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ABC KID
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
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 Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 8:12 pm Post subject: Students in International Schools in South Korea |
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In my case, a thread for curiosity only but for some other people hopefully some useful information will come out...
For those of you whose children attend or have attended international schools in Korea, how has it been? Did your children progress well academically? Did they progress better than would have been expected back in your home country? Were they happy? Do the international schools do a good job of looking after the well-being of the students?
Do some of the international schools here do a significantly better job than others for the progress of the students? |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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I would be surprised if those who read this forum have their children in Korean international schools, and if there are some, I am not sure if you would be able to get the answer to quantify a comparison.
My daughter goes to the same international school I work at, but it is not in Korea. I'll be looking to work at one in Korea next year.
Her class has 4 staff member children, so they form a nucleus of English native speakers, the rest are not. The 4 staff member children are the top kids in the class for grades, especially in the English language arts and social studies.
As for the level of instruction or education she is getting. I would say it EXCELS what she got in Canada. In Canada she had an EXCELLENT veteran teacher the year she went to school there, but compared to her classmates she was light years ahead. She was the highest level student in her class, with most not knowing the basics, and we are talking English native speakers here. In her current class, as well as last year, she was given excellent differentiated instruction in order to cater to her native English status over those whose first language isn't English.
If you want to know more, check out internationalschoolreviews.com They have a free forum. Outside of that, if your wife is Korean have her hit the Korean blogs about the school. I had my wife do that when I was researching international schools and what parents had to say about them. |
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winterfall
Joined: 21 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 8:45 pm Post subject: Re: Students in International Schools in South Korea |
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| ABC KID wrote: |
In my case, a thread for curiosity only but for some other people hopefully some useful information will come out...
For those of you whose children attend or have attended international schools in Korea, how has it been? Did your children progress well academically? Did they progress better than would have been expected back in your home country? Were they happy? Do the international schools do a good job of looking after the well-being of the students?
Do some of the international schools here do a significantly better job than others for the progress of the students? |
A lot of what your asking depends on the school and it's ranking. I briefly went to an international school here during middle school and some of high school. It was a good experience and I've made life long friends. But the constant upheavals took me a long time to get used to. If you want I can list all of the school's still around (That I know of)
On the pros, It's a western based education, no corporal punishment or that nonsensical rote memorization, generally classes are smaller. Student body is diverse though more slanted toward the well to do. You really do have an international student body. Your kid will learn English, a secondary Language, and Korean. And also make contacts that'll last a life time. The teachers are usually highly experienced (Depends on the school), and the school's generally have big budgets. If your kid needs intervention, there are resources to deal with it, very much unlike the typical Korean school. And finally if your son or daughter graduates from the school, typically their TOEFL requirement is waived and they have a significant advantage when they apply to college.
On the cons, a lot of the international schools here. Including SFS were either founded by Christians or are Christian based. And a lot of the ways they run the program is close to indoctrination: mandatory bible classes with chapel, prayer, and what not. Another issue is the problem with international schools and being an expat in general every year people leave. Very few children stay in the school their entire lives, average is about 2 years. Most times it's closer to 1. Teachers last a little bit longer, they average about 3 years.
As an adult, it's just the nature of things so you accept it. For children it's difficult. And you'll notice a personality change. Other issues, if you leave back to the states or wherever your from, a lot of the classes that your kid took won't transfer (Especially, Bible classes). So there's a very good chance they will have to repeat the grade. International schools are also very expensive you pay by the semester and they usually split the fees. 1 part USD, 2nd part KRW
On the issue of vacation days, they generally follow the Korean and Western Standard but they extend the terms: Winter & Summer to make up for the missed days. Some schools require uniforms, others don't. And finally if you decide to make the plunge and send your kid to an international school. It's better to keep them there till they graduate, transfer problems and the like. And the edge in college admissions generally only applies if they graduate from that school. And finally, I'm kinda lazy now, don't feel like scrolling back to put it in with the rest of the cons. The well to do tidbit isn't always a good thing. A lot of these international schools have serious class conflicts especially if they're extraordinarily rich and the family is extremely dysfunctional (More common than you'd expect).
That's the major highlights I can think of |
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