somewhat from the rest of the UK: primary school lasts 7 years, from ages 5~12 (P1 to P7) then secondary school compulsory four years, from ages 12~16 (S1 to S4) and optional 5th year (S5) and 6th year (S6).

Major exams are at the end of S4 (Nationals), S5 (Highers) and S6 (Advanced Highers) - the latter two are normal requirements for university entrance.

teuchter


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

Just to clarify - normally, your children would attend the local school under whose catchment area your home falls. You would simply need to enrol them at this school.

You will only need to submit a 'school placing request' to the Council if your home address does not fall under the catchment area of the chosen school(s) in question. 

teuchter


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Thank you 

I researched online that transport is only provided if it's outside 2 miles for primary and outside 3 miles does that mean most of parents pick and drop on their own ? 

What are typically school timings 

Thanks


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Thank you
> 
> I researched online that transport is only provided if it's outside 2 miles for primary and outside 3 miles does that mean most of parents pick and drop on their own ?
> 
> ...


Depends on the parents. Most of the kids in my large extended family walk to/from school - but they all attend the local school within whose catchment area they live, so it's not far. Due to congestion creating safety concerns at the school gates, most schools actively discourage parents from driving their kids to school - and it seems to be a bigger problem at private schools.

Typical school day is from 8.30am~3.30pm or 9.00am~4.00pm.

teuchter


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

teuchter said:


> Depends on the parents. Most of the kids in my large extended family walk to/from school - but they all attend the local school within whose catchment area they live, so it's not far. Due to congestion creating safety concerns at the school gates, most schools actively discourage parents from driving their kids to school - and it seems to be a bigger problem at private schools.
> 
> Typical school day is from 8.30am~3.30pm or 9.00am~4.00pm.
> 
> teuchter


To add to that, most schools - both state and private - offer breakfast clubs and after school clubs to accommodate parents' work hours and commute but this kind of wrap-around childcare costs extra and it is not always available early/late enough, especially if both parents work full time and/or in shifts.


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

teuchter said:


> Note that housing in Aberdeen is amongst the most expensive in Scotland (thanks to the oil and gas industry), but is still much cheaper than in the Gulf. In the areas mentioned above, you can expect to pay between £1250~£1500/month (QAR7000~QAR8400/month) for a 3-bedroomed house.
> 
> teuchter


Note that you will also have to pay council tax: for a 3-bedroomed house in the areas previously mentioned, this averages between £170~£200/month and is determined by the size and location of the house. (In Scotland, this also covers water and sewerage charges, so there are no water bills to pay.)

For gas and electricity, you can expect to pay around £100~£150/month.

teuchter


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Thank you 

I am planning to do pre visit in early or mid November to see housing school living arrangements etc by by mid to 3rd week of November and final move in January or feb next year 

What will be weather like and day light in Nov and Jan 

Thanks in advance


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Thank you
> 
> I am planning to do pre visit in early or mid November to see housing school living arrangements etc by by mid to 3rd week of November and final move in January or feb next year
> 
> ...


Weather will most likely be (very) cold, wet and gloomy; snow and ice and sub-zero temperatures will not be unusual. In November, it will get light around 8.30am and get dark around 3.30pm, whereas in January it won't get light until around 9.00am and will get dark by 3.00pm.

teuchter


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Wahoo I will have quite a u turn from seeing summer heat of 120 f in middle east and seeing rain once per year to this kind of weather and snow fun fun..

My kids always complied I have not showed them any snow except last year when we visited to Switzerland we saw on mountain for 15 minutes only before we started turning blue :blush:


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

irfan778 said:


> Wahoo I will have quite a u turn from seeing summer heat of 120 f in middle east and seeing rain once per year to this kind of weather and snow fun fun..
> 
> My kids always complied I have not showed them any snow except last year when we visited to Switzerland we saw on mountain for 15 minutes only before we started turning blue :blush:


If you start turning blue after 15 minutes on a Swiss mountain...

Prepare yourself and your family. Scotland is not quite a Swiss glacier but is also does not have the kind of bright blue skies and sunshine in winter that you get in the alps.

My husband is originally from Pakistan and I have seen quite a few people from lighter and warmer shores descend into the deep pits of depression due to cold and dark weather. Invest into some SAD (daylight) lamps and such before you start feeling the strain.

Generally I would not recommend to move to a village or very small town as an expat.

The only all girls school in the area seems to be in central Aberdeen (I gave you the link in another thread), so your family might find it easier in day to day life to live in a fairly central location close to amenities.


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Yeh I think it's better that I live close to city 

I can probably keep the drive of an 30 to 40 minutes to and from office (with office being in West hill)

The summerhill and hazelwood are these also considered villagers or these are better than kings well ?

I see lots of houses in westhill and elrick on Google maps next to office is this area also village 

Is it safe to travel at dark between city and westhill 

Lastly do we have Pakistani and Muslim families in aberdeen 

Thanks


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Yeh I think it's better that I live close to city
> 
> I can probably keep the drive of an 30 to 40 minutes to and from office (with office being in West hill)
> 
> ...


Summerhill and Hazlehead are suburbs/housing areas in west Aberdeen; preference is subjective - you really need to go take a look in person, to get a feel for the area. Kingswells is a village between Westhill and Aberdeen. Elrick is a village next to Westhill. 

Yes, it is safe to travel in the dark in/around Aberdeen, although you will have to be extra careful if you are not used to driving in wintry (icy/snowy) conditions.

There are a substantial number of Pakistani and Muslim families in Aberdeen. There are currently four mosques in Aberdeen, with more planned. See: Aberdeen Muslims - Islamic Events, Mosques in Aberdeen, Halal Businesses and much more...
for information for the Muslim community in Aberdeen.

teuchter


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## irfan778 (Oct 8, 2015)

Thanks, I will keep on asking queries in this thread alone as the new questions arise.

Regarding housing in Aberdeen, I researched and noticed mostly these are furnished (on rightmove website)

I have full set of furniture and electronics etc in here, Would I also be able to unfurnished so I can bring my own, what's advisable, bringing own or should I try to sell here

If I bring own, do I need to pay any customs or duties on house furniture, tv, electronics, kitchen ware and other usual housing items

Also we use sim (unlocked phone here) If I bring these mobile phones can I simply buy sim card and continue to use my existing phones or should I sell here and I must buy phone over contracts from provider on UK, just trying to understand how does it work and what's best on this front

Regards,


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

irfan778 said:


> Thanks, I will keep on asking queries in this thread alone as the new questions arise.
> 
> Regarding housing in Aberdeen, I researched and noticed mostly these are furnished (on rightmove website)
> 
> ...


The default for rented accommodation here tends to be unfurnished. (On the Rightmove website, use the 'unfurnished' filter on the left of the page.)

Yes, you should be able to ship your (used) furniture/household effects to the UK without incurring import duties - employ an accredited shipping/removal company in Qatar and they will take care of all the paperwork/customs formalities on your behalf. (You will need to compare the shipping cost with the cost of potentially buying replacements here.)

Yes, you can get prepaid SIM cards very easily here (usually for free, or £1 at most). Top-ups can be made at supermarket checkouts, ATMs, minimarkets, petrol stations etc. (Since you will have zero UK credit history, you will have great difficulty getting a mobile contract in the beginning.) For comparison of prepaid mobile providers, see: Cheap mobile phones: compare, switch & save - MSE - scroll down to section on PAYG.

teuchter


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