Expat families encounter many surprises. One of them is that the school calendar used back home may be entirely different from that in your new destination. It may seem more logical for the academic year to be universal. But this is not the case: school schedules are affected by a lot of things: climate, historical traditions, cultural norms, and more.
Four main school calendars globally
Most school systems follow one of these calendar models.
The September-June school calendar
- Most European countries and parts of the Middle East (Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel)
- Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan)
This is the calendar most families in Europe are familiar with. The academic year here starts in early to mid-September and ends in June with a long summer break. And there are shorter breaks spread throughout the year: in autumn, winter, and spring.
The August–May school calendar
- North America
- Canada
- East Asia (Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan)
- Southeast Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, mostly international and private schools)
- A few other countries: Mexico, China, and Hong Kong, mostly international and private schools
Here, school starts earlier, typically in mid to late August and finishes before summer officially begins. This model is very similar to the September–June one. But, as the school year starts earlier, it can still present challenges for expat families relocating during the summer months.
The January–December school calendar
- Oceania (Australia and New Zealand)
- Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique)
- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador)
- Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia (national schools), and Singapore (national system)
- Papua New Guinea
- Fiji
The academic year here starts in late January or early February — it aligns with the calendar year as the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are reversed. So, summer is winter and winter is summer. And since summer starts in December, the longest school break reflects that — it runs from December to January.
For families moving from Europe or North America, adjusting to this specific calendar would probably pose the biggest challenge. Children may need to join a new school in the middle of the school year or go through a prolonged gap between academic years.
Term-based school calendars
Term or trimester-based calendars are mostly used by international schools serving globally mobile families. In these systems, the academic year is divided into three or four periods (terms) with more frequent but shorter school breaks. International schools often use this system because it aligns the calendar year with standard global relocation cycles, like the September start. This type of schedule can generally ensure continuity for children, but can also result in school holidays that do not align with national calendars.
How a school calendar affects families before relocation
There are several challenges an expat family will face before relocation.
First, local schools often accept new students only at specific times. An international school might be more flexible, but may also have limited availability during periods of high demand. Waiting lists can be long, especially in popular cities, and application deadlines may be months in advance.
Many schools also have strict cutoff dates for age-based placement. So, a child who is eligible for one grade in their home country may be considered too old or too young for their new school.
The best antidote to these problems is very early planning and research. The more you know, the sooner you pick the school, the earlier you get in touch with them and secure a spot, the smoother this transition will be.
The next decision to make is whether you will move at the start of the school year or mid-term.
Naturally, relocating at the beginning of the school year is easier. Children start alongside their peers, can adapt to the curriculum, make friends, and not miss any lessons or social events.
Moving mid-term makes things more complicated. Children may be facing school gaps and could be placed in the wrong grade due to curriculum differences and age cutoffs. Transferring records can also be problematic, especially when school calendars are incompatible. Probably the worst thing is the psychological impact this may have on a child joining a new class in the middle of the year, which can often be socially challenging.
Taking all of this into account, whenever possible, it's best to plan the relocation around the time when local and international schools start the academic year. But if you absolutely can't avoid a mid-term move, make sure to check with your destination school ahead of time about possible adjustments.
If the school calendars in your destinations do not match (e.g., you are moving from Europe to Brazil), consider allowing a school gap so your child can start at the beginning of the school year. You can fill the gap with online courses, tutoring, language classes or learning about your new destination.
Beyond logistics, timing a move around the school calendar also affects children academically and emotionally. Different countries pace their curricula differently: so what your children may learn in one grade at home can be taught at a later or earlier grade in another country. As a result, a child may have to repeat the same information or run into knowledge gaps.
What you can do here is review the school's curriculum ahead of time and compare it with your child's current plan. You can then reach out to the new school and ask for suggestions on how to best prepare for the new academic environment and learning pace.
Preparing your children for the move emotionally is a very complex and personal undertaking. But it can't hurt to explain to them in detail what to expect from their new academic environment. If possible, it's always a good idea to arrange school visits, orientation sessions, meet their teachers before the start of the year or maybe even organize an online or offline meet-up with some of their future classmates.
How a school calendar affects families after relocation
The first year after relocation is generally considered to be the toughest one, as everything you've planned now comes into contact with reality. And even if school calendars match, there are quite a few other challenges you may end up facing.
Even if countries follow the same school calendar, daily routines in schools may be quite different.
For example, most schools in the United States have school days that start around 8:00 am and finish around 2:30 or 3:00 pm. This leaves plenty of time for after-school extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, tutoring, etc.) or will have your child coming home earlier. In China, on the other hand, a typical day in a public school is longer and more structured. School usually starts at 7:30–8:00 am and finishes later in the afternoon, sometimes 4:30–5:00 pm. This includes scheduled breaks and will have your children come home closer to the evening and tired. In China, it is also common for children to participate in lots of additional classes outside of school: language lessons, music lessons, college prep courses, private tutoring, etc. As a result, children often have less "disposable" time to spend at home.
A good idea here may be to use the first month after relocation to test things out. Try different routines and schedules and see what sticks.
As an option, try limiting after-school commitments at first. Instead, focus on rest, free play, and exploring your new environment. You can then gradually introduce extracurricular activities and watch carefully how your child adjusts to this pace.
Holidays and school breaks in different countries may fall at different times. And this can make things very inconvenient, especially when organizing trips back home.
Say, you've relocated from France to Brazil. Back home, your children would have a long summer break, starting in early July and lasting until September. In Brazil, the summer break is actually what you know as winter: from December to February. So, if you are looking to plan a family trip, you will no longer have the summer months available. There is a short winter break in Brazil in July, but it's probably not enough for a proper summer holiday. In this case, some expats suggest changing your holiday plans for your first year after relocation.
Differences in your children's routines back home and in the new destination can quickly become an adoptional source of stress. You are already dealing with a lot of change, and here comes your child's new everyday routine. It may be about longer school breaks, more homework, and earlier/later drop-off times; no matter how small the change is, it could quickly become disruptive.
Once the new school routine is settled, you can discuss possible arrangements with your employer. Perhaps, as you adjust to the new routine, there may be options for lighter workweeks, flexible hours, hybrid working structure, etc.
How to manage a new school calendar after relocation: step by step
Map out the year
As soon as you have your child enrolled in the new school, get the official school calendar and plan out your year. Take note of all the key dates: start and end of terms, holidays, exam periods, early dismissal days, teacher workdays, etc. You can then create a shared digital calendar better to merge your plans with the school's schedule.
Find potential pain points early
Look for periods when school may be on break but you are still working. Or, when your trip back home falls on school days. Or, when the academic demands on your child are particularly high: for example, before major exams. These moments are most likely to cause you lots of stress in the future, unless you get to them early and make a plan.
Start building routines from scratch
Some expats share that the best thing for them was to let go of "old" routines completely.
Alina, a Russian expat who moves to the United States from China with two children explains: "At first, I tried very hard to keep our schedules the same – all the books tell you how important consistency is for children. But I soon realized that I was just creating stress for myself and my kids. We are in a new place, so it makes sense for things to change. We had a small family meeting and made entirely new schedules. I'd say – get your kids involved, talk to them. They will tell you better than anyone what works for them and what doesn't".
You may want to experiment with different wake-up times, bedtimes, meal schedules, and homework slots, at least for the first few weeks, to see what works best for your family in the new environment.
Make things super simple at the beginning
During the first school term in the new place, try to take things easy. Remove any unnecessary extracurricular activities, tutoring, clubs, trips that can wait. Give you and your family the time to adjust to new routines and locations. And if free time comes up, use it to rest and discuss with your family what you would like to use it for in the future.
Negotiate with your employer
Once things start to take shape, you may want to raise a few points with your employer. Most companies are okay with offering some extra flexibility to their newly relocated employees – especially if it's school-related.
Review and adjust
When the first term is up, review what it looked like, what worked and what didn't. You will now have way more information to adjust your schedules and plan routines.
And let's sum up: adjusting to change is rarely easy. And when you pair relocation, a new job, a new school year, a new routine, and a new environment, things can get overwhelming. The answer to most things that are overwhelming is usually one and only – a plan.
