While boarding school can sometimes be the best option for expat children, only a small minority of international companies and institutions is willing to reimburse the costs of this type of education.
Only 12.2% pay costs
In Mercer’s most recent Worldwide Survey of International Assignment Policies and Practices, only 12.2% of companies indicated that they pay the cost of boarding school in the home country of their international assignees. For European companies, the percentage is 16.7, for North American companies 8.5.
Additional home trips
When children of expats stay in their home country to study, 29.8% of companies handle matters case-by-case, 27.9% provide additional home trips, and 34% don’t provide any education assistance.
Good reasons
Nevertheless, sometimes there are good reasons for expat families to choose a boarding school. Local education may be precluded by language barriers or religious objections, for instance, or the child might be preparing for critical exams in the home country.
