Interview with Vicki Bennett
What is your name how long have you lived in Javea?
Vicki Bennett and we have lived in Javea for 11 months
What nationality are you and your partner?
English
How many children do you have and what are their names and ages?
One child aged 3 and 3/4
Do you work and if so what to you do?
I am an accountant for a UK company
What was your experience of relocating to Javea with children?
Found everything relatively easy, particularly as we had moved from USA, rather than directly from UK, so didn’t have the initial trauma of moving & missing relatives. Javea has a good selection of schools (Spanish & English), and there is plenty to do while the sun is shining – although very little when it’s raining. Javea is a particularly English area, so English food is readily available and there are plenty of UK Professionals (eg Doctors, Dentists, Insurance, etc)
How well integrated would you say you and your children are?
Not overly integrated to Spanish way of life, although we are now starting to make Spanish friends. We mainly mix with the other parents at our son’s school, who are mainly British.
What language do you speak to your children?
English
What is your impression of childcare and education in Spain so far?
Very good, although we do use an English school, rather than a Spanish one
What school do your children go to?
Firs, Costa Nova, Javea
Why did you choose this school and are you happy with your choice?
Viewed several local English schools, as we didn’t know for sure that we would be staying for any length of time, so we didn’t want the upset of a Spanish school, then moving to a school in England. Very pleased with the school, although wish there was a slightly more Spanish influence.
Where you live, how good are the facilities for children (shops, restaurants, activities etc)?
There are plenty of parks, beaches and bike riding areas which are great for most of the year. However, when it rains there is very little to do. Restaurants are child-friendly. Decent sized shopping area about 20 minutes away. There are also some good theme parks/wildlife parks within easy reach.
Are there any particular activities, groups, classes etc for children in Javea that you would like to recommend?
Our son is a bit young for most activities/classes.
What do you think are the main advantages and disadvantages of being a parent from the International Community living in Javea?
Biggest disadvantage is not speaking the language well enough to deal with Beaucracy, Advantages are the weather, outdoor activities, having to go outside your comfort zone to integrate, and opening up new horizons for the children.
Is there anything you think would improve children’s lives in Spain?
More good inside activities, especially for the younger children
What advice would you give for anyone having a baby or thinking of relocating to Javea with children?
It’s really not the problem that many people think it is, you can choose to go to either a predominantly English or Spanish area, and there are very few things from UK that can’t be got here. Just try it and see.
What couldn´t you live without in Spain?
Husband, son, sausages & T-Bags!
What could you live without in Spain?!
Most things!!
Oct 09
