By Lucy Castillo

When a family relocates to a new country, there are a hundred things to organise.

The home.

The logistics.

The paperwork.

The routines that need to be rebuilt from scratch in an unfamiliar place.

But in my experience, there is one decision that carries more emotional weight than any other.

The school.

Because everything else in a relocation can be adjusted.

A house can be changed.

A routine can be rebuilt.

But a child’s experience of arriving in a new country — feeling safe, feeling welcomed, feeling able to adapt — sets the tone for everything that follows.

For the child, and for the entire family around them.

This Is Not Just a Logistical Decision

I am a qualified early years educator. I have worked with children across different countries, cultures, and family environments for most of my professional life.

And what I know — both from my training and from years of experience — is that a child’s ability to adapt to a new environment depends enormously on how that transition is managed.

About the Author

Lucy Castillo is a lifestyle management professional specialising in high-trust private environments. With over a decade of experience supporting high-net-worth individuals and international families, her work spans household operations, personal and professional logistics, and complex cross-cultural environments across Europe. She is also the founder of Curve Luxe by Lucy Castillo.