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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What schools do you pick for your kids?
For those of you who have kids here, how do you choose what school they will go to? I know that the Chinese education system is less than desirable and that there are international schools. But what other choices are there? What are your plans?
12 years 6 weeks ago in Family & Kids - China
A lot of people I know here choose to home school their kids if they do not want to pay the very high fees of international schools or subject their children to the nightmare of Chinese schools.
Our daughter is only coming up to her second birthday, but we intend to put her in a Chinese kindergarten then school. As she is British we will have a to pay some top up fees but not the, frankly, for us, unaffordable fees of an international school.
We partially chose the area we live in as there is an excellent kindergarten in our apartment complex and a brand new primary school has opened which is also very close. However, as we will have to pay some fees anyway, when it gets to Junior high school time we will place her in the best (Chinese school) we can find and pay the fees.
A secondary reason for this is going to a Chinese school will help her fully integrate into the Chinese community.
When it gets to High School time we will have to take a closer look at the Chinese system and we will make a choice at that time whether to return to the UK for a number of years, or send her to a Chinese high school, if we do that, (the Chinese school option) it is likely she will have to do a foundation year in a UK University before her degree course starts. But that is many years away and things do change, albeit often slowly in China.
hailey:
i dont think Chinese School is a good choice for children! Teachers are crazy, all they care is score! the education system is not good either!
For us, we will use chinese kindergarden in next year, as our son is still 2 years. I agree with some small fees" on beside", rather than crazy high international school charges. But for primary school, I wanna be back to my country and give him the education there, and later wish to relocate to other EU country. Trully, i am not willing to stay here for all the life, just till the things are going good. My wife know it and still internally fight with it.
Yeah, since I wrote the answer above we have decided against Chinese high school. Therefore in 10 years time before my daughter is of age to go to high school (age 11 in UK) we will return to the UK and put her into the English education system. I want her to learn the work ethic from Chinese middle schools but not the rote memorisation, test intensive regime they currently endure.
And also one reason, why not chinese education system - we always start school at 8am and finish around 1pm, sometimes 2.30 pm but only once a week or 2 weeks. depends on schedule. So the whole afternoon we have a time to play with friends and self education with parents at home, after or before play. Also doing some small home work, help mama with dishes and all around. We remember that times, right ?
I see the children here go home from school after 4-5pm, sometimes even after 7pm, doing homework in metro, have a fast dinner, than they study and sleep and at 7am at school again.
For sure, I do not want my son miss his childhood.