London Bound...Please help...

I work at the American School in London in St Johns Wood & it is a brilliant school - it has a great reputation as an international school, including in the US.  I have worked at 3 other US private schools and I'd say this is the best I've worked at so far.  It is a very community oriented school.  We have a mix of kids, mostly US but there are kids from other countries.  It is expensive & many people get their work to pay for the education as part of the package.   Our families live all over the place in London...many do live in West London, such as Kensington, but it is a bit of a trip to get to the school (as you have to switch lines).  Others live nearby in St Johns Wood, Marylebone, and Maida Vale...all very lovely areas.  Both you and your wife will get a lot of info from the other families who are at the school and wil make many connections & friends through the school - quite a few parents are VERY involved on a regular (if not daily) basis...

Anyway - I would definitely give the school a call and if you get a chance, visit & do the interview. 

Best of luck!

We are living in West London with 5 children (5-17).  So far so good.  Before moving here I did a little research of my own, on schools.

I spoke with friends who educated their children in the state schools and they are quite pleased with their education.  When they returned to the states (after 2 years) the children were almost one year ahead of their schoolmates.  Spelling has been an issue, although the teachers were very understanding. 

Another friend educated their children at the very expensive American School (paid for by their company) and LOVED it!  The school is very multicultural, and forms its own support community.  Her children were exposed to some things that took them back, some kids have their own chauffer... you know all the fun stuff.

One more little tip…. Totally unrelated, if I was doing it again, I would look into my favorite cooking items here.  I am so grateful I brought my American measuring cups, and favorite recipes.  It is a little tough to get some items needed, but we are adjusting.  My kids miss some of their favorite junk food, but they are finding some fun replacement items.

Mickey:  It sounds like you did your homework when deciding on a place to live.  My wife and I are scheduled to visit London in a couple of weeks to scout out a few neighborhoods.  I'll probably use a similar approach.  However, I don't think I'll use the train to commute. 

Onetiger:  Thanks for all of the information on ASL.  It sounds like a great place to send my kids.  Hopefully, my school allowance covers most if not all of the tuition expenses for each of my kids.  How much advance notice does one need before scheduling an interview and tour of the school?  Does ASL have a pre-kindergarden class?  I have a 2.5 year old daughter presently in school here in the states and we would like to continue her education at the same school my two boys will attend.  It sounds like I am better off living in St. John Wood then in Kennsington or Chelsea, etc.  Do you agree?  Are there many flats near the school so that my wife can simply walk the kids to and from school everyday?  Do most parents drive, or take the tube/bus to school?

There are tons of flats in the nearby area - I would also check out Maida Vale as it's an easy walk to the school, plus they have a good line into the city.  Marylebone would be good for a short tube ride to the school (one stop)...the St Johns Wood tube station is literally one block from the school.  Unfortunately they do not start their programming until age 4.  I'm not sure about the other schools and when they begin.  Most likely you could get suggestions on schooling nearby for under 4s.

As for the interview - I'd guess they wouldn't need too much time to schedule one.  Check out the website:  www.asl.org, give them a call to ask your questions and definitely stop on by to give it a once over.

Best of luck to you!

Liane

Onetiger:  It's unfortunate my daughter is too young to attend ASL.  I was hoping to keep all 3 of my kids in the same school.  I want to make the transition as easy as possible for my wife and having to drop kids off at 2 different schools using public transportation can be quite difficult.

What are your thoughts on my location?  Should I be close to the school (St. John's Wood, Maida Vale, Marylebone) so the commute to school is easier, or could I get away with being closer to some of the museums, shopping districts, Hyde Park, etc. and hop on the Tube every morning?

If you want to be close to everything & close to the school, Marylebone is the spot - it's a great location, in Zone 1, has easy access to everything including the parks (particularly Regent park which is lovely), shopping, etc.  It's not impossible to live in Kensington or Hyde Park and commute to the school - it'll just take some time to get there.  Luckily school doesn't begin until about 8:05 so it's not too early a start.  Plus that area is absolutely gorgeous!

Here's a link to the tube map so you can see what connections you'd have to make:  http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/colormap.pdf

And the journey planner, so you can check out how long it will typically take to get from one tube to St Johns Wood:
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

ps: i live right by marylebone high street and could NOT love the area any more!!!!!

I knew you'd chime in!  It is truly a lovely place in my mind...I spent my first two weeks there and it was fantastic!  But I do enjoy living in St Johns Wood at the moment - it is close to work, the high street is easy to access, great bus and tube access, Regents park is a few blocks from my house and I can get into town in 15 minutes or less...(but I'm moving cause I really want to be in less of a family part of town and more with other singles).

Who are the leading realtors for (1) Kennsington/Chelsea, (2) St. John's Wood and (3) Marylebone?  While I will be utilizing the services of a relocation specialist, I wanted to look at current inventory.  It appears as though certain realtors specialize in certain neighborhoods.  If so, I would like to visit their websites directly to better manage my expectations.

check out www.net-lettings.co.uk to find the realtors in the area...and then you can get to their website...I found my place through a friend so I don't know the people...and by the by - you can register your property with several real estate agents, there is no central agency or agency sharing like in the states, and your relocation agent will probably be connected with specific agencies so ask him/her who she typically works with...

Gables, just wanted to add that they're not called 'realtors' here... they are 'estate agents'.
That little fact might save you some hassle / confused looks! 

Thanks for the tips.   

Onetiger:  Great site for letting a flat....many thanks

Gables, haven't checked in for a while (I'm the one with a 2.5 year old and a 1.5 year old currently house-hunting in London) but oddly enough we settled on a flat in...ta da! Marylebone! I hadn't even read any of the last posts, but we've been in short-term accomodation here and LOVE it. It is urban, but village-y, in the center but isolated, close to EVERYTHING but away from the tourists, etc. You can walk to Regents Park or Hyde Park, and you are near pretty much every tube line you'd ever need. We found a gorgeous two-bedroom for about 500 pounds/week--a three or 4 bedroom would probably cost you about 800 pounds/week.  We hope to hear back from our estate agent (Andrea at McGlashans, incredible woman: professional, sweet, motherly lady, her phone number is 020 7486 6711) today. Keep your fingers crossed, we really want this place!

yeah lvolz, another Marylebone fan.  I love it here!

Lvolz:  Best of luck on your offer.  I spent the week in London working and had absolutley no time to look at flats or neighborhoods.  Marylebone sounds lovely.  How would you compare it with Hampstead?  Is it considerably closer to central London?