Relocating a family always needs planning and patience. However, relocating to Madrid with kids has its own challenges, many of them due to cultural differences. This article explains some of the factors you need to take into account when you move your family to Madrid and offers advice to avoid potential pitfalls and solutions to typical problems.
Timing
People with school age children understand how disruptive it can be to move their families to a new location mid-school year. In many instances, it isn’t even possible unless you want your children to repeat a grade. In some cases they even need to remain at home until the new school year begins.
Although some people may have no choice in timing when they are relocating to Madrid with kids, we recommend you start planning nine months in advance of your move, if not more. The two highest priority things you need to sort are schools and housing.
For families with kids, we recommend first focusing on schools. Your life will likely be easier, and more enjoyable, if you are able to live close to where your children attend school. Of course you can commute with them to school or hire a private car and driver, but if you live close to their school you won’t have to deal with traffic, crowded Metros or buses. Moreover, if you live in a neighborhood like Trafalgar and your child attends The Brewster Academy, your kids can play with their classmates after school in Plaza Olavide. It will also be easy to meet other parents for a coffee in the neighborhood, or enjoy a glass of wine in the evening.
Schools
Few people are aware of the many types of Spanish schools. It’s not as simple as choosing between public vs. private.
International experience or immersive experience?
The first thing you need to figure out is whether you want your child to have a fully immersive Spanish experience or have an international experience.
International experience
If you are only planning on relocating to Madrid with kids for a year or two, you probably want to send your children to an international school. This is particularly true if they neither don’t speak Spanish nor have any family ties to Spain. This way they can “hit the ground running.” In international schools, most classes are taught in English. However, your children will still have the opportunity to learn and practice Spanish if they attend an international school. This happens two ways: taking formal Spanish classes and interacting with fellow students. In private international schools, typically half of the students are Spaniards, or binational children. The other half is expats of different origins, as in the British Council School and The Brewster Academies. Less commonly, a large majority (two thirds at least) of students in private international schools are Spaniards, sprinkled with a small portion of expats. In some rare cases, the majority of the students are expats. The Brewster Academy in Chamberí is moving in this direction.
Another factor to consider when choosing schools, particularly for older children, is where they will be attending university. If they are planning on attending a US university, it is obviously optimal for them to attend a school in Madrid that offers an American curriculum. In this situation, you essentially have two choices: The Brewster Academy or The American School. In addition to their campus in Chamberí, The Brewster Academy just opened a campus in the suburb of La Moraleja. The American School has one campus, which is located in the suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcón.
If your kids will be attending a university in the UK, you have a few more options. There are many private schools that offer a British curriculum, with co-validation of GCSE and A-Levels. The best of these is King’s College School in La Moraleja. It is an authentic British school with all UK teachers and some of the best A-levels results. It’s also the most expensive. However, there are many other options. The British Council School is a British school but has a high proportion of international families. The Somosaguas Teaching Centre is one of the largest in a global network which extends across more than 80 countries, with approximately 2,000 students aged 3 to adults. Runnymede College is another excellent option. It is a co-educational private school. Like many prestigious international schools it is located in La Moraleja. Then there is International College Spain (ICS), which is the only school in Madrid offering the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) in English from the ages of 3-18 years. Finally, there is the Hastings School, which is a private British school offering an international education from the ages of 2 to 18 in the heart of Madrid. It has six campuses in Madrid; three in Chamartín and the other two in Conde Orgaz and Arturo Soria.
Note that international schools in Madrid are all private. Unlike universities, where Spanish campuses often have much lower price points than their international counterparts, international elementary and secondary schools in Madrid tend to have price points commensurate with what you will find in your home country.
Immersive experience
If you plan on spending longer than a couple years in Spain, or have family ties to the country, you might want your child to have an immersive experience. If this is the situation, they can attend a state funded school. Somewhat confusingly, there are three types of state funded schools: those actually run by the state, those run privately and concertados. Concertados are privately-run schools that receive state subsidies, acting as hybrids between public and fully private education.
Keep in mind the curriculum in state funded schools and concertados is Spanish, which is different than British or American curriculum.
Although the choice of schools may seem overwhelming, we can eliminate the stress. Schedule a call to discuss your family’s unique school and residency needs with our dedicated team. You can contact our founder, Fabiana Greci, directly at fabiana@madrid-estate.com or WhatsApp +34 680 306 337.
Housing
Once you determine where your child(ren) will attend school, it is time to start house hunting. Whether you are planning on renting or buying, we highly recommend you work with a buyer’s agent and/or relocation expert to help you find your Madrid home.
Buying
Even if you are used to a high speed, aggressive real estate market (NYC, for example), you will most likely need help finding a home in Madrid. Madrid real estate agents are typically neither sophisticated nor professional. They often show up late and sometimes don’t show up at all. Very few of them speak English.
Another big hurdle is that there is no MLS (Multiple Listing Service) like there is in the US. Therefore, if you work with a local realtor, they will only be able to show you their own listings. This will severely limit the properties you can see. Finally, the best properties in Madrid typically never hit the market. Luxury properties, in particular, are usually sold privately, through exclusive contacts and networks. Thus you won’t see the best properties on regular portals or in ads. If you want to take advantage of these special opportunities, you need to work with a buyer’s agent.
Few expats understand Mediterranean real estate markets. There are features that are very different from real estate markets in the US and UK. Although they function very well, there is a web of contrato de arras, notaries, land registries and taxes that seems quite complex to the uninitiated.
Finally, if you do want to purchase a property, you will need to negotiate the price. This can be tricky in Madrid. Spaniards are not by nature negotiators. It can be very easy to come in overly aggressively and blow up the whole deal, or end up leaving a lot of money on the table. Working with a professional, that knows the Spanish market, is our single best recommendation for making your Madrid house hunt as stress free as humanly possible.
Renting
To put it simply, rents in Madrid are relatively high. Property prices in Madrid are still below most major European cities, but rental rates are some of the highest in Europe. This, coupled with a lack of good supply and high commissions charged by local search “experts,” means it can be very difficult to find a reasonably priced apartment. If you do find a place, you will need to sign a lease. This will be in Spanish, probably not translated into English, and could contain some potentially damaging clauses.
Family stress
Even if everyone in your family is extremely excited to relocate to Madrid, any move requires some degree of stress. It is highly likely that relocating to Madrid with kids will be more stressful than a typical move.
Although Madrid is an excellent place to raise children, it is a very different culture than that of the US or the UK. Little things may be very unfamiliar, such as meal hours (Spaniards eat much later than most people, both for lunch and dinner), shops closing in the afternoon, unfamiliar foods, etc. Many people end up in an urban setting when they are used to a large detached house and a yard/garden.
Most people are prepared for big differences when they move to a new country, but the little things can sneak up on you. It can take a little time to get used to a new culture and the adaptation process can be stressful for the entire family.
