Moving to the U.K. for a year? What do I need to know?

[hummmuna]

Posting here for traffic.
My job has asked me to move to the U.K. for the year. We were hoping for a September move to coincide with a new school year. My dh is ok with this and he has had permission from his job (in Ireland) to work from home, from the U.K.

So we have started to look for somewhere to rent and near schools so dh can collect dc. And then we won't need childcare. What do I need to know about bills in the U.K.? Our only bill is here electricity and mortgage. We don't have water bills. What is the average water bill for a 3 bed house? What else do I need to know?

We have 2 dc and one will be in what I can see as year2 as she is in her 2nd year of schooling here now so if she starts there in September it will be year2. The youngest will go straight to reception. Eldest is just turned 7 now and the youngest is 5 in July.

What else do I need to do/be aware of? Thank you

Haven’t read the thread but don’t sign up for any sky package. Within a year they’ll have you committed to 1000 channels and you’ll still have nothing to watch but then you’ll be skint too.
And don’t bother with Netflix either, just Freeview cos it’s FREE.

I only have 2dc not 3

@HighSpecWhistle he would be fine, just as I would be fine were it the other way round. Such is life...it's only a year (could even be less. He is very supportive of my career.

To add- If you have the ability to pay for private school that may be a way around it. Far easier to arrange before you travel over.

You can apply to put your children in the year below but you would need to approach the headteachers of the schools in your catchment in the first instance, and then the governors. I went to school in Ireland and England. The education systems are vastly different. If it was me, and there was any possibility of myself and my children remaining in Ireland while my partner worked in England for a year- I would stay in Ireland. It really isn’t worth the upheaval for them (in my opinion)... particularly with how things are at the moment.

[quote hummmuna]@FinallyFluid dh is extremely helpful, he always has been. My career has always been important to me and he is aware of that. He pitches in with everything to be honest. We are very equal though on the most part, and most of the time it's me who "backs off" from house duties as such[/quote]
@hummmuna

I don't know your husband, but I as I am sure you are more than aware there is a type of Irish man, who was ruined by "the Mammy", so my comment is not in my opinion unreasonable.

Good luck with your decision.

Apologies have just read that it is your job that is relocating (sorry read really quickly). If there was any possibility of not moving the children, that would be my starting point. The are organisations such as ‘The a Irish in Britain’ who can provide more advice on your move/ schools etc.

I assume council tax there is similar to our LPT (Local Property Tax), saying we don't have council tax is a bit misleading. Its just a different name. One difference seems to be that tenants aren't liable for it in Ireland, its up to the landlord to pay it.

I assume council tax there is similar to our LPT (Local Property Tax), saying we don't have council tax is a bit misleading. Its just a different name. One difference seems to be that tenants aren't liable for it in Ireland, its up to the landlord to pay it

It's not misleading. There's no council tax in Ireland. LPT is generally far far less

My property tax bill is less than 350 annually.

Masks for dropping and collecting children. Not permitted into most schools to reduce spread.
Face2face for children of key workers. Zoom lessons for most others.
Large amounts of businesses closed, some shut down permanently.
Lots of delays in services/waiting lists should you require (hair dressers, driving lessons etc)
And this is just from the amount of mumsnet posts.

I can't imagine any head teacher wanting two children to go into a school year they are not prepared for. Your summer born 5 year old should be able to go into Reception. But you have missed the deadline for school applications (Jan 15) so you need to speak to the LEA. (Local council website education dept.) You cannot apply until you have an address.
The NHS is creaking, badly in places just now, but private health insurance is not yet a necessity - perhaps your employer could help out with private school fees which might be easier?
The landlord/estate agent will know what the council tax is - it might even be included in the rent.

Also, perhaps your employer could meet the costs of the deposit, generally at least a month's rent.

I wouldn't put your DC in the English school system for 1 year. It's very full on from year 1 and, from my experience, easy to be left behind.

My dh is Irish and was amazed at how hard the DC are worked in school in England. We were contemplating a move to Dublin (before we moved to Aus) and speaking with his friends in Dublin with similar aged DC was really eye opening re the difference in schooling and expectations on DC.

I think your family staying in Ireland and you going over for the work week would be best option.

@ReefTeeth

I wouldn't put your DC in the English school system for 1 year. It's very full on from year 1 and, from my experience, easy to be left behind.

My dh is Irish and was amazed at how hard the DC are worked in school in England. We were contemplating a move to Dublin (before we moved to Aus) and speaking with his friends in Dublin with similar aged DC was really eye opening re the difference in schooling and expectations on DC.

I think your family staying in Ireland and you going over for the work week would be best option.

That's odd as lots in the thread are saying English school is easy compared to Ireland.

Wonder who's right

Don't worry about this either. I know someone who travels every week. Its fine

At the moment. We have increasing talk across Europe about increased isolation and even hotel isolation as countries eye up the success from Australia and NZ.

OP: have you done this type of Mon-Fri weekly commuting with children in the past? Its impossible to know how you or they will cope with it until you all have to live with it otherwise.

In a broadly comparable situation many years ago I took the family with me and the children thrived - it was harder on us than them. Later when they were teens I made different decisions. Having travelled a lot for work and having many people now who (normally) travel a lot for me I'd say families cope better together than apart a lot if they have the opportunity to choose.

A child coming from a Montessori School is likely to be very advanced in reading and writing (mine was at least 3 years ahead his Y1 peers when he moved schools)

KarmaNoMore Tge OP’s child is in Montessori preschool not a montessori school. The majority of Irish children go to a montessori for two years before starting primary school. It is fir ages 3-5 usually. It is similar to preschool.
An actual montessori school in Ireland refers to a private primary school up to age 13.

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I personally found the schools in England much better than at home in the sense the way of teaching is so much different, it's more practical teaching here in England whereas Ireland it's more school books and copies

whereas Ireland it's more school books and copies

I agree Ireland focuses on memorising and end of year exams. It isn’t the most interesting way to learn for a kid :-(

I agree Ireland focuses on memorising and end of year exams. It isn’t the most interesting way to learn for a kid

Ireland 30 years ago maybe. It's not like that now, at all. Ireland has a higher standard of teaching than the UK, and score far higher on all international metrics...including happiness of children.

Hi I moved from Ireland to England about a year ago. Watch out for council tax like others say - when you start looking at rentals you can look at the council tax via a link. I thought of it as 'extra rent' as rents are lower but then you have to remember the council tax. Same with water. Mine is about 70 per month. I found the school system very inflexible compared to Ireland. My ds was in 5th class, but they made him go straight to secondary as he had turned 11. I asked for an exception, but none of the schools would entertain it. So yeah, you might have to do what they say. but don't worry as ds fitted in fine, he was ahead in some things, behind in others, but your dc will be fine wherever they are placed. (primary school might be a bit more flexible especially as you're only here for a year). In my area I had to apply direct to the school as it was past the start of the year. If you have any other questions, just shout! Overall I find it a lot cheaper here, once you get used to the bills being different. (I cam from Dublin though so used to very expensive living)

I agree that compared to Ireland secondary school is a lot more interesting here. I was very happy with the primary education in Ireland though - I think it is a lot stricter here, with a LOT more emphasis on meeting targets and expectations. A lot of testing here in primary. But ds was in an educate together which was very progressive compared to primary education here.

yes that's the thing about schools - I found it a catch-22 - they wouldn't even look at you until you had an address, and not just an address, I needed utility bills, just something to keep in mind. You might need to rent a place and 'get it started' in order to get the utility bills, and then you can apply to schools.

It would be well worth contacting the local authority admissions people. They can sometimes be very helpful about things. You could ask them about whether it's likely the children could go into year R/2 (I suspect that's going to be yes IF spaces if they're only staying a year), which schools have spaces, and so on. You can't apply for places until you have an address, so individual schools are less help, and talking to the admissions people may help you decide where would be best to live.