Home schooling

What was legalized last year is that students who are home schooled can now take their 12th year exams in Bulgaria to prove their education and get their diploma. Most of those exams will be in Bulgarian, but whether your child will have to take them depends on whether you will be here or will return to your home country before then. I believe most foreign families that home school actually bypass the Bulgarian system completely by getting a yearly curriculum from their home country (the US has MANY curricula available, not sure about the UK) that they follow and send in to a governing board in their home country every year--- which will eventually result in a degree that is recognized by some universities but not all.

Hopefully someone with actual experience will jump in because that is just what I know from following the news about it. (Our littles are not in school yet).

We would like to know how to start with home schooling here in Bulgaria, as we don't like our daughters to go to school here.    They speak English and Bulgarian and they are at age of 10 and 7 years old.
Where do we get information  on how and what to teach the children, internet schooling, or what is needed to do all the administration to be in line according the law with Bulgarian home schooling.   I understood that it is allowed officially since 2016, but can't find any more information as the governmental institutions try to keep it away, due the lack of students at primary schools. 
Any links or information some one?      my email is;  xxx
hope to hear you soon as we received very angry phonecalls from people who told us to sign protocols or they would send us the police ?!

Lucimilena wrote:

We would like to know how to start with home schooling here in Bulgaria, as we don't like our daughters to go to school here.    They speak English and Bulgarian and they are at age of 10 and 7 years old.
Where do we get information  on how and what to teach the children, internet schooling, or what is needed to do all the administration to be in line according the law with Bulgarian home schooling.   I understood that it is allowed officially since 2016, but can't find any more information as the governmental institutions try to keep it away, due the lack of students at primary schools. 
Any links or information some one?      my email is;  xxx
hope to hear you soon as we received very angry phonecalls from people who told us to sign protocols or they would send us the police ?!

If you don't know what or how to teach, you aren't equipped (right now anyway) to be homeschooling.  Successful homeschooling requires dedication and preparation.  As they say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!  While many people think it's a great idea, they (or the children) just aren't suited for it.  You have to consider not just covering the "curriculum" materials, but also finding extra activities for your kids where they can explore what they like and interact with their peers and have friends.

If you're already receiving pressure and threats of police, you might want to go ahead and send them to local schools for the time being since they speak the local language, until you can properly explore and prepare for homeschooling.

Some useful links though which can help:
Bulgarian Homeschool Association
HSDLA's Bulgaria Page

To go off of Kojidae's post, you can go under an "umbrella" school, like USA's HomeLifeAcademy or West River Academy, which is open to families worldwide of any nationality.  You technically have your kids enrolled at a "private" school for legal purposes, however you are allowed the freedom of homeschooling. 

You might also search for Facebook groups on this subject, local to Bulgaria...

Romaniac
Expat.com Experts Team

thank you for your reply Romaniac, my wife is a teacher herself and we connected already with this organisations.

Hi everyone. We are from Israel and  in the next two months we will live in sofia- Bulgaria. We have 2children 8+10years old and we look for home schooling (we have  enough experience in home schooling) and we look to for   "umbrella" by  west river academy. Please someone have experience with this school? Is it enough for  home schooling  because we just need it for umbrella and to have a legality cover without any problems with the authorities .  So please someone was in this situation? and what the best way to do. thanks

Hi there,

If I do understand your post correctly, you and your family will be living in Bulgaria for the next 2 months, probably July and August.
In this case please note, that in Bulgaria July and August are normally vacation months for all school kids, no matter of their age. So you will have no obligations to any local authorities regarding any type of schooling.
This means that you can do whatever type of home schooling you like with or without a formal "umbrella". This is valid till 15-th of September, when the regular school year in Bulgaria starts.

Even of your stay here starts in June, actually you are more or less in the same situation, having in mind the age of your kids. There are some differences this year, mainly due to the Corona crisis.

However, just to be on the safe side you can check with the provided link for Bulgarian Homeshooling Association

Hi Kristian,
We arrival at bulgaria after 2months and want to stay, so we prefer home schooling. the questions if someone use the service of the school west river academy in Bulgaria? does this school  enough and give us an  umbrella to have legality cover without any problems with the authorities .

Thanks

I it's been few years since this topic was created.
Have the legislation changed since then ?

Hi. I am looking to homeschool my kids ages 5 and 7. Any advice and help on how that work from Bulgaria?

@E.P.

Hi, i thought i may be able to help. I have been homeschooling my 7 year old since he was born, he didnt go to detski gradina (kindergarden)  however he has just started school first class this year.

Now i originally planned to homeschool all the way, but thats not how it works in bulgaria. If you want to homeschool you need to get the curriculum from the school and it all has to be signed off etc.

The school approached me and advised it is mandatory in Bulgaria for him to go to school. Now he is starting to learn the alphabet and doing 1+1 when we are writing sentences and doing long division at home! But i have found out that they only really do half days, and if i wish i can bring him home in the afternoon so i can homeschool. But i feel he needs to learn the language properly, he hasn't picked it up while we home school, so im going to see how it goes and fit in as much as i can at the weekends for now.

If your children have citizenship then i think they are obliged to attend, but its not mandatory for kindergarten.

I found this out on a Bulgarian government website, i will have a look for it and post it if i find it!

Hope that helps

Hello Holly,

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you for sharing your experience of home schooling with @E.P.

And yes the official government website will most certainly be useful for members as well

Cheers,

Yoginee

Expat.com team

How will they learn Bulgarian at home?

Hi everyone . I am looking to move to Bulgaria, hoping to buy a house there and start a new life with my children . Does anyone know how easy it will be to get a visa etc ? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you

I believe its more difficult after brexit.

You can apply to your nearest embassy.

You will need bank statements

Health insurance or join and pay for bg

System.

Will need a lichna karte to own property..its a business card and put the property into that..quite simple

Need permission from childrens father and mother.if apart or one is apart.

Check google for most answers.good luck.

Hi everyone . I am looking to move to Bulgaria, hoping to buy a house there and start a new life with my children . Does anyone know how easy it will be to get a visa etc ? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you
-@allana1979

If you have specific questions I would suggest you start a new topic with your questions.