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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Year abroad and pre departure testing for return to UK

34 replies

challengerequired · 05/12/2021 07:40

Anyone want to join me in quietly worrying about this?
Dd due home in 12 days.
This is the thing that isn't discussed all this - the human cost if they test positive!! I can't bear thinking about it.

OP posts:
SeasonFinale · 05/12/2021 07:41

If they test positive think of the human cost of them station a flight potentially infecting hundreds of others!

SeasonFinale · 05/12/2021 07:42

*sitting not station

Original poster
challengerequired · 05/12/2021 08:01

I think I am allowed to worry about my child in this way.

OP posts:
ajandjjmum · 05/12/2021 08:12

@challengerequired

I think I am allowed to worry about my child in this way.
Of course you are. Hopefully your DC will be taking sensible precautions to avoid covid, knowing the impact that a positive test would have. I really hope that they don't catch the virus, but if they do, for them to sit on a flight full of others would be ridiculous, as I'm sure you know. Fingers crossed for you!
TizerorFizz · 05/12/2021 09:03

They are accepting lateral flow tests. But if they had covid in the country they have visited, they would have to isolate, surely?

I agree it’s one more thing to worry about. I suggest DC keeps doing lateral flow tests all the way up to THE test for the flight. At least that should make it less of a lottery but at a price!

ChimneyPot · 05/12/2021 09:13

I have a DD studying abroad too.

We are in Ireland which has also brought in ore departure testing for arrivals.

I am just sticking my head in the sand and hoping everything will be ok.

DD had Covid in September so less likely to get it now.

Sunndowne · 05/12/2021 10:15

My DD was very anxious last year about catching covid before she came home. Friends didn't move in with her until bout of covid subsided. But she came home 3 weeks early rather than be around friends of friends who were not cautious.

Other than that she had a fabulous year.

Fingers crossed for you.

Chemenger · 05/12/2021 10:23

Thankfully my DD is en route back from her year abroad in Mexico right now, not needing a test, although she had a negative LF a few days ago because she had a cold (someone came to her apartment and tested her). She had Covid (for the second time) in September and is double vaccinated so she’s very low risk. DH has to get back from the US on the 18th, which is a more worrying timescale.

MarchingFrogs · 05/12/2021 11:07

DD is due to fly back from France on the 21st, but has exams more or less immediately in the new year - I think I am almost more worried about her not being able to get back from here as I am re the possibility of her not getting here in the first place, tbh. Her French university doesn't seem to do anything much on line and I'm not sure how missing a set of exams altogether would fit with the requirement to 'pass' the year.

She is also now five months past her second vaccination, so I have suggested that if the opportunity arises to have her booster in France, she should do that and deal with any admin issues of the course being completed in two different countries when or if they arise. (She was slightly confused by the text from the NHS she got the other day, but worked out that the message was, you're now eligible for a booster, but don't try to book one yet, because we're doing people with a better reason to get one first).

bagelsandlox · 05/12/2021 11:22

@challengerequired of course you are allowed to worry about your child in this way!

Also worried here - my DD flies back from France on the 16th. Fortunately she will be busy with exams between now and then, so much less socialising than usual.

@MarchingFrogs DD had her first jab in the UK and second in France - at the French vaccination centre they "converted" her UK jab into a French one for her records. Presumably the same could be done when getting a booster?

Original poster
challengerequired · 05/12/2021 11:32

Yes lots of exams for dd as well, and have suggested socialising at xmas market so outside

OP posts:
MarchingFrogs · 05/12/2021 12:02

@bagelsandlox, yes, that would be an answer for the French view of her status and hopefully, we would recognise it from the other way round, so to speak. The alternative would be that she does another human pincushion impersonation (she went to Madagascar at the end of year 13 and I lost track of the number of injections she had / multiples of £60 we paidHmm for the required immunisations), if the UK decides that don't recognise the French one.

bagelsandlox · 05/12/2021 12:39

@MarchingFrogs, I was told to send her French vaccine record to the GP here who could update her NHS vaccine record. I just have not bothered to do it since so far it has not really been required in the UK. But the human pincushion approach also works - I have a family member who has had full vaccination in both UK and France!

daisypond · 05/12/2021 12:49

My DC’s jabs abroad aren’t recognised in the UK, which is a real shame. Also, do be careful if returning abroad. My DD needed a PCR test to enter the country and the results didn’t come back in time - they arrived 15 minutes after the gate was closed - so she wasn’t able to board her flight.

Moominmammacat · 05/12/2021 15:14

Same boat here, just crossing fingers.

Original poster
challengerequired · 06/12/2021 06:47

Hope it works out for all of you in the same situation!

OP posts:
ajandjjmum · 06/12/2021 08:03

[quote bagelsandlox]@MarchingFrogs, I was told to send her French vaccine record to the GP here who could update her NHS vaccine record. I just have not bothered to do it since so far it has not really been required in the UK. But the human pincushion approach also works - I have a family member who has had full vaccination in both UK and France![/quote]
That's really interesting re. the multi jabs. DS is here from Australia for a month - he had two AZ jabs out there, but I have been thinking that he would be sensible to get a Pfizer booster whilst he is here. If he then had to have another booster in Aus (working on the basis of their records needing to show that he was fully vaccinated at their end) it wouldn't be a problem medically?

bagelsandlox · 06/12/2021 10:21

@ajandjjmum not a specialist myself but the family member who did this had no ill effects. I would think so long as the jabs were well spaced out, there should not be any issue - and your DS would have excellent immunity!

ifonly4 · 13/12/2021 11:03

DD just booked flight home. I don't think it'll surprise either of us if she tests positive. She spent the day with two friends 12 days ago who've tested positive. (one thought she had a cold but it was covid!). Although, she can make very basic conversation in the language of the country she's in, she can't understand the telephone booking system for PCR. She's queued on day 3 for an administered LFT which was positive, but hasn't gone back as it's a two hour queue. No LFT available.

I'm looking forward to seeing her, but have to be realistic it could well not happen.

As said above, I'm more worried about if she can't get back. She has to be present in the country when uni is open, otherwise the whole year doesn't count!

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2021 12:35

Doesn’t the year abroad follow our terms? My DD sent her work to her uk uni as required for marking after each semester. Some unis accept the marks awarded by the overseas uni. Depends on the course. DS never went back in after the year abroad as the uni was closed for the holidays. What uni requires them to turn up or a whole year is forfeited?

MarchingFrogs · 13/12/2021 16:56

Dd is at Sciences Po Aix, where they need to follow the requirements of that university for the year. She was unable to take some courses which she otherwise would have chosen, due to visa issues delaying her arrival in September. Fortunately, her modules with January exams are now being being assessed by essay instead, apart from the one which held an oral exam this morning. I would assume the set-up to be different where the year abroad is spent in employment, rather than actually enrolled at a university, though.

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2021 17:57

Not necessarily. My DD was at universities abroad for MFL but did academic work for her uk university. She also did academic work and exams abroad but it didn’t count towards her degree. It did prove she had attended!

A friend of hers went to a Grande Ecole at Challons en Champagne and did their exams I believe. Nothing back at uk uni. Neither had to arrive back in the uk by a certain date. DD came back in July.

ifonly4 · 20/12/2021 08:28

Challengerequired ChimneyPot Mooninmammacat and
Marchingfrogs Any news on your DC returning for Xmas.

DD came home last night, not 100% it's the right thing with covid but just going to try and enjoy her being home and deal with any problems on return.

It's been a real rollercoaster. She spent a fair amount of time with a friend who thought she had a cold, turned out to be covid. DD doesn't know enough German to negotiate the telephone test booking system and no LFTs were available, so we have no idea if she had it and whether it could have been in her system. She passed the pre-departure test and did her day 2 test at airport on return. Hopefully negative today as she wants to invite a friend around. Very stressful day yesterday as Germany brought in 14 day quarantine on return less than 24 hours before flight.

Moominmammacat · 20/12/2021 09:19

Mine is back, still waiting for result of Day 2 test (now day 7) and raging at the thought of quarantine on return. On a brighter note, he got a booster here yesterday with only his German health records, no questions asked.

MarchingFrogs · 20/12/2021 10:22

@ifonly4, DD got back yesterday - having had the trauma of the rules being changed (with zero fanfare, as far as any of us could tell) to the pre-travel test having to be taken 'within 48 hours' to 'within 24 hours' at some point between her test and her arrival at Marseille airport.

She is desperate to see friends tomorrow evening (and even willing to insist that they sit at an outside table to eat), but we are now worried that her result, like that of @Moominmammacat's DS, will be one of the ones which takes ages to come through. Iirc, an 'unreadable' sample can be followed by a 'test to release' on ?day 8, but there is no such proviso if one just hasn't had the result at all by then?