[Icspat08]

Originally Posted by momo

Does anyone know anything about the Australian International School - does it have good reputation?

Australian International Schools are growing in popularity as Australian families move overseas for work purposes in our increasingly globalised economy.

There are Australian International Schools in Hong Kong, Vietnam, China (Beijing) , Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Dubai.

From my understanding a company within the country where they operate set them up. They are "Australian" in the sense that they teach an Australian curriculum and are registered with the provider of that curriculum (each state in Australia has a different curriculum).

However the schools are not made up of entirely Australian born children as children from other countries attend these schools too.

[cwbmum]

Hi
Not sure about the school but I know traveling from Macau everyday will take you up to an hour on the turbo jet and then you have immigration at both ends, not sure how long this will take, it's sometimes faster than others. Not sure how long it will take from the Macau ferry terminal to the Australian school.
Good luck

[AforApple]

I'm posting to deter any one from thinking about this.

Even though my husband commutes everyday from Kennedy Town to Macau and it is very tiring. In one day he travels between 3-4 hours all up.

If you do not hold a hk id card then it will take longer still. Other things to consider: if the weather is not so nice the water is very choppy. People throwing up.

In the morning there are just so many mainland people on the ferry that it is very loud and kaotic. Some do not know the alphabet seating arrangement so they sit anywhere they like. A lot of them push and shove and have no regard whether you are young or old.

Also the amount of international germs is huge.

If you are extremely healthy like my hubbie he could do this every day and can often just sit back and listen to his ipod/or use his pc. But for a child/teenager who should spend these valuable hours studying and having fun I would not recommend. This would be the equivalent of Adelaide to Sydney return flight everyday! Is it worth it? Maybe she would be more enriched if you chose an international english speaking school in Macau. There is a larger xpat community in Macau from Aust.

[AforApple]

well... I just feel so silly now as ozgirlv posted in 2005!

[Icspat08]

The best way to find out about the school is to speak to students, teachers and parents. It also helps to talk to ex students and ex teachers.

Also going to the school and speaking with the Head of School would help. This would also give you a feel about the school as you experience its physical surroundings.

The website will help. I find the website for this school very organised and up to date. Check out the school newsletters. One fault is that there is not much background info. about the Head of School so we don't know much about him. I do understand he has past principal experience in Aust. but is not from NSW (the school uses the NSW curriculum).

The Wikipedia article on the school may help and the "discussion" section.

I have heard they have used one member interview panels to recruit teachers which is not good practice in my opinion.
Also they do not tend to advertise widely for teachers.

My point is that you would want the teachers to be top quality, as the teachers can make or break a school. The website does provide a photo gallery of teachers as well as their qualifications.

When all is said and done, it is the only Australian International School in HK. And if you want your child to continue their Australian education then this is the best there is in HK.

I do encourage you to investigate the leaders and teachers at the school and their commitment. Ask questions and make sure they are really there to provide a top quality education to ex pat kids.

[joliana]

it is impossible to travel daily from and to AIS daily from macau to hk. it takes 1hour for the jetboat and then another 30 min public trasport to school from ferry