American Intl School

[brendat]

Hi,

Can anyone give me information concerning the AIS?
I have twin girls who will be starting 4th grade in the fall term.

Is it difficult to get into? Will they want to "interview" my kids?
Is it a good school?
Is it too late to apply for admissions for next years term?
What is the area like near the school?
Is Kowloon a nice area for a family to live?

Are there other American, non-religious, schools in HK?

The company my husband is interviewing with will include tuition for the kids & housing costs in the expat plan.

BTW - What is a debenture? I realize it involves another payment to the school, but what is it for?

We will likely know if we will be moving to HK (from New jersey) by mid-May so I am just trying to do some research ahead of time.

Thanks in advance,
brendat

[Ham]

Hi, Brendat,
AIS' a pretty good school! I think it's not too late to enrol now. Why not just submit the application form 1st and see what they'll say?
I don't think there's any school in Hong Kong is using the American curriculum and non-religious!
Enjoy your time in HK! I'll love this place!
Ham

[ilkent]

Brendat,
U can try the Abundant Life Christian School and it's mainly a US based curriculum.

[brendat]

"Brendat,
U can try the Abundant Life Christian School and it's mainly a US based curriculum"

Thanks, but we're Jewish, so a Christian school is not what we are looking for.

[loupou]

If you're Jewish, would you be interested in the Carmel School? It's the only Jewish day school in East Asia.
From its website:
" Academically, Carmel follows a U.S.-style curriculum. Religiously, it adheres to Modern Orthodox principles"

http://www.carmel.edu.hk/

[brendat]

Thanks
Carmel school is definately on my list, but I would really prefer the kids get a secular education if possible with religious studies separately.

Thats why I asked specifically about AIS...they seem to be the only American secular school in HK

[loupou]

Hi brendat,

The ESF schools do not offer an US curriculum, but they are secular (or mostly, they do sing carols at the Christmas assembly).

I am from the USA originally, and my kids are doing fine in ESF and the work seems to be at the same level (or higher) as the work my same-age nieces and nephews do back in Massachusetts and Colorado.

I don't know anything about the American International School personally, but I can asnwer some of your questions.

*****
"Is it difficult to get into? Will they want to "interview" my kids?"
- I don't know how difficult it is to enter.

According to this website, they do an interview <http://www.ais.edu.hk/admissions.htm> for placement - most likely for kids whose mother tongue isn't English.

"Is it a good school?"
- I don't know. I had some neighbors back in the late 1990s who sent their kids there. The girls seemed nice, but I was in deepest-darkest toddler rearing, so I never really asked deeply,

"Is it too late to apply for admissions for next years term?"
- probably not

"What is the area like near the school?"

Kowloon Tong is an old "garden suburb" of Kowloon. It is noted for its "good schools". Many of the old villas in the neighborhood have been converted to kindergartens, and schools. There are also a lot of old people's homes and some "love hotels" (but fairly discreet and quiet ones) in converted old villas. Kowloon Tong is on the KCR (railway) and has a very up-market shopping center called "Festival Walk". It is nearby MongKok, which is more crowded and more down-market, but great for shopping.

AIS is right on Waterloo Road, which is a busy dual carriage way (2 lanes each) road.


"Is Kowloon a nice area for a family to live?"

Some parts of Kowloon are great to live in. It really depends on your budget. If you have a generous housing allowance, living some place like "Beacon Heights" in Kowloon Tong or "Dynasty Heights" in Shek Kip Mei would be nice and convenient.

Or, if you have less to spend, there are some nice places in Tai Wai or Shatin, which are only 1 or 2 train stops from Kowloon Tong and are more affordable.

If you don't mind your kids having a bit of a school bus ride, then living in Clear Water Bay/ Sai Kung can also be very nice: lots of greenery, sea views, and close to the beach.

"BTW - What is a debenture? I realize it involves another payment to the school, but what is it for?"
I think a debenture is a large sum that you deposit w/ the school for it to use for capital improvements. You can get it back when you are finished with the schooling. It's kind of like the money you have to put up to join a food co-op, but higher.

[brendat]

Thanks for all the info. If DH get this job, we would have a pretty good ex-pat package with housing and kids tuition paid for among other perks. We would probably be in HK for 5 years minimum. We should know more if this is gonna happen by late May early June

Hadn't thought about ESF schools but that would definatly be an option too (I dont care about singing some Carols at Xmas - they do that now in US public school too).

I just want them to get a good education that would be transferable back to the states when we eventually move back. I guess everything would be the same with the exception of learning some US history and they would get that once we returned to the states.