Hi,

My husband has the possibility to move to Kingston for work. We have 2 young kids 8 and 4 and I have no idea what to expect. Can anyone please help.

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Manatee Mine

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Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

I am in a very similar situation, Manatee. Our kids are ages 6 and 4. I have a 2 or 3 year job opportunity in Kingston, and it's both exciting and scary. My wife and I have been to Negril and we absolutely loved it. But that was vacation. This would be life for 2 or three years. Sounds like a wonderful adventure, but if anyone has some insights, I would sure appreciate it. I have scrolled thru a lot of the messages here, but most of them seem to involve finding a job in Jamaica (not an issue), or moving to Jamaica (not Kingston specifically), and quite frankly most people seem to be without kids. Thanks in advance.

I'm an expat in Kingston with two smqll kids. If you're still looking for info let me know...

Hi,

I live in Kingston, and what I can say is that there are some postive points and some negative points. Yes there is crime but I think alot has been greatly exaggerated. There are some areas you avoid but all in all you just need to take the necessary pre-cautions.

In Kingston there is alot to do and depending on the area you will be living in a wide assortments of activities are available for the kids and there are some very good schools. Kingston is all hustle and bustle and there is lots of traffic as usual for a major city. When you get tired of Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are only a 2 to 3 hour drive away. Most people who live in Kingston go to the country on holiday weekends to get a break.

If you want to have a look at some pics of Kingston you can click the lin below and you can also send me an email if you have any questions:

http://www.rentjamaica.com/cms_user/gallery.php

Take care and all the best

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rentjamaica
Housing People Jamaican Style
http://www.rentjamaica.com
http://www.jamaicaweddingsandevents.com

I am glad rentjamaica can post here as a Jamaican living IN Jamaica who is not bashing Jamaica as this incredibly harsh and violent place, esp. Kingston. I know I have family living there for years who feel the same way you do.

I will be moving back within 3-5 years of graduation from college. I am not particular on living in one specific part of the island although I do prefer MoBay (just outside it) and Kingston since I am most familiar with those areas. But I know the real deal and I will be moving back with 2 children when the time comes, they will be around 10 and 3. I already know of good schools and I am sure my family there can recommend more.

I think what the original poster was looking for was specifics on moving there with children who are not citizens, enrolling them in school, which schools are the good schools, and names of places to take them to. All things I have found out for myself for the most part. ANd yes, this forum does not have many, if any, posts dedicated to people moving back with children. I am sorry people tend to have such a cynical view of anyone trying to move to Jamaica...and please do not let anyone tell you you are going to have to give up normal things because they won't be in Jamaica. Anything you want abroad you can find in Ja, such as a barber, a hairdresser, a nail tech, dsl, satellite tv, air conditioning, etc. It is just a matter of is your income going to match your tastes, is all. In America you can get away with living a champagne lifestyle on a french fry pocket...you can't really do that in Ja. but you will be gainfully employed so that is not an issue. You do have to be good with setting a household budget and sticking to it.

Original poster:

Good schools: many schools in Jamaica are single-sex, and some are coed, but the only way to go is private schools. This is more commonly done in Jamaica than in America so it is not some overpriced luxury, but neither is it as cheap as a government school. I went to Vaz Preparatory when I was living in Jamaica, it is coed and is a top ranked school. I have checked recently since i have been looking into schools for my son when he moves back and it is STILL one of the top schools.
So the good ones i keep hearing about are:

Vaz Prep (coed)

St. Peter & Paul (don't know)

Holy Childhood (girls)

Mona Prep (don't know)

Google them and try to find their number to call them and ask them specifically what you would need for children who are not Jamaican citizens to enroll and begin school down there.

I asked and was told this, but this was based on me the parent being a born Jamaican, and staying forever, not for a defined length of time, so call the Jamaican embassy or consulate nearest to you or in DC and get your own specifics:'

Child must be declared as staying permanently at customs, and they will give some kind of document that expires in 2 weeks.

Child's application for permanent residency must MUST be applied for within those 2 weeks, so you can show to the school it's been applied for. This they emphasized is very serious because if the 2 weeks gone and nothing is done, the child will have to leave Jamaica with or without you and if you don't send them back and they catch you, the child might never be able to come back. So don't play around with it.

Find out the address of your job and find out how close each school is to where you will work. You might want to try and get into a school that is either central between work and home, or try to live near the school. There are no school zones in Jamaica, you live wherever you want and send the child to the school you can afford. (At the secondary level, they may get placed at any school in the island that have space for them if the standard examinations scores are not great)

Get used to the idea of paying for school. Vaz I heard was about 30,000-40,000 Jamaican a year, some others may be a little more or a little less. There may be waiting lists to get in as well so get on the school thing from NOW.

Places to take children are all over the island and unlike america where you have to take 1-2 WEEKS off to get any downtime in, you can pick any weekend and roll out, relax and have fun, and be back home in plenty of time for the next Mon-Fri. Places include:

Emancipation Park-----Kingston
Putt N Play-----Kingston (my cousin's father owns this, it's right across from the Park)
Hellshire Beach-----Portmore (just have to get them the fish and festival)
Aquasol Beach-----Montego Bay (took my son there in March and he had too much fun, there are activities on the beach as well)
Dunn's River Falls-----Ocho Rios (no need to explain)
Devon House-----Kingston (best ice cream in the world, and pretty setting to take some family pics, my son loved this too)
Mother's Patties, Tastee's Patties, any local bakery, they all have the best food and pastries
Island Grill is fast food JA style
Or you can find Pizza Hut McDonald's etc down there as well

and more I can't think of right now but you get the point, the city you are in when in Jamaica is no barrier to getting all the way across the island for the weekend AND back, so consider anything going on anywhere in the island on the weekend (with a nice early start of course) available to you and the kids. If you ever plan to stay overnight in MoBay, right across the street from Aquasol is Beach House Apts, $55 US a night including free pass to Aquasol, and housekeeping, cable fridge tile floors. Not an all inclusive, but a nice place to sleep overnight and it's right ona strip with plenty of food etc.

And just the driving to and from Kingston is interesting for children (when they are not sleeping), stop and try the local streetside vendors instead of going into established stores. Saves money and gets you interacting with people along the way. Stay away from areas you don't know at night, use common sense when out on the road about who you ask for directions if lost, and you and your family will be fine.

Any other questions if i don't know the answer I will see where i can find out for you. My son is 6 now and i took him down for the first time to visit my family from one side of the island to the other, i drove us around by myself with no problem, and had never driven in Jamaica until then. He had a great time and wants to go back. He's a good traveler though, not hard to take on trips like some kids I hear about. He played his gameboy or slept or watched the sights on the cross country drives. He wrote a daily journal about his adventures there (including seeing a goat and a cow in real life for the first time, since they were crossing the road in the countryside where my grandaunt lives) that he read to the class when he got back. So maybe for the 2 years your kids to keep their own scrapbook of pictures, movie tickets, words, etc. so they can look back and remember.

nice post Brown!!!

Thanks. I don't believe in Jamaicans bad-talking Jamaica. Reality yes, but not making it look worse than America because it's not. Every country including Jamaica need to work on their economy and their balance of trade (except maybe China where tht b. of tradething concerned, lol).

And moving to Jamaica (I am speaking for born Jamaicans) is always possible with research, planning, preparation, and savings years in advance.

While I was down there I had fun, of course, went weddy wednesday, passa passa, Quad, beach whatever...BUT I made sure apply for my TRN while i was there. My aunt brought up the official card for me once it was processed. My Jamaican passport I got renewed last year, and next is a NIS card because i heard i will need it to get a mortgage on a house. I will also need to become a member of one of the building societies and make regular contributions to my account so i can get points on their points system towards a lower interest mortgage. And i have been asking people who are living and working down there what companies down there like to see on resumes, and for them to critique my resume for what is missing. Aside from of course finishing my bachelors and masters, my cousin has noted Jamaican companies like to see extra certifications and "things" and since I have no problem living elsewhere besides Kingston, I should look into the tourism/hospitality industry. She has also mentioned project management is hot, she knows a guy who got a good paying job with JPS doing project management soon after he got his degree in it down there...and he was just coming off probation.

So I intend to get a bachelors in management, and mba with extra designation for health care management cause i can fit the extra 3 classes in before my school's graduation date that year, so i might as well, and once i am working, i'll be saving for the downpayment on a house in ja and getting certifications in project management and hospitality management. Now you tell me if somebody with all that and 5-7 years total work experience can't find a good job in Jamaica? I think I can. And my aunt warned me to save up at least 3 months of Jamaica living expenses including school fees so when I getthere i am not stranded until my first cheque comes in from my new job, or in case anything unexpected happens.

And I made sure it was in my divorce agreement that the father consents to signing the US dept. of state travel consent form (they use that now to prevent international parent abduction) and that he pays half of any private school fees...not cause i intend to afford american private schools, but cause i know in Jamaica he will not be going to a free school. All about seeing the future and planning way ahead.

And to all Jamaicans, the crossroads branch manager of RBTT bank is encouraging ALL OF US to buy land in Jamaica, "any piece a bush" because the land is valuable, and affordable, and prices will go up. She also strongly urges all of us to support Portia and the economy by saving in savings accounts in Ja instead of up here. The interest rates are nicer too to attract people's money.

That's my pr for the day, maybe somebody can make a general announcement about that...instead of complaining about ja, there goes a very immediately doable thing we can ALL do to help out...we should all have savings accounts, so instead of putting them in banks here, open (and USE) a Ja. account.

I feel bad I have the same visions but I am not from JA! But I love the place and would love to be part of the ecomony to make it better!! When I go I hope to apply for my TRN and open a bank account as well. The hardest part for me is having a JA man who as JA men do is very prideful and doesnt want handouts. So its working to show nothing is a handout but making a better life for us both!!!

I don't understand the first sentence...you feel bad about what?

Economies are healthy when people are earning and spending. A lot of people just want to go back to retire when they old and shrivel up and not shopping much. If everybody goes back to sit on the verandah and watch the sun set, who working? Who gaining the experience to later go start a new business and become a future employer? Who spending money on the businesses to keep everything humming? We can't all be retirees man.

I think you are going to have to be a Ja citizen to get a trn...or own a business and register the business for a trn...not sure how it works for you.

Are you saying you are working for nothing right now? Where is he? I don't understand that part either. Is he there and you here? Is he here and saying he can't afford to go there? Is he thinking if he goes there he will have to work for nothing?

This is very encouraging Brown and Missty...I am very proud to be a Jamaican and do encourage anyone to try and really do their best in making this country allow you to show your best while making dat mark in your own lifes.

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I was saying I felt bad cause your post was encouraging Ja citizens while I am a foreigner. Im here in the states hes there. So what I have is much more then what hes has. Which by my standards is not a lot but to JA it is. So i am willing to get things done at a faster pace but he has to go slower as a result of the economic differences. And he rather go slow then accept from me.
Well its the number i would need to open a bank account.

I hope it all works out for you Brown.

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If you've never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame...

Maybe you have seen shrivelled up retirees not spending much, but I'm retired and I spend a hell of a lot of money over there. I'm also not sitting on the veranda all the time, but out there trying to see what I can do for a better Jamaica. Oh, and I'm not shrivelled up. You need to take every person as an individual and not lump them into one. Peace n nuf luv, JM

You can begin to contribute to a building society while abroad, we contribute to NHT only because while my husband was working in a hotel, they contribute a percentage to the trust automatically. You can also link it to Scotia or a Jamaica National mortage. Im not sure if you can apply for NIS # while abroad, but we applied for my husbands TRN from Canada ( I already had one because our car in Jamaica is owned by me). Having a TRN has only become mandetory in last 4 years. It took 1 day to get the temporary number.
Hope all works out in JA for you