Chile Forum

Hi, we are a family of three looking to make a move (back) to Latin America, most preferably Chile, in the next couple of years. We live in Bali at the moment, my wife is Indonesian and we have a two year-old toddler. Mom and dad both speak Spanish fluently, and have a combined 26 years living in Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina). The proximate reason for the move is for a change of scenery and region. I've been in South East Asia for a good decade, to be in a Spanish-speaking country and to be close to nature and hiking/climbing/kayaking/biking opportunities. The ultimate reason is to raise my son in a country that has good prospects for the future, where he can breath fresh air, be close to the great outdoors and get a quality primary education. Indonesia may once get its act together, but it won't be before my son is my own age.

I don't initially expect or wish to seek employment/income in Chile while I continue to work internationally. I'd like a place where I can buy a couple of hectares or so of land, and build a family home.


My preliminary search has focused my attention on Region X, and on Puerto Varas and Frutillar. Any others that could fit the bill?

Hombre de Maiz wrote: and get a quality primary education......buy a couple of hectares or so of land, and build a family home.....

If you wish to live in your close-to-nature locations then your education requirement is not likely to be met in Chile, unless you hire private, foreign sources. We're going to guess that your independent wealth would allow you to do that, in which case the area around Puerto Varas and elsewhere around Lago Llanquihue might be a good choice.

Better import some foreign tradesmen to build a home in Chile, since local construction practices and workers are very poor and often result in unsatisfactory and even unsafe structures.

Also be sure to have prescriptions for a number a strong sedatives, because getting anything done in Chile will make you crazy and even simple things take ten times what it does in the civilised countries. While you are waiting for Indonesia to get its act together, you can wait for Chile to gets its act together.

Welcome to the forum and to Chile.

It's not as bad as the above. You might have a tough time finding quality education outside of Santiago, but you'll need to live outside the bowl to get fresh air. I'm living north of Santiago proper. It's dusty mainly because of all the construction in the area, but we found good schools and ready access to trails. From there is an hour drive down to Maipo where you can kayak in rapids. There are also some lakes. Now, for real nature you have to completely leave the metro area. Head south of Santiago for at least 6 hours and you're in awe inspiring beauty. It's almost like you can't have it both ways.

chernandez wrote: You might have a tough time finding quality education outside of Santiago, .

Likely you'll mostly find substandard education inside the Santiasco basin as well, if we are to believe the residents out in the streets protesting. And you may have a tough and expensive search for anything better. Assuming that the school you wish to use is not seized and burned by the students as part of the present uprising. What are there... 100 or so schools in "toma" in the metro area at the moment? And that includes some of the better-performing schools.

But you wouldn't want to live in that basin. What good is the local equivalent of "quality" education when the Santiasco air district has some of the world's worst urban air quality -- that will take years off your life and your ability to.... cough cough cough ....enjoy the scenic features of the country elsewhere?

If it's "somewhat cleaner" and "somewhat natural" you want, you'll need to search south of Puerto Montt

Quality education in Chile translates to $$$. You have to pay to play. As to "somewhat cleaner" and "somewhat natural", +1 going south of Puerto Mont. Import your own teacher/nana and enjoy the beauty outside of Santiago.

chernandez wrote:Quality education in Chile translates to $$$.

Paying more is not necessarily assurance of improved quality. Chilean teachers are typically not very good, though there are certainly exceptions. Teachers paid by the state get higher salaries than private (subsidised) schools but their public schools are typically worse performers in spite of that higher compensation. Chilean education is in much the same boat as its other trades people. Just throwing money at the problem isn't the answer. Just as you have to make carpenters and gasfiters and chispas become responsible, so too must much of the current crop of Chilean teachers be replaced with better ones with the values and performance necessary to eventually create better schools.

to be in a Spanish-speaking country and to be close to nature and hiking/climbing/kayaking/biking opportunities

Go to Spain. You'll find it all.

jcmcgivern wrote:

to be in a Spanish-speaking country and to be close to nature and hiking/climbing/kayaking/biking opportunities

Go to Spain. You'll find it all.

OP was also looking for.... "The ultimate reason is to raise my son in a country that has good prospects for the future, where he can breath fresh air, be close to the great outdoors and get a quality primary education."

Any particular place in Spain that would do for all of that?

patagoniax wrote:

jcmcgivern wrote:

to be in a Spanish-speaking country and to be close to nature and hiking/climbing/kayaking/biking opportunities

Go to Spain. You'll find it all.

"...good prospects for the future..."

Any particular place in Spain that would do for all of that?

Not in Spain

Things take forever, sub-standard education "standards" and intellectual life, what ought to be simple and straightforward turns into a bureaucratic morass of red-tape and corruption, and attention to detail and poor workmanship are rife? Surely, you have not been to Indonesia...

Thanks for the replies and comments. Keep'em coming...

Hombre de Maiz wrote:Things take forever, sub-standard education "standards" and intellectual life, what ought to be simple and straightforward turns into a bureaucratic morass of red-tape and corruption, and attention to detail and poor workmanship are rife? Surely, you have not been to Indonesia...

De la sartén al fuego, po.

Plan B could be New Zealand, but taxes are quite high there...By indicators alone, Chile seems to be well ahead of Indonesia.

...so, how much will a year in the best (only?) private school in Puerto Varas cost me?