Most people regard their child’s education as a major priority. Parents often make huge sacrifices and willingly expend time, effort, and finances to ensure that their children receive the best possible education. And not without good reason, as generally speaking, the type of education one receives often determines how well they do in life. But what exactly constitutes a good education? Is homeschooling a viable option for expat parents in Beijing? Can this mode of education effectively prepare children to succeed in today’s society?

We asked three expats with homeschooling experience to help shed light on these fundamental questions.

Therese Baron

Therese and her husband have lived in China since 2006. The couple has four children aged 6, 7, 9, and 11, all of whom were born in Beijing. Therese is currently in her fifth year of homeschooling.

What do you like about homeschooling?
I like being able to work with my kids all day long. Each child learns at a different pace. They can be really fast in one subject and really slow in another. I can allow them to do that because we make our own schedule and it’s tailored to each child.

What’s challenging about homeschooling?
The higher the grade, the more I have to figure out how to make sure they are getting everything. With higher level math, if you can’t do it you have to find someone who can teach them or an online program.

Are there any challenges with homeschooling that are unique to living in Beijing?
The lack of libraries and all the activities that are usually connected to a library is a challenge here. We overcome this challenge by downloading books for the kids to read on their Kindle. We also make use of reading app subscriptions, and the kids love to listen to audiobooks.

How do you develop your children’s social skills?
We want people to enjoy being around our children. So we are always encouraging them to think about how they can be friendly: things like, if they see a kid being left out of something, try to include them. We have four children so they have plenty of practice with each other. If I was parenting an only child, I would have to do more to help that along.                           

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about homeschooling?
It has to be understood that homeschooling is a commitment. It’s true that it is flexible. I like that we can do double school one day, and take a family day the next. But if you’re too flexible and you can’t stay on a schedule, it’s easy to derail your child’s education. Also, it’s really helpful to have a friend who’s homeschooling as well: someone who can encourage you on the days you feel like giving up, somebody you can bounce ideas off. It doesn’t always have to be someone here, but it is good to have someone to talk to.

Andrea Viera

Andrea and her family moved to Beijing in 2013. Andrea has four children aged 6, 17, 19, and 21. Her two oldest children are currently in college in the US. Andrea began homeschooling in America, and her homeschooling experience spans 17 years.

What do you like about homeschooling?
In the early years, homeschooling really suited our lifestyle. We were a military family and so we moved every three or four years. Homeschooling was the thing that made our life predictable. No matter what was going on, we just did homeschool. It was something that pulled our life together.

What aspects of homeschooling do you find challenging?
When I started homeschooling, many of the resources that are available now were just developing. So there was often that question of, “Am I doing the right thing?” Most people who send their kids to school don’t really think about this. They just send their kids to school because that’s what people do. They don’t overanalyze everything.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about homeschooling?
I think it’s important for people intending to homeschool to develop some sort of philosophy and revisit it every few years. Ideally, this exercise will provide an answer to two questions: “Why are we doing this? and “What is the goal?”

What is the goal of homeschooling for your family?
In the US and here, there is a huge focus on college. That was never our main intention. We always expected our children to go to college and talked to them about college so that it seemed normal, but my goal was so much bigger. I wanted each of my children to develop into a whole person who succeeds in life, not just gets into college. I want to see who my children become after college. For me, going to college is just one part of life, not all of life.

It was also really important to us that we taught our children how to learn independently so they didn’t always have to be taught things. In traditional forms of education, you are taught things by a teacher, you memorize those things and then you take a test. Well, you should be learning your entire life. After college, there isn’t a test on everything you learn. We wanted to foster a lifelong desire to continue learning.

What curriculum do you use and how did you choose it?
We started off with a curriculum called Sonlight because it came all together and ready to go. As the years passed our curriculum became an amalgamation of pieces from several different curriculums. We also used online classes and online community college. In terms of choosing a homeschool curriculum, I would really recommend just picking something and starting. After a year of doing it, it will be easy to see what you love and what is the thing that everyone hates every day. Then you can go and talk to friends and ask, “What do you use for this?” It’s helpful to talk to different people about the way they homeschool because there are so many ways to do it.

How do you ensure your children receive adequate socialization?
It depends on your definition of socialization. This whole concept of socialization often refers to interacting with people who were born the same year as you. My children can interact with people of other ages easily and they’ve always been like that. I don’t think we did anything magical; we just exposed them to a whole range of other people. In life, you have to interact with people who are all different ages. My kids were always doing music and sport. They kind of had both worlds. If you just stay home all day, every day, then your child is going to be that stereotypical socially awkward kid, but it’s not because they were homeschooled; it’s because they weren’t socialized properly.

Does a person need teaching experience in order to homeschool well?
In reality, you are your child’s first teacher. You taught your child to walk and to talk. If you can read, you can teach your child to do it. You grow with them and your teaching style develops with them. Teaching your child at home is very different from standing at the front of a classroom having to deal with classroom management. When I started homeschooling, I had to change the images that I had of “school” and develop new ones.

Andrea is happy to answer questions about homeschooling. Email her at beijinghomeschool@outlook.com

Lisa Waltz

Lisa and her family took up residence in China way back in 1988. Lisa has been homeschooling in Beijing for 22 years. She has three adult children and is currently homeschooling her last child, a 17-year-old high schooler.

When the time came to apply for college and then actually go to college, were your children at a disadvantage due to having been homeschooled?
For the colleges we applied for, it wasn’t at all a problem that they had been homeschooled. Once they got to college, academically they were fine. In some cases, they were actually at an advantage. They struggled in other areas, such as being tied to somebody else’s timetable, but academics weren’t a problem.

I would say that parents need to help their kids figure out what they want early on. If they want to go to Harvard or Yale they need to be thinking about that as early as Grade 9, so that they can design their homeschool program accordingly.

How do you ensure your children receive adequate socialization?
My children didn’t lack in this area! They had too much socialization. They went to a homeschool co-op, they attended youth groups, and they played community soccer. They also had a lot of friends in our apartment complex. This city has a good transport system so it is easy for youngsters to get around by themselves.

What is a homeschool co-op?
Co-ops provide children with an opportunity to participate in activities such as music groups, science experiments, and art workshops. Some of them also organize an annual graduation ceremony.

What tips do you have on choosing a homeschool curriculum?
I would recommend starting with something that is all there in one package. Begin to understand how your child learns and then you can slowly veer away from the package if you need to. Over time you’ll get comfortable with branching out. And remember, it’s not really about stuffing them full of information. We are trying to give our children the tools that they need for learning because today’s information will be outdated tomorrow.

What advice would you give to parents thinking about homeschooling?
It’s important to be connected with other people who are doing the same thing as you.

And how does one go about getting connected with these people?
You could try posting on internet chat groups, or any one of the many family-orientated WeChat groups. You could also try approaching the international schools that homeschooling families might be connected to, such as the schools that homeschooled students might go to take their SATs.

Homeschooling families can be found across the city, with children ranging from preschool to high school age. For the parent wishing to embark upon the adventure of homeschooling, or for the seasoned homeschooler wishing to build up a network of Beijing-based comrades, it is well worth taking the time to track down these homeschooling parents. You can do this by asking around — both in person and online via the plethora of social network platforms that we have at our disposal. You’ll find that homeschooling parents are often extremely generous with their time and very willing to share their expertise with those just starting out.

Recommended resources

Books
– The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick
– The Core Knowledge series by E.D. Hirsch Jr.
– Senior High: A Home Designed Form+U+La by Barbara Edtl Shelton

Websites
– www.readaloudrevival.com
– www.theoldschoolhouse.com

This article first appeared in the beijingkids School Choice Guide 2019-2020
Photos: Adobe Creative Cloud

Few events inspire as much dread as moving. Packing up one’s belongings and relocating within the same city is difficult enough, let alone overseas. Consider language barriers, slow Internet, and ever-changing import and export regulations, and you can start to see why China poses a special challenge for expats relocating to or from here.

Though employee benefits have decreased in recent years, some international companies still offer relocation packages and may pre-select a mover for the process. However, many families must do their own research and make the move without the help of a relocation consultant.

Terms of Service
To begin with, many people are unclear about the differences between the terms “moving,” “shipping,” and “relocation.” Chad Forrest, the general manager of Asian Express (AE) International Movers, says to think about moving as one part of the relocation process.

“The traditional components of relocation are moving, the home search, visa, immigration, and cross-cultural training. A moving company focuses on the moving aspects. A relocation company will engage in all separate components in one way or another,” he explains.

Many moving companies have logistics divisions, which typically move products rather than household goods. Some have a general cargo division that focuses on large projects and moving machinery.

Then, there are “relocation management companies” (RMCs) which outsource different stages of the relocation process. They might contract with one company to oversee global relocation, another for immigration, and yet another for cross-cultural training; all the while, the RMC remains the single point of contact for the client.

Finally, “shipping” refers to the part of the international moving process where personal belongings and household goods are transported by sea or air freight to the destination country. Generally, air freight is quicker but more expensive while sea freight is slower but cheaper. More commonly, a moving company would be your point of contact for shipping services.

There is no best option; it all depends on your family’s needs and budget. In any case, be sure to obtain quotes from at least three companies, arrange a visual survey of the belongings to be shipped, and plan ahead as much as possible. Very little is negotiable when it comes to relocation fees, so getting an accurate estimate upfront will significantly simplify the process.

Preparing for the Visual Survey
If you are engaging the services of a relocation or moving company, one of the most important parts of the process is the visual survey. This is when an employee comes over and inventories everything your family is planning to ship; some surveyors log the belongings into a tablet while others use good old pen and paper.

Before the survey, cull as much as possible by donating or selling anything you do not need. “If you have a copy of Tom Clancy’s Hunt for Red October that you’ve been carrying around since 1980, you can probably donate that,” says Chad Forrest from Asian Express.

Having a tidy house and setting out everything you are planning to take can save you considerable time and money. “Often when we go to a villa and there’s a garage, [the client]might open it up and say ‘About half of that will go.’ But the move date comes up so quickly that people don’t have time to remove half of that and end up packing everything,” explains Forrest.

An experienced surveyor would take note of such situations and be able to accurately how much space different items will take up in a shipment container. Expect the surveyor to open cabinets, drawers, and wardrobes. Keep in mind that the survey is by definition an estimate; this is why it is important to get several quotes. “If two moving companies have estimated a similar volume and the third is way out, then you pretty much have the answer to your question,” says Forrest.

Moving on a Budget
Where in the relocation process can families save money? The best thing they can do is get the process started as early as possible, says Forrest. For starters, there is a wealth of information online about how to organize and estimate the value of possessions before a move. During off-peak times, contacting the moving company one month in advance is fine; however, Forrest recommends getting in touch in early April if you are planning to move, say, during the last week of June.

It bears repeating that paring down your belongings ahead of time can go a long way, both financially and logistically. “This goes for anyone who is moving, not just those paying for [the relocation]themselves,” says Forrest. “There are even people who can come in and help you do this.”

Air or sea freight may not be worth the price for expats with smaller-volume shipments. “[For a moving company], it’s the same amount of work for 4 cubic meters and 20 cubic meters – the only difference is packing. The office work and everything else that goes into helping you is the same,” says Forrest. If you have soft items, he recommends packing them into check-in luggage; some people simply mail their extra belongings back home through China Post.

If you have the flexibility to choose when to move, you are more likely to get a good deal if you relocate during off-peak months such as fall or early spring and winter rather than June or July.

Watch out for hidden fees, especially if you are planning the move yourself. There are many parts to the relocation process and each stage carries its own costs, so be sure to clarify exactly which services and conditions are included in a quote: door to door, door to port, port to port, air versus sea freight, etc.

Consider making a moving budget several months before the intended relocation date to prepare for unforeseen costs. Nomadic Matt, a blogger who has traveled to over 80 countries and author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, recommends cutting down on unnecessary daily expenses such as Starbucks coffee. Assuming you spend USD 5 on coffee every day, that amounts to USD 150 a month or USD 1,800 per year – enough to last a single traveler around two months in southeast Asia.

Quality Control
When comparing moving companies, be sure to check accreditations and certifications. “The primary one is called FIDI [Federation of International Furniture Removers]. Member companies must go through a quality audit and continue to be re-certified,” says Forrest. FIDI’s certification process is known as FIDI Accredited International Movers (FAIM).

Another certification body is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO); the main difference with FAIM that ISO companies set their own procedures and are audited by ISO based on these procedures, while FAIM sets their own standards and companies either pass them or do not.

“This includes everything from financials, to what the warehouse roof is made of, to calling the receptionist and seeing how long it takes for the office to direct you to someone who can answer your question,” says Forrest. FAIM also examines the company’s claims loss ratio and how quickly insurance claims are processed.

Changes in Regulation
There are two recent changes in regulation that may affect expats. One is an increase on import duties on household goods. To take the guesswork out of the process, AE Movers has an online calculator for estimating the import duty for various belongings, including electronics, household appliances, furniture, kitchenware, and musical instruments.

The second change in procedures concerns the inspection process for “relics,” which are defined as items made before 1949 and some Communist artifacts dating from before 1979. In the past, the client or their representative (such as a moving company) could bring items needing inspection to the Friendship Store in Jianguomen on Monday and Friday afternoons without an appointment.

Now, a request for an appointment must be made five business days in advance and the client’s name, photos of the items, item listings, and descriptions of materials (e.g. bronze, wood, stone, etc.) must be submitted before the inspection. In-home inspections can also be arranged if there are many items to be inspected and an application is submitted online with the same time delay.

Because the relics inspection stage generates so many questions, Asian Express usually goes through a Powerpoint presentation with the client after the visual survey on this topic. Fossils cannot leave the country, nor can certain pieces of Tibetan furniture and decorations – even if they are new. Some buddha statues and certain types of wood also cannot be taken out of the country. There is no such issue with Chinese art or books, unless they are deemed politically sensitive.

The final piece of advice that Chad Forrest has for expats leaving the country? “Get everything packed up two weeks before you’re going to leave. Get that part of your relocation done, check into a hotel, then spend your last two weeks in Beijing having fun,” he says. “I’ve been here for 21 years and I’ve had many friends leave. People who have taken that advice have really enjoyed it.”

Resources
Asian Express International Movers
Asian Express is a FIDI/FAIM-accredited moving company founded in 1979 with four locations in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The website includes customs tips for various destinations, an import duty calculator, insurance forms, and more. Contact: 8580 1471, www.aemovers.com.hk

Crown Relocations Beijing
Crown Relocations’ services include domestic and international transportation of household goods, home and school search, storage, expense management, policy consulting and program administration, online tracking tools, transit protection and intercultural services. Provides services for corporations, diplomats and private customers. Contact: 5801 8088, beijing@crownrelo.com, www.crownrelo.com

Links Moving Beijing
Established in Hong Kong in 1997, Links has a full range of moving services and storage options. Handles over 3,000 international moves worldwide each year. Website offers info like freight container sizes and details; online quotes available for smaller shipments. Keep an eye out for specials, such as free air freight with certain container sizes or percentage discounts for early booking during peak seasons. Contact: 8447 7496, www.linksmoving.asia

Santa Fe Relocation Services Beijing
Santa Fe offers moving, relocation, real estate and visa and immigration services for individuals and companies moving to China and around the world. First established in Hong Kong in 1980, it has since then expanded to become a leading global mobility services company with operations in all six continents. Contact: 6947 0688, beijing@santaferelo.com, www.santaferelo.com

Allied Pickfords
With more than 800 locations worldwide in over 40 countries, Allied Pickfords has eight China offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dalian, Chengdu, Suzhou and Shenyang. Offers international, domestic, local and office moving services, with a Move Coordinator to assist throughout the process from door-to-door. Contact: 5870 1133, www.alliedpickfords.com.cn

Asian Tigers
FIDI/FAIM members with 1,500 full-time dedicated staff members. Offers the largest fleet of trucks and the most warehouse space of any mover in East Asia. Provides post move follow-up. With every shipment, Asian Tigers makes a donation to a support program. Contact: 6415 4155, china@asiantigers-mobility.com, www.asiantigers-china.com

This article originally appeared on pages 58 amd 59 of beijingkids Home and Relocation Guide 2016/17. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Asian Express

The beijingkids team is currently hard at work on the second annual Health Guide, a special issue covering health and wellness resources in Beijing (slated for release in July). To better serve our readers, we’re also putting on the first-ever Health Fair in mid-September with our Chinese sister magazine, JingKids. Similar to the School Choice Fair, the Health Fair will bring together health-related businesses and organizations under one roof for a day of information, networking, and family fun. The event is now open to sponsors and exhibitors interested in buying booths; read on for details.

Aimed at Beijing residents of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in living a healthy lifestyle, the event will include air and water filters, organic goods, Traditional Chinese Medicine, NGOs, charities, international hospitals, natural health and beauty products, sustainable handicrafts and more, along with food vendors with an emphasis on healthy dishes.  

Booths (but not the title sponsorship) are open to the following industries:

• Hospitals and clinics
• Health products
• Gyms and training centers
• Organic food and beverage

The Health Fair will take place on Sunday, September 14 from 9.30am-4.30pm at Swissotel Beijing. The total area is 800sqm with a maximum of 70 booths (46cm by 183cm).

If you’re interested in buying a booth, contact our Sales team at sales@truerun.com or 5941 0368 (English and Chinese). The deadline for booking is Friday, August 15.

Photo: ilovebutter (Flickr)

My childhood bedroom is preserved in its original state; the clay mask I made at art camp, the books I loved as a student, old journals, folders of drawings and paper dolls. Around the house on shelves, walls, mantelpieces, and furniture tops the cream of the photo crop is lovingly displayed.  I have to thank my mother for her role as family archivist. Those artefacts create a powerful sense of self, place and most importantly, family. It’s all there in our family home, waiting to be pored over and shared with the next generation.

Sometimes the old ways are the best ways, and with the advent of the Internet, it’s become so much simpler to preserve all those sweet childhood memories. Let’s take a look at some old-fashioned and new-fangled ways to put childhood on record.

Measuring Wall
Portability and durability are important concerns for any childhood documents, but for the measuring wall they’re a must! The wall which displayed all of our growth spurts and plateaus unfortunately ceased to exist when our reception rooms were knocked together and remodelled. And of course most Beijing families are nomadic; Beijing today, Oman tomorrow.  Modern global gypsies don’t always have the luxury of space and rootedness.
So rather than marking up your paintwork and losing it all when you move home, make a height measuring board or chart.
On birthdays, the first day of the school year, or just because you know they’ve notched up another inch, draw a new line for each child, noting the date and occasion.

Digital Refrigerator
Artwork, graded papers, and handmade valentines all compete for space on the family fridge. Galleries of your children’s creativity and achievements are ever changing, and the old must make way for the new. Boxing and keeping everything they create adds up to a storage nightmare. Keep the standouts in hard copy and scan, photograph and store the rest. Your kid’s digitized masterpieces can be uploaded to instagram, flickr or Facebook.

Photo Books and Scrapbooks
Many families have reams of beautiful family memories, all frozen in digital amber on their hard drives. Release your memories by making photo books and scrapbooks. You can make beautiful pieces to gift or cherish at Shutterfly, Snapfish, Scrapjazz, or Scrapbook.com.

Photo courtesy of archetypefotographie, flickr.com

In Mandarin, instead of saying ‘humph’, you say heng（哼) when exasperated. If you want to say ‘hey look’, as in ‘hey look, here’s your jacket’, you say nuo (喏) .

It’s interesting to think that there are Chinese characters for even the most inane vocal expressions; somebody had to figure out a way to visually represent even things like the sound you make when you spit (pei 呸). Check out this list of interesting Chinese particles to learn more of the huffs, guffs, sighs and cries of Mandarin. Use ’em properly in speech, and people might have to take a second look to make sure you’re not a local.

If you want to learn some sweet things to say to your hubbies or honeys, check out this list of love idioms. Some of them are more suited for the heartbroken though, so make sure you don’t get your sentences crossed.

Equally interesting is this list of Chinese slang. These are the adjectives like ‘cool’ and ‘wicked’ in English, but they’re more like cow (niu 牛) and fire (huo 火).

And here’s 8 Mandarin phrases you will never need to use, we hope.