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Leblu
  4/24/2015 20:08 EST

Hello!!

We are planning the move right now from the U.S. To Uruguay. We have 3 children so my only concern is their schooling. We have been watching, listening and studying Spanish for a week now. We are coming from Miami so Spanish is not that much of a foreign language.

My question here is, what city is best to live in with children going to international schools? Hopefully by reading through other posts I can get a majority of my questions answered but if there is anything you would like to share..please feel free to do so.

Also, what kind of household items can I bring over duty free and how much did it cost you?

Thanks,
Le Blu

crazyfarmer
  4/24/2015 21:26 EST

Hello!

>We are planning the move right now from the U.S. To Uruguay.
>We have 3 children so my only concern is their schooling. We
>have been watching, listening and studying Spanish for a week
>now. We are coming from Miami so Spanish is not that much of a
>foreign language.

It's definitely a different spanish. But any spanish you know will help.

>My question here is, what city is best to live in with children going
>to international schools?

My recommendation is don't send your kids to the international schools. They're expensive and overrated.

I'd suggest either homeschooling or a combination of a rural public school (for spanish) and online school at home in english. For residency, your kids will have to be in some kind of school here.

But to answer your question, probably Carrasco. But it will be expensive.

>Hopefully by reading through other
>posts I can get a majority of my questions answered but if there is
>anything you would like to share..please feel free to do so.
>Also, what kind of household items can I bring over duty free

You can bring almost anything. Anything with a gas/diesel motor is iffy. Boats, cars, motorcycles are definitely out. Riding lawnmowers are probably out. But a gas powered push mower is probably ok. I say probably because it probably depends on who you get in customs.

>and how much did it cost you?

A 40 foot high cube from chicago to here three years ago was $15,000, plus $3000 for port fees and $14,000 for the bond. We got the bond back before the end of residency by putting up our property as collateral. The port charges were high for us because our container arrived in the middle of carnival. But I suspect we were also taken.

brian

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Leblu
  4/24/2015 21:31 EST

Thanks a bunch Brian. I will consider your recommendations for schooling our girls. I use to home school so that may just be right for them.

Thanks again,
Le Blu

Morell
  4/25/2015 07:20 EST

I think there are several on the Facebook group who have kids in private schools here and seem happy.
As mentioned, although some say homeschoolong is permitted others will say definitely not and Immigration will tell you what they expect.

Here is one comment on that site

The Uruguayan government does not recognize it as a formal education, if you want residency for your children, they must attend a school. Period. There are English schools that you can get them in to begin with, that will help them transition into Spanish. I've heard of more than one family who had problems with this... they wanted to home school but it kept them from getting residency for their families.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/uruguayexpats/

crazyfarmer
  4/25/2015 13:18 EST

Yeah, from what I understand, homeschooling is technically illegal. But I've also heard that locals who want to do this form cooperatives with other parents in the area and use a technicality in the law to become a private school. Then hire tutors or do whatever a normal homeschooler would do.

One thing to remember also... when your kids attend public school here, at the end of the 6th grade, assuming they pass, they're simply passed onto the next grade. But if they attend a private school, the state requires a test at the end of the 6th grade to prove that they've learned everything. So if you put your kids in a private spanish speaking school, and their spanish isn't 100%, the school might pass them along for a few years, only to have them hit the wall with this test. Uruguayan history and geography isn't taught so much in the US.

For us, we did the homeschooling while also having them in the public school. We sort of wrote off the education they were getting at the public school because it wasn't so great. But it was only half a day. So we viewed it as an intensive spanish course and taught them ourselves the rest of the day. This worked well and satisfied the residency requirement while still sort of homeschooling.

brian

edykizaki
  4/25/2015 20:02 EST

Hi, I know that home schooling can look inviting at first glance, but I don't recommend that you go that direction and here's why:

Your kids cannot get cedulas unless they are enrolled in an accredited uruguayan school. Also, they may be pretty isolated from the culture and learning the language if they don't go to a local school. Some international schools are expensive but not all, the one my son goes to is good and goes the extra mile to help him learn Spanish and he actually passed his grade his first year here. It costs about 9,000 pesos per month tuition, vs. around 19,000 at some of the "top" bilingual schools, and it is a great community. Would be happy to give you details and I am in the process of checking out other schools too for friends. Welcome, and just let us know what you need to find out!

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Mobility LC is committed to work hard to make your Uruguayan immigration and relocation process a reality. We can provide you with the best local contacts and will guide you all the way through the process offering support in 5 different languages. Your success is our personal goal.

Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

Mobility LCMobility LC

Mobility LC is committed to work hard to make your Uruguayan immigration and relocation process a reality. We can provide you with the best local contacts and will guide you all the way through the process offering support in 5 different languages. Your success is our personal goal.
Connect

Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

Wanderlustspirit
  4/26/2015 19:47 EST

We have 2 children. One is bilingual & the other only speaks English. We plan to enroll them in one of 3 international schools in punta del este. Right now, st. Joseph Mary is the front runner based on conversations with some UY people. $800/ month for 2 kids. 1/2 day Spanish/ 1/2 day English

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