To think 15 and 13 is too old to relocate?

[NorthRose]

We currently live in San Francisco, DH has been offered a promotion based in London, England for 5 years starting April 2017.

At that point DS will be 15 turning 16 in September 2017 and DD will be 13 turning 14 in December 2017.

They're far too old to join the English school system so will have to attend an American School.

But my issue isn't the schooling, I think that they're far too old and too settled to be removed, they've lived in our house/our street/our neighbourhood their entire lives.

Although it's Europe I'm still worried about a culture shock, DCs do a lot of sports that may not be on offer in England, Hockey , Baseball, Lacrosse etc

Our entire family is in the U.S, DCs will both be attending University in America, with DD we'll be going back the year she's suppose to start but when DS moves back we'll still be located in England, which will just make the whole process a lot harder then it has to be.

DH has said that turning down the promotion means his career stagnates for a few years as he most likely won't be offered anything else for a long time.

Both DCs are on the fence about going.

I don't know if I'm being too cautious about this, it seems better to wait 4 or 5 years and then do the move if he's offered a similar opportunity when DCs both leave home.

Go! Expand their horizon; it will be a fantastic life experience for them.

Going to the American school they'll be surrounded by people with whom they have a lot in common by also having gone through various relocations. My kids go to an international school and they and their friends have no issues moving around, solid friendships remain and new ones are created, it is part of the course.

There are Lacrosse, Ice Hockey and good Baseball clubs in west London. London is vibrant, international and an overall amazing place to live. Don't miss on this fantastic opportunity. Your children's age is actually interesting as it is when they'll benefit the most out of living in a different country (a 6 year old would be oblivious to it all). They'll probably hate the very idea of moving away from their friends but they will soon change their mind once settled.

Op would you be able to work here easily? - I don't know how work permits and so on work here for spouses, but it seems from mn that people do find it difficult when they go abroad and are not allowed to work (thinking of some threads about US, in fact!).

I think it's better to think about this as a mind-broadening experience. It's sad to think that 15 and 13 are too OLD to relocate. Very sad, and rather provincial & parochial. So YABU

I am one of a number of people I know who travelled as a child, emigrated, re-emigrated, and lived in several cultures. Friends of mine - diplomats' children - did as well, and we are all successful, outward looking. If your children are bright & if you and your DH have the right attitude, it should be a brilliant educational experience, and they'll have the privilege of feeling like they're citizens of the world.

13 is not too old to start at an English school if attending a UK university seems financially beneficial. It's possible to sit SATS tests here and you have Fulbright for help with American universities www.fulbright.org.uk/

UK system is well worth trying for a 13 year old, she would take GCSEs at 16 and they can get you into a US college, she would then have the option of college or continuing to A Levels / IB and have a choice of US colleges skipping 101 classes or European universities, some teach in English.

Don't think of it just as London, you can get a train in London and be in Paris three hours later, lots of European cities are only 1 or 2 hour flights, it's perfectly do able to go to Berlin or Dublin for a weekend.

For various reasons I know many Americans who move to London for a few years. There are usually two types.. Type 1 (vast majority) play it safe and go to American schools. These kids enjoy Londoners but as visitors, retaining their US accents, hanging out with others in the same boat, disappearing off over summer etc. Type 2 (minority) embrace London and enrol in British schools (private). They become little Londoners - hanging out at weekends in Top Shop, Portobello Road and Camden. Some never want to go home.

I don't think either is wrong. Not sure which group I'd be in if I relocated from the US.

I don't think it's a matter of being "too old", it's about it not being an ideal time education-wise for your oldest. (I'm assuming, however, that you aren't about to tell us that your DC are elite athletes and you were hoping they would be in for a shout at a college scholarship in lacrosse / hockey / baseball, as although you can find these sports here the standard is far far below what they will have been used to in most cases, plus they will be off the scouts' radars almost completely)

If you can get a space in the American school in Cobham, go for it! And I agree, don't assume that your youngest will need to go there (though they may well want to). 13 is a really good point to be moving in the English school system, particularly if you go private.