Important information about schools in Cyprus

Due to the way the education system works over here, if you are moving to Cyprus with children, it is very important to arrange their schooling before you arrive. If you are a parent, you need to find the school first because there are often waiting lists. You should also be aware that at private schools, both parents and children are carefully interviewed for suitability. At these particular schools, potential pupils will also need to undergo entrance examinations, which they must pass in order to gain admittance.

Right, now let me tell you more.

Education is mainly free at Greek state schools - but is compulsory. If you have children who don’t speak Greek yet, special lessons will be given to them to make integrating easier. By the way, foreign children are actively encouraged to join state schools.

Attendance at all schools in Cyprus, whether private or state, is required on five days of the week – Monday to Friday. A school year in Cyprus is divided into just three terms of three months. Classes tend to be small in numbers.

Education is provided free of charge at state schools as follows:

1. For primary education, for children who are aged between five years and eight months and 11 years and eight months. There is, however, a condition for enrolment into primary state schools. As a parent, you must provide proof of pre-school attendance for your child for the 12 months from four years and eight months to five years and eight months.

2. For lower secondary education, for children aged between 11 years and eight months and 15 years of age. Children are admitted to lower secondary education on age, but they must be in possession of a primary school leaving certificate.

3. For upper secondary education for children aged between 15 and 18 years of age. Any children who want training for a technical occupation are able to attend a technical school, where the diplomas are equivalent to upper secondary education.

In Cyprus, there are currently 188 private nurseries, 26 private primary and 31 private secondary schools operating with Ministry of Education and Culture approval. You can call them on (00 357) 22 800 600 for further information.

Let’s move on to fees so you can get an idea of costs. For pre-school children, at private nursery school, you will need to budget approximately €1500-€3000 per child, per year. For older children, private school fees range between €4500 and €6500 per pupil, per year.

Fees do vary from school to school and the more popular the school, generally the more expensive the fees. Remember you also need to budget for after school activities, school uniforms, books, additional private lessons (which are very common in Cyprus) and the one to watch out for – examination fees. These can be quite hefty and if a re-take is necessary, a further fee is payable.

My best advice is to always visit several schools before you make your final decision. Good schools will allow your child to attend for a day to see if they like it. Oh, and make sure you get a written contract showing what your fees cover and then there are no nasty surprises!

Finally, if you do decide to go the private route for education, and you are paying your fees from the UK, don’t move the money over using a bank as you could unknowingly lose hundreds of pounds in the process. Why not try Smart Currency Exchange? That’s who I use – www.SmartCurrencyExchange.com – they move money all over the world in numerous different currencies - and I guarantee you will get a far better exchange than the bank!

Have fun finding your schools, if you need any further information, remember to email me.

Until next week
Best wishes
Jackie


The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com

Holidays and Coptic Storms in Cyprus 2011

For those of you planning to come to Cyprus this year, here are some important dates to be aware of in the Cypriot calendar. Easter doesn’t always fall at the same time as the UK, but for 2011 it does – so get your flights booked early as it’s the most popular time of the year in Cyprus for taking holidays.

Compared to the UK, Cyprus receives 17 official Public Holidays. Pop these in your diary:

01 January New Years Day
06 January Epiphany Day
07 March Green Monday
25 March Greek Independence Day
01 April Cyprus National Day
22 April Good Friday
23 April Good Saturday
24 April Easter Day
25 April Easter Monday
26 April Easter Tuesday
01 May Labour Day
13 June Whitsun Monday
15 August Assumption Day
01 October Cyprus Independence Day
28 October Greek National Holiday
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Boxing Day

You might also want to consider the Coptic storms we have here. Coptic storms are gales that come in from Egypt. They range from being mild to very strong and usually last for an average of 3 days:

The Coptic Chart

11 January Gale
19 January Large feeder gale
28 January Gale
18 February Small sun gale
10 March Equinox gale (lasts double the usual time)
20 March Big sun gale
25 March Wind gale
29 April Sand laden west winds (hot and sandy)
27 September Cross winds
21 October Crusade
28 November Broom gale – very strong
6 December Gale
20 December Small feeder gale

I hope this information has been useful. Remember to email me if you have questions, I’m always happy to help you with anything you need to know about Cyprus.

Until next week.

Best wishes


Jackie
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com

Start your New Year with a bang!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2011! That should be a good start, shouldn’t it? But if you aren’t full of the joys of spring – and are tired, miserable, bored and not sure which path you should be following in life, then there is no better month than January to give yourself a new start.

First of all, get your enthusiasms flowing. Without this, nothing will happen – how often do you see a positive person who is miserable? So if you are considering moving to Cyprus, now is the time to stop thinking about it and get a firm plan in place.

If you didn’t receive your Cyprus Buying Guide as a Christmas present, now is the time to treat yourself, especially as the 2011 version has just been published – just go to www.CyprusBuyingGuide.com and get the wheels in motion.

OK. Let’s move on. Our Christmas and New Year were great. We stayed in Cyprus and went to a bistro in the next village where we had a traditional Christmas Day including games, which after a few glasses of wine become funnier and funnier. Have you ever played “What’s in the sock?” It’s hilarious!

New Year was spent with all our friends at a cabaret night, we had a smashing time. I have to say, I didn’t expect to see one of the guests, a lady well into her 60’s, grabbing hold of one of the pillars in the venue and starting to pole dance. The whole place collapsed into fits of laughter, she was absolutely hilarious. Well, the climate in Cyprus does keep you very fit and healthy, and she certainly demonstrated that she had no problems with her joints!

The weather in Cyprus was unbelievable over the festive period. On Christmas Day, we had breakfast outside and opened all our presents by the swimming pool. It reached 25 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. When we switched on the television later and saw the conditions in the UK, we felt very privileged to be here. We normally spend Christmas back in England, but are quite glad we didn’t this year!

In Cyprus, it tends to stay around 20-25 degrees until about the middle of January – then our winter really begins. It then feels really cold (at least by our standards) and it is frequently wet, windy and damp. Where we live though, the temperature doesn’t usually drop below 5 degrees at night.

We still have sunshine during the day and even in the winter, on a good day at lunchtime you can still pop your swimsuit on and top up your tan. Mind you – by 4pm, you have your thermals and thick socks on! The tiles on the floors of these villas are very cold in the winter – that’s when I really miss fitted carpets and good insulation.

OK. My final thought for this week. Get a plan for 2011. I find nothing happens without a plan. I’m a huge plan fan. Know where you are going. Know what you want to achieve. Follow your goals for a new beginning and celebrate the New Year with renewed enthusiasm for an exciting time ahead.

Remember - positive thinking really does make things happen – I speak from experience!

Best wishes and good luck for 2011

Until next week.


Jackie
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Cyprusbuyingguide.com