If you have school aged children, it is very important to know when to start your Madrid relocation process. Madrid Estate is a not just a buyer’s real estate agent, but a full service relocation agency. We work with a variety of education experts to help our clients map the ideal relocation journey for our clients and their families. Here are our expert tips.
When is the best time to plan on arriving in Madrid?
If you have school age children, educational experts recommend arriving in Madrid in late summer (July–August), just before the school year begins in early September. This gives children time to settle and adjust to their new environment. However, it’s important to keep in mind that many Spanish businesses close in August, or are on limited hours. Thus you should make sure you take care of any personal administrative issues before you arrive. The good thing about this is you will be able to spend quality time with your family when you arrive and settle in altogether.
Now that we have established your ideal arrival date, we can construct a pre-departure timeline for when to start your Madrid relocation process.
12+ months in advance
If your company does not have an agreement with an international school, this is the time to start looking for one. Although some schools have strict application timelines, the best international schools for Americans, specifically The Brewster Academy and The American School of Madrid, have rolling admission processes. However, this does not mean you should leave this to the last minute. Because of their competitive natures and three step admission processes, you need to start thinking about schools well in advance of your anticipated move date.
The American School
This school, located in the suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcón, has a relatively traditional application process. It states the admission process is rolling, meaning you can apply at anytime of the school year. However, this is a highly competitive school and classes can fill up quickly. The first step of their three step admission process is to submit an application. On September 1, the school starts accepting applications for the following school year. After your application is submitted, the Admissions Team will review the application. Acceptance letters are sent out between February and May. If there is no space available, your child will be placed on the wait list. If this happens you will receive a wait list email.
If you want more information about the school, they offer Open Days, both virtually and in person, throughout the year. If you want to take advantage of this option and still hit the September 1 deadline, you will need to start your school search up to 18 months before your move.
The Brewster Academy
The Brewster Academy has campuses in both central Madrid (in Chamberí) and in the suburb of La Moraleja. They also have a rolling admissions process. Unlike The American School, they have no strict deadlines; applications are processed on a continuous basis. However, like the American School, this does not mean you should leave this to the last minute. The school is highly competitive. Once grade-level capacities are reached (capped at 20 students per class), no more applications are processed.
The application process itself is far from traditional. The first step is to submit an inquiry so you can learn more about the school and they can learn more about you. Once this step is completed, you will receive a welcome email with an invitation to meet online or in-person. If you decide you want your child to attend the Academy, you submit an application. Once this is done, you can expect an Admission Decision within two weeks.
Do you need help choosing the optimal school for your child? Or maybe you would like to learn more about Spanish state schools or concertados (public/private hybrids, similar to charter schools in the US). Madrid Estate offers a broad portfolio of relocation services, including educational assistance. To learn more about how we can help you and your family comfortably relocate to Madrid, you can contact our Founder directly at fabiana@madrid-estate.com or WhatsApp +34 680 306 337 to discuss all aspects of your relocation plans.
9-12 months in advance
Once you have established where you want your children to attend school, it’s time to start thinking about housing.
Your current home
If you are renting, make sure you know the terms of your contract and give the landlord enough notice of your departure so you can cancel your contract on time and recover your deposit. If you own your home, now is the time to start thinking about whether you will rent it in your absence or sell it. If you plan to rent it, you need to start searching for agencies that can help you manage the property. If you want to sell it, this is the time to look for a real estate agent, a property stager, a photographer and the other professionals you need to succeed when you put your home on the market.
Your future home in Madrid
We recommend our clients perform a school-centric property search. Our biggest tip for expats moving to Madrid is to take the time to get the neighborhood right. One of the costliest mistakes we see expats make is not doing the proper neighborhood research, moving into an apartment or villa and finding that the neighborhood does not meet their needs. Moving twice, even if you are renting instead of purchasing property, is expensive both in terms of time and money.
Madrid Estate helps our clients map out their lives based upon their children’s education and their desired lifestyle. To meet the needs of our clients, Madrid Estate has devised our Lifestyle Consultation. This matches your family’s daily needs to the right neighborhood. We don’t just show you a house; we discuss how you will get your children to school, show you the nearest park, the best grocery store and give you a feel for the local community vibe.
Madrid Estate’s specialty is property search and purchase. We can help you find the ideal neighborhood, and home, in Madrid for you and your family. You can contact our founder directly at fabiana@madrid-estate.com or WhatsApp +34 680 306 337 to get your Madrid property search started today.
6 months in advance
Childcare
If you plan to have a nanny and/or an au pair, this is the time to start look for agencies to help you find someone that you not only trust with your children, but also to ensure you get along with personally. Remember: If you are hiring a nanny on a permanent basis, Spain requires you to register them with the Social Security system (Registro General de la Seguridad Social) as a domestic employee, meaning you are responsible for paying their monthly contributions.
There are a number of private agencies that can help you find an excellent nanny for your child. Some reputable examples are:
- Peekaboo: Specializes in English-speaking and multilingual nannies as well as temporary babysitting. Their primary focus is the residential neighborhoods of Salamanca, Retiro and Chamberí.
- The Good Childcare: A prominent Madrid-based agency that recruits highly qualified child development and household professionals.
- Nannies Incorporated: Highly rated for placing bilingual and international nannies in Madrid.
- Nanny & Governess: Places educators and child specialists in exclusive neighborhoods like La Moraleja and Salamanca.
Madrid Estate works with a select number of placement agencies. If you engage our services, we can help you devise a short list of nannies to interview to minimize the hassle involved in a nanny/au pair search.
Pets
If you are coming from the US, the procedure for relocating your furry friends is fairly simple. You need to make sure their vaccinations are up to date, particularly rabies, and fill out the required paperwork. If their vaccinations are not up to date, you need to get on top of this.
Booking safe, comfortable air transport can be a little trickier, particularly if you are traveling with a large dog. Small animals can travel in the cabins of most airlines, but you should speak to your preferred airline in advance and learn their policies. Some airlines have different weight requirements than others. In our experience, Delta has the highest weight allowance for small animals. If you are connecting in Europe via a European carrier, make sure your pet also meets their weight allowance as they tend to be lower than US carriers.
If you are traveling with a medium size to large size dog, we recommend looking at a carrier such as Bark Air that allows you to sit with your dog in the cabin.
3 months in advance
You are now “in the chute!” If you have followed this timeline for when to start your Madrid relocation process, these last three months are mostly about tying up loose ends at home.
Kids
Particularly if your kids are older, now is the time to start giving them closure on their friendships. Throw them going away parties, arrange special quality time with their best friends and help them establish roadmaps for staying in touch post-move.
Pets
If you haven’t done so already, make sure all their paperwork is in order. Check airline restrictions to ensure their pet carriers meet regulations. If they don’t, purchase airline and TSA approved carriers.
Admin
Figure out how to cancel your utilities, get copies of all medical and dental records and decide what you are going to do with your US bank account. We recommend keeping your US account open. It’s tempting to close it, but you will probably need it later and it is very difficult, if not impossible, to open a US bank account if you live abroad. You also need to decide what to do with your mail as the US Postal Service will not forward it abroad. The easiest thing to do is find a close family member or friend that you can have it forwarded to. Now is also the time to finalize all details with your moving company.
Madrid Estate offers an entire spectrum of relocation services. If any of the above seems overwhelming, don’t hesitate to contact us and learn how we can make your move to Madrid as easy and stress free as possible. You can contact our Founder Fabiana Greci directly, at fabiana@madrid-estate.com or WhatsApp +34 680 306 337 to get your Madrid relocation process started.
