Settling Your Child into School Abroad

Summary: One of the first priorities any parent has when relocating abroad is ensuring that a child's education is secured and that the child is confident and able to settle into their new school.

There’s no doubt that relocating abroad can bring you many rewards - from broadening your cultural horizons, to offering you a better quality of life or improved career prospects - but when you relocate with children in tow there are a whole range of priorities that must be addressed before you can even begin to settle into your new life!

One of the first priorities any parent has is ensuring that a child’s education is secured and that the child is confident and able to settle into their new school abroad.

Before you embark on your relocation it is imperative that you research the educational options that you will have for your child in your new country of choice.  A lot of the decisions you will have to make will be based not only on the options available to you, but the age of your child and the stage they are at in the education process.

If moving abroad with pre-school or primary school children the process is likely to be a little less stressful and complicated than if relocating with high school children.  It’s a fact that younger children adapt far better and more quickly to new surroundings, a new culture and a new language than their older siblings.

Older children will be more sensitive to standing out from the crowd, to leaving established friendships behind and having to adapt to a whole new set of circumstances.  Furthermore, if they are about to embark upon key examinations it will be critical not to upset their educational regime more than is absolutely necessary.

Begin your critical research by determining what rights your child will have to an education in your chosen country of choice.  In some countries there is no state education system which means you will have to home school them or pay for their schooling.  In certain countries a free state education is only available to nationals of that country.  You may be moving to a country that offers state educational facilities but also International public schools as well...you need to determine which option would best suit your particular child and what you can afford.

It is possible to save specifically for school fees; there are certain savings and investment schemes that are most applicable for this type of targeted and fixed term saving.  If you are about to expatriate or already live overseas you may also have the added offshore advantage which can allow your money to grow unrestricted by taxation and therefore at a potentially far faster rate.  If you would like to find out more about such schemes, your eligibility for them or their suitability for your particular circumstances, simply compete the offshore advice form and an adviser will contact you in confidence.

Once you have determined which education and school path to follow you need to do research into which schools are available within the vicinity of the location you are moving to and then apply to have your child accepted for enrolment.  In some countries, for example Dubai, a child can only enter the education stream at certain key stages during the academic year.  If you find out these facts before you go you can remain in your ‘old’ country up to the stage at which your child is eligible for enrolment abroad, that way your child does not miss out on any schooling.  Bear in mind that the school holidays and teaching hours often differ from country to country as well.

To enrol, some schools require you to present them with a copy of your child’s immunisation records, most schools will also require detailed reports of your child’s schooling and performance to date, together with copies of their birth certificate and passport.  Often these documents will have to be translated into the native language of the country you are relocating to.

It may seem like a lot of facts you need to research, decide upon and get straight before you go - but if you do this essential groundwork before you relocate you will be doing the absolute best you can to ensure your child has a smooth transition and settles into their new school abroad with the least stress possible.

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