4 Tips to Help You Choose the Right School for Your Children While Living Overseas
If you’re making plans to move your family overseas, one of the most challenging decisions you’re likely to make is where to send your kids to school. Of course you want your children to continue thriving academically, meet new friends and excel in their new country of residence, but it can be difficult to evaluate your options in a new country.
Following are four tips to help you select the right education option for your children while living abroad.
#1 – Know your options.
As an expat family living overseas, you may have several education options for your children, including:
- Public school in your new country of residence – If your children speak the language of the new country and you want them to meet local friends and immerse themselves in local culture, it may make sense to send them to a public school.
- Private international and parochial schools – In some countries, American expats can find international schools that offer a curriculum similar to what children receive in the United States. Teachers at private schools may also have a higher level of English proficiency, making the transition easier for English-speaking students.
- Online school – Online schools are a great option for many American families living abroad. Attending class online with American teachers allows for better curriculum continuity, especially if you plan to return to the United States in the future. This option also allows children to continue learning in English and at their own pace.
#2 – Plan ahead.
When making education decisions for your children, take time to articulate your objectives and have a plan in place. How long do you plan on living in your country of residence? Where do you see your children attending college? Is your school choice eligible for 529 funding?
Outside the United States, 529 college fund accounts aren’t generally treated as tax-advantaged accounts. On the contrary, in most countries, 529 accounts are treated as ordinary taxable investment accounts subject to that country’s [often higher] capital gains and portfolio income tax rates. This practice can take quite a chunk out of the hard-earned education savings you’ve accumulated for your kids over the years.
Knowing this fact and that the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act can now be used to cover up to $10,000 per year in eligible school tuition expenses for grades K-12, check out whether the foreign school you’re selecting is listed on the U.S. Department of Education’s federal school code list. If the school is listed as eligible for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), then it’s eligible for 529 funding. Note that you must enter “FC” as the state to search any school in a foreign country. If your foreign school is listed, then tuition paid directly to this school is an eligible expense for the purposes of 529 funding.
#3 – Review accreditations.
Before deciding on a school, be sure to review its accreditations. Choosing a school with legitimate accreditations is important if your child will eventually transfer to another school or apply to colleges.
Two resources for accreditation checks include the Council of International Schools (primarily K-12 education) and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies. Please note that neither of these former accreditations guarantees that any specific U.S. educational institution will accept this international accreditation status for purposes of academic credit transfers. Specifically for U.S. academic accreditation, you should check with the target educational institution directly on whether they’re U.S. accredited or search the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) database. The CHEA database is a joint effort with the U.S. Department of Education and is relatively reliable but also more limited in which schools abroad are listed as “U.S. accredited” for academic purposes. Your best bet is to ask the target school directly.
#4 – Learn from others.
While conducting online research and speaking with school administrators are great first steps, one of the best ways to understand a school is by speaking with others who have experienced it. Reach out to other U.S. expats and colleagues whose children have attended your potential school. Inquire about their experiences, both positive and negative. Ask whether they wish they’d done anything differently or considered an alternative form of education.
You may also consider joining online forums or social media groups to learn more about other parents’ experiences with expat education options.
