CHOOSING & APPLYING Concordia International School Shanghai
new country, and just thinking about the to-do list becomes exhausting. However, careful planning and good advice can help to take the pain out of the process for assignees and their families.
W DO YOUR RESEARCH
First things first: parents need to roll up their sleeves and get down to some serious research. Casting the net wide to start with can help families to understand what they really want from a home and school, and what they would be prepared to compromise on.
“Parents should make sure they look for a school before they decide where to live,” advises Kim Burgess, external relations director at the British School of Brussels. Often, homes in the areas surrounding good schools – regardless of whether they are fee-paying or state-funded – come with a hefty price tag, so it’s vital that families are realistic about what they can afford.
Oversubscribed state schools in England will require families to live in their catchment area if they are to stand a chance of being offered a place. It’s important, therefore, to ensure that your chosen home is both affordable and falls within the designated area of your chosen school. Likewise, deciding between state schools, independent fee-paying schools and an international school will depend on budget, as well as on other considerations, such as the length of the assignment and the standard of education available in the area.
“Even at the start of a new international posting, parents need to consider how long they plan to stay and what their future plans are,” says Joanne O’Connor, Community Liason Officer at 3e International School, a dual immersion Chinese– English school in Beijing. “In Beijing, for example, if families are only coming for two years or less, they may decide upon a school which aligns more to their home country, as this will enable the child to transition more easily on their return. For those whose goal is for their children to become fluent in the language of the host country, a full immersion bilingual programme, such as the one at 3e International School will form a strong basis for life long language learning.” If you are using the services of an education consultant,
remember to specify if you are looking for a state education, as some consultants only cover private education. It’s also important to ensure that your consultant is familiar with supporting relocating families. Consultants who deal with relocation clients will understand the time frames and requirements of a move, including home search, orientation,
removals and visa issues. They will be used to dovetailing their support with relocation management companies and destination services providers.
PREPARE YOUR WISH LIST Once you have settled on a budget and a geographical area, you will need to create a clear picture of what is most important to you and your child.
The first step is to prepare a list of the ingredients that will make up a perfect school – for example, proximity to home, availability of sports facilities, music or theatrical opportunities, or just good and consistent exam results.
“For a happy working life, a happy private life is of paramount importance,” says Peter Kotrc, director and CEO at Berlin Brandenburg International School. “By nature, international schools are welcoming and inclusive, and differentiate learning according to students’ needs. Put these characteristics on your checklist when choosing a school. If the registrar can’t answer questions related to these aspects, don’t send your child there.”
Once you have established your wish list, it’s time to start gathering prospectuses and brochures and browsing websites. At this point, it may be worth compiling a spreadsheet of the schools available to you and the information that can be gathered before visiting, including the facilities, the curriculum taught throughout the school, details of exam performance, the latest inspection rating, the pupil-to-teacher ratio, and the numbers, types and costs of extracurricular classes. You will then be able very quickly to eliminate schools from the long list of those available and start to create a shortlist of those that appear to meet your child’s needs.
VISIT THE SCHOOLS
No matter how much information you gather about your shortlisted schools, there is no substitute for visiting them in person. However, with so many things to consider
Keep Informed |
relocateglobal.com | 57
hen it comes to a successful relocation, finding the right school is often make or break. Throw into the mix a new house, a new job, and even a
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