International School Community would like to highlight another article from the Guardian.co.uk website. This time it is related to international schools and how expensive they are to some families.
The title of the article by Dawn Cowie: Educating children abroad can be an expensive business, so it’s important to start planning early
Sections we would like to discuss:
“Good quality education is a priority for every parent but for anyone considering relocating their family overseas it can be a deal-breaker.”
There are many, many families relocating abroad each year (some during the middle of the school year), and we wonder if the school-factor is really a “deal-breaker.” How could expat-to-be families really know the quality of the international school before they move abroad. Does the company inform them about the schools? There seems to be limited information out there to help parents out. There are a few review websites out there to gather information (http://www.gsgi.co.uk/site), but more information is needed we presume.
“So what are the costs involved? Nat Price, owner of specialist education consultancy Dean Associates, says that if the cost of a day-school place at a private secondary school in the UK is about £15,000 then the comparable figure for a place at an international school is about £20,000, but the costs do vary from country to country. For example, the cost of a typical day-school place a private school in Abu Dhabi can range from £8,000 to £15,000.”
One good benefit that international schools provide for their teachers is free tuition for their children to attend the school. That is worth around £20,000! Too bad teachers without children can’t pocket that money if they were offered the same benefit! But honestly, we think that it is a great opportunity for international school teachers. They get to send their children to what could be a great school, and for free. Their children will start to make some really great international friends and make some excellent connections that might help them later on in life. But back to the money involved in sending children to international schools. I wonder what percent of students at international schools have parents that are footing the tuition bill themselves and not their company. Would be great to do a survey on that topic!
We found a great video on the world’s largest expat survey. This video sheds some light on the lives of expats in a variety of countries. It highlights which countries expats found that they have the most disposable income, which countries where it was easier to make other expat friends, which country where it was easier to make local friends, etc.
