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Affordable International Schooling?

  1. #1
    Graham's Avatar
    Graham is offline Registered User
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    Affordable International Schooling?

    This is probably going to sound like a really silly question, but is there such a thing as cheap international schooling in Hong Kong, specifically in the New Territories?

    I'm British and my wife is HK Chinese. We live in Tai Po. We are not what you would call wealthy, probably on the lower end of the middle income bracket. Unfortunately I'm not on an Expat package, so no paid education for my son unfortunately.

    I'd wanted to send my son to Shatin Junior School as it's the closest ESF school to us and I was relying on the fact that as my wife is a civil servant, she would be able to get an education subsidy (up to 75% I believe). Unfortunately, it looks like the Govenment may cut this benefit before my son reaches primary school age.

    If my wife's benefit is cut, paying ESF school fees would be a real streach for us, as we still have 10 years of our mortgage left to pay off.

    Our son is only 2yo now. We plan to send him to a local nursery/kindergarten to learn spoken Cantonese (that's not a problem). However, I really want him to study at an International Primary & Secondary School, as I've just heard too many horror stories about the local education system regarding the amount of homework and pressure on kids. I want his childhood to be fun.

    Another consideration about not wanting him in a local school is that I cannot help him with Chinese homework and as my wife works shifts, she is often not at home in the evenings.

    Any suggestions as to what options are open to us? Ideally, I'd like my son to study a British curriculum at a school not too far away from us, i.e. NT preferable, but Kowloon also acceptable.

    Graham


  2. #2
    bekyboo44 is offline Registered User
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    In the New Territories the cheapest international schooling is through the ESF, i.e. Shatin Junior. There are other international schools in the New Territories, notably, Hong Lok Yuen International School and the Japanese International School but both, I believe are more expensive than Shatin Junior.
    There is the Norweigan International School, but this is cheap because it is not a very good school and I would not reccomend it.
    As far as Kowloon goes, I believe the cheapest international schools are the ESF ones, Beacon Hill and Kowloon Junior (but it is worth noting that the current waiting lists for ESF primary schools are ridiculously long and priority goes to children who only speak English and so can not enter the local school system, and even then there are not enough places for all the children who need one); in Kowloon you may also want to check out the American International School, Sears Rogers- but I have a feeling they are more expensive than ESF and their reputations I know nothing about.


  3. #3
    heli is offline Registered User
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    Hi Graham,

    My husband is a civil servant too. We never heard any news gov't wants to cut LEA (Local Education Allowance). We just only heard gov't will cut OEA (Oversea Education Allowance).

    heli


  4. #4
    Vrindavan is offline Registered User
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    CAIS - near Kln City
    just slightly more expensive than ESF
    http://www.cais.edu.hk


  5. #5
    gigi is offline Registered User
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    I think Pui Kiu College best meets your criteria:

    - located at Tai Wai
    - monthly school fee HK$1700
    - international curriculum
    - primary school : english + putonghua
    - secondary school : english only
    - no homework pressure


  6. #6
    Unix is offline Registered User
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    Just a note to you that CAIS is of Canadian curriculum.


  7. #7
    Vrindavan is offline Registered User
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    >> I think Pui Kiu College best meets your criteria:

    i doubt

    >> - international curriculum

    not really, many people misunderstood,
    just a local school having more NET teachers

    >> primary school : english + putonghua

    PTH more than English

    >> - secondary school : english only

    English more, not only

    >>- no homework pressure

    ?? only primary level


  8. #8
    hksharon is offline Registered User
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    Im in your boat - my son has started P1 this year at a DSS school in kowloon. Englsih medium but with a lot of chinese lessons taught as a second language. Believe me if u want a billingual child that'll never happen in int'l school, better to have them at the type of school my son's going to to pick up chinese in their primary days. fee is cheaper than int'l fees too.


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