International or local school?

I speak English and hubby speaks Cantonese. We will need to enrol our little girl to kindie soon.

Will she struggle in the local system?

Hubby's hardly home because he works in China.

If you enroll her in an English school, be sure not to cut-off your options for attending a local school later. Continue her studies in Cantonese on the side so you can be flexible if there are any changes in income while in HK. International schools cost around $80,000 HKD per year for the more inexpensive ones - and that is just primary!

It really depends on what you want. The local system is certainly more intense than the International route, more homework and more exams. Both my hubby and I are chinese but were raised in the UK so I cannot read or write cantonese and we maybe returning to the UK in about 5 years time so I would like my daughter to keep up with her english. But I also want to give my daughter the chance to learn cantonese as I fully regret not being able to learn when I was younger.

We sent our daughter to an English kindergarden which also taught 20% in cantonese. She is now 5 years old and fluent in both languages. For Primary, we cannot afford International and we couldn't even get an interview for ESF, so we are looking at the local option. We have now chosen a local school in PokFuLam that teaches all subjects in English and the only subject that is taught in chinese is the Cantonese lesson. They also have Mandarin and French classes.

If you decide on going this route, there are many local schools in HK that teach their subjects in English, but they are usually the more well known ones.

Whether your daughter will struggle in the local system, I ask myself this question all time. I suppose it will depend on your daughter. But if your daughter is able to speak cantonese fluently by Primary stage, she shouldn't really have a problem. The only problem I know I will face is the cantonese and mandarin lessons and will have to hire a tutor for these subjects as I will not be able to help her with this.

Hi Happychick,


I am interested to know the name of the school in Pokfulam you have chosen for your daughter.

Hi Audrey, hopefully, my daughter will start her last year of Kindergarden at St.Claires Primary School (girl school) which is located at Western Midlevels on Bonham Road (I initially thought it was Pokfulam :) )

I decided that I had to try and get her into the school during the kindergarden stage because it would be really hard for her to be accepted when applying at Primary level. The reason being is that St.Claire's kindergarden pupils are given the first chance at applying for a Primary 1 place and they are all usually accepted.

There are quite a few other schools in the area but I chose this one because some of my friends daughters attend there and they have all been quite impressed with their progress.

Hi Happychick,


Like you, I am Chinese but raised in the UK and don't read or write Chinese. I am also really keen that my kids grow up bilingual and biliterate. What language do you speak to your daughter at home? And what is the name of the kindergarten you used?

Hi mayafox, I speak to my daughter in english about 90% of the time whilst my husband speaks chinese to her. My in laws also live in HK so she gets to see them frequently and chinese is the main language between them. I literally started with the two languages with her from birth and attended Gymboree and PPP playgroups. I wasn't worried about her not picking up chinese as she was bound to pick it up being in HK so I concentrated on her english.

The kindergarden she attends at the moment is very good, but is situated in the NT near Yuen Long in Palm Springs called St.Lorraine's kindergarden. They have about 12 children in a class with two teachers to a class. One chinese and one English teacher which is great as the children are exposed to both languages everyday with english being the main language. They also have a branch in Aberdeen and Yuen Long. I think they have a school in Kowloon Tong as well but it is called York(?) I know their class sizes are a lot bigger in KT but I think their teaching methods are very similar.

Happychick, I too live in NT. Yuen Long is 20 minutes away from me. I'm just wondering, do you have the names of some popular kindies/primary schools in our area?

You mentioned St Claire's but you also said it is near the midlevels. Isn't that far away from us?

I too speak to my little girl in English with 10% Cantonese. I can speak "daily" Cantonese but do not understand the news on TV. I of course, cannot read nor write in Chinese (tried to learn and gave up after half a year). I'm a bit concern that if my little girl follows the local system, I will not be able to help her with her homework. I'd like to be an active participant in her education and I don't see that happening if she goes local. But at the same time, I think it's important that she's as fluent in Cantonese as she is in English.

What do you guys think - in my situation?

Sorry for my questions... I'm so lost with how things operate here..... so much pressure for something so simple as going to school :-(

Dear MayC,

my children both attend a local school.

every subject is in chinese except for english.

my daughter is now 12 and my son is 7.

email me with your contact number and i can tell you my experience and the pros and cons of sending your child through the local system.

Hi MayC, I didn't really look at too many kidergardens after I found St.Lorraine's as that was the closest to me and I didn't want my daughter to travel any where else at such a young age. As for Primary schools, I didn't know any in our area but relied on other parents opinions and what they had found out. Most of the Primary schools in Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai all teach their subjects in chinese or mandarin and as I mentioned before, we plan on returning to the UK, I really wanted a local school that taught in english. I couldn't find any in our area and that is why I had to look at HK island. If subjects are taught in english, then at least I will be able to help her, well, until it all becomes too hard for me..ha ha

I find that the chinese she learns at kindie, I can just about cope with and what I don't know, I ask other parents, who were more than happy to help.

I'm afraid going to St.Claires will mean that we will have to move out to HK island, which really is a small sacrifice to make if it means attending a school that teaches in English. This also means that I can actively be involved in her work whereas if she attended a local school that uses cantonese for all subjects, I will be totally lost and not be able to help her at all. The local system can be quite intense and I would like to help her as much as possible.

I am like you, I do not understand 80% of what the chinese news talks about. However my cantonese speaking has improved greatly but when I hear 'proper' cantonese being spoken, I am totally lost.

Does any one in your family speak to your daughter in cantonese?