Schooling in Hong Kong

Hi there,

We are planning to move to HK over the next year. I work with a consulting firm and can get a permanent transfer from here in Toronto. We are thinking of sending our son - 4.5 yr old to a private international school in HK. Some quick questions if anyone can shed any light:

1. Do all schools have 2nd language mandatory? I ask of the International schools - our son was diagnosed with 22q deletion syndrome and might face learning challenges, so we want to limit any hard schooling for him

2. How hard is the schooling? Is it really competitive? Having studied in Asia all my life am not sure if I really appreciate strenuous studies and especially for my son who has a syndrome, Any clues if the education is to the level of Canadian curriculum? to let kids learn at their own pace?

we moved from India 4 years back and now that we have canadian citizenship we would like to explore living somewhere closer to home - I did my MBA in HK so have some knowledge about the area but not the primary international schooling

Any help appreciated.

Cheers.

Hello and welcome back to HK!

I believe most schools have mandatory Mandarin classes but for the most part it 's very limited. I could be mistaken though.

The schooling is very competitive but an international school is much more laid back versus a public school. My 7yr old attends a very traditional public school and there is a lot of daily homework and very high paced. We are from Florida and most of his mates are expats that attend international schools. Based on conversations with their parents and the kids, the difference in curriculum is night and day. That being said there are numerous tutoring options that can immensely help your situation. Furthermore the international schools are very supportive and nurturing. Off course this is all hearsay but my wife is the Head of Teacher Development at a college prep tutoring school where most of the students attend international schools. My son wants to return to an international school, so the deal is when he becomes fluent in Mandarin/Cantonese, he can transfer.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the schools fill up fast. You will want to find a few options in the event placement is not available. In most cases you will need to apply at least a year in advance.

I hope this is helpful. Wishing you and your family great success . Cheers!