When a family weighs up the pros and cons of a potential assignment, the prospect of international schooling for their kids might just be the main attraction.
The second UNIS
It’s not surprising that the original United Nations International School (UNIS) is situated in New York, home to the UN building. But there is one more UNIS somewhere in this world. Do you know, or can you guess, where it is?
World class education
The answer is Hanoi, Vietnam. Boasting state-of-the-art facilities on a large, green campus, and offering a world class IB curriculum taught by passionate educators, this younger sibling is a seriously impressive school. An administrator from New Zealand at UNIS disclosed that some expat parents (whose kids attend the school) confess they’re worried about repatriating / relocating as – in terms of their kids’ education – it will be a step down.
Leading perk
With such a stellar reputation, one imagines that a school of that calibre would also be a major selling point for families weighing up an assignment (“And this is where your kids could go to school…”). We mention this as recent conversations between our media team and members of our community revealed that international schooling can be much more than an added perk on a contract.
An opportunity for kids
It’s not just because many international schools might be considered as a step-up from national schools (all around the world) in terms of facilities / resources. The families we spoke to believe their kids will reap far-reaching benefits from a top international school. “Actually, the main reason for us to move to another country was the great opportunities an international school would give our kids,” said one Spanish expat partner, now living in Germany. Besides the excellent campus, incredible facilities and resources, he believes his kids would achieve fluency in English at an international school much more quickly than at home, and, in the long run, the education would “open a lot of doors for them”.
Thriving at school
Meanwhile, another partner from South Africa also mentioned that he and his wife agreed to move to Europe as they were “very keen” for their two sons to attend a top international school. Despite being a business owner, he found a way to facilitate the move so his two sons would have this opportunity. Only further surveys can reveal just how many families also see international schooling for their kids as the main attraction, but our instincts tell us this topic is worth keeping an eye on.
Image: United Nations Photo, young pupils at UN school in Hanoi – Flickr
