The benefit of international schools
With almost 9,000 international schools worldwide to choose from, David Tongue, Principal and CEO of St George’s British International School in Rome, outlines the benefits – for both expats and locals alike – of the international schools network.
- As many new pupils tend to arrive at the school year on year, the school is more likely to be able to support new pupils settling in – this can make a child’s transition into the school more seamless.
- The school is more likely to offer family and community support, which will provide the whole family with a network in their new home.
- The school is likely to be more ‘culturally familiar’ to a child and they are less likely to feel ‘culturally isolated’.
- In most international schools serving the needs of predominantly international pupils, English tends to become the lingua franca of the school which not only ensures that native English speaking pupils can access all social interactions, it tends to ensure that the quality of English spoken by non-native speakers is higher and improves more rapidly.
- Whilst not always the case, traditional international schools catering for expatriate pupils tend to be not-for-profit and more established. This means that all of the fee revenue is invested back into the school and the school has a clear reputation and history within its location on which a prospective family can judge it.
- As overseas pupils are exposed to the local culture to a much greater extent, they are likely to achieve cultural assimilation more rapidly and feel more settled in the country beyond the parameters of the school.
- As families tend to enjoy greater interaction with the local population they can feel ultimately more at home and less like they are living in an ‘expatriate bubble’.
- Overseas pupils in international schools catering predominantly for a local population are likely to pick up the local language at a much faster rate than those in a predominantly expatriate setting.
- Whilst not always the case, schools catering for a predominantly local population tend to be more recent and have frequently received a huge investment in their facilities and resourcing (often from a wealthy local donor or owner).
Now available as an ebook on Amazon! Simply download from Amazon onto your Kindle, mobile phone or tablet to read wherever you are!
Subscribe to Relocate Extra, our monthly newsletter, to get all the latest international assignments and global mobility news.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online DirectoryFor more education and school-related news, visit our Education and Schools pages.© 2019. This article first appeared in the 2019/20 edition of the Guide to International Education & Schools published by Relocate Global, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Relocate Global. Relocate Global accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.
©2024 Re:locate magazine, published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.