Looking for international school.

It's about 20k-40k USD per year

It is outrageously expensive.



Louhu is terribly expensive, with Futian a distant second.

Basis International school
Recognize Academy
QSI International School
Shekou international school
International School in Nanshan

Unless you are working in China, [1] for a foreign company, that [2] provides you with an expat salary, and [3] a contract that ill pay for your child's education, you are out of luck. I am very sorry to tell you this.

China has the most expensive "international schools" in the world. In fact, it would be cheaper to ship your children to Switzerland round trip and have them stay and live in a boarding school there instead of attending one in China. There are many reasons for this, but trust me, this is the way that it is.

There are limited options available to you. They are;

[1A] Negotiate with your (foreign) employer to pay for your child's education at an international school as part of your salary. Don't come to China unless this issue is resolved.

[1B] Negotiate with your (Chinese) employer to have them help you get a slot and reduced tuitition at an international school for your child. They can leverage their "good old boys network" and face to your personal advantage. I would suggest that you buy them a few dinners and some KTV time as a thank you.

[2] Obtain a job at an International School as a teacher. You make sure that you have an ESL and a BS or BA degree. Then negotiate so that your children can attend the school for free.

[3] Home school your child. You would have to supervise their education, and find ways to provide socialization opportunities for them.

[4] Send your Child to a local Chinese school. Work with the principal at a local school and have them take your child in as a Chinese student. This is possible, though it is officially not possible. It will depend on where you live and your ability to communicate, negotiate, and how Chinese your children look. Make no mistake, no matter what you read on the internet, unless one of the parents is Chinese, the odds of your child going to a Chinese school is very small. Please take note;  You would need to have local Chinese translation support and negotiation help. Plus you would need to provide a "red envelope" to make things go well.

You can read about the tuition fee survey at the link HERE.

"China, Hong Kong, Singapore have the costliest international schools in Asia while Switzerland, Belgium and the United Kingdom dominate Europe.

Based on the median of the 6th grade tuition fees per country, China (US$36,400 per annum), Switzerland (US$28,300 per annum) and Belgium (US$27,800 per annum) come out tops as the most expensive countries for international education."

Other Links;

International school or local school? - Expat Child
Foreign children in Chinese public schools
Where to Send Your Child for School in China
Expat Kids in Local Schools

There are no other options available. Best regards.

Hi Vannrox,

Many thanks for this crystal clear explanation
I get an opportunity to work in Shenzhen but school fees will more likely retain me to move there

Do you know any reasonable schools or alternative (e.g. unformal group of people teaching at home)?
My 4 kids are Chinese speaker, 2 of them were born in China but they are non Chinese

Thanks a lot for your precious help,

Augustin

I'm sorry to hear that you did not allow your Children Chinese citizenship. It would make their life much easier.

But not to worry. I am sure that they will be just fine.

You can chat with the local headmasters (at the local schools) and see if they will take in your children. You will probably need to pay some fees and offer some red envelopes, but even at that, it will be much, much cheaper than going to an international school.

Aside from that, there are some excellent home-schooling programs. Best regards.

Maybe you can try TeacherRecord，a Shenzhen local recruitment website，hope it's helpful.