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tips on international school Beijing
Posted by Frida (1032 days ago)
Hello,
I tried some days ago on the "moms & dads" section but got no respons. Then I saw that there has been some discussion on International Schools on this section (it was around half a year ago) and therefore I hope to have some more respons here.
Well, now we are going to China and therefore I am in urgent need some help. We are going there to look for an international school for our children. They were born 1999 and 2001.
We are staying for some days and our plan is to visit 4 schools. Which ones would you recommend that we should pick? I have been loooking around a lot on the internet and have seen that there are some that are quite central whereas others are out in the suburbs. I have a feeling that you try to stay as close to the school as you can, or am I wrong here? What I mean is that if you stay for example in Beijing Riviera then your children rather attend WAB, ISB or Dulwich than for example BISS or Yew Chung. What about the Australian International School, is anyone familiar with that school? Is there a mixed nationality there or are most children Australian?
Looking forward for some replies!
Frida
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Posted by meisheung (1032 days ago)
Hi, Frida,
Well, from my experience, it is not easy to live just next to the school of your children. I am not sure if your children are able to take the school bus (some schools may have assistants on the bus taking care of the students)as they may be around 3-4 years old. First of all, you may probably live in Chaoyang District cos most of the international schools are there. Then, you have to choose what kind of international schools you might prefer. I mean the curriculum of education and the style of teaching etc. Step by step, narrow down your choice. So you may find it easier to figure out what you want.
For the Australian International School, the campus is big but it is far from the city and the traffic is inconvinent. I think it is good for the big kids live on the campus only. I've heard that over 80% of the students are Chinese. My friend's (we come from HK)son is studying there. He is a secondary student and lives on the campus. He told me that most of the students are PRC Chinese.
I hope the above info could help.
Mei
Posted by gesangcha (1020 days ago)
Frida,
We lived new and away from schools in the past years that we have been in China. There are pros & cons... The good thing is that the definition of city or downtown has been extended that most of the expat housing neighborhoods are well connected by new roads. The important thing for me to choose to stay near school is the multiple factor - 45 minutes times 2 (if you have 2 kids) vs. my personal occasional visit to downtown. Plus, most of my kids' friends and their parents live near school. This cuts down the communte time a lot...
Hope your move to China is smooth. gesangcha@yahoo.com
Posted by skitrees (1010 days ago)
Hi Frida,
If I had children the ages yours are I would be choosing to live near their school. It can be a long commute from places like Shunyi into schools in town and vice versa (too long for young children I think to be on a bus-yes people do it but I wouldn't). The other thing is that you will network with people who you meet through the school-playdates etc, so you definitely want to live where the majority of the students live or you will be forever travelling and out. Eg most students at WAB live in Shunyi at places like Riviera.
Where are you from Frida-this can be relevant when choosing a school. If you want some feedback on places to live and schools I can help you.
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