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(see the question). . . ESF schools
were schools for children of British troops and government workers before
1997. So they are generally run like the British education system. On
the other hand the international schools have all flavors, French, German,
Japanese, American, Canadian, Chinese, etc. I have heard that they all
have a long waiting line. (So it is good to plan ahead, I guess.) HKIS
is one that is probably most famous - and also most expensive! Many diplomat
kids and kids of big international corporation regional heads go there.
Their campus include a little pier! A friend of mine teaches 6th grade
there and so I got to visit her classroom recently. Quite priviledged,
I must say, compared to the local kids. It looks like they each have a
computer to use right in their home room. (Here is the link to their web
pages: http://dragonnet.hkis.edu.hk/ms/Grade%206/default.htm
) It is very much a North American school. Then another famous one is
the HK Island School. I don't know much about it, however. Then there
is the Canadian International School. It is a smaller and younger school
and they have a new campus. Just another bit of info for your daughter: SAT can be taken here - in fact HKIS is one of the test centers, I belive. But if she is aiming for top schools and Ivy League, I think she would need to apply before her senior year. By way of suggestions, I would say that you should come visit HK before you move here just to get a feel for things - not to mention checking out where you might want to live. Since your husband will certainly get a handsome housing allowance from his company, you won't have to worry about that as much. But just to touch on that, expatriates generally live in the Mid Levels. Unless you are from NY City or some big city like that, you will not have as much space here. So instead of 3000-4000 square feet with front and back yards, you will have to settle for 2000-3000 sq feet in a condominium-type of building, or in a low rise of 3 stories. But you will be able to afford a maid because you can have one for less than US$500 / month. If you are from the States, you can just get a driver's licence if you have a valid U.S. one, without needing to take any test at all. But here people do drive on the left instead of the right! As for your kids to make friends, I suppose school is one main source. And if you are church-goers, there are a number of English-speaking churches where your kids can find friends in youth groups and fellowships. As for making friends where you live, it is not as easy in HK as it is in the States because people don't live in houses with yards (except the very very rich). But kids can make friends much easier than adults! A family from the States I know live in a condominium complex with a clubhouse and also a bit of grounds. It seems a nice environment for kids to play with other kids. (I remember seeing their kids playing with other kids in that complex.) The place is in the Fo Tan of the New Territories. I am sure that the company your husband works for can help in various things. You won't need to know Cantonese to get around in HK (unlike Japan or China mainland or Taiwan). It is also helpful to converse with some people who have done it before. If you check out the links in the LINKS section I have in my web site, you will get a feel for what is available and what to expect in HK. I hope this helps; let me know if you have more questions or would like some contacts for different things. "Tex" |
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