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Original poster

Moving to Jersey advice on where to live please!

12 replies

ejvs · 31/01/2014 18:51

My partner has been offered a job in Jersey and will be starting next month. myself and my DD ( not his DD) have decided to go with him. I am a nurse so hopefully will get a part time job without too much trouble. The thing is I don't know Jersey at all and I am not sure where we should be looking to live. I am also interested in primary schools for my DD who is in Yr 1. Any advice or thoughts on this would be very welcome.

OP posts:
greenglasses · 02/02/2014 09:50

Hi

I live in Jersey. Hope I can help a little! Will your DP be working in St Helier? Have you any preference re urban/rural areas? Any limits on his/your commute time? Obviously on a 9 by 5 mile island no commute is huge but you would really need cars if you lived in some parishes.

Will your DP be getting an 'essential employee' license do you know? It makes a difference as to which properties you're allowed to live in (you probably know this already!). Any preference re private or state schools?

Ememem84 · 02/02/2014 09:59

Also in jersey. Have lived here all my life. Schools are generally better than uk. Food clothes etc are more expensive.

I honestly wouldn't want to live anywhere else though. You're never more than 20 minutes away from the sea. The weather is good (even in winter it rarely snows). It's beautiful.

You wil need a car to make the most of it though.

Original poster
ejvs · 02/02/2014 20:34

Hi,
We will both be working in St Hellier and my DP has got his licence. We both have cars but really don't want more than a 15 min commute. I would prefer state school for my DD, purely for financial reasons. We have spent the weekend here and I go home tomorrow. It's my first visit and I have really enjoyed it! X

OP posts:
greenglasses · 03/02/2014 09:31

Glad you enjoyed your visit. If you like Jersey in this weather you'll love it in the summer! Jersey is a different place in good weather. There are stunning beaches and lots of water sports etc. Coupled with the friendly people and the low crime rate, I can see why people wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Personally, I find the housing qualifications and the insecurity associated with that difficult. House/rental prices are also a huge negative. Anyway, I'm sure you're aware of all that!

I can't really help with schools/areas within 15 minutes of St Helier unfortunately. I'm a westie Smile so St Peter, St Ouen and St Brelade are more my areas of expertise! I'm not sure whether you could live in St Clement and still have such a short commute? It's nice there (I think!). Some parts of St Saviour are very nice too. Many parts of St Helier are lovely too. I guess it depends what kind of area you want to live in.

Before we moved over, I phoned the education department at The States and they told me which schools had places. Then I made sure I found a rental property within the catchment area for our chosen school. We were lucky that there were spaces for my DC in the school of our choice. I hope everything falls into place for you!

Original poster
ejvs · 03/02/2014 19:04

Hi, thanks green glasses, that's really helpful. I think we may have found a house in Gorey but I will certainly take up your suggestion to call the education department to see if they have spaces before we commit. We also saw somewhere nice on the St Hellier/St Johns border but had heard some not so complimentary things about some of the St Hellier schools and I didn't want to risk not getting offered a place at an out of catchment school. Will definitely call them tomorrow to discuss.

OP posts:
greenglasses · 04/02/2014 14:05

Ah, Gorey's lovely. Well, I haven't spent much time there but it looks nice! Nice restaurants and bars etc. Very beautiful on a sunny day too.

I hope the education department were helpful and they have a space for your DD. I think you're probably wise to avoid the schools in town, if you can. I have no experience of them myself but I have heard some negative things about some aspects of the St Helier schools. I think the country parish schools have a better reputation.

How exciting for you! I hope you love it here.

Original poster
ejvs · 06/02/2014 09:31

Thanks greenglasses, called them yesterday and they were a bit cagey but managed to establish that the 2 schools slightly out if the catchment area are completely full so there was no chance of a place. The house in Gorey has gone so back to the drawing board. think another trip over may be in order! Thanks for your advice! X

OP posts:
greenglasses · 06/02/2014 11:07

Hmm, I must admit I didn't find the education department particularly helpful either (didn't want to mention it in case I had just been unlucky!). They basically said that we should find a house first, then they'll tell us which school our children could go too...and they really didn't want to tell me which schools had places! Confused I said that the school was more important than the house and I'd like to fit the house around the school actually! It is a very different system to what I was used to in the UK. As you probably know, there are no Ofsted (or similar) reports on schools in Jersey (well, not ones that are available to the public, anyway). It really was difficult to work out which was the best school for my children as the only info I had was from the schools' websites! There's a website called Mums in Jersey, don't know whether you've found it yet? Their Facebook page is quite busy and often gets posts from people like yourself asking about schools etc. I narrowed the search down to two or three schools from information like that, then we visited for a few days and looked around those schools, then made our decision that way. Although housing can be in short supply, we had a choice of a few places in the end. It's difficult doing it from a distance, and with no background knowledge of the area, but I'm happy with the decision we made, and I'm sure you'll make the right one too. Good luck!

greenglasses · 06/02/2014 18:59

Oops, 'to' not 'too'! Blush

Darcy00 · 08/05/2014 22:20

Hi,

I was reading your posts and wondered if you have moved over yet and if so how have you found life in Jersey so far? We are moving over in August and I am trying to find out as much information as possible regarding schools etc but it seems quite difficult. We also had a luke warm reception from the Education Department which is a shame as we are very exited about the move. Any advice on areas, schools, island life would be much appreciated.

chadam29 · 20/03/2016 19:58

Hello

So I have been offered a job in Jersey as a teacher which I have accepted but to be honest I know very little about the place. My partner will be coming with me but because we are not married he will not come over on my licence J category this doesn't impact us on housing I am worried it will be hard for him finding a job. Are we best getting married before we go (we are due to marry next year). Also I could do with knowing where the best places are to live, I will be working in St Helier but I'm worried about the price of accommodation, we will be bringing our pets 1 dog and 2 cats and will be having children over to stay so ideally need at least 2 beds in a house. Where is the best?

Any information and advice will be most helpful as I want to be as fully prepared as I can be. I am moving from the UK.

Thank you

Vosty · 15/03/2019 19:17

Hi Chadam29
I just wondered whether you were still in Jersey, I know this is an old post!
I find myself in the same situation, my partner will have licensed status, we are not married so I will just be registered. Did this cause your partner and problems?
It’s causing me much anxiety already.
Thanks

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