Moving to Brussels with tween/ teens - what to expect, the good and the bad

[Baguetteandbrie]

It looks like my husband may have the opportunity to go and work in Brussels. Really good job with supported (EEB) schooling for DC's 11 and 12.
One DC has literally just started secondary.
DH and me have always thought an opportunity such as this would be valuable and - although it feels a bit scary in reality!
However, I am a little nervous about the impact on the DC's.
Could this be a great opportunity or a disruptive wrong choice?!!
At home we are currently fortunate to have a good disposable income and so are able to go on nice holidays, kids do hobbies etc but we live in a bit of cultural desert area. Thinking that living in a cosmopolitan city would have it's benefits for the children. Also, keen for them to understand that the world outside of where we live is for exploring..
What are the realities of moving kids this age to a new country, away from their friends etc?..

Brussels is an interesting place with lots going on and good transport. Are you sure of EEB access and if so which language section would you be applying for?

EEB allocation is by lottery - depending on language section - so the school you are allocated may be different to the one/s preferred.
Where will work be? East Brussels with the communes of Woluwe St Pierre, Woluwe St Lambert, Auderghem and Watermael Boitsfort are good options if work is in the European Quarter.

Yes definitely for the EEB school apparently but I don't know more than that other than a browse on the web. The work is in Haren. @catmack16 catmack16- if you have any further details of the schooling process that would be great. Also, any perspective on general life outside of school /culture would be brill.

Ok, if it is Haren I think I know what that means and EEB would not be the usual choice of school for people based there though eligibility is theoretically available. You might want to check that out further as if you are currently based in the U.K. the EEB language requirements may be a bit trickier unless you already have additional languages. There are other school options that would be more popular for people based there.

Culture-wise there is lots going on with different festivals, events most weeks/ weekends - comics, food, music, mobility etc. There is opera and theatre with some available in English. Lots of music with large venues, small venues etc.

Lots of sports facilities especially football, tennis, hockey but lots of other activities and also sport options if attending one of the large international schools whereas EEB sports may be a bit more limited but again you may want to check that aspect.

Easy to travel to France, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and beyond.

We moved to Belgium with our 14 year old several years ago. He went to the British school in Tervuren as he needed to stay with the UK curriculum. It was the best thing we have done for him (& us) I don’t know the area you are talking about but there are many activities and clubs for young people. Good luck, I hope it works out for you all.

Yes I think BSB would potentially be a more obvious (and potentially easier) choice for children coming directly from the U.K. at Secondary level with only English. Apologies if this is not your situation.

Lots of sport, drama and music opportunities at BSB.
Expensive if you don't have fee support but sounds like you should have some fee support.

Does his visa cover you to work too OP?

We moved to Belgium when dd was 2 and she's been in local schools since. My office is in Haren but not the big N one which is next door. We live in Woluwe St Pierre. It's a fabulous city to live in with lots of cultural and sports activities. There are british Sports teams and Scouts/Guides etc. I would want to confirm the schooling before moving as it would be hard for a 12 yo to move to local school vs one of the international alternatives (though not impossible). There are english speaking activities on top of the Belgian ones certainly. There are so many advantages to living here - the ability to visit lots of european places within easy reach by car or train. Belgium is a very family friendly country. It's quite normal to see the dads leaving earlier to do the school run etc. Family generally takes a priority over work imho.

Thanks for your replies.

catmack16 - we are UK based and English is our only language currently. BSB looks great but the fees would count it out for us at 40,000 euro per child a year. The job comes with some educational contribution but not to that degree. The EEB schools would be feasible but perhaps the language thing is an issue?
The lifestyle opportunities sounds great and what we would be looking for. We spend most summers having a Euro based holiday around Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands so - holiday wise at least, we are familiar with some of the cultural opportunities further afield.
I will be able to work.

I think you would need to find out more about the EEB option and the language requirements as my limited understanding is that some subjects are taught in another language from the 'main' language from a fairly young age so history, geography etc would be in French/ German etc depending on the language section and preferences so not just learning those languages but being taught in them.

Also I would advise getting really clear confirmation of eligibility for EEB as there are enrolment pressures and limited spaces for those who are not in Category 1. Also potentially long bus journeys across Brussels depending on school allocation and housing.

There are lots of people who know more, if you are on Facebook there is a group 'Belgian Schools Network: Public, Private, Home' which would be worth joining as it would have EEB parents who could advise.

There are some other English language private schools with lower fees than BSB and again that Facebook group would be a useful source of information on those.

As mentioned above Belgium is generally a fairly family friendly place with lots to do and easy access to lots of other places so hope you can make it work.

I would question a company asking you to move but unwilling to pay for BSB if that would be your preferred option.

I would definitely have considered local schooling with young children but teenagers are a different matter.

Is this a permanent job or a secondment? If permanent, given the ages of your DC, you also need to think through what will happen if your DH doesn't like his job or gets sacked. Will you be able to come back to the U.K. or will you have to stay for schooling?
I'm guessing your DC are just going into Yr7 & Yr8. If you go, you'll either have to come back within 18 months or stay there for the next 7 years and accept that your DC will be international students for the purposes of going to U.K. universities.
Also, how over subscribed are secondaries in your area? If you came back for Yr10 (and GCSEs) would your DC get a place at their current school or would they have to go elsewhere.

Thank you. It sounds like I need to get more clarification on schools as a priority...I think if DC's can't be taught in English with the age they are that would be a no from me!

It's a permanent role. I think we could get back into secondary. What's the 18 months. @letmesailletmesail What's the 18 month / 7 year thing?

As a result of the UK's departure from the EU U.K. nationals living outside the U.K. will generally be classed as international students for fees at universities in the U.K. from 2028. Previously they were classed as home students for fee purposes.

Eligibility for home fees is linked to residence in the U.K. for the three years preceding university entry and residence in the U.K. must not be solely for the purposes of education so boarding school would not qualify if home residence was outside the U.K.

For further information check the guidance on fee status on the UKCISA website for each part of the U.K.

If your DC1 is going into Yr8 now, then they'll be starting their GCSE course in Sept '25. Given you won't get out there much before Christmas I would have thought, then, if your eldest is to do GCSEs in the U.K. (and go to Uni in the U.K. without needing to take a gap year), you'll be back within about 18 months of leaving.
Otherwise, if your DC are in consecutive school years, you'll have to be there for 7 years as otherwise you'll be moving back when one of them would ordinarily be mid-way through a 2 year exam course. If your DC are two school years apart, then you could come back when one has done GCSEs and the other not started or when one has just done A levels and the other just done GCSEs

If you move to Belgium now and your children finish their schooling there they will be liable for International Fees at university and not eligible for a student loan. The education cost implications of this move are huge.

For many, many reasons it is a big no from me.
Sounds great. I think it will be a massive struggle in reality. Especially for children and you. Huge stress.

Your marriage fails? (God forbid) You are utterly scuppered.

YY regarding UK universities. YY regarding huge language barriers. Of all places, to go just knowing English is mad at tween age.

It's good fun. I lived there in my 20s working for the Euro Parliament. If your children are female I would be slightly wary; there's quite a few ghetto areas where I was spat at my north African men if wearing a skirt:

I lived in Belgium for several years and really liked it. Not Brussels though, so I can't advise on anything helpful to you personally, OP, other than saying that in your position I would definitely go for it.

Things I liked, for example:

Friendly people, easy to make friends (I did speak the language)

Socially caring country eg care for elderly, disabled etc people is better funded and nicer than in the UK. I like countries that treat the more vulnerable people well.

Better health care in comparison to NHS - much shorter waiting times, more access to consultants etc. If you have private insurance in the UK then you could find it to be a lower level of luxury though.

Wonderful chocolate, chips and beer in particular, but great food in general

So quick and easy to get to other countries, of course especially NL, Fr and Ger

What I didn't like, for example:

School system where the result is an average of subjects, each out of 20. I don't want to be specific about my DC, but it can lead to a lower average because of one subject, even when not relevant to choice of subject at uni. I'm of course talking about Belgian schools with locals.

Belgian coast is only a few miles long, and most of it is ugly.

The rather silly attitudes of the Flemish towards Walloons and vice versa. But a lot of countries have that sort of issue.

Overall I would happily live in Belgium again. Good luck with your decision!

Wildcard suggestion: live in Lille and commute to Brussels (30 mins).

There's two international schools, one free, one about 5k, and of course it's in France which is like Belgium but better ;-)

Brussels is a lovely place to live. And access to the European Schools is a serious opportunity for your DC. I'd leap at the chance.
And they can get EU student fees for EU Universities later on. Ireland would work for English language uni, but by that point their language skills may be fine for other EU countries, especially the ones taught in English.

I live in Belgium and have done for 21 years. I would be double checking the EEB access if I were you - there aren't even enough spaces for all EU civil servants' kids these days. Getting a place if you're not working for an EU institution is nigh on impossible.

Brussels is a nice place to live- lots going on, easy transport, pretty cheap rental prices (compared to similar capital cities). There are plenty of English speaking activities for the kids (for example scouts, theatre groups). If they do go to EEB they'll have to do a 2nd language from the equivalent of year 7. Also be warned that there are lots of non-EN native speakers in the English section. And as someone else mentioned, the European schools operate a lottery - as in you have no control over which site your kids get allocated to. (for this and several other reasons my English speaking kids go to French speaking Belgian schools).

Feel free to PM me if you want to ask anything.

My DC also went to local schools. I found some of the international schools had a teacher recruitment issue because of the insecure and badly paid work offered (surprising considering the cost of sending DC to those schools). Local Belgian schools are also odd for teaching staff, awful contracts when they start out, but then at some point they get better contracts and decent hours.