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Hi –
first let me say I truly admire your spirit of adventure !However, I havn’t read much about families with school age children making the move to CR …. is this a small demographic because its really not feasible ? education, health, etc etc ? Don’t know, just asking.
Also – what are the main reasons many of you have left the states for CR ?
any insight is greatly appreciated !
thx,
Reno JeffI think there are a lot of familes living in CR, but you may be correct (I’m not sure)in stating that, it is the lower demographic of new residents. First it is expensive to become a rentista resident (not a retiree), which is what you would apply for (I think) if you’re a family living here. You have to tie up $60k for the next five years to do this. I could see how that may be difficult for a young family. Now having said that, I met my new neighbors on my last visit to Costa Rica (I’m moving in October) and one family was from LA and has three school aged children and one in college back in the US. My wife and I plan to have children once we’re there. She’s 28 and I’m 36. Our reason for leaving? We were looking for a better way of life, less stress and lower cost of living in a country that doesnt think it owns the world. My wife’s family is from CR so for us, it was an easy decision. Hope this helps.
I am planning to move down to Costa Rica also and my wife is also from there. It help me a lot that i am going to retire from the Army and the pension sure help a little also. My daughters are small 3 and 5 know by next year they will be a little bit older. Good luck in your move i am looking also to move soon.
In our community in Grecia we have many families that are from the US living here with children. The adjustment of a child here has a lot to do with the age of the child. This is not where you want to bring children that you have taken to participate in football, baseball, soccer and Hockey. It is not for the child who likes to go to the local theatre while you do your shopping, or the child who wants to go skating, bowling and so many other activities.
If you bring a child who is no more then about 7 there will probably not be any problems. Not saying that a child would not do good here but if that child is older it will be more difficult to adjust.
I speak as a traveler with children who were taken all over the world. They started when they were very young and had very little to compare it to and also we were in the military. Traveling in the military they have managed to keep some things familar to our customs. So my children never really had a culture shock.
Why did we move to Costa Rica, just to do something different and we had no one else to consider but US no children to worry about.
If you leave the USA young and you are going into business here then sure, there are opportunities but you do need MONEY. Most of the people that are saying how cheap it is to live do not have children here.
Medical care is good and it is not very costly. Most of us that have come are evaluating based on adult needs. In fact adult needs over 50 years old.
If you and your wife have the determination to accomplish a goal, do I think you can do that with children, sure. Let me ask this question, what is your level of comfort? If you could come here for good then what would it hurt if you took 1 year out of your life and checked out life with children in Costa Rica.
You will only be able to answer the survival question. My grandson came to visit me for four months and he enjoyed being with us but his social life in Costa Rica was not what he was accustomed to.
The answer is complex.
1. You have to figure out if you can live there legally. If you have kids, you’re probably not retired and can’t become a “pensionado”. The other option, as mentioned, is the “pensionado rentista” program, whereby you must run a certain amount of dollars through a state-owned bank every month.
2. You have to figure out how to make an income. If you already have investment income from abroad, there are no worries, and indeed that’s what the pensionado rentista program is for. However, most families with kids aren’t in this situation.
3. Pensionados and Pensionado Rentistas can’t be legally employed in most situations – you’re a wetback down there. Yes, you can start your own business, or consultancy, but doing business in Costa Rica is extremely difficult for the average North American. Most foreign entrepreneurs fail within the first 3 years.
4. If you’re married to a Costa Rican, you can get residency and a work permit. However, most jobs won’t give you the income you desire.
5. If you beat the odds and find a way to live, and make a living, in CR, your kids will enjoy actual childhoods. There are no “cliques” in the schools, new students will have 100 new friends on the very first day of class, classrooms are actually civil, use and rebellious children are much less of an issue, and the opportunities for outside sports and recreation abound (pick-up soccer games in every plaza).
5. Foreigners living and working is CR must take the bad with the good. It is difficult for many to adapt. You must be able to tolerate rampant beaurocracy (after our phone went and standing in line for two hours at El ICE – the nationalized phone company, I was told I had to call that in), underdeveloped infrastructure (potholes that will take your axle off), and omnipresent thievery (if you have anything of value, you cannot leave your house alone). These are the 3 biggies. Once you get past this, it can be a paradise on earth.
Jeff,
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss another subject other than security, safety and medical coverage (smile). That is why young blood is needed. We enjoy talking to some of the young people that live around us, they stimulate you and get you excited about life. Most of the older ones (not all) are just concerned about what if I get sick.
Thanks
When I moved to Puerto Viejo, my children were 6 and 8. They adjusted fairly well, the language barrier being the most difficult for them. They attended public school, mainly to learn the language and to make friends. I would recommend supplementing with some homeschooling if you go the public school route. I am not familiar with the public school system in all of Costa Rica, but the schools in many of the rural areas are not up to US standards. They are typically one-room, overcrowded classrooms, and even the office frequently does not have a computer or copier. We were asked to go to the local ATEC office to make all necessary copies of the children’s exams, etc. at our own expense and also asked to make a monthly ‘contribution’ for other supplies the teacher needed in the classroom. Otherwise, this must come out of her pocket. On the flip side, all of the children were friendly, and since we are kind of in a mixed region, with many Caribbean as well as indigenous and Tico children, some of the children in school did speak English. The teachers were also bilingual, which helped, and they were very willing to extend that little extra to help integrate my children into the culture and to assist them with the language, which supplemented by teaching at home.
There are a few private schools in the Caribbean area, a Waldorf school grades K-4 south of Cocles, and another school which teaches ½ day in English and ½ day in Spanish somewhere in Cahuita (N of Puerto Viejo). I’m told this one is very good, close to US education, and not too costly, about $125 per month/per child. Again, the money issue. This was the downfall for us, as I moved to PV as a single parent, and the earning/money issue was exacerbated by the erratic school schedule and the lack of daycare facilities in the area.
Personally, I feel I gave up too soon, and am striving for a way to return to that little corner of the world. In a way, our subsequent return to the States gave me yet more resolve that there must be a way to make it in Costa Rica. The sociological problems inherent in the US, such as the violence in the school system, cliques and just plain spoiled kids were glaring as we attempted to reintegrate into life in Florida.
My youngest son was threatened at the point of a 6 bowie knife by one of his so-called neighborhood friends, and my 9-year old daughter returned teary eyed from school every single day because the other girls were teasing her incessantly your shoes are old, your backpack is ugly, etc., etc. We had none of that BS in Costa Rica. Children there were glad just to have a pair of shoes because some of the children were actually barefoot, and a backpack with ‘Barbie’ would be treasured and not made fun of.
The simplicity of life in PV fit us well as I was never one to allow my children an over-abundance of TV and my children are probably the only American’s who own no video games. In fact, when we lived in PV, we had no television at all; just the laptop on which we played children’s DVDs on in the evenings. I feel the lifestyle was beneficial to the children, allowing them, as you said, to remain ‘children’ rather than forcing societies ills on them at such a young age. If you have a sense of adventure, are willing to adapt, and oh, yes, a sense of humor, you’ll be just fine in Costa Rica and your children will be so much better off.
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