Schools: Education and Relocation

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:07:06 +0000

Educational concerns are often overlooked when structuring an expatriate package, but to families moving with children there is no greater obstacle to taking on an assignment or to the potential success of a move. To a family with children, schooling in another country poses many challenges, and HR is best equipped to address these concerns as they arise by understanding how the education system works in different locations and being familiar with the following issues, so that they can take an informed position on those that are controversial:

whether it is feasible to expect children to attend local schools in another country
assessing competition for school places in destination countries
the politics of the waitlist
the difficulty of moving families at non-entry point times and grades
evaluating the need for funding the high costs of private education
balancing the needs of schooling and housing
juggling the tight timetable of relocation with lengthy admissions cycles
accommodating the learning needs of each child, including special needs
making the choice between private, public (state) and boarding
the differences in curricula between countries

As an employer, you cannot afford to ignore your relocating employees’ concerns about their children’s education. The statistics make it clear:

84% of assignees cite worries about their children's education as a reason for not accepting an overseas assignment.
71% of assignees cite difficult family adjustment as a reason for an early return.
51% of assignees have children accompanying them.*

*(Figures: Cendant Mobility 2004, Cartus 2007 Policy and Practices Survey and GMAC Global Relocation Trends 2008)

Expat International Schools » relocation

Schools: Education and Relocation