Sarah Peel
Enter the Educators
International, local, bilingual, experimental, public, private, independent, embassy … it's easy to become overwhelmed in the face of the many school choices on offer in Beijing today. It's also easy to forget that the luxury of choice in education is relatively new here. Schools have grown with the rapid development of the city and changed over the years to meet the needs of Beijing's diverse expatriate community.
Good School Hunting
For children and families, the start of a new school year brings excitement and promise; a fresh start complete with clean uniforms, blank notebooks, new classes and a raft of new challenges. Once those first few golden weeks of September have passed, many families find that the reality of school life is very different from the one presented in the brochure.
Beijing's international schools offer families an overwhelming selection of curriculums, educational philosophies, subject areas, languages, locations, and extracurricular activities. Choosing a school that meets your family's needs and academic expectations can be a daunting task, but making an informed choice will help minimize problems in the months and years to come.
A veteran of the Beijing international school circuit after three postings in Beijing, American mother of two Marnie Li* has some hard won advice for those considering their school options in the city. Her children attended a variety of schools during their time in Beijing, and during her last posting Li herself worked at a Shunyi area international school. Growing disappointment with the schooling options available to her children was part of the family's decision to repatriate for good this summer.
