How to choose a school overseas

Choosing a suitable school for your child is possibly one of the hardest decisions you’ll have to make as a parent when relocating overseas. It can be especially difficult if your new country is a long distance from your current home as it will be harder to visit and evaluate the education options available to you.

So much depends on individuality that it’s hard to write a definitive guide to choosing a school. Each child is different; each country’s school system is different – even within the international schools; families differ in their requirements and wishes and even the relocations are unalike.

For these reasons, I’ve limited this article to some very basic ideas that you may find useful when choosing a school overseas for your child. Hopefully it will help you narrow down your options.

If possible, have a selection of schools to choose from. Naturally this will not always be possible because there just may not be any options. Also there may well be financial constraints, lack of places or language difficulties to consider.

Often the international schools are only located in the main city centres, so if you are moving anywhere other than this, you may find your choices are limited.

Sometimes parents put too much emphasis on trying to find a ‘good’ school. This is very hard to judge as a parent as it depends on the curriculum, the teachers and differs from class to class and from child to child, even within the same family.

Think ahead

Do you intend to stay permanently in that country? If you will be moving elsewhere in the future, consider selecting a school that will provide a continuity of education. For example, if you will be returning to your home country it makes sense to choose a school running a curriculum that ties in with your home country’s system. For those of you who may well move to another country after that one, something like the International Baccalaureate may be the best option.

If you are moving permanently, a local school may be the best option for you and your child.

While a child tends to be resilient and adjusts well when moving schools, a change of curriculum can prove challenging and may impact on their future success.

Research

Internet research

A quick comment on researching schools via the internet… We were unable to visit our host countries prior to relocation, so had to rely on internet research to choose a school. This is far from ideal as the school websites naturally place an incredibly positive spin on their school. Unfortunately this has meant that we haven’t always made the right decisions for our child. But she is coping marvellously in difficult circumstances.

Word of mouth

Ask around for recommendations if at all possible. Speak to colleagues, other parents and call on anyone who has a connection to that country and/or potential schools.

Age of your child

Young children are more adaptable and flexible than older children who have already settled into a particular school system. Some children adapt very well to moving between the different curricula but some do not. This can be very hard to judge until it’s too late so it may be in their interest to continue with what they are used to, even if the school itself doesn’t appeal to you.

With very young children, this will be their first taste of school life, so the curriculum isn’t necessarily the first priority. At that age the most important thing is getting into the school spirit, learning to learn and learning to socialise.

If you have more than one child, it will, of course, be easier to get them into the same school. But that isn’t always possible, so this is something else to take into account when making your decision.

Lifestyle

Does the school day fit in with your lifestyle? In some countries, the school day starts and finishes early. If you will be working this may cause difficulties.

How far away from you home is the school? Would you be able to get there easily in case of an emergency? Another factor to consider with regard to distance is that your child may not have friends close to home if the school is too far away. Yes, the school may be perfect (if indeed there is such a thing as a ‘perfect’ school) but if it’s a long way from your home, you may find your child is unable to socialise locally and may be unhappy outside of school hours for this reason.

How will the school run work? Some countries have school buses, others do not. You may have to struggle to do the school run on public transport. Our first experience of this nightmare was in Tokyo where getting to and from school took two and a half hours each way on public transport, with nearly two miles of walking as well. We soon bought a car and then it only took fifteen minutes!

Choosing a school is a very personal decision

Personally, I believe it is more important for the child to be happy to go that school and to feel at home. This is particularly relevant for primary aged children – it all gets a bit harder for older children!

Basically, choosing a school is a minefield and it all boils down to a very personal decision; a decision we can only hope is for the best.

It is vital to understand that it is not the end of the world if you choose a school that is not a good fit for them. You can always change your mind if it’s not working out, and you shouldn’t be afraid to do so. Your child will adapt and it will not ruin their life to change schools.

Here are some comments I received from other expats when I asked, “How did you choose a school overseas?”

It was the only international school available.

Recommendation from another family on the local school; not that we had much choice there were only two schools to choose from.

We visited three schools upon arrival and picked the one that our children felt comfortable with.

I wanted an English speaking school so the British school was ideal as it followed the English curriculum.

Firstly, the location and distance needed to drive to school was important as it impacted on catchment area for play dates. Then the overall ‘feel’ of the school.

We looked at potential schools before even moving and the week we arrived we toured three schools: two local state schools and a private school. We choose the one that the kids loved most.

How did you choose your child’s school? Has it worked out well for them? Do let me know by commenting below.