# Pozuelo de Alaracon - Madrid



## kingkongx (Oct 25, 2015)

Hello Everyone,

I am moving soon to madrid with my wife and two kids (6 years and 2 years old).
I am planning to rent a flat in avenida de europa in pozuelo de alarcon as it will be close to my place of work.

Any specific points which I need to consider as far as this particular area goes?

Best Regards,


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

kingkongx said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I am moving soon to madrid with my wife and two kids (6 years and 2 years old).
> I am planning to rent a flat in avenida de europa in pozuelo de alarcon as it will be close to my place of work.
> ...


I'm not sure what specific points you are hoping for. You'll be in a very central part of an affluent suburb of Madrid. If you're going to be driving to Madrid on a daily basis for work you'll most probably have some traffic problems, there are plenty of private schools to choose from if that's what you want, you 'Lloyd be in the heart of PP land and one thing that always struck me when I worked around there was was the amount of uniformed nannies to be seen in the afternoon


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I'm not sure what specific points you are hoping for. You'll be in a very central part of an affluent suburb of Madrid. If you're going to be driving to Madrid on a daily basis for work you'll most probably have some traffic problems, there are plenty of private schools to choose from if that's what you want, you 'Lloyd be in the heart of PP land and one thing that always struck me when I worked around there was was the amount of uniformed nannies to be seen in the afternoon


It sounds like the OP is working in Pozuelo so no need to drive in to Madrid. Also the Cercanias takes you into the centre in about 15 minutes. Yes Pozuelo is posh and a bit quiet for my liking, but at least Avenida de Europa has a few restaurants and bars to check out. 

I think the OP might be better off checking out schools primarily and using that as a basis for where to live rather than their place of work. If the work is where I think it is then getting there on the Cercanias should be straight forward.


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## kingkongx (Oct 25, 2015)

Thanks PeskyWesky and Chopera for your comments.

Yes, my main office will be in Pozuelo. I will be dependent on public transport for a while. I plan to get Spanish driving licence but I don't know how long that's going to take. I have an international driving permit but I would like to wait till I get the Spanish driving licence before buying a car. I looked at a number of neighbourhoods in madrid and travelling to pozuelo by public transport from most of them takes at least an hour if not more (courtesy google maps)

Schools are a very big priority. Avenida de europa seems to have a decent collection of schools and Aravaca which seems to be next door on google maps also has a number of schools. I have contacted few of them. My younger son was born in Dec'2013 so I think he will be going to a guarderia now and escuela infantil from Sep'2017 - at least that's what I have been told. For my elder son, I haven't yet decided whether to send him to a bilingual or an international school. I am leaning towards a bilingual school though.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

If you intend to be in Spain for a few years then I think a Spanish speaking school would be sufficient. I don't think the international schools provide value for money if your kids already speak English, most of the kids who go there are Spanish and it's the only way their parents can get them to be truly bilingual.

Don't b misled by the term "bilingual" when it comes to Spanish schools, it can mean anything from a school that teaches a lot of subjects in English (usually by Spanish teachers) to a school that just does a few English lessons. The best public schools tend to fill up so I'd concentrate on finding one with a place available for your eldest, and then the youngest shouldn't have a problem getting in when they are 3. If you prefer private, or at least want one as a back-up then a work colleagues sends her kids the the Liceo Sorrolla and his pleased with it.


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## kingkongx (Oct 25, 2015)

Thanks Chopera. It's a good point you make and I will take that into consideration.

Cheers,


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

My kids spent some time at a Spanish 'bilingual' school 15 minutes from Pozuelo. All the _English_ teachers were Spanish. They were taught that lemons were sewer.


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## kingkongx (Oct 25, 2015)

Can you please send a personal message with the name of the bilingual school?
Where do your kids go these days? Any schools you would like to recommend near Pozuelo?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Madliz said:


> My kids spent some time at a Spanish 'bilingual' school 15 minutes from Pozuelo. All the _English_ teachers were Spanish. They were taught that lemons were sewer.


To be fair, I think standards are going up slowly...


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

> Can you please send a personal message with the name of the bilingual school?


PM sent.



> To be fair, I think standards are going up slowly...


Yes, I'm sure they are. This was the head of English for educación infantil, though, and she would not be told that her pronunciation was wrong, but it was twenty years ago.


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## Renataacp (Feb 16, 2021)

kingkongx said:


> Can you please send a personal message with the name of the bilingual school?
> Where do your kids go these days? Any schools you would like to recommend near Pozuelo?


hello!! I’m moving with my family to Madrid and we are considering Pozuelo.. Did it meet your expectations? What schools do you suggest? So you think American School is a good option? And how about a place to live? Could you please give me tips about locations, best neighbohoods? Is La Finca LCG3 a good option? 
thank you very much!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

My son corrected his English teacher once for pronouncing Chocolate with 3 syllables. The teacher told him not to show off. He was so embarrassed ( only 11) he learnt his lesson. Now he says nothing
despite being forced to call a Cello a sello !!


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

I live very close to Pozuelo and know it well and I agree very much with Chopera's view from several years back. It is one of the most affluent areas of Madrid (but be aware, Pozuelo is a seperate town inside the Madrid Region, but is not part of Madrid city). 
It has several residential areas surrounding it such as Somosaguas and La Finca which are very quiet with little in the way of community. People keep themselves to themselves and only go out in the car as there are very few bars and shops in the residential areas. Many footballers and succesful public figures live there.
The British Council school is in Somosaguas.
I personally could not live there (neither economically speaking nor socially speaking) but of course it is what many people are looking for.
Similar areas to consider would be La Moraleja (Alcobendas) and if you want to be in Madrid city you could look at Fuentelareyna.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Renataacp said:


> hello!! I’m moving with my family to Madrid and we are considering Pozuelo.. Did it meet your expectations? What schools do you suggest? So you think American School is a good option? And how about a place to live? Could you please give me tips about locations, best neighbohoods? Is La Finca LCG3 a good option?
> thank you very much!


La Finca is one of the most upmarket neighbourhoods in Madrid. It has been developed quite recently and contains large, modern houses with all the latest technology and facilities. If you are interested in high security, gated communities it's definitely worth looking at. I doubt there's much of a community feel though, since it seems to be one of those places designed for very wealthy people who want to be left alone. Also Prado de Somosaguas nearby has very nice houses. 

I don't know much about The American School apart from it being expensive and difficult to get into. The facilities there are meant to be incredible though.

If you want an international school there is also The British Council school next to La Finca.


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## anh12 (Apr 17, 2019)

The American School of Madrid is outstanding and has a great community. My children went there. I still have connections at the school, visit when I'm in the area, and follow them in newsletters and updates. I'm regularly impressed with their programs and with the people working there. For me, Pozuelo is too crowded, but that's a personal choice (that's usually not shared. :/)


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