Moving to Singapore with children. Any suggestions for good international schools?

Hi DavidC

Singapore is home to some of the best schools in the world. There are over 1,000 private education facilities listed with the Ministry of Education, and of course many more public schools.

You can definitely send your kids to a local school - they're much cheaper, English-medium, and overseen by the MOE. The Singaporean high school qualification is internationally recognised. The only problem is that as an expat, you'll be last in line for these schools after Singaporeans. How long are you planning to live in Singapore? If you won't be there long, consider sending them to an international school rather.

The international schools are also very good. Tanglin Trust School, which caters to British expats, and UWCSEA are amoung the best schools in the world. It really depends on your budget though, as the annual fees at these schools cost about 10 times that of public schools.

It also depends on the curriculum your kids are used to - it can be disrupting to change that too dramatically. Where are you coming from?

I suggest taking a browse through the web sites of the international schools in Singapore listed on the Expat Arrivals site to get a feel for what they're about. Also, keep an eye out for the soon-to-be-released PDF Guide to International Schools in Singapore, which will have more info.

What nationality are you? The Raffles American School is a new school in Singapore offering an American Curriculum. The Tanglin Trust School is a good choice for British curriculum but has a long waiting list. Marlborough College is also opening a school just over the border in Malaysia...

Hi Gaby and Anonymous, thanks for the responses. We're American so would probably be leaning more towards sending our kids to an American international school in Singapore. I'll be sure to check out all the links you suggested. We're really excited about moving to Singapore, just hope we get the whole schooling thing sorted soon though, it's been a bit of a stress....

Hi David C As posted above you certainly can attend local schools. Children start primary school at age 6, so good for your youngest. Your eldest may be of age for High School. In which case they would need to sit the PSLE (Primary School Leaver Exam) in order to enter High School. Don't be put off applying because Singaporeans are favored. It is possible! Alternatively if you are from the US & plan to return there at some point I would suggest SAS (Singapore American School) as it offers the US curriculum & exams. Or SAIS (Stamford American International School). They are expanding to a new bigger famous in August so spaces will me more readily available than SAS. Anne Murphy, ITS Education Services

Hi DavidC

If you're still interested, take a look at Expat Arrival's newly launched Singapore Schools Guide for more info on the pros and cons of public and international schools in Singapore.

Hi! Gaby, I´m having a hard time finding an apprenticeship for my 16 year old daughter. She will have finished 10th Grade from a german secondary school and basically would like to do an apprenticeship. I have already contacted the German School. I don´t think her marks are good enough to get in there. She´s interested in Hotel/event Management and her native language is German but she speaks and understands English quite well. I would really appreciate your help.Tks

Hi Anonymous

Singapore has a huge tourism industry and therefore loads of hospitality colleges offering hotel management courses and that sort of thing. There's a whole study-tourism industry around it, and they cater to foreigners wanting to study hospitality in Singapore. Is this what you had in mind? Sorry - not quite sure what you mean by "apprenticeship"...

You can try looking into the School D'Hospitality (sdh.edu.sg) or the Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (cni.ntu.edu.sg), or Shatec (shatec.sg). They all offer courses for O-level equivalent graduates. Have a look at their websites for more info on what they offer.

Hope that helps!