Are there any families living in Dalaman

[ApenMart]

Hi

My family and I are very interested and seriously looking into moving to Dalaman and I wanted to know if there are any other British families with kids living there as have a heap of questions re schools etc.

We have 2 boys aged 6 and 9! so if your out there please let me know!

Thanks April and Martyn, Jacob and Sam x

 

[matty]

Hi April & Martyn,
I would suggest if you are seriously considering coming out here to live in Dalaman, that you first come with your family for a holiday! I would also suggest that if you did decide that it was for you and your family, that you first rent a property rather than buy at the present time. Bank interest rates are still pretty good here... My own personnel opinion on living here in Dalaman with young children would not be suitable.

Reards Ann

 

[Roly]

Hello April and Martyn,
Do not know of any Uk families with young children in Dalaman however, there are private schools in Fethiye that take English Children. The fees per term are not insignificant. I will find out more details if you wish. Our friends in Fethiye had children who attended the school for a couple of years but the children could not settle and eventually the whole family moved back to the UK. There is at least one private school in Dalaman but unsure whether they take english children.

Maybe this is of some help.

 

[ApenMart]

Hello April and Martyn,
Do not know of any Uk families with young children in Dalaman however, there are private schools in Fethiye that take English Children. The fees per term are not insignificant. I will find out more details if you wish. Our friends in Fethiye had children who attended the school for a couple of years but the children could not settle and eventually the whole family moved back to the UK. There is at least one private school in Dalaman but unsure whether they take english children.

Maybe this is of some help.

Hi

Thanks for that info. Maybe we will become famous and be the first family!!
I do understand the pros and cons of bringing the kids and what if they don`t settle! its the unkown as nobody knows and kids are different. I here people with kids in other areas that have settled amazingly and are thriving better than in the UK, and some that haven`t, but if you dont take a chance in life how do you know! although if we do this it will be a sort of one way ticket as we would be selling our house and business to do it!! Ahhhh! but I need to look at this country and how bad it is becoming for the children and the quality of life they could have! its a hard one I know! May take a trip to a clairvoyant!!

Anyway... if its not out of your way and you don`t mind I would much appreciate the help in locating this private school.

I have emailed the Dalaman govening body re schools and would they take my 2 boys! havent heard yet! but at some point when we have made our final desision the we are 80% doing this we will come back out and look around schools etc, its finding how to go about it and where they are!

Research reasearch research!!

Thanks again, as this help is invaluable to us!

April and Martyn xxxxxxx

 

[claire1976]

I think there are also schools in Dalyan that take English kids, I know there are a few already living there full time. It's only 15mins from Dalaman. Fethiye is much further but there are private schools there.

 

[ApenMart]

Good point forgot about Dalyan! still havent heard form the govening body yet! gut feeling is I won`t! so know need to find a point of contact so I can found out what schools that would! Do you think the local council in Dalaman would know! not sure how the system works out there as here(UK) it depends where you live to what schools are in your catchment etc etc!

i`ll keep searching! thanks for all your help!

April x

 

[Hastings]

Hi can't help with School's but good luck and understand what you mean about the uk.
cya

 

[matty]

Ortaca have a private school, which is only 5 minute drive away from Dalaman. Natalie who is a member on this forum attends this school she also has a younger brother who i believe go's to a private school in Ortaca they moved from the U.K last year, and now live in Ortca! You could send Natalie a P.M i'm sure she would be glad to help you.

 

[BikerMac]

:224xb:
Hi Yer

We have been living in Dalaman for 5 years now but don't know of any families with children at school.

However, we have found that the 'Living' section of Fethiye Times (fethiyetimes.com) has been a useful source of information on many occasions including residence, driving licence etc.

May even be worth sending an Email to the editor.

Good luck

Peter and Cindy

 

[ApenMart]

Hi

Thanks for relying. We actually came for a hols fo 2 weeks recently and fell in love with Dalaman and were lucky enough to meet some locals that live there. Until my research is complete we still havent totally decided. However we are also coming out Oct/Nov time to see Dalaman in the winterish time, I would say with no tourists, but we didnt bump into any anyway, we were with the locals most of the time. I understand what you are saying re not suitable for kids as Dalaman isnt yet set up as such for it, but my guess in a few yrs it will be, also Ortaca/Fethiye/Dalayan is down the road with families and we would get a car so we wont be stuck as it were in Dalaman. I am listening to everyones opinion as it is important... can I ask why you think Dalaman isnt suitable from your perspective?

Thanks so much

April xx

 

[ApenMart]

Fab, that sounds gr8t i`ll be looking at that site shortly.

Many Thanks

April and Martyn x

 

[flowerpotman]

There are several english children at schools in Koycegiz. I would suggest you look at private tuition for a year and concentrate on the children learning turkish. As the turkish children start school 2 years later than ours , your children will not lose any education time as they will be doing some of the same stuff in maths etc that they have already done in England.

 

[ApenMart]

Hi

Thanks so much for that! one question... I have looked at the members list and there is a Natalie that says senior member and a Natalia, can`t seem to get into there profiles to see which one it is, if it is one of the 2, can you tell me which one it is and would love to get in contact with her, I assume by your msg it is the actual girl who is the member that goes to school there!

Thanks..... this is the first HOT LEAD i`ve had!

April x

 

[ApenMart]

Wow, that sounds more hopeful! I understand what your saying re the private as was thinking that way!

Now.... the big question! do you know how I can found out what the schools names are etc etc. I have emailed the Dalaman govening body as yet heard nothing, I need almost a point of contact like the council here for example to get a list of the schools and which ones would be suitable for English kids and who has some English kids! Sounds easy!! NOT!!! This is my mission know! but it is so not as easy as it sounds! But I will get there in the end! as will NOT give up!

Thanks so much, I am so overwelmed by all the advise I have received already!

April xx

 

[flowerpotman]

i cant help much at the moment as i am in england. My dughter did an exchange at a school in Turkey for a term and I have a friend who is a schoolteacher in Koycegiz but unfortunatelly she is in Istanbul at the moment. I suggest you keep in touch and come to Koycegiz when you are out in October and I will put you in touch with some families so that you can ask all the questions you need.

 

[goldmattymiss]

Hi
when we first moved over here we got intouch with the british consulate who had a full list of private schools that excepted International students ,from experience most of the Turkish public schools will take on International students but they must speak Turkish but kids are like sponges and soak up new information all the time.
But please think long and hard before making this big life change we did the same 3 years ago sold up in the UK and it is not easy at all our daughter has now decided she wants to go back to the Uk and go to college because the prospects for kids from other countrys is not good as the work permit situation is a nightmare and they would have to take on Turkish citizenship to be able to work .Also I dont know how true this is but if they are boys I have been told they would have to do national service if they become Turkish citizen .Hope this helps as have been were you are now and good luck .xxxx

 

[ApenMart]

Thank you so much for that, thats gr8t! i`ll keep in touch.

April x

 

[ApenMart]

Hi, thanks for that info. We are looking into the whole national service thing as don`t like the sound of that at all and was aware of it. I totally know its such a massive decision cause like you we would have to sell to make it work! the money all adds up but its the rest of it! The biggest thing for us is the kids! Did your daughter actually settle in school and enjoy it, was it public or private? what are you going to do know! its so hard trying to decide the best for our children isnt it, cause on one hand the way of life is so much better there and how the nation as a whole is with kids compared to here,thats what I love about it, kids can be kids and be respected and aloud to be kids, but its when they are all grown up and are they going to say.... you`ve ruined our lives coming here!! whats your HONEST opinion! and did you go there for a few hols and then decide? Hope you dont mind me asking, but really was hoping to find someone like you who has done what we are thinking of doing! re you glad you did it! or do you know regret it!

Aprilxx

 

[goldmattymiss]

I will try and be as honest as possible, our daughter was 14 when we moved over here so was too old to intergrate into a Turkish school and the only other school that she could attend was very expensive .But we also have a son 14 months older who was sitting his g.c.s.e.s at the time and he wanted to stay in england and finish his education in the UK ,he will be starting Uni this September . We did look at home schooling but found that was very difficult to organise but you do have the fact that both your kids are younger which is a bonus .
If you dont mind me asking will you be trying to work out here or just live of your capital in the Bank because if you intend to work you will find it impossible without all the correct permits ect.We leased a bar for 2 years and it has gone pretty well but unfortunatly with the high rents and drop in Tourists we have had to pull the plug and are now making plans to return to the UK were we will have to live with relatives for quite sometime .
I dont regret what choices we made when moving here but I would strongly advise anyone with children or people under 50 to think very very long and hard Turkey is a great place to live if you have the funds in the bank to support yourself and your family but if you are hoping to work forget it ,Also while the sun is shining and summer is here it can be a very diffrent place to winter which is cold, wet and can be very lonley if you dont have many friends .The Turkish people are very nice and friendly but after a while you will start missing what you are used to in the Uk simple things can become very frustrating and this can all have an adverse effect on your relationship's and home life .take it from someone who has done it i wish we had waited another 10 years then made the move it was too soon especially were the kids were involved and I wish we had done more homework and belive me I thought i had covered every area if you want look at my early threads before we moved out here please feel free to do so .
Yes we had been coming to Turunc for 5 years before we moved and had lots of friends both English and Turkish but it was still hard .
hope this helps and is not to negative and good luck for the future

 

[ApenMart]

Wow............... thank you so much for that......... I totally can relate to what you are saying and it is so hard, the things you take forgranted here etc etc etc.

I am researching day and night on EVERTHING I can think of, and proberly there are things I still havent thought about! IF we do this then we would have to sell our house, and we have a business here also that would be sold, with the money we would buy our villa to live in and have another for rental, we would also look to invest in a small property here to get the rent each month, talking about a flat or some such, so not like renting our 5 bed house so we could easily move back, it would be a 2 bed flat for example. The idea is that we would have ex amount stached away, rental money coming in each month from the flat here and the rental in Turkey. We have looked at the money situ very carefully and it is very do able..........BUT and there always is a BUT we are risking everything here to do it.... and what if in 2 years of living there we want to come home! We could sell the rental/villa and flat here, but we prob wouldnt be in the situ we are know! and taking private schooling/healthcare expenditure every month in Turkey we are aware that it would eat into our savings if we were not successful on the rental side!

Wish I could look into the future!! crystal ball and all. I would prob say if we don`t do it in the nxt year we would wait till retirement age for example, as I can imagine as the kids start getting older it would be more difficult for them to adjust. I have to say you were really brave! and I am also of the belief if you dont try you will never no! so taking into account my situ.... what do ya think!!!! xxx