I know this is an old thread, but I was wondering if anyone else had any advice? My husband has been offered a job in Guernsey, but the only Guernsey person I know is an old uni friend (Guernsey born and bred)! We have been to visit and also met up with my friend, but are still in two minds. From what we have seen and heard, the pros are :-
- Lovely scenery and beaches. There seems to be endless beaches!
- Near to France (we love going on holiday there)
- Lower income tax rate
- Short drive to work instead of a train commute
- Low crime rates
Cons :-
- Very expensive housing, and 'Housing Licences' restrict which houses non-Guernsey-born-people can buy and rent.
- My friend says that the education system is not early as good as it used to be. What do other people think about this?? My friend said in the last year or so, they closed the small single-form entry schools - and now many classes in other schools are full and you are not guaranteed a place at your local school anymore, plus last year some parents were very disappointed not to get the school place they wanted.
Have other people experienced this? It would concern us because we had a look at some houses to buy or rent and it was clear that houses in more desirable school catchments cost significantly more to rent / buy. We wouldn't want to pay more and then not get a place (we have a 3 year old and a baby). We looked into schools and saw that Hauts Capelles School and Vale School were massive primaries with big intakes (not keen on this), but that some other primaries only take 60 children a year so those sound better.
- We have read in the local paper that Guernsey is in the process of abolishing the Eleven Plus and its grammar schools - what do people think about this?
- We looked at the private schools, but my friend says that there is only the Boys private school, the Girls private school and one Co-educational private school. I heard mixed things about them - that they get very good results, but are not good at supporting children with additional needs and have been known to ask some children to leave the school if they can't keep up or do not meet expectations. Has anyone got experience of any of the private schools?
- Parking in St Peter Port for work is a nightmare - my husband's company said they have no spare parking spaces, so we need to know what the parking situation is really like.
- Expensive living costs as most things are imported , plus its expensive to get off the island by ferry or plane. Plus we hear travel delays are common due to the island having a lot of fog and the ferry breaks down frequently!
Its seems like a lovely island, but we wonder if we will actually be financially worse off there, particularly because of housing costs - how have other people who have moved to the island found it? Would love to hear some more from people living in Guernsey. Thank you in advance!