Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

My daughter recently visited and loved TRNC. While it is good for older folk/retirees do you think it is good for young families?

I've been told it is not so good for children as there is not a lot for them to do compared to the UK.

Does anyone have experience of the schools here? state or private? ages of the children are 6-14.

My daughter was over here for 18 months with her children, at the time they were 7 and 8 years old. They went to GAU school, were very happy there, the standard of Education is comparable with UK, in fact on their return they were ahead in some subjects.
There is plenty for children to do here , after school clubs , horse riding , dance etc. however you need to make an effort to find out when and where...also it is nice to be away from the pressures of always needing to be entertained. Our little ones played safely , much the same way as I recall years ago in England. They still have many happy memories of fun times here . Made lots of friends and loved TRNC.

mimi78.

Why did your daughter leave the TRNC after 18 months if the life was so good.
Your reply does not give a true reply to the question.
If you look at the different forums in the TRNC you will get a good Idea of the problems faced by the younger generation who come to live here.
The education has to be payed for if you wish your children to have some sort of UK education.
After dark there is very little for them to do, as their friends from school live in different areas, most of the children who go to private schools are bused into school.
I will agree that the children in the TRNC are safe to play in the street or walk to the village/town, this will not give them the enjoyment of being with friends and family in the UK that they miss.
When junior/secondary school is finished, what is the choice for further education, it will not see them getting a good job in main stream UK, and there is no prospects here for them here as temp/residents.
This is only my view as I have lived here for over 20 yrs and seen lots of young families come and go, please think about the future of your family and the cost it will need to keep them/you here.

Unless you have deep pockets then will be a problem. We have friends who returned last simply because they could not afford the fees.

You got to consider how you are going to pay the fees? If you expect to work, which friends above intended, the opportunities are very limited. The younger children may well be able to cope with state school as they are better equipped to learn Turkish as that is the only way to survive. I know the children who go to ESK and what was Sunny Lane (apologies cannot remember latest name) tend to make groups of friends within both communities because they are able to get around easier but if the younger ones are isolated from their school it may be an issue.

So it is not education that is the isssue it is the universal mode of living in North Cyprus. Almost forgot, the 14 year old will be disrupted at the most important stage of their education, IMO, imagine going into GCSE or whatever and just had your whole life disrupted!

Apart from the school fees all medical expenses have to met from your own pocket which is a huge consideration. In my opinion you need to be able to pay your bills from outside income, then anything you do manage to earn will be a bonus. I echo the above comment employment opportunities are very limited & usually poorly paid. It is also common practice for salaries not to be paid on time which is unheard of in UK.

Bringing up children in the TRNC, can be a costly minefield, however I'm sure it is possible provided your daughter and her husband are in a position to be able to pay for everything. I'm sure it is much safer here for children which is a big plus - although there are places in the UK which are just as safe, provided you don't live in an inner city. I know there are parents who send their children to state schools and thrive. They pick up the language so quickly you find them translating for their parents, and some state schools are much better than others. The standard of education differs vastly from little village school to large towns and is extremely narrow and blinkered in some cases. Bringing children over here is not a decision to be taken lightly, particularly if they are academically minded. Your daughter needs to give it a lot of thought before taking the plunge.

I moved over to TRNC 9 months ago with my daughter aged 9. She attends ESK in Bellapias. We spent many months coming back and forth to the Island looking at villages to live and at the other two English speaking schools (GAU and Necat British College (formerly Sunny Lane)). She has made a few friends. ESK has a mix of children there, however, the majority are Turkish-Cypriot and the Turkish-Cypriot children do only tend to stick with 'their kind' and the non Turkish-Cypriot tend to stick together.
The school offer after school clubs every day and most of them are free of charge. There are other activites on the Island, however, you do have to go out of your way to find them and this is usually by word of mouth. Children do pick up the Turkish language very quickly, that said, there are plenty of Turkish teachers/helpers willing to teach adults as well. The life style does not suit everyone. In the summer you can go walking or swim in your pool if you have one. Children are able to play outside with friends, if friends live near-by. In the winter this is very different. It get dark quite early so by the time you get in from school there isn't very much to do. The TV isn't that great and is hit or miss. Live TV is 2 hours behind remember so if your youngest watches 64 Zoo Lane before bedtime you are going to have to record it and watch it a day later or keep your youngest up until 21:00hrs. Compared to the UK I find the school fees very cheap. You have to pay for anything medical over here. Electric, gas and water are paid monthly and you do need to watch how much you use. It can get VERY cold in the winter and also VERY wet so don't come over here thinking it's warm and dry all the time. The local people can be very friendly towards you, especially if you try and talk to them in their language and they dote on children. Children are welcome in all restuarants and meeting places and nothing is too much trouble if a child would like something. There are activities advertised for children in the local paper on a Saturday. This life style works if you are prepared to give it a go and think local. For example do not expect a plumber to turn up at 9.45 on Tuesday as originally planned by any time on Tuesday or maybe even Wednesday. The work will get done, just in their own time.
Perhaps your daughter should take a year off and come over here and try this for herself. Rent a home, try the school and see if she likes it. The ages of the children shouldn't cause too many problems education wise as they will easily pick up where they left off in the UK if it doesn't work out.
I wish you and her good luck

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond to my question. I shall forward this link to my daughter and she can read what you have all said. The main considerations they will face are schooling, having enough to live on and the medical costs from what you have all advised.