Global Single Mom

Ok if your daughter is over the age of 6, you will need to teach her at home according to the Dutch or French curriculum, inspectors will visit you to make sure you are doing this. Personally I think it's a very very foolish move to do if you cannot speak French or Dutch. There are hardly any children home schooled so your daughter will have no company at all during the day, as 99.9% of children will be at school. If she is under 6, then you can do what you want, but still your daughter will have no company of her same age.

To live in Brussels at least, you'll need an income of around2k per month minimum to pay for a 2 bed apartment. To earn 2k as a language teacher, you'll have to work full time and probably take on private black economy students on top of that.

To all those responding to my post, I am mainly looking for advice and suggestions from those who have gone through this process or have similar backgrounds/experiences to mine(i.e. a parent who has tried to homeschool, an American single mom living in Brussels, etc.).  What I am not looking for is to be told that an idea I have for the future of my child's education is foolish.  But, as everyone has their own opinion, they are entitled, I just am not interested in hearing it.  I suppose any novel idea is very, very foolish until it has been proven successful.

Ok but home schooling is done by a tiny fraction of the population, in Brussels I would imagine less than 100 children in a population of 1.1 million. Novel it isn't in fact, just rare. Out of those few who are home schooled, how many English speakers do you think will have done it? You will be inspected in French or Dutch, if you cannot speak either language fluently, well then how is your daughter going to become fluent in French or Dutch and pass the inspection? It's not an opinion, it's a fact, hardly anyone home schools here. There are fines and risk of court if you are deemed to not be schooling sufficiently, I am being realistic here. If you're a fluent French or Dutch speaker in Brussels, then you will be fine. I also gave you the facts regarding income needed to be able to live, the fact is a primary or secondary school teacher working full time does not have a starting salary of anywhere near the minimum amount needed to live in Brussels, much easier in a provincial backwater, so if you have no other income, the likelihood of managing on a part time income is less than 1%. The vast majority of mums work full time or near full time here, it's not because they want to, it's out of necessity. If you wish to home educate and work part time and that is your only income, I would advise you that doing it will be virtually impossible in Brussels and you'd still struggle in areas which are cheaper to live in Belgium. I'm not sure what the relevance of being a single parent is though. I was trying to help you and tell you what the reality is.

Being a single parent is always relevant for me because if there is a conflict between my work schedule and my daughter's leisure time then I need to plan for this.  How someone could not understand the relevenace of being a single parent is beyond me, it's always relevant.  Anyway, I couldn't care less if my desired lifestyle is in the minority.  Yes, I need to know statistics and facts but this is not the only reality which factors into my ultimate decision.  Both my daughter and I moved to a country where we have never spoken the language, she is now fluent.  When I decide to do something, I set my mind to it and it is as good as done. Thank you for your realism.

Now, if anyone else has any advice they would like to share, I welcome it.  As I stated earlier, I am mainly seeking advice from Americans living in Brussels or global single mothers.  A  single mother will understand why this is relevant.

I am a single parent, I do not see how this is relevant at all to answering your question, I also work, I have several children. I have tried to give you the reality and the reality is if you cannot teach your daughter the French or Dutch curriculum, you will find yourself in a difficult position, without doubt a Police visit, I really am not kidding, they will visit the homes of children who miss too much school too.

BTW, local schools have wraparound care here, typically from 7.30am to 6.30pm, some schools have even longer hours, you can pay as little as 5 euro extra per day and that's tax deductible for under 12s too, so if you earn lots, you'll get half that back again. Holiday stages cover the same times, for as little as 40 euro a week, if you live in the right area. You can even get residential courses for as little as 150 euro a week during holidays, remember again you can get tax reductions on that and health insurance will also subsidize some of that, so you could in fact get a week of 24 hour care for under 100 euro, once you've received the subsidies and tax back. Child care is excellent in Belgium, both for single parents like me, plus for 2 parent families too.

You being a single parent and not understanding how that aspect of your life is relevant, is baffling to me.  Every plan I make, I must take this into consideration because I know that I am the only one responsible.  My being a single parent weighed heavily into whether I took a job in a city versus a village.  My single parent status (meaning abslutely no financial, emotional, or physical support from another adult) always has and always will be relevant to any decision I make.  Though, for whatever mind-boggling reason, you find this aspect of my life to be irrelevant to my decision to move to another country, I find it extremely relevant and that is the only opinion which ultimately matters.  I don't believe you and I are the same type of single parent or else you would understand how this is relevant.  And, by the way, to refer to something as "very very foolish" is an opinion and not a fact.  You keep repeating yourself about the reality of teaching my daughter according to a French or Dutch cirriculum.  I heard you, I understand what you said, I also understand that THAT statement is a fact. I am not an amateur when it comes to school systems in a foreign country as my daughter has attended a local school in a foreign country.  I don't need to be told something repeatedly.  I understood your first post and really don't need  your additional posts to understand what you are saying.

You need to add in the fact this is the capital of Europe, you have a sizable percentage of the population working for NATO and the EU, many of those already have studied many years to have a very high standard of English needed to get their jobs, you have many multi-nationals with European HQs here. Unfortunately again many of the workers already speak English. You do have language schools, but their is quite a lot of competition for work there, it will be extremely hard to find enough hours to earn enough to support yourself. The local school system teaches English at secondary level, but would not accept you without having any qualifications accepted by the Flemish or French Language Communities which could take months, very few people with overseas qualifications succeed in pentetrating the local school system. The international school systems, when they advertise jobs, get inundated with applications, you might pick up some supply work in them, but don't count on it. IF you don't have an EU passport as well as US one, you will not be allowed to work in Belgium without a work permit, for that you will need a job offer, as there are already so many people working as English teachers in Brussels on EU passports, you are also at a disadvantage there too.

I have posted on here several hundred times, you are the first person to react in such a way. I'm sorry you don't like me telling it as it is.

Single parents do not have a monopoly on bringing up children without another adult present or family to support them, I have many friends with partners who for various reasons are either around only occasionally, or weekends, or very erratically. I see no difference between them and me.


IF seeking somewhere else in the EU to work, perhaps you should try a city where English is NOT so widely spoken, it is the unofficial 3rd language of Brussels. I would avoid Netherlands and Luxembourg too, Scandinavia, Germany, already too many people speak English there.

Also to work as a teacher in brussels u have to pass the Flemmish and french state language exman. This also could be the same to be allowed to home school

@hannah  Do you know anyone who has completed this exam or how long it has taken. I have no problem compling with the procedures, I just need to know the steps needed to complete them.  As I stated earlier, living in a foreign country isn't easy, quite the opposite.  But, I know what needs to be done and I plan accordingly.  Do you know if the government allows for Flemmish/other certified tutors to come to the house to teach the child.  I am asking because this is somewhat of an option in America.

At this point, I am weighing various options and need to know what needs to be done.

Thank you.

I have no idea and the state exman is just a test paper and speaking second but you need to be fluent in french and dutch and that can take sometime. I have a friend who is a trilingual teacher in Brussels

Thank you Hannah.  Will you give me the contact information of your friend?  I have browsed some sites about learning dutch and french and I realize that I am most likely looking at a 2-year plan. But having visited Belgium, it's worth it.

Thank you

I cant give you contact information for her but i can pass some questions to her if you would like.

If even considering becoming an English teacher in a local French school - there aren't that many which do English immersion, none in Brussels region, but a few in Wallon region - then here is a tale of how it can go horribly wrong. One French school which does immersion is Léonie de Waha in Liege, one of its English teachers took a job there this year, with the assurance his teaching qualification would undergo "equivalence" process and he would then be paid like any other teacher, well the teacher worked all year, he never got paid. You can even see his name on this link, it's Philip Brooks, you can even send him a message through Facebook, I'm sure he'll tell you how you can ever avoid being in the same position as he found himself in. I do hope he has eventually been paid. It's disgraceful how he was treated, even some Belgian teachers run into the same problems with equivalences of qualifications.

http://www.enseignons.be/actualites/201 … onie-waha/

@schoolmum.
I admire your patience and  I praise all the good and realistic points that you brought up.
I wished that I could have found (several years ago) someone like you to guide me
when I needed advice regarding schooling and working in Belgium and its administration.
I have been going through it with humility, self determination, motivation and lots of hard work.

@the Global Single Mom.
I admire your courage and everything that you do to make sure that your child gets the best. This is every parent's wish.

By reading the first answer, I feel that schoolmum did not want to challenge your way of educating when using the word  "foolish"
and I am sorry if your feelings have been hurt...(culture shock..in the use of words).

No disrespect to you, schoolmum is right in all the points that she evoked. Have been there, done that.
The mistake that we (as american expats) often make is to expect to find "the american way" abroad.

In order to homeschool your daughter in Belgium, you need to be a Licensed French, Flemish, German teacher because the language of homeschooling  must either French, Dutch, or German depending on your address. In case of incapability, a licensed preceptor, instructor or teacher can be hired like in America.
He/she will have to follow the academic tools provided by the Belgian Board of Education with an evaluation at the end.

I was once a country hopping mom. I chose to enroll my daughter in local schools in Italy, and in Belgium until her majority. Then she decided to settle down in America where she graduated  in Art History and  Romance languages. She is working now as a  trilingual translator  for the UN and also as a court interpreter.
This passage to Europe influenced her academic major. We both have learned so much from this adventure/experience.

I really hope that you have found a  suitable solution for your daughter. I wish you both good luck and a very smooth transition.

Best regards.

I appreciate what you said and I understand what you wrote.  It is true that many Americans make the mistake of expecting things to be the same as back home.  Nevertheless, I don't feel that is true in my case.  I was asking for advice and suggestions and being open to what people had to respectfully say.  My daughter has been attending a local school in Hungary for 3 years and I am aware of how "un-American" things can be.  I am just looking for a new country to move to and need advice on the ins and outs of the school system.  Homeschooling is just another option I'm adding to the list, not the final say.

Most importantly though, I am SUPER EXCITED to know that there is another women of color who is out there breaking stereotypes.  It encourages me and does my heart good.  Feel free to advise me in any way you seem fit.

Thank You