Many expatriates choose local schools for their child’s expat education because they offer a viable alternative to an expensive education at an international school. Many countries have invested a great deal of money in their education systems in recent years and the negative connotations associated with local schools are quite often unfounded. Local schools also offer your children an excellent opportunity to mix with local children and learn more about the culture of their host country.
If you prefer to immerse your children in the local culture, a local school will a good choice for your child’s expat education. Attendance at such a school will offer your children a real grounding in local life and customs, as opposed to sheltering them from the host country in an international school. Your children will probably be forced to pick up the local language much more quickly and will be quicker to fit in with the local population. You should, however, be aware that being the only outsider in the school environment could have a negative impact of your child’s psychological wellbeing and could lead to them being bullied or isolated because they are different, see our section on Expat Child Syndrome for more information.
The quality of education available within local schools will also differ tremendously according to which destination you relocated to. Each Expat Info Desk international relocation guide provides a detailed insight into the expat education system on offer within popular expat cities, such information can be crucial when deciding whether or not a local school will be suitable for your child.
