loads of questions about chennai

kiwi yogini

I'm sure there are heaps of you who can help us learn what we could be getting ourselves into.

We are New Zealanders possibly moving to Chennai after having lived in Belgium for a number of years. (so are not new to being foreigners in a strange land but obviously realise that India is a different kettle of fish to Europe).

Firstly, we have two kids, 14 and 11, and are struggling to find information on the net about education possibilities. We plunged them into the local system here and they coped really well. Is it even a possibility in Chennai or do all foreigners put their kids in international schools? If int'l schooling, any recommendations and what sort of costs would we be looking at?
If local schools are possible, what are the standards like and would our kids be accepted by their classmates or would they find it hard to be accepted/fit in because they are so different?

2. Housing.
What areas should we be looking at, my husband will be working from the airport, however we are probably more interested in placing ourselves in an area close to good schools and facilities?

How much should we expect to pay for a 4 bedroom house with garden?
Can anyone give us some websites for real estate agents?

3. Yoga
I'm an ashtanga practitioner and teacher and would be wanting to find a place to practice. How much should I expect to pay for classes and any recommendations of teachers/venues please?

We have lots more questions, but the schooling/housing issues are our biggest so far. Look forward to hearing from anyone.

crvlvr

The local language requirements (hindi/tamil) of Indian schools are pretty intensive. given that your kids (especially the 14 year old) had no exposure, it may impossible to cope. Grade 10 exams in India are typically "board"(centralized testing across many schools) exams which include these language requirements. This is one reason why expats prefer international schools. Here is a link to international schools in India: http://www.shambles.net/pages/countries/in_schools/

check out http://www.indiaproperties.com/ for some insight into housing costs in Chennai.

Amit

Hey! Chennai is almost nice! :-)
The south side along the shore is a good place to live in, Adyar, Besant nagar, kalakshetra colony and further down on the ECR, thiruvanmiyur, neelankarai should get you good houses. It will be about 30-45 mins to the airport from, say besant nagar. A good 4 bed house with a garden will cost you in excess of 50,000, I would imagine. But if you are ok with numbers like that then have a look at the beach properties along ECR, some even have pools!! But Chennai is notorious for water supply, so make sure you get good and plenty of municipal supply, else you will be tied to tanker supply which is not so nice. (Chennai had excessive rain this yr, so there shouldnt be any trouble if municipal supply is there).
Schools, umm my kid is only 3 and goes to playschool, and we have been here only since last yr, so cant help you with that, but feel free to ask anything else!! Mebbe i can pick your brains on the schools later!;-)
Cheers
Amit

kiwi yogini

Thanks for your info.
Getting an idea of areas to look for housing is incredibly difficult from afar so your suggestions have been really helpful. Can you give us some more info about the ECR area, it seems to appear on a number of websites.
Is this a popular area with expats?
The water situation sounds slightly frightening, it will certainly curtail our 14 year old daughter's showering habits (not a bad thing!!!). Thanks for the advice, it's all those sorts of things that can make a big difference to making a good or disasterous decision.

We are still struggling to find answers to our schooling needs, so if there is anyone out there who can help we'd love to hear from you. We are finding the names of lots of schools but virtually none of them have websites or even email contacts.

Merchant

India's school system is enormous. You are looking for an English-medium school, I assume, and you shouldn't have trouble finding one.

rangss

How long are you going to stay in India? I suggest you enroll the kids into an international school.

There is an American International School in Chennai. It is a 'day school' i.e. no boarding. Admission is open to any child of expatriate parents, regardless of race, gender, religion or country of origin.

Students entering the secondary school should furnish their last school's records and a written evaluation from their school. Non-Americans have to take a test to determine their placement in the aprropriate grade.

The school is at taramani, which will work out well if you plan to take residence at Adyar/Besant Nagar/Kalakshetra (my personal recommendation). ECR is OK as long as you do not venture out of Thiruvanmiyur or Neelangarai.

Do not worry about water. I live in a water-scare side of Chennai (and far away from Adyar) . For the past year, water supply has been good and constant. The recent monsoon has tanked up all the water sources quite well.

__________________
...and I took the road less travelled.

kiwi yogini

Thanks everyone for your info.

We are leaning towards the international schools. Lots of people have mentioned the American school (quite pricey), does anyone know anything about the British International school. We have found their website but some insider info is always helpful. Do many foreign kids go there? , etc.

As far as accommodation, are there expat enclaves or are people spread everywhere? We saw a rental property in a gated community, is this fairly typical, what are they like? Pros and cons.....
What sorts of expats social groups are there?

What to bring, what not to bring???? Any advice is welcome, what do you wish you'd brought, what was a waste of shipping space and money?
What do you miss and can't get?