Seriously considering moving to PR with teen

Hello!

My family and I are from Seattle, WA and are planning to move to Puerto Rico for a year (or 2) in July. We have a son who will be entering 10th grade in August of this year. We have saved more than enough money to make this move, but would like to find a job in Puerto Rico if we can. We don't want to blow through our savings if we don't have to.

My question to you fine expats, where should we consider moving? We have researched many private schools and know they can be quite expensive, and that is okay. It does seem like the schools on the west side of the island are a bit cheaper. We have been all around the San Juan area, and think that that area may be too busy for us. We have heard that the west side (Rincon, Aguadilla) has more expats than other areas, and that it is more laid back. We like that, but want to make sure my son goes to a decent bilingual school, as we don't speak fluent Spanish. We love scuba diving, snorkeling, working out, movies, and hanging out on the bench. We have also considered living in Humacao, but it may be too "ritzy" for us?

If anyone has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated! Especially regarding the schools. My husband and I are coming to Puerto Rico in 2 weeks to scout out our options, but we only have 8 days to do it.

Thank you,
A. Macdonald

You really need to see the areas and decide which  appeals to you.  Does your son play team sports? Would you consider home schooling?   Have you considered Fajardo, which is the gateway to the Virgin Islands?    What is on your 'Must Have' list? 
I love where I live in Palmas del Mar. It consists of many different communities and there are teens in my neighborhood that speak English.

Welcome to the Forum and hopefully to Puerto Rico Macdonald3.

Jobs are hard to come by in PR unless you have a special skill that is needed in the island and that most Puerto Ricans do not study for. While the US is sitting at 4.5% unemployment, yet PR is at around 15% unemployment and getting worse. Being fluent in Spanish is a must for most jobs while some require good English. Very few jobs only require English.  Here are some military bases where you may be likely to find jobs that require less Spanish: https://militarybases.com/puerto-rico/

Humacao is not expensive, Palmas del Mar is, but the prices have come down some and it sounds like what you need is a two bedroom condo or house (you should be able to get a 2-3 bedroom for about 500-700 a month fairly easily), however because you are only coming for a year or 3, I have to warn you that most rental units are just the walls, floor and ceiling. Most units have nothing inside, you have to get your own furniture, stove, refrigerator, washer, etc. Few units come equip in any way and they cost more. But not all is lost .... The owner may have some furniture and appliances that he may let you borrow or rent to you for a little more. But probably not enough to make you fully comfortable. I would suggest you get used stuff to lower the cost of getting new furniture.

I believe (could be wrong) that Palmas Academy in Humacao Palmas Del Mar community accepts kids from the surrounding area, if so you could live 3-15 minutes away and having inexpensive rent while still sending the kid there.

If you love scuba, boating and other water sports, just like Frogrock said, Fajardo is the gateway to the virgin Islands and lots of other tiny islands and associated reefs. Fajardo is 3 small towns away from Humacao and may be a bit much to drive from there to Palmas, so I would suggest Humacao and Naguabo as places to live. Humacao is more modern with lots of Supermarkets and banks and many things, while Naguabo does not have as many and it is more country. Naguabo does have many rivers with River pools, waterfalls and excellent places to eat fresh seafood. Seafood is everywhere in the island and in all costal towns obviously. By the way from Humacao to Fajardo it takes 15 minutes normally on PR53/PR3 (one is toll other is not, but they are basically different segments of the same road).

Rincon and surrounding areas also have a lot of English speakers and good schools, but I know little about them, other member here have already commented in the forum so the info is a search away, just search for schools, or bilingual, or kids. I can not tell you much about the west side of the island, my place and family are on and around the east coast.

So look at your budget for the adventure, you will need a car, a rental condo or house, appliances, furniture, plus utilities and deposits, then decide if this adventure is for you.

Thank you so much for your reply, Ray! We are going to plan to check out Fajardo, Humacao, and Nagabo for the first part of our scouting trip. Las Palmas school looks excellent, as my son plays in the band. We know the job prospects are slim to none, so we will be thrifty with our spending.

I'm sure I will be posting much more, and asking more questions! Thank you so much for your advice!

Thank you for your helpful reply, Frogrock! We have been looking at Las Palmas Academy, and it seems like a good match for my son. He plays in the band at his current high school, and Las Palmas has a band. He isn't very interested in sports, although golf is an option. Fijardo does look like a great place to live, so we will be checking out the area, along with Hamacao.

Thanks again for the reply!

Check this site for rentals, sorry is in Spanish but that is the language of the country. http://www.clasificadosonline.com/m/Bie … earchM.asp

Some listings for Humacao
http://www.clasificadosonline.com/m/Bie … h+Busqueda

Fajardo
http://www.clasificadosonline.com/m/Bie … h+Busqueda

Look at The Palmas Academy Band on Facebook. They just gave a concert. They also recently did the play Hairpspray.  I copied and pasted the following from a local Facebook page, regarding realtors.  Sorry I do not have all of the contact information.

William Santiago which is next to the Catholic Church is awesome. His number is (787) 342-4271. Wendy Clan-Vazquez is great too!

Costa Del Caribe Realty next to Pura Vida .. Fully bilingual , professional !!
100% By far the best!!!

We bought our house with Ricardo Casillas.
Michael Shutze Ricardo Cassillas is excellent.

Muchas Gracias Ray!

Thank you Frogrock!