Kids and students, when I see these two words, my first impression is that they are the same group. Kids are students and students are kids! Sometimes I feel like I’m still a kid as well because I am still a student, and that feels awesome! Infinite youth! Or they are two totally different groups. Students are adults, and kids are teenagers and small children. However, I think many of us miss the group who are students, but they are also parents who need to take care of their little ones. This blog is for the students who are parents and considering moving to Estonia, and also for everyone who is curious to know more about this topic.
There are always some questions related to kids in the “Foreigners in Tartu” Facebook group. After meeting some of my friends who have kids and hearing their experiences, I want to write something about this.
The first important thing you need to think about is whether you should bring your children here with you while you study? Even though I am not a parent, after a couple of years of studying abroad and not being able to go back to my hometown due to the COVID situation, I really miss my parents at home. I can imagine how difficult it must be for parents to be away from their kids. So the difficulty of extra paperwork should not be the thing that stops you. But one thing that needs to be answered is if you will be able to take care of your kid. Especially for small kids, sometimes it can be hard to find a babysitter while you are away at the university studying or working and you can’t take the child with you. So first decide if you want to relocate your children as well.
Once you have made your decision, and assuming that you want to move your entire family, let’s start our journey.
Dependent Visa:
Credits: Vidal Balielo Jr.
After talking to my friends with kids in Tartu, I was told that getting their children to experience different study systems was one of the main reasons they chose to bring their kids along with them to Estonia. The first step towards moving your children to Estonia is to get them the required visa. The process of applying for a visa for dependents can be found on the official Estonian Police and Border Guard Board website. Generally if all the requirements are met and the documents are in order, then the paperwork moves through fairly smoothly in Estonia, but if you need help you can email the visa support office at the university as well. Once you have the visas taken care of, you will need to pick a school to send your child to.
Schooling:
Credits: mentatdgt
The city of Tartu is legally obliged to provide study places to 7-17-year old children who are residents of Tartu to enable them to acquire compulsory basic education; also to persons aged 17 or older who have not yet acquired basic education. Additionally, the city also has a system of providing school allowance to the children. It is a type of benefit designed for children who start attending grades 1, 2 or 3 in Tartu, provided that they live in Tartu and that at least one of their parents also lives in Tartu. The school allowance in Tartu is €50 per month.
In general, the school year starts on the 1st of September and ends at the beginning of June. Applications for entering the first grade can be submitted either via the e-school website or on paper to your local government. To fall into a catchment area, you must register the place of residence of your child in Estonia. Most schools in Estonia teach in either Estonian or Russian. Many Russian schools also have an immersion programme for the Estonian language. The only international school in Tartu is International School in Tartu (IB). Bear in mind, although public education is free, private schools have a tuition fee and a right to set specific admission conditions.
Babysitting:
Finding a babysitter could be challenging in Tartu. The culture of babysitting is not that popular among Estonians. Most locals ask for help from friends or family to take care of their kids. However, that could be hard for an international student parent to find such help. Since the demand is higher than the supply, I know that sometimes babysitters charge around 8 euros per hour for babysitting. There is a group for finding babysitters in Tallinn/Estonia; maybe that could help you. Apart from that, since Tartu is a student city there is a possibility that there might be students who are looking to do some part-time baby-sitting. So it might be a good idea to keep an eye out in the student groups as well.
Parenting is never an easy job, so sometimes it’s better at least to have someone to ask questions. There are two Facebook groups that you could join for the parent in Tartu:
- Tartu mom and me – English language baby group (Facebook group)
- Families with kids in Tartu (Facebook group)
Activities for kids:
Credits: Lukas
Luckily, Tartu has many activities for kids. My list of kid-friendly activities:
AHHAA Science Center (https://ahhaa.ee/en)
- Science made fun with 170 exhibits, a planetarium, a hands-on workshop, and fun experiments.
Ice Age Center (https://jaaaeg.ee/en/)
- A prehistoric theme park for the whole family. Get to know how Estonian nature has evolved through the ages.
Nature House (https://www.tartuloodusmaja.ee/en/
- Environmental education and activities for the whole family
TYPA (https://typa.ee/en/)
- A print and paper museum with a focus on teaching people to make things with their own hands. They have plenty of fun workshops and activities.
Medoonity (https://www.medoonity.com/)
- A hobby school where hobbies and the acquisition of skills and knowledge go through the game. The strategic adventure game for children aged 9-14 lasts throughout the school year.
Vudila playground (https://vudila.ee/)
- Estonia’s largest outdoor water park!
The Estonian Aviation Museum (https://www.lennundusmuuseum.ee/en/)
- A great place for developing curiosity about engineering
Other links:
General education schools: https://tartu.ee/en/general-education-schools
Preschool children’s institution: https://tartu.ee/en/preschool-children-s-institutions
Terake international daycare group: https://daycare.tartu.ee/
There is still a lot of information I did not cover here, but I hope this blog can help you with things you need to know. I hope you have a smooth journey and have a great time in Tartu!
All the pictures are from https://www.pexels.com/
