Most TCK's will have had the experience of going to an international school. I went to one from the age of 7 till I graduated High School, so to me, it seemed fairly normal. The older I got I of course realized that the facilities my school had, the trips we took, the guest speakers we had were a bit out of the ordinary. But everyone in my environment went to an international school, so it really was not all that strange.
The other day, I was talking about school fees with one of my friends, and I decided to check how much the annual fee was for one of the international schools I attended. I always knew it was expensive, but I had never really looked properly. It was more than 22,000 USD. This is excluding school transport, sport competition trips, and other add-ons. This is more then double the university fees that I am paying now.
I think it is fair to point out that you don't have too much choice as an expat regarding your child's education; usually there is a minimal number of international schools (all asking the same ridiculous fees), and sending your child to a public school is not always a option, especially when they do not speak the local language. Fortunately for my parents, and I know this was the case for numerous peers, their expat contract included their child's education fee, and thus they did not have to pay from their own pockets.
So, is it worth it? This is hard to say. I had some amazing experiences in my school years. Week long school trips to places all over China and Vietnam. Football trips to Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia. Inspirational guest speakers like Ban Ki Moon and Joan Baez. My school in Beijing was an Olympic Educational Model School, and so we had Olympic athletes use the school facilities to train and I got to seem Paralympic events with my class. I had numerous opportunities to work for some amazing charities through school.
This is not meant to come off as bragging. I am trying to point out that you do get an amazing education for the high price you pay. But this is not to say that people who do not pay such high fees get a bad education. I think it is hard to compare the education I had to the education my friends in public schools had. In an expat community, attending a international school is the norm. In a normal environment, attending a public school is the norm. For some reason, the norm in an expat community is of a much higher, some might say ridiculous, level. Would I have benefited from going to a public school? Yes, I think that by going to a public school, I would have had a more realistic outlook on how the world functions at a younger age. I would have realized that not all people have a lot of money, not all people can go on numerous vacations a year, and not all people live in fancy compounds. While my parents always made sure that I realized how lucky I was with the life I was given, I was still always around people who were equally as lucky.
Having said all this, I am very grateful that I was able to attend an international school. I think the type of education it provided taught me many valuable lessons, and while it might have been unrealistic at times, I am now fully aware of how lucky I was, and still am. Did you attend an international school, or do your kids attend one? If so, let me know what your thoughts are.
The other day, I was talking about school fees with one of my friends, and I decided to check how much the annual fee was for one of the international schools I attended. I always knew it was expensive, but I had never really looked properly. It was more than 22,000 USD. This is excluding school transport, sport competition trips, and other add-ons. This is more then double the university fees that I am paying now.
I think it is fair to point out that you don't have too much choice as an expat regarding your child's education; usually there is a minimal number of international schools (all asking the same ridiculous fees), and sending your child to a public school is not always a option, especially when they do not speak the local language. Fortunately for my parents, and I know this was the case for numerous peers, their expat contract included their child's education fee, and thus they did not have to pay from their own pockets.
So, is it worth it? This is hard to say. I had some amazing experiences in my school years. Week long school trips to places all over China and Vietnam. Football trips to Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia. Inspirational guest speakers like Ban Ki Moon and Joan Baez. My school in Beijing was an Olympic Educational Model School, and so we had Olympic athletes use the school facilities to train and I got to seem Paralympic events with my class. I had numerous opportunities to work for some amazing charities through school.
This is not meant to come off as bragging. I am trying to point out that you do get an amazing education for the high price you pay. But this is not to say that people who do not pay such high fees get a bad education. I think it is hard to compare the education I had to the education my friends in public schools had. In an expat community, attending a international school is the norm. In a normal environment, attending a public school is the norm. For some reason, the norm in an expat community is of a much higher, some might say ridiculous, level. Would I have benefited from going to a public school? Yes, I think that by going to a public school, I would have had a more realistic outlook on how the world functions at a younger age. I would have realized that not all people have a lot of money, not all people can go on numerous vacations a year, and not all people live in fancy compounds. While my parents always made sure that I realized how lucky I was with the life I was given, I was still always around people who were equally as lucky.
Having said all this, I am very grateful that I was able to attend an international school. I think the type of education it provided taught me many valuable lessons, and while it might have been unrealistic at times, I am now fully aware of how lucky I was, and still am. Did you attend an international school, or do your kids attend one? If so, let me know what your thoughts are.
No comments:
Post a Comment