Moving Abroad With School-Age Children: How to Time the Move and Secure a Place

Of everything involved in moving abroad, this may be what keeps you up at night. You can live out of a suitcase for a few weeks. Your children’s first day at a new school, with new friends and perhaps a new language, feels like the part you have to get right.

Timing has a lot to do with it, and it is far easier to get right when you plan it in the correct order.

Quick answer: work backwards from the school, not forwards from the move. Find out the term dates and how admissions work at your destination, secure a place if you can, and aim to arrive two to four weeks before the first day. Then set your removal date to fit, remembering that a sea move can take up to three months.

When is the best time to move with school-age children?

It depends on where you are going, because not every country starts its school year in September.

Dates are for state schools unless stated, and individual schools vary. Our guide to the best time of year to move abroad covers this by season.

The most common mistake is following “move in the summer holidays” when heading south. A family reaching Melbourne in August joins in the second half of a school year, with only a few months left before everything starts again.

How do school admissions work abroad?

Three types of school, three different processes.

State schools are usually allocated by address, so you may need a home first. In many places you cannot apply until you have somewhere to live. Ask the local education department what they accept as proof, and whether a rental agreement is enough.

International and private schools apply directly, and often well in advance. Many have assessments, ask for school reports and charge registration fees. Popular schools have waiting lists; expat forum members in some cities report waits of six months or more. If you know where you are moving, it is worth starting a year ahead if you can.

Faith or language-immersion schools can have their own criteria. Ask early what is expected.

There are a few questions worth asking every school:

• Do you take children mid-year, and from what date?
• What will my child’s year group be? Age cut-offs differ, so a child can land a year ahead of, or behind, their UK class.
• What do you need from their current school, and how far in advance?
• Are there fees to pay if we need to delay the start?

Parents on expat forums report that a mid-year place can sometimes be easier to find than a September one, because fewer families switch schools mid-year. Others warn of paying two sets of fees when dates overlap. Both are individual accounts, and it varies by city, so ask the school directly.

How do you plan your move around a school place?

Here is a real example for a family aiming for a Melbourne start on 27 January 2027, using typical timings for a move to Australia:

• Early November: survey completed, and your move manager has your file. School place confirmed or waitlisted.
• Mid to late November: belongings collected and packed. Door-to-door takes 8 to 12 weeks, so they could arrive in late January or February.
• Early January: family flies out, allowing two to four weeks to settle before the start of term.
• Late January: children start school, possibly before the container arrives.

That last point is normal. The aim is not for everything to arrive at once. It is for your children to have what they need on their first day.

So we suggest sending a small air freight or baggage consignment for the first weeks. Sending a few boxes ahead by air freight costs much more per kilo than sea, but it means school shoes, a favourite duvet and a box of toys are there when your children are. For a child in a strange new bedroom, that matters more than the sofa.