Chile Forum

by **nwdiver** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:17 pm

rachelmarama wrote:
plus maybe $600.000 a year for an isapre, which is how I base my calculations on not REALLY being than much better of tax wise here.

BC Medical Service Plan is $726 for a single person per year which is 360,000 pesos and that is on top of all the taxes you pay that go into the health system.

I just had a friend move from NZ to Canada he is in the wine industry, after capital gains tax and sales tax on his house, 30 hectares of fully developed vineyards and a winery which were loan free and took 25 years to build he didn’t get out with much. In NZ if you don’t give it to the kids you lose big if you want to sell a business. He is checking out Chile this year when I’m down there.

by **rachelmarama** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:51 pm

capital gains tax... in New Zealand?
um, there is no capital gains tax. It's something that is debated every few years but as of yet doesn't exist. There is however an inheritance tax if you want to give stuff to your kids.

by **chernandez** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:25 pm

rachelmarama wrote:Immigration to NZ. Yes, it's a points system, and yes, from what I understand, it's not the easiest thing to do. Points are based on profession, age and ... not sure what else. Someone it their twenties with an in demand profession/trade has it easier than older couples or families. Chile is way easier to immigrate to.

Schools in Chile. Obviously, I have no clue whatsoever about schools in the south, but for my partner's 11 year old son, we pay $2.220.000 a year ($4,348.68 USD). This is an an average school, with what i'd class as an average/basic education. Bear in mind that this money brings very little. The school has no playing field. It has no swimming pool. Classrooms are basic. Every year, each kid has to buy all their textbooks. If they have a book to read as an assignment, they have to BUY it. I have no idea how things work in other places, but schools in NZ provide these things. You get assigned a textbook at the start of the year, you give it back at the end. Books are given, read, given back. The education is focused on rote/memory learning and copying information into books, rather than any form of problem solving or learning how to think. There is huge focus on continual testing, starting at kindergarten level, putting huge pressure on 5 and 6 year olds to study. From what I can see, this sucks any joy out of learning at a very young age.
My partner's 8 year old wants to come and live with us because her mum has her up until 1am studying the night before a test, and has hit her for not concentrating (what 8 year old can concentrate at 1am?). Because of the f**ked up custody laws in Chile, we have to tell this child who is bawling her eyes out that she can't. I can't help compare than to my 8 year old niece in New Zealand who loves school, voluntarily brings stuff home to do (they get little to no homework), and happily tells me about all the cool stuff she is learning about.
So yeah, i'm not a big fan of what I know of the school system here.

This is by far not the same experience I have had in the school my kids are in. I pay pretty much the same a year. Yes, they have to buy materials, just like any private school in the world. In the US and Canada, only public schools will provide free materials. For that price, my 3 kids go to a school with a couple of large fields, auditorium and even a small farm. They do not have to stay up to 1am every night studying. Usually they are done within an hour or 2. I have had no issues with the school whatsoever. My wife was a teacher in the US, we knew what we were looking for. It sounds like your partner and his ex did not do their homework.

by **rachelmarama** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:50 pm

It sounds like your partner and his ex did not do their homework.

Unfortunately, the Chilean system doesn't allow the father any say where the kids go to school for separated / divorced parents. She got to choose the schools, he just has to pay for them

And to be fair, the 1am studying thing has nothing to do with the school. That's just the ex's idea. We've talked about a study plan (you know, an hour a night sort of thing), but she prefers the cramming method (nothing for a week then 5 hours the night before the test). I've offered to help out, especially with English etc, but she's not keen.

I know I sound frustrated, but it's hard to sit by and watch your partner have to deal with not being allowed to parent when he really wants to. Chilean custody is 100% to the mother, with very limited father visiting rights (by law, every second weekend) so it's a very fine juggling game for my partner to make sure he doesn't rock the boat and lose the ability to see his kids every couple of days.

Good to hear not all schools in Chile are the same, and I had no idea that private schools worldwide would make kids provide their own materials. I went to a public school where all of those things were provided so it just seemed odd to me to go to a school where you have to pay AND pay for materials as well.

by **chernandez** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 3:13 pm

Yep, I went to a private school and my parents had to pay materials every year.

I know quite a few fathers from work that are in similar situations of getting to see their kids 2 days every 2 weeks. Some don't care as much. One coworker actually talked his ex into having the kid live with him during the week. He only managed this because his ex is a nurse and has crappy hours during the week. It is a similar situation everywhere in Latin America. The mother will always gets custody. If you're lucky, you get to see your kids once a week.

Anyway, it's really difficult to move kids from one school to the next thanks to incorporation fees. These are usually ridiculous amounts that you only pay once. It's their way of keeping you from jumping from school to school.

Chile Forum

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

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Need Help In Chile?

Phone From Outside Chile: 1-917-470-9653 ( USA to Chile)
In Chile Land Line: (56) 65 421 024
Cell Phone 747 97974 (From a Cell Phone in Chile dial with no other numbers)

Chile Forum

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Re: Yes, another "where should I live?" thread...

Who is online

Need Help In Chile?

Phone From Outside Chile: 1-917-470-9653 ( USA to Chile) In Chile Land Line: (56) 65 421 024 Cell Phone 747 97974 (From a Cell Phone in Chile dial with no other numbers)

Phone From Outside Chile: 1-917-470-9653 ( USA to Chile)
In Chile Land Line: (56) 65 421 024
Cell Phone 747 97974 (From a Cell Phone in Chile dial with no other numbers)