Hong Kong Orientation Guide

Secondly,consider whereyouwould likeyourchild togo touniversityandchoose schools that lead most directly to the best universities in your preferred country. If you intend your child to study in Britain, opt first for a school that offers the British curriculum, for example, even from primary level,orone thatwillenable your child to transfer easilytoaBritish systemat secondary level.Thirdly,consider the individual school.Language isone consideration. Ifyouwantyour childtodevelopproficiency inPutonghua,chooseschoolswiththemostextensivePutonghua programs,suchastheChinese International School,theCanadian International School,the Kiangsu and Chekiang Kindergarten, and Primary School,The Independent Schools Foundation Academy andYewChungInternational School.

International schoolsprepare students foravarietyoffinal examinations,suchastheBritish General Certificate of Education (GCSE, taken at age 16 plus), BritishA Levels (18 plus) and the

International Baccalaureate,aswellasvariousNorthAmericangraduationdiplomas.North American schools are also most likely to prepare students for the SAT university entrance exam.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma program is highly respected and recognized in Europe, NorthAmericaandAustralia asa reliablemeasureofa student’s achievements.TheDiploma program is demanding academically and it recognizes the importance of non-academic activities. Ifyouarenotsurewhereyourchildwillcompletetheireducation,schoolsoffering theIBprogram are recommended. Following the IB will not restrict their choice of university destination.

Bear inmind that thereare onlya limitednumber of university places inHongKong forstudents from international schools, if you expect your child to remain in Hong Kong for tertiary education.

If I have a debenture; does that mean there won’t be a problem getting my child into school?

Havingadebenturedoesnotguaranteeaplacement,butitwillput your childhighon thepriority list. Your child mustpas s the Admissions test before the debenture can be considered.

WhatcanIdotoimprovemychild’schancesofbeingacceptedintoaschoolin Hong Kong?

AllinternationalschoolsinHongKonguseEnglishastheirmediumofinstruction.Aspartof the application procedure, they will interview the prospective student. They are looking for a competent levelofEnglish.Ifyourchild isveryyoung,youmayconsider role-playingpriorto the interviewtocalmtheirnerves.Askyour childquestions youwouldnotordinarilyaskthem.“How oldareyou?”“Doyou likeyournewhome?”.Remember,theinterviewerisusuallyateacherand will try to make the child feel at ease. They recognize that often the children are not at their best during the interview and if you can relax your child enough to talk with them it ticks an important box.IfyourchildisnotanativeEnglishspeaker,itwouldbeverywisetoenrollhim/herinan English language program prior to coming to Hong Kong. Older children may be required to sit an entrance exam and this varies from school to school.

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