Home schooling for expats

Increasing numbers of parents consider home education as an option for their children. This is especially true for expatriates who may take this route for a variety of reasons.

Reasons for home schooling

Some of the reasons parents might choose home schooling over a more traditional school-based education are a lack of suitable schools in your new home overseas, the high cost of International School fees or personal preference. Perhaps the learning needs of your child can’t be met through a traditional school, or maybe your child has special needs which cannot be catered for by the schools near you. Many valid justifications exist for home schooling your child.

Is home schooling legal?

Beware! Not all countries are as open to home education as you may expect. In fact, in many places, such as Germany, home schooling is actually illegal. Do your research and consider your options carefully before committing to anything.

Wikipedia explains:

Home schooling is legal in many countries. Countries with the most prevalent home education movements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some countries have highly regulated home education programs as an extension of the compulsory school system; others, such as Sweden and Germany, have outlawed it entirely. Brazil has a law project in process. In other countries, while not restricted by law, home schooling is not socially acceptable or considered undesirable and is virtually non-existent.

Here is a fairly complete list of countries that do not permit alternative education, but it would be wise to check the finer details yourself as the education systems change rapidly.

Have you home schooled your expat child? Did you teach them yourself or did you use an online or other resource? Do share your experiences to help others come to a desicion, either by commenting below or joining in the discussion on our Facebook page. Alternatively, you could write up your advice and send it to me for future publication. Contact me here if this is a route you’d like to take.