Travelling/working/schooling with 5yr old ds.

[NeedAnAdventure]

Hello :)
I am aware this is a crazy pipedream that is probably totally unfeesable........but.......I am at crisis point at home/work etc and figure now would be the best time to look into something that I have always wanted to do.

I am a singe parent to 5 year old ds. He's doing well in school but neither of us are particularly suited to mainstream education system. I would love more than anything to up and go...travel, work and learn along the way with him. Does anyone know of anything at all that would allow us to do this?

I feel that ds and I would really benefit from some new experiences, and as alternative schooling has always been the main aim for us, I would really like to give this some serious thought. I am open to any ideas, UK or abroad, different types of schooling, learning and living.

If anyone has any experiences or opinions they would like to share, please do so. I have a day off work so am settled infront of the laptop determined to start to form a bit of a plan out of nothing by the end of the day!!

I would repost this in chat as you might get a bit more traffic. personally I wouldn't do it but that's because I think school is as much about socialisation as education. travel to far flung places with kids is great in theory but issues like jabs, anti malarials, the sheer cost of insurances would also put me off. if you get mnhq to move this to chat I am sure you will get lots more positive views as a lot of home edders hang out on that board too.

Thanks for the tip!
I totally understand that I'm being unrealistic at this point. I'm at the very beginning stages of trying to get a bit of an idea of what could even be possible to be honest. Of course there's a rose tinted romantic notion of amazing travel experiences etc. In reality I know I won't have the money, work will be hard to come by and ds would whinge 99% of the time.
But I've got to start somewhere! :) Agree on the socialisation point too....I am just really having trouble putting my baby into a situation where he will be pushed and pushed to learn in a way that just does not suit him. Then be put through tests for the next 13 odd years to prove that he is as good as everyone else in his class.
I can see both sides and I think this is why I am struggling. Ds is a confident and intelligent little boy and is in his element when learning through doing things. The opportunities we have down here are fairly limited unless you are very wealthy, so that's my thinking with looking further afield :)

I think your biggest difficulty would be working along the way with a young child?
Home educating is fine, and can be done anywhere.
When (if!) You come back, how easy would it be to get another job and school place?
Could you take 6 weeks unpaid leave from your job and try it over the summer? Get a taste for it, and see how it goes?
We've moved out of the UK with DH's job. How transferable is your job? Not the same, but because I've got off the treadmill, the kids get more time to be, rather than breakfast and after school clubs.
Is your ex about? Might he object to you travels ng for the year?
There are certainly obstacles to overcome. But it is not impossible.

Good points! :) Very easy to get another job and school place when we come back ( Although once he is out of school I would hope to be able to home-school permanently ) I'm just doing a menial local job at the moment in preparation for completing a TEFL course over the spring/early summer. All going well I guess that would be my main source of income whilst travelling. Could take 6 weeks or so off over the summer...although need to save enough to keep house going etc whilst we are gone if only going for a matter of weeks.

My ex is around and involved with DS. He is fantastically supportive and I think he would obviously miss little one like crazy but is in a position to come and see him at least a few times. That is a major consideration for me as I wouldn't let ds be separated from family for long enough for the relationship to break down in any way.

How have you found moving abroad? Did you have a language barrier to overcome?

Moving abroad would give your son the opportunity to experience different cultures learn a language etc. I have been an expat for 21 years and my children have certainly benefited from travel opportunities. However, there is still a lot of formal testing (mine were at school in Germany, Austria and now British school in China) outside the UK and once your son hits 14 it really is same shit, different view!