Joining an ESF kindergarten

[Kd2011]

HI everyone,

We are moving over in just a matter of weeks and I'm trying to get my head around the schooling system. I have decided that I want my little boy to go to the ESF schools out there, I've been doing my research on the whole system, and it seems pretty simple application (touch wood) But can anyone tell me the pro's and cons of sending him to an ESF? They seem pretty similar to the ones that are taught in the UK

[Oldtimer]

please check out the sister site Geobaby.com for schools and groups.You will find more information there

[HowardCoombs]

Pros : middle of the road English based education at a reasonable price. Its not top of the list nor is it bottom.
Cons : its English only. If you have any intentions of staying in Hong Kong longer term, it would be very beneficial for your LO to pick up Cantonese and/or Mandarin. It will be extremely hard to do that at ESF.

[shenwen]

there are better options, but much will depend on where you end up living

[carang]

ESF also have extremely.... read sometimes a year or more.... waiting lists.... you will need to put an application in as soon as possible.

if you are looking for a kindergarten, you could also consider woodlands, tutor time, pips... those are the popular english kindergartens on hk island.

[penguinsix]

Hi,

Are you talking about school starting next month or next year? If you are talking about this term, then you are far too late. Basically all the ESF schools have massive--massive wait lists for the lower ages like kindergarten and lower primary classes. You'll probably be looking at the private places like Woodlands, Tutor Time, etc.

Seriously--getting into an international school or the ESF at the younger ages (i.e. <10) is a massive problem. It's consistently one of the biggest issues with expats relocating and many companies have cancelled relocations due to school issues. There are also parents who 'split' temporarily with one staying in the home country with the kids and the other here just waiting to hear back from a school.

Expats leave Hong Kong over lack of schools - Telegraph
School woes for expats in Hong Kong – Business 360 - CNN.com Blogs
Expat Parents in Hong Kong Feel School Squeeze - WSJ.com

If you are looking to start in say school term '13-14 then you'll need to start the application process this September. Which ESF you choose will be down to where you end up living. You'll apply and then go through an interview process in which they basically ascertain if your child can speak English and is 'ready' for school (i.e. can follow teacher's instructions, etc).

[Kd2011]

Hi my little boy is nearly 2 at the minute, so he will start kindergarten next year, but from what I've read on the internet and from what you guys are saying there is big waiting lists. I don't really want him to go to a local school for the simple reason of we don't know how long we will be living in HK for. I'll have a look at the international schools this afternoon.

[penguinsix]

I think most of the international schools start reception at age 4 (4 by September). ESF, I think, uses a January cutoff but someone can probably speak better on that. They have kindergarten starting around age three I believe. We opted for a private 'pre-school' for our child until he was age 5 as we followed the American starting ages for his schooling. We didn't send our child to ESF Primary mainly because of the class size issue and feedback we had from pre-school teachers that he was more of a 'small-group learner' who would do better in a smaller class size. However, we were more than pleased with the ESF facilities in our area and the teachers we met. I think I heard ESF described once as comparable to 'a good state school in the UK' but others with kids there might speak better as to that.

If you want a UK system then the Kellett school is probably something to consider. I believe date of application helps with the priority for acceptance they use so you'll probably want to get an application in there as soon as possible. Basically, schools have different 'priority' systems when moving through the applicants. Children of staff are often first, then parents who hold debentures, then siblings, then maybe date of applications, or passport, or parents are alumni, or whatever--it varies by each school but there are some that have date of first application in the priority so it helps to get it in to some schools sooner rather than later.

However, you really need to think about where you are going to work and where you are going to send the kid to school. A 45-minute bus ride for a kindergarten student is a bit rough to say the least, and some of the international schools are on the island itself (not sure where you are going to live).

As the articles linked above will attest, it can be very difficult, but if you have a few years to get ready and into the system, along with focusing on several different schools, you should find some options when the time comes (fwiw, we applied to 8 schools and got into 4, including our two of our top three).

[Kd2011]

Hi

We are going to have an apartment on HK island a it suits us pretty well. I'll be a stay at home mum so having to travel 30 mins for a school or kindergartens doesn't really mind as it gives me something to do during the day. I'll have a look at the kellett school like you suggested