# relocating to sicily with kids...



## littlelaurenny (6 mo ago)

Has anyone moved to sicily with school age children who only speak English? How would my kids fare in Sicilian schools if they are not fluent in italian?


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

littlelaurenny said:


> Has anyone moved to sicily with school age children who only speak English? How would my kids fare in Sicilian schools if they are not fluent in italian?


Is this supposed to be a permanent move or limited to a couple of years?

I can´t speak on Sicili specifically, but I have plenty of experience with children having to naviugate a new school system in a language they don´t speak.

How well they will cope will depend on a number of factors: age of the children, general adaptability, talent for languages and also your own adaptability as a parent dealing with school matters.

Since I know nothing about any of the above, I will keep it very general.

Contrary to common belief, not all children soak up language like a sponge. My older daughter does and she was usually fluent within three to six months. She is also quite intelligent and while there were usually lots of tears and frustration in those initial three to six months, she did very well in the long run. It´s stuff like being able to read the local style of cursive the teacher uses when writing on the board and also being able to write assignments in that style of cursive that adds to the initial stress and workload on top of everything else.

My younger daughter struggles with language acquisition. She was too young for a diagnosis when we moved to Scotland but had I known what I know now, I would not have moved her to a country with a different language. I am actually quite worried that I limited her chances in life with this. We have stopped moving probably indefinitely now.

She is also not a singular outlier. I know more than one highly mobile family who had to change careers because one child was not as adaptable as the others, falling behind significantly with every international move.

I also know one family where one child ended up unable to speak their mother tongue and is in a very difficult position after returning "home" after a decade abroad and even after years and intensive efforts, the child still speaks with an accent and grammar of his preferred language and is being othered as foreign.

Also, when we lived in Asia, my older daughter did not adapt well to the school system there and looking back this was probably in part because I strongly disliked the way things worked and did not do my best to work within that system.

Generally, it´s easier for primary school children than for secondary school children. If your children are of an age where school leaving / advancing exams have to be taken, this could be an additional complication. As afr as I know, this is around age 14 and 19 in the Italian system.


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## littlelaurenny (6 mo ago)

ALKB said:


> Is this supposed to be a permanent move or limited to a couple of years?
> 
> I can´t speak on Sicili specifically, but I have plenty of experience with children having to naviugate a new school system in a language they don´t speak.
> 
> ...


thank you for your reply. my children are 11 and 8 right now, but I was wondering specifically about sicily because I have read that many children in sicily speak english fluently. I don't believe it will be impossible for them to learn a second language but I'm trying to gauge how difficult it would be, if I would need to send them to private school, and if they need a tutor


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

littlelaurenny said:


> I have read that many children in sicily speak english fluently.



Where did you read that? I'd be highly surprised. Many Italian kids take English at school but that doesn't make them fluent. Worse it doesn't mean they really want to use English on the playground or away from school.


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## modicasa (May 29, 2021)

They dont speak English fluently. The majority of teachers in elementary school are not English mother tongue and the level of language teaching is not great. Obviously younger kids will assimilate English from video, tv etc, but the level is generally poor. You will be unlikely to have Italian support for your kids in class while they learn. Its a matter of throwing them in the at the deep end. They will be very popular because they speak English, but will have a difficult 3 months till they learn to communicate.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

littlelaurenny said:


> thank you for your reply. my children are 11 and 8 right now, but I was wondering specifically about sicily because I have read that many children in sicily speak english fluently. I don't believe it will be impossible for them to learn a second language but I'm trying to gauge how difficult it would be, if I would need to send them to private school, and if they need a tutor


As others have said, I´d be surprised if that were the case. But then, even if there are some children with a good level of English, the language of instruction in school would still be Italian, so it´s not really relevant what additional languages some of the other children may or may not speak.

Where in Sicily will you be living? Palermo? Somewhere more rural?

Location will also influence how much support will be available in the area or if daily commuting to an international school is even a possibility.


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

Eleven is awfully old to be throwing a child into a new language environment. Six or seven, maybe eight you can get away with, but eleven is going to be highly problematic. If there is streaming into university versus vocational high school (as is done in Germany) then kiss university goodbye.


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## KenzoXIV (Nov 13, 2013)

Hi,

I am in Sicily and my kids were born here. If you are still considering Sicily let me know and I can share some tips on breaking down the language barrier


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