Anyone living in Lagos ( Nigeria) with kids

[Alicejacks]

Don't know if I am mad to consider it even... I am a teacher and we have three kids ( 12, 9 and 6).
For the last three years Dh has been working out in Lagos and we have been based in the uk. This has been a really tough arrangement as the kids and I only get to see him four times a year for a week or two at a time.
DH has now been offered another job out there and wants us to come out and join him. The plan would be that I would teach and the children would enrol at the school I got a job in. We would live in a very safe area of Lagos and all be together. However(!), Lagos is pretty challenging as a destination and my middle child is dead against a move, although oldest and youngest are keen.... Argh. I am just not sure! Does anyone have any insight? Dh has chums out there, a few with kids, but all much younger ( pre school age).
Is 12 year old too far into one system to move schools with? All the kids are very happy and settled in schools here.
Career wise, this would be a great move for dh. I only work a 0.6 fte at the minute so i can juggle kids/ dogs/ housework so would quite like a chance to throw myself into a job again. This move would only be for a few years till the job market picks up again in the uk for dh's sector.
Anyone moved abroad with a secondary aged child?
Anyone live out in Nigeria that can shed some light on what it would be like for a family?
What are the schools like? Or even just someone to tell me to give my head a wobble and forget it... thanks!

Hi, can't help re Lagos but I'm an expat teacher (ME) who moved abroad with 3dc - then similar ages to yours - 4 years ago.

If you need any advice about international teaching in general, I'm happy to help. Hopefully someone who knows Lagos will be along soon

Thanks Purple!
Did the kids settle ok? We have lived abroad with them before but within Europe and they were much younger... The other option we are tossing up is Saudi at the moment... That's not where you are I suppose?!
I have heard that expat teachers typically get two free kids places, do you teach in the same school they go to? Thanks for getting back to me x

Hi - not Saudi. Also hot & sandy, but with these great big trianglular pointy structures a few km down the road .

I get 2 free kids & the third is half price, which is a good package. They've settled in brilliantly (one of them beat half his local mates at GCSE Arabic last year!).

One thing I would say is look closely at 'international' schools. Some genuinely are. Some, like mine, are 90% aspirational local families (they'll stick a few photos of obviously 'foreign' teacher's brats on the website to make it look a bit more diverse). That can cause issues with settling in as the kids will be breaking into friendship groups that have existed since kindergarten/there may be issues with local families being wary of socialising with dc from different cultures - my dc all have friends who wouldn't be allowed to come to our house because their parents assume I'm a dissolute booze sodden heathen or whatever...it takes time & patience, whereas friends of mine who teach at schools with a genuinely diverse, lots of expats etc demographic have certainly reported that that side of things is easier.

But on the whole, it's been great. We have a lovely life - lots of friends, both local & from the expat community, financially we are comfortable, we live in a beautiful, fascinating country & we get a weekend at the beach roughly once a month. & teaching is brilliant once you're out of the U.K. gloom & despair!

Overall, challenging but super worth it.

Oooh, thanks! That all sounds really positive. Great to hear that the work /life balance improves out with the uk curriculum. Cheers x

Hi! I'm late to the party. If you have any questions about Nigeria overall, as I spent every summer there as a kid I'd be super happy to answer them. A beautiful country in nutshell.