When you have children and decide to move overseas, one of the biggest concerns will be the kids. How do you help get them settled into a new environment? When it comes to school, the biggest decision is usually whether you should enrol them into an international school or send them to a local place. Here’s how to choose the right school when you are an expat.
International curriculum
If your child is already of school age and is attending school in your home country, you’ll no doubt want them to have a smooth transition to the new country. The best way to do this is to enrol them into an international high school Bangkok. This is because international schools tend to follow an international curriculum, rather than that set by the local government, and your child can usually get the same qualifications that they would at home when they graduate.
Language barriers
The language barrier is another thing to think about when you move your child to a new country. In an ideal world, they’d pick up the local language and be able to go to a local school, but this isn’t always possible. While expats in European countries usually find their child can pick up languages like French or Spanish fairly quickly, it’s much harder to learn a language like Thai or Arabic, so an international school is a much better choice.
International schools tend to offer more
Many of the popular expat destinations are in countries where the local schools aren’t great, so an international school in the popular option. International schools tend to offer a lot more academically, such as:
- Language lessons
- Extracurricular activities
- Sports
- Smaller classes
- Cultural activities
It’s worth seeing what the local school offering is like, but in many cases, it’ll be disappointing and that’s why so many expats tend to lean towards international schools, as they know they are of a higher standard.
Your child’s education is one of the most important things they need to focus on, but this doesn’t mean you should miss out on an opportunity to work overseas. International schools are an excellent option for expats, as they allow their children to get the same level of education they’d get at home, and makes it easier for them to integrate and make new friends when they move to a new country. Therefore, they are often a better choice than local schools.
