Job Discussion Forums

[misterbrownpants]

hi there was just wondering if anybody else is teaching abroad while raising children... im not sure if i count or not.. since i have made uruguay my home.. but.. just curious...
do you feel it is a good opprotunity for your kids?
do you feel that they may be missing out on some things from your native land?
what about the standards of living?

and your job.. does your boss give your children benefits too?

just random question

[MELEE]

I'm like you, my girls are Mexican first and American second. I've made Mexico my home--though I would take them to another country should the all the right conditions fall into place.

I don't think they are missing out on anything not being American kids, I'm also active on a parents of twins forum that is mostly American. Listening to those other moms usually makes me so thankfull my kids do not live there.

I think we have a higher standard of living here, because Mexico is still a place where higher education is a ticket to a good life.

My girls have full health coverage through my employer--though I usually choose not to use it and pay out of pocket. I got 100% pay on maternity leave, took a 1 year sabbatical to stay home with them from the end of my maternity leave and they get free daycare until their 4th birthday.
Wouldn't get that teaching in the US!
not directly a benefit to the kids, but it certainly has helped is that I also got a 0% mortgage from the Mexican government through working here.

[QatarChic]

I don't have children but certainly my friends who have children say that being in the Gulf gives their kids many opportunities that they may not have had back in the UK; a higher standard of living, tuition paid for at the top schools here etc. The Gulf is also very family orientated which helps as well.....It was the same when I was working in Spain, the children loved being in a culture that was so child friendly and where they could enjoy many things...

[dolmie]

It depends on the kids really--if they are so needy of their friends, it might be very hard for them abroad. I've taught at boarding schools and seen kids fall apart.

Mind you, any privileged teen will benefit from watching a kid work full time on a bus in peru or in a shop in pakistan.

[mdk]

One of the missionary families in Siberia had brought their teenagers along. They had the advantage of now speaking colloquial Russian as well as English. That had to be an advantage.

Also Siberia is similar to Montana in that it tends to teach people to be responsible and self-reliant.

[naturegirl321]

I think that many Asian countries are children-friendly. My husband and I don't have kids yet, but I think that China would be a great place to raise a family.
ONe thing I've noticed is that people with kids either live in the husband's or wife's country, For example, the OP, MELEE and I are in our husbands' country. It makes visas and everything much easier. Glenski is in his wife's country.
What's much hard is living in a country that is foreign to both. I know that Gordon and his wife live in Japan and they're both America. It's more difficult because of visas, etc, but I think that it becames "their" country rather than "his" or "hers"

[eslstudies]

My wife is Chinese, I'm Australian. Our son was born in China, but we moved to Australia when he was 5 months. Just before his 3rd birthday, I took a job in Shanghai, where we stayed for 3 years. He attended local kindergarten, though didn't enjoy it [Chinese schooling is highly regimented], but did learn good Chinese. However, he was more than happy to move back to Australia, and is highly resistant to any further change.

[sheeba]

[naturegirl321]

[Gordon]

[naturegirl321]

[sheeba]

[Gordon]

[naturegirl321]

[jsteventon]

My kids have lived in Brunei for most of their lives. They regard it as 'home' and benefit from living in a safe, friendly country which offers them so much. I have never regretted raising them here...