# Moving teenagers to Cyprus!



## jules1410 (Aug 17, 2008)

We are planning on moving our teenagers to Cyprus April 2009. They are 13 and 15years old. Can any parents give me some hands on experience of how the move effected their own and if it could be the chance of a life time for them I am telling myself. I have quite a few raised eybrows when I mention their ages to folks here in the UK!


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

jules1410 said:


> We are planning on moving our teenagers to Cyprus April 2009. They are 13 and 15years old. Can any parents give me some hands on experience of how the move effected their own and if it could be the chance of a life time for them I am telling myself. I have quite a few raised eybrows when I mention their ages to folks here in the UK!


Although we moved to a different part of the world, my children were 12, 15 and 18. I don't see what the problem is moving children abroad, especially if they are very happy to move, which my kids were. I took my daughter out of school halfway through her GCSE's and she has managed here very well. To me, having a second language is worth more than the bit of paper they receive after their GCSE's.


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

jules1410 said:


> We are planning on moving our teenagers to Cyprus April 2009. They are 13 and 15years old. Can any parents give me some hands on experience of how the move effected their own and if it could be the chance of a life time for them I am telling myself. I have quite a few raised eybrows when I mention their ages to folks here in the UK!


I work with teenagers of ex-pats in a multi-cultural school in Cyprus. I deal with a whole spectrum of reactions to the move. I think it would be unfair to say that the majority do not have adjustment problems, and some are desperately unhappy (but then again they probably would have been the same back in the UK). Most resent the move if they were forced to move, or if the move is related to a family break-up. I find that those who wanted to move with their parents are blissfully happy and thrive here. Even those that start off as disgruntled and confused, angst ridden teenagers quickly ease into the island lifestyle and adjust quite readily (especially to the huge array of public holidays, saints days and cultural events which suspend school from time to time!)


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## jules1410 (Aug 17, 2008)

Many thanks for that my son has just started his GCSE coursework so it is useful to know that even half way through they can adapt.


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## jules1410 (Aug 17, 2008)

Thank you for your help. I am hoping that as the boys are both very outgoing, Rugby, Air and Sea Cadets, Diving that they will not have enough hours in the day! Do you have any involvement with SEN teaching?


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

jules1410 said:


> Thank you for your help. I am hoping that as the boys are both very outgoing, Rugby, Air and Sea Cadets, Diving that they will not have enough hours in the day! Do you have any involvement with SEN teaching?


There are some academic adjustment problems for teenagers that straddle the GCSE years. I would seek advice from the British Council of Nicosia, but my understanding (and it is certainly the case at the schools that I help manage) that most international schools in Cyprus undertake the IGCSE (international equivalent) not the GCSEs of the UK. IGCSEs are much more robust qualifications akin to the old O levels of 30 years ago in the UK - there is limited course work and much more emphasis on traditional examinations. Students take far less of them (average 5-7) as opposed to the 12-14 or even more that students take in the UK. It is widely recognised that the UK education system is in crisis and that the large numbers of GCSE mills, heavily reliant on continuous assessment and coursework are rife with plagiarism and produce inflated results that do not reflect true student ability. Many independent schools in the UK are busily abandoning GCSEs in favour of IGCSEs.

I often advise students to go back a year and start their IGCSE curriculum again (it is taught over two years). Some students find this frustrating as they are repeating material, but they do need valuable practice on exam writing techniques, and can often use the 'slack year' to settle in without the added pressure of imminent and unfamiliar final exams.

SEN teaching is a bit of a novelty in Cyprus and many schools only play lip service to the idea which is only just starting to filter into the consciousness of educators. The vast majority of Private schools have exclusive entrance exams that deny education to only the brightest and fittest and coldly reject the rest. There are some inclusive schools that have teams of SEN educators (mine included) but these services are almost always extras that have to be paid for on top of standard school fees.


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## donna15 (Sep 16, 2008)

just joined thinking of moving to cyprus with my husband and two kids have a teenager who doesnt want to come with us but like most would like a quality of life but we dont now the rules and regulations can any one help


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## yummymummy150 (Sep 8, 2007)

Hi donna, we have been planning our move for a long time almost there flight 9th oct.
We are dragging our 15 year old kicking and sceaming. It is hard to lose friends at that age
but they all chat on pc more than face to face , think he will let me know he is unhappy by being grumpy,hope in time he will make friends and enjoy the life 
but is our dream not his so we have said give it 2 years if hates it can come back to famliy 
email me if i can help with anything else .
Tricia


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## jules1410 (Aug 17, 2008)

Hi Donna
Join the club! at the moment my 15 year old is very excited and the 13 year old has not really taken in the possibility of it all happening. It would be April 2009. But the schooling hours have attracted them and I am hoping that their days will be filled with exhausting outdoor activities with very little rain to stop play!! . I get the feeling that from this web site there are quite a few parents feeling the same way as us. Keep in touch


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## clarep (Aug 27, 2008)

Hi

We too are moving out to Paphos very soon - after lots of research and homework!!!
Our 14 yr old son wasn't too keen on the idea at first but has come round to it after hearing about the school hours and lots of public holidays!!! He too has lots of friends in our area but he normally speaks to them by PC on a night time anyway so there won't be any change there!

Wish you all the best with your move and hope the teenagers come round.

Clare


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## donna15 (Sep 16, 2008)

*moving to cyprus*

hi clare thanks for replying ,really jealous your on your way .we have been to paphos .several times and really liked it .what made you choose to settle,there .could you tell me how you found out about the schools .are you going to rent ,or buy .we thought maybe next year we could start looking .ive seen some webb sites that offer to help you .Iwonder have you used any thing like that .?Wishyou all the best if you have time please reply donna


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## donna15 (Sep 16, 2008)

*moving to cyprus*

hi jules i totally agree to have more sunshine so you could enjoy more things .you said about the school holidays how many holidays do they have ?.where have you decided to settle .have you found out all your information on the internet ,that you needed hope to hear from you soon donna .


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

*Outdoor activities*



jules1410 said:


> Hi Donna
> Join the club! at the moment my 15 year old is very excited and the 13 year old has not really taken in the possibility of it all happening. It would be April 2009. But the schooling hours have attracted them and I am hoping that their days will be filled with exhausting outdoor activities with very little rain to stop play!! . I get the feeling that from this web site there are quite a few parents feeling the same way as us. Keep in touch


Many expats are fixated on the weather and how wonderful it will be for their children to have uninterrupted outdoor play. Few schools have adequate playing fields however, and most of the year activity is restricted to indoor gym work, as the weather is simply too hot and dangerous to let children run around outside. The sun (and humidity) can be very uncomfortable, and you certainly would not want to run around in it for too long. Football matches and other team activities are usually restricted to (expensive) afterschool clubs when the sun has long gone and it is a bit cooler. We have as many notes from kids bunking off sports because of the heat as teachers do in the UK because of the wet and dreary conditions. The school days too are structured around the sun. They start at 7:30 so the morning call for families with a commute to school will be around 6 as there will be a crushing traffic packed rush hour to negotiate to get into school, and finish at 1:30 when most people collapse into an afternoon sleep because it's too hot to do much else. Apart from metropolitan areas, everything closes down and becomes a ghost town from 2-6. Cypriot families then start to socialise and go out for evening meal from 9-11ish, and then settle down for the early start next day. So the school day is structured to avoid the sun rather than celebrate it. 

The weather is fantastic as a holiday maker, but the practicalities of living in a hot country do need to be considered. The unrelenting sun and heat can be as uncomfortable and inconvenient as the wet and wind of Blighty. Another factor to worry about is the water shortage. Many parents complain about smelly teenagers, but they can get even smellier when there is no water in the taps. Some areas have crushing water shortages and families can be without supplies for considerable periods (another reason why there are very few football fields as the cost of irrigation is just too high). Check the area you intend to move into for the water supply history.


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## clarep (Aug 27, 2008)

Hi Donna

We chose Paphos because of the area - its really lovely as are the majority of people!!
There is an International school there which follows the British Curriculum (loosely) and we thought that would be better for our son because of his age!

Can't wait to actually get there...........not too long now. We're going to rent at first just to make sure we all settle then hopefully buy after about a year or so!
There are lots of websites to help you out - we just googled long term rent paphos - you'll be amazed at how many there are. 
Plus keep reading this website as you'll get lots of advice from people who are already there!

Good luck 

Clare


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## Lianehghs (Jun 9, 2008)

jules1410 said:


> We are planning on moving our teenagers to Cyprus April 2009. They are 13 and 15years old. Can any parents give me some hands on experience of how the move effected their own and if it could be the chance of a life time for them I am telling myself. I have quite a few raised eybrows when I mention their ages to folks here in the UK!


Hi
We moved out here in July this year and although my 12 year old daughter had a lovely long holiday in the sun she was not looking forward to starting school here. She trained with Paphos cheetahs during the summer and met some lovely girls there and luckily some of them went to the academy so made her move easier although she was still apprehensive, 3 weeks on it is like she has always been there and she loves it. Hope this helps
Liane


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