has anybody lived overseas with a school-aged child? i've been living and working in the north of thailand (i'm an esl teacher) for 5 months, and have my 9 year old with me. as far as i know thai schools don't accept non-residents and the international school are waaay out of my price range. result: 1 very bored lonely kid. i'm thinking of travelling somewhere else - anywhere safe that i can get some reasonablely paid work. does anyone have suggestions for a country that would accept a foreign child into a local primary school. it would be a good way for her to make frinds and learn about another language and culture.
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If you want to stay in Thailand you could always try Phuket.there is an affordable Montessori school used by expats there in Rawai .We lived in Cambodia with 4 kids .2 went to the International school but two went to the more affordable British school and the Montessoris .Montessoris are variable but there are plenty around asia in Thailand/KL/Indonesia /Phnom Penh and I would say alot of other places .
Sometimes if you have a work with an NGO they will pay for some or all of your childrens schooling .The other option is distant education.After 4 years away and really moving alot we have just returned to Australia and found that all 4 are at level or above so dont be too phased about school quality in the primary years , keeping journals , reading and learning the timestables are the mainstays !!
If you find out let me know! I have an 8 year old daughter
and have seriously been considering living in a foreign
country with her. I was thinking about Holland or Spain. We
have too many things to work out at this point, but it is a
fantasy that I hope to make true before she turns into a
teen-ager and doesn't want to do anything with me anymore!
I would love to hear what your experiences have been and
where. I do graphic design and would probably look for a
place I could work at that, as well as a place that would
welcome an American girl into the school.
Thanks,
Try Singapore - their schools accept non-Singaporean.
Also, plenty of jobs in schools here.
I spent the summer of 1998 teaching ESL in Cairo, Egypt. I
travelled alone, but this time want to return with my 9 year
old son for 6 months to a year. Problem being, Egyptian
wages can sufficiently support our lifestyle, but not my
son's education. Private schools run anywhere from $6500 to
$13,000 American per year, and as a single mother being paid
by Egyptian standards, that is an impossibility!!!
If anyone can offer help, or knows of any loopholes, please
let me know!!!
Cindy
My daughter and I lived in Prague for the year she was in second grade, two years ago. Neither of us knew any Czech when we left, but I had no trouble getting her into the local elementary school down the street from the flat we rented. It was tough for her at first, because Czech is not terribly easy to pick up, but she did great. By the end of our stay she was fluent, and sad to leave her buddies. It was a little distressing to see that missing an entire year of school in the U.S. cost her nothing academically - she came back way ahead of her third grade class, both intellectually and socially. The Czech Republic recently changed its immigration laws, and Prague has gotten quite expensive. You might have better luck in Hungary or another eastern European country, or a smaller town in CZ. We also backpacked through eastern Europe for the last seven weeks of our stay. If your child is around that age, now is definately the time to go. We are planning to travel in SE Asia this summer, and I'll be doing fieldwork in Mexico next year - and she has no desire to go either place!
Good luck!
Rebecca