Finding the best quality education for your expat kids

Moving overseas with your family involves a great deal more planning than if you’d been single, especially when it comes to children’s’ education.

Whilst cost of living, suitable accommodation, healthcare and safety are all crucially important to those considering relocation to an unfamiliar country, if it’s to be a family adventure education is one of the most crucial subjects for consideration. International schooling invariably comes at a price, but its quality isn’t always related to its costs.

A recent survey picked out education systems across the world which are considered the best available to ensure expat children get the best possible start in life. The top country for educational standards wasn’t the USA or the UK, it was Finland – not exactly a hub for thousands of expat parents – but with 70 per cent of those surveyed rating its schools as excellent. Given the global average of just 21 per cent, parents can be sure their children will get the best.

Families heading for an assignment in Singapore might believe the wealthy city-state would provide first quality education, but just half of expat respondents criticised the cost against the level of excellence. It’s not surprising that Switzerland was rated highly by parents, with many stating it was the best available anywhere in the world. Costs, however, weren’t mentioned, and Switzerland is an infamously expensive country in which to live.

South Korea’s education system is said to have improved considerably since the 2016 survey was published, with just under half of parents surveyed rating it as excellent as against 22 per cent in 2016. The cost of education in Hong Kong is very high, but so are its standards. Belgium’s ratings in the education sector have also improved since last year, and most respondents living in Israel had praise for its educational standards.

Taiwan, considered a top destination for expats, was rated highly for its admittedly expensive schooling, and education in the Netherlands was placed in the world’s top ten. Australian schools are easy to afford, and their overall quality impressed 84 per cent of respondents, but India’s high standard of education is pricey for the expat community.

Both Austria and the Czech Republic received high marks for the quality of their education, but the Czech Republic won out as regards affordability. Overall, it seems a good education for expat children is possible in a number of popular locations, as long as parents have either the funds to cover the costs or have an agreement that education fees are included in the relocation package.