moving to majorca with teenagers!

[shelleps]

hi

we are planning to move over with 4 children. the two younger ones age 6 and 8 are not the problem. we have two older children 14 and 15 who really don't want to come to Majorca.

the problem is, is that we don't want to miss this opportunity and are worried it will be gone if we hang around here for too much longer.

my head is ready but my heart is worried about the teenagers

has anyone else been in this situation/ would love to hear your advice

 

[debz1]

Gosh what a hard decision for you. I'm not sure how long you and your family been visiting Mallorca or whether you speak Spanish/Mallorquin. I would imagine for teenagers, if they didn't speak the language,it would be very difficult for them to integrate and they may feel very lonely. The younger children would find it much easier.

Is it Puerto Pollensa you would be moving to? It really is like a ghost town in the winter and the nearest cinema would be Festival Park about half an hour away. My now grown up children love PP and have many Mallorquin friends who they love meeting up with, but I'm not sure they would have wanted to uproot and move to PP.

Really sorry if this sounds negative

 

[Tiggy]

I can only echo what debz1 says and find her comments realistic , I know of one company who has stopped sending their employees (with children over 11 yrs old ) abroad on assignments partly for the costs incurred but also due to the increased early return requests ,that have been so greatly influenced by older children not settling and it causing disruption to their long term futures and the employees work focus .......

 

[pinewalkstroll]

What a dilemma!

We moved here with 2 children in January 2008 and both had just turned 10 & 13. They immediately commenced the term from January till June when the schools break up for the summer with one at the local junior school and one at the local senior school.

Before we made the big move, (and it is!) we took Spanish lessons to help ease them into the grove of life here and that in turn, gave them a bit more confidence. However, within the class's the lessons are taught in Catalan which is another tough task for them to get over and learn - but after much hard work, they did it and we are very proud of them as they have turned out to be two wonderfully balanced teenagers and we know that living here was a big factor in this....Plus some input, support and encouragement from mom & dad!

The 6 & 8 year old's would be fine but yes, the older 14 & 15 year old's would indeed find it very tough and please be advised that if a child can't pass exams here, they are held back for another year so should they fail, they could be at school for longer and that is a serious matter for you as parents to take into consideration?

A solution may be to send the younger children to the local junior and for the teenagers to continue their English lessons at an British International school which in turn, would finally enable them take the same qualifications they would hope to attain in the UK.....However, I think the only international schools that do this are based in Palma? (perhaps someone else could confirm this) and they charge a lot of money plus of course this would also entail a lot of commuting which would end up a bit of a drag for you and them? And of course if you did decide to do this, then that would not help them to integrate with the local teenagers

Not in the slightest am I trying to put you off because I am firm believer in walking through doors of opportunity once they open up for you in life, however, I personally think if you make such a massive move like this then you need to move as a family with every member 100% committed otherwise you have weak links within the chain and that eventually could result in unhappiness with the children and in turn that will affect mom & dad?

Lots for you to ponder over and I sincerely hope what ever decision you finally make, it all works out for you all!

Best Wishes,

D.

 

[Sparky]

Thank you Pinewalkstroll, i was hoping you would reply as you have first hand knowledge of moving with children.
I agree with you completely that all members of the family need to be happy to make this life changing move to make it work and lets be honest, teenagers can be moody enough without being forced to move away from their friends. Also as Debz said, there really is nothing much in winter for them to do especially in the evenings and if they cannot communicate with their peers they would feel very isolated.

Shelleps you do have a massive decision to make, i hope you make the right choice and wish you and your family well.

 

[shelleps]

thank you all for your replies.


it is a very difficult decision and it really is getting me down. my husband thinks we should go for it, but I have my doubts .........................

the only other option I can see is to leave the older 2 with their granddad here in the town we live, but then that's tearing the family apart.

decisions decisions



will keep you informed

 

[JMD40]

Hi Shelleps
I noticed that you were looking for a large house with land. I think this will restrict the movement of the youngsters even more. The positive thing about Pollensa and Puerto Pollensa is that the youngsters can go out alone and have a great night and you can be fairly sure they are safe (with your guidance of course). If you have to drive them backwards and forwards it will restrict their movements and enjoyment of the area too.
Also, I would not consider sending them to the International School as they will fail to make too may friends in the area they are living.... the spanish are very friendly and outgoing and dependant on their personalities they will make plenty of friends quickly - remember there are many teenagers over here with British Mums or Dads so the language will not be such a problem. Good luck but yes, do take great care with your decision. If you are only renting, at the end of the day if it does not work out, Britian is always going to be there to return to so dont break all your ties with property and friends..... Keep us informed. Why not start a blog??

 

[shelleps]

yes very true jmd40, I didn't consider that moving too far out will make things worse. is alcudia as safe as pollensa, with regard to kids being out in the evening playing etc??

I have a serious headache! lol

 

[fil6699]

I bet your head hurts lol. But I am sure you will make the correct decision sometimes you just have to do what feels right at the time and if it doesn't work keep your options open and go back at least you gave it a go and wont spend forever wondering what if, just keep an open mind
Alcudia is a much bigger place often people do not realise how large it is so you would have to do allot of homework deciding on which area of Alcudia you would like to live
The advantage of PP is if for example if you lived in Gotmar which is a very nice residential area but only a short walk into the Port or to the beach this eliminates the driving people around.
We took this into account when we purchased our place so that when people come and stay with us they can easily walk into the port and to the Beach etc.

 

[JMD40]

Personally I would say it is not as safe as it is much larger. Puerto Pollensa and Pollensa are basically villages with a town square as a perfect meeting place for all ages.
Where have you spent your previous holidays? At the very least an area that the youngsters are familiar with will help. The standard of education is not that high but i would recommend extra tuition at home for the language and any subjects that the kids struggle with.
It is hard to keep everyone happy but it will be easier if you involve the youngsters in your plans and allow them to add their constructive view point..... how long have you spent in the area in the past?
I do feel sorry for you as its a massive decision ... I am shortly moving from Pollensa to Campanet (15kms) and my 15 year old is not totally overjoyed at not being close to the beach in the summer!

 

[JMD40]

Family Matters Mallorca

Shelleps, (and others considering moving here)
You may find the following award winning Blog written by an acquaintence of mine Vicki McCleod of interest. She tells it as it is and has several different areas of interest.

Vicki McLeod | Family Matters Mallorca

GOOD LUCK! Jan

 

[shelleps]

we have always holidayed in alcudia, we love the beach. last year we hired a car and drove round the island. we came to Puerto pollensa and loved it aswell. but we love alcudia beach. but at the end of the day I would like to be where the kids can walk to school and be near everything. although the business ideas we have to focus around alcudia, so we need to live near there anyway.

 

[Mark]

Have you visited in many of the winter months ?

With teenagers I guess most visits have been in school holidays which are mostly in the busy season and the winter is a bit of a shock the first time.

I like the winter for the peace and quiet as a visitor but if you need to make money to survive as a resident it would be hard I guess.

Out of Season Alcudia looks grim and a bit depressing in my opinion.
Alcudia old town OK but not really a town square as such like Pollensa or Port Pollensa.

It's only a short drive to Alcudia so maybe live where is best for everyone.

Good luck with your adventure and as the saying goes ' When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! ' if you can or you will never know

 

[shelleps]

I don't think we went to pollensa , just PP. are there plenty of children in PP and primary and senior school ??

 

[Sparky]

I don't think we went to pollensa , just PP. are there plenty of children in PP and primary and senior school ??

Yes there are a lot a children here in PP and both primary and senior schools, if the kids then go on to college i think the nearest one is in Pollensa.

 

[Mark]

I don't think we went to pollensa , just PP.

Worth a visit before you decide where to live.
Pollensa appears more active in the winter and there are two or three schools that always look very busy.

P.S. It's February half term very soon if you need another fact finding trip

 

[ragdollabbi]

Yes I think I would agree with Mark. How many times have we all gone on holiday and thought we would like to live there. We have had (hypothetically of course) sandwich shops (!!!!!) in various places around the globe Unfortunately reality is a totally different ball game and I would certainly be doing a bit more homework before I would seriously consider a move...especially in your situation with 2 teenagers. Perhaps a few breaks out of season would help you to make this decision. Remember the grass is always greener on the other side, and while often that is the case, remember that very often, it can go pear shaped. Sorry if I sound a bit negative, but I do wish you all the luck in the world.......just do your homework first. Good luck whatever you decide

 

[pescador2009]

Spotted this in the http://majorcadailybulletin.com/ - makes interesting reading.

Still Shining
A report that the number of British and German residents in the Balearics had declined substantially in 2013 -- by nine thousand Germans and four thousand British -- led to comment throughout the week that ranged from the frustration experienced by people trying to run small businesses to wider concern about whether Majorca has “lost its shine”.
Although questions were asked about the reliability of the quoted figures and their lack of any breakdown of the status of those leaving, there was general acceptance that they reflected a definite trend of departure for a variety of reasons among which local administrative red tape, the high cost of the obligatory autonomo for a self-employed licence, the dead months of winter, poor airline links to the UK, and constantly rising living costs, were prominent.
A Bulletin Facebook survey asking “Do you think Majorca has lost its shine?” resulted in over one hundred replies in less than 24 hours. Some were very blunt -- “It’s so bloody expensive to live here” -- and some complained at the lack of effort by local authorities, officials, airlines and hoteliers to make the best of Majorca’s tourism appeal --”fighting with each other...and happy in their bubble”. A different viewpoint was that “Majorca cannot lose its shine, but learning how to adapt to living on the island has changed for sure. The issue now is for expats and even Spanish citizens to learn to adapt quick enough to keep their standards of living”. And there was a warning to those thinking of leaving to think again: “I left for a while thinking that the grass was greener elsewhere but came back because Majorca is a place to enjoy a wonderful lifestyle”.
After checking all the Facebook replies to the question “Has Majorca lost its shine” Andrew Ede concluded that “The no’s had it over the yes’s to the tune of almost four to one. For the majority of people, therefore, Majorca is still shining.”

 

[Freya2]

Opportunity to Move

Hello, I was just reading your post and wanted to reply regarding your teenagers, I noticed that most of the replies are around your two eldest and in essence it is correct to focus on them. We moved almost a decade ago to Puerto and with us our son who was 12 years old at the time. At first we enrolled him in the International School at almost 1,200 euros per term (at his request), it didn't suit him, so we quickly enrolled him in the local "senior" school, it was the best idea in terms of his integration with the local children BUT although I have no regrets on our move here as his quality of life and confidence have benefited from the move, the standard of education here in the Port is severely lacking, even after several visits to the school, I found that he along with lots of the local kids eventually dropped out and were not motivated enough by the teachers or self motivated to do anymore. He found it difficult learning Catalan to use in all his classes, including learning English lessons in Catalan and often voiced to me how he wished that school was taught in Spanish, which he picked up without a problem. When speaking with the teachers, I was told it was not their job to motivate the children and that he should play more with the local kids (my son joined the local football team from the first week we moved here and had plenty of local friends and still does). So in short if you value your elder children's education, think long and hard before coming here to live, perhaps it could wait 2 to 3 years until they have finished school in the UK? Or research into other schools as far afield as Inca, I have friends who fought hard to enrol their children in local schools in Inca and have never looked back. PP's education leaves a lot to be desired as I understand that it is a spring board for all the islands new teachers for moving to where they really want to be. There is no continuity with teachers and some years my son did not have the same teacher for a term, let alone a year. Some of the teachers are also evangelical about Catalan and as such my son was told once by his teacher "Spain is a state & Catalunia is a country". Like all the other posts I don't want this to sound negative, but I wish that someone had given me this information before we moved. I may have fought long and hard to get him into a better local school, as I am definitely an advocate of them going to a local school to help them integrate. My son has benefited in so many ways being happy, healthy, more confident and conversant than most of his old peer group in the UK, so I do not regret the move. I would echo everyone who has posted here to do your research diligently before you come and when you get here, enjoy the wonderful life that Mallorca brings to your children and yourselves.

 

[codex]

Great post.

The problem for people like us who are moving over is in finding where those good schools are, there's so little information available. In the UK we have Ofsted, which at least gives you an idea.

We went to visit one of the primary schools in the area today. Whilst the teachers were very friendly and incredibly helpful, we were rather shocked at the lack of resources at the school.