# moving to greece (pefkohori) with a young child



## menmalilman (Sep 12, 2011)

hello all,
im a young single mum looking into moving to greece ... i have alot of questions my main concern is child care any info on that would be fab 
thank you


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## LGK616 (Sep 22, 2009)

You can email me with any questions - I know Pefkohori quite well and have a very good friend who has a summer house there. 

I can tell you that there is only one daycare facility in Pefkohori and it is apparently closed as they didn't get their funding. Also, registration happens in May until mid-June - they usually only take children with working mothers by the way.

Anyway - email me and I can help you out some more!

Lesley


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## menmalilman (Sep 12, 2011)

thank you lesley, 
i had thought that would probably be the case, i will perhaps research some other towns around any suggestions of places would be welcomed iv lived in pefkohori as a teenager but want to throughly research and get other ppls perspective as i know have my son too. what do you think of the current economic climate is it making things much harder now ?? thank you for taking the time to reply


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## mrsDayLewis (Nov 18, 2008)

Daycare in Greece... hmmmm... Im a daycare teacher, and from what Ive seen of the places Ive been in - they are all pretty much well below standards of other EU countries such as UK, Ireland, Finland, Sweden etc etc. 
Teachers are ok, but the culture here seems to be 'loud' both inside and outside... in other words there is no calmness. 
The kids walk in with D&G togs on, but the standards of the schools for little ones are like 1962 in England! (they dont have good teacher - student ratios here either).


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## LGK616 (Sep 22, 2009)

menmalilman said:


> thank you lesley,
> i had thought that would probably be the case, i will perhaps research some other towns around any suggestions of places would be welcomed iv lived in pefkohori as a teenager but want to throughly research and get other ppls perspective as i know have my son too. what do you think of the current economic climate is it making things much harder now ?? thank you for taking the time to reply


What do I think of the current economic climate? Well, put it this way. After nine years in Greece, I am returning back to Canada with my daughter and husband. Things are ridiculous here - to put it nicely. I live in Thessaloniki and the lack of jobs available are next to nil.

If you go on Skywalker.gr or ???????? ????????, ?????? ??????????? ???? ??????: ??????? ???? ?????? ??? Kariera.gr - you will see plenty of jobs. Most of them are in Athens. There are a few in Thess. However, if you follow it closely like I do, you will see the same posts coming up every 3 or 4 months. Over and over. I find it insane that anyone over 30 is virtually unhireable and anyone who does not have a university paper of some kind is not desireable either.

Even a basic job is paid crap here - 600 euro a month is what a new supermarket cashier makes. And with the new taxes that have come in to Greece (with plenty more to follow) - impossible to live on as a single person never mind with a child (rent, daycare, food, transporation, etc.).

There is also a lack of things to do with your children here. I have spent the last couple of summers with my daughter basically locked in the apartment all day because other than it being too hot to go out in, there isn't anywhere to take them. And by that I mean, there are a lack of very well organized parks here. The equipment provided is not enough (1 swing, 1 slide, 1 see-saw), there generally isn't any shade, you have to step over cat and dog feces, the graffiti is a whole other story as are the loitering teenagers who won't move when you ask them to. I could go on! And unless you want to spend every single day at the beach - that is basically it! You could go to an indoor play centre but that costs on average 8 euro a day (5 for the child to play and 3 for your coffee/drink). Not to mention, many do not open during the morning hours - only from 5pm. But I don't want my child playing indoors every single day - I want her out, getting fresh air (another oxymoron), running in the grass, without having worry about cat and dog feces.

So. There you have it! Halkidiki is very lovely and yes, I will miss it. But it's changed alot in the nine years I've lived here. It's become a bit rundown and VERY expensive to say the least. The season is quite short too (May to September). 

The other comment about daycare here is pretty spot on. If you are unemployed, you will not get a spot in daycare. There is no "sickness" rule when it comes to sending your kids - if they are sick, they still go and they get accepted (whereas I know in Canada, if your kid is coughing, sneezing or has a fever, they are sent home) - they don't do that here. Friends of mine who send their kids to daycare are sick the entire 10 months of the year. There are not enough teachers for kids and definitely not as qualified as you would be used to in the UK.

That is my experience and sorry it's not more "rosey" but after nine years of existing and not living, it's time to cut our losses and move on. 

Anything else you'd like to ask (unless I've scared you - lol) - ask!

Lesley


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## torba (Jul 15, 2010)

*moving to greece with a young child*

All Lesley says is true. I live on another island, am a single parent living alone with my child. This is not acceptable here and I have been called a whore at the school gates in front of my child.

My child has few friends and has been bullied. Have you considered this?

You have to pay for all medical expenses here. At the beginning of each year your child has to have seen a cardiologist, paediatrician, eye specialist and dentist before the school will take him. Each charging between 50 and 60 euros. 

There is no work unless you speak Greek well. I too have given up and am now on my way back to UK broke, but wiser.


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## priggipisa (Mar 8, 2010)

torba said:


> My child has few friends and has been bullied. Have you considered this?


Just to be fair, I'm sorry your child was bullied, but if you see the news this is definitely not a problem in Greece only. I've read articles of serious incidents of bullying from other European countries as well as US & Canada. Sadly it's a big problem in this world, not limited in Greece only.

If you don't speak Greek well, I've known people who teach English (or other languages), have worked at Universities or Colleges. Though they did take lessons once they were here-some Greek would be expected.

Though with the economy the way it is, jobs are really hard to come by.


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