Life with a 6,7, n 14 year old

Hello. To respond to all of your questions with one answer , the city would be San Jose. If you ask me about SJ I'd say I do not like living there unless I'd had to. So far, I don't.
Internet: a 3Gb connection would cost you around $30, unless you rent with internet included.
Education: fairly good, I'd say better than the average US school. Private school tuition goes for an average of $250/month, plus this and that; for three kids a school will give you price.
Crime: SJ is probably where the most crime ocurs but the crime on the average is low.
Politcal Stability:Good
Finding a job on site vs prior to moving: for most 9-5 jobs you'd need to be a resident. There are ways to get around it but that would be for you to decide.
Renting or buying. I'd say renting.
Most children friendly city So far, for us Palmares is the town for kids.
Learning spanish for 6 & 7 year old. School is the best place, kids learn  fast.
Job for english speakers. Again, there are many if you are a resident or know some body who would give you a job. I work freelancing and I am also a resident.
Job for wife, insurance customer service in english. Same as above.
Networking with people. Possible
Private school vs public. I'd go for pubic schooling. after 6 years of paying for private (which was good), I moved my kids to public and it took off the tuition burden; and the learning is just as good.
How credit works there vs USA experian..... If you are thinking of using your credit history here, it does not work. You have to create your own history here. Obtaining a loan could be a headache here.
If moving how long should planning be. I'd say 6 months. although I moved my family here without knowing anything about CR,nothing. we moved withing a couple of months of making the decision. Can't complaint

First off I suggest you read the requirements of living here legally and applying for residency. Without residency you may find it is impossible to get your children into a public school. and private education is not cheap. Public schools vary greatly around the country with many operating in below par conditions. Classes are often canceled without warning and many schools offer only half days of schooling.

Private education starts at $250 to $1000+, each child, per month depending on location.
Application for residency will cost for a family of 5, approx $6000+ and expect it to take a year or more. Mandatory health care as a Rentista under 55, will be approx. $450 a month.
If you intend to apply as a Pensionado with a 'guaranteed for life income' of at least $1000, realize that this amount will no way be enough to support a family...and similar rules apply as to not working until a Permanent resident.

While still  'tourists' you must leave the country within the time period posted on your passport, a  max. of 90 days, until you receive the paperwork saying your application is being considered ...but if you wish to continue to drive, you have to keep doing this, until you have been awarded a cedula. Vehicles are expensive here.

You cannot legally work until a Permanent resident and will take approx 5 years...although you can work online or open your own business but you can't 'do' any  'physical work'.


Note that wages are much lower here....

Most of your questions were answered I think; however, depending on how you're used to living, trying to live here with three kids on $1,300+ per month would be living in poverty.  Close Tico friends of mine own their own home, have three teenage girls and live on about $1,000 per month.  Keep in mind they live as Ticos, something very few Grigos can do.   Keep in mind - most importantly, own their home, no rent.  They struggle each and every month.  Truthfully, I have no idea how they do it.

Re education in CR:  I taught English to grade school and high school for a while.  The quality of education here is no where near what it is in the States.  At the same time, I think it would be a great experience in the life of a Gringo child and would benefit them.  I adopted my daughter from Russia when she was nine and she learned English within six months.  Your kids would learn Spanish very quickly.

Depending on what part of North America a person lives in, I think it's cheaper to live there over all.  The exception to that might be if you own your home free and clear.  ...once again, just my opinion.

- Expat Dave

I am American and have lived here for 8 years in San Ramon Alajuela which is in the mountains west of San Jose and about 40 minutes from the airport. It is a very conservative town and offers a lot of excellent amenities including GRINGO CENTRAL. This is a group of mostly Americans but includes other foreigners such as Germans and Italians who get together at local coffee shops as well as have regular meetings .
I actually have live in Santiago just outsde San Ramon which is a small village  but still part of the San Ramon postal office area of delivery. Google San Ramon Alajuela Costa Rica and you can find a lot of info on it.  It is a very clean and has very little crime. The locals are very friendly. There are accredited private schools here and in the town nearby which is Palmares. Look up therealcostarica.com for a lot of info you may want
rick.ohmanxxx

ExpatDave wrote:

Most of your questions were answered I think; however, depending on how you're used to living, trying to live here with three kids on $1,300+ per month would be living in poverty.  Close Tico friends of mine own their own home, have three teenage girls and live on about $1,000 per month.  Keep in mind they live as Ticos, something very few Grigos can do.   Keep in mind - most importantly, own their home, no rent.  They struggle each and every month.  Truthfully, I have no idea how they do it.

Re education in CR:  I taught English to grade school and high school for a while.  The quality of education here is no where near what it is in the States.  At the same time, I think it would be a great experience in the life of a Gringo child and would benefit them.  I adopted my daughter from Russia when she was nine and she learned English within six months.  Your kids would learn Spanish very quickly.

Depending on what part of North America a person lives in, I think it's cheaper to live there over all.  The exception to that might be if you own your home free and clear.  ...once again, just my opinion.

- Expat Dave

Dear Expat Dave and other readers,

My husband and are exploring expat life in CS w/our 14 year old daughter who is a high-achieving English-only speaker whose studies Chinese and French. We adopted three daughters from China when we were both well along in years and put a high value on education.  Our two elder daughters took rigorous courses and attend selective colleges. We would like DD #3 to begin HS at the best private school in CS but it is hard to judge from the websites which one to choose. As Dave says, I know our daughter would pick up Spanish quickly, but she is challenged by rigorous and demanding teachers and wants to be well prepared for college in the US, so we want her to attend a private school. Of course we can visit from New York, but I thought I would ask readers here for any knowledge and insights they can share about private HS and how they compare. Many thanks!

Celadon,
I am a big advocate of advanced education.  That said, one of my personal beliefs has always been that I feel American students would be much more accepting of others if they would simply spend six months immersed in the culture of another country.  The education gained from this experience alone would benefit them far beyond what they gain in a class room.

When we first moved here I checked into a private school here in San Ramon - high school level.  For my daughter it would have been a challenge as she was/is challenged by a number of mental handicaps.  I do not want to pass judgment on the schools here but would say that they do not come near the standards of a private school in North America.  A private school here “might” be comparable to good public school there.

I would suggest that you contact one of the schools here that you might be interested in and see if they allow someone like your daughter to audit a class for a week just to form an opinion.  If this is meant to be a permanent move, I would really spend some time looking into it.  If it's only a one year type trip, I think she would gain a lot by the experience.

Hope this help.

- Expat Dave

Thank you for your reply, Dave. I empathize with your daughter's challenges; as I wrote, our three daughters are from China and we know many international adoptees.

If private schools give me permission, I might need to spend a week in CS visiting them myself to find a school that "might" be equivalent to the good exurban/laid-back public school she attends now in NY.

No, this would be a full 4-yr HS w/diploma/IB for DD before she returns to the US for college. My aim is to downsize a large house with high taxes and live modestly in a well-chosen location. But DDs happiness and education come first. Her temperament is easygoing and she enjoys opportunities to develop awareness, but I need to assess how comfortably she will make a change.

Happy to help.  Let me know if you have any questions about anything down here.

- Expat Dave