international school in shanghai

angelachan

Any mama who stay in shanghai please give advice and your comment.
my son is 8 months old now and i plan to go to shanghai next year.
thank you in advance.

critic

I was in Shanghai for one week.  I have not visited the international schools there but have talked to many rich gweloi, they send their kids to Soong Qing Ling Kindergarten.  They are all telling me that the school is excellent and all kids can learn good Chinese, English & Maths over there.  The kinder is mainly for senior government/families children, the wait list is long.  Those gweloi said, it's easier if we are willing to donate money (she said she has donated 12,000 but I forgot to ask if she is talking about RMB or US$)  In addition, you have to keep pushing the principal.   Since we are holding US passport, she said it could be easier.  I'm not sure on the school fee, I got a brouchre but it did not mention school fees.  Should expect approx. US$1000 per month.

I will go to Shanghai again in mid June to visit all the schools which have been recommended by some BK moms, including Rainbow International School & Tiny Tots.  Rainbow is cheaper, around US$5400/year.  Tiny Tots is US$8300/year. (Full day)

angelachan

Hi critic,
Thank you so much for your reply.
Actually we have already brought a apartment in downtown and my hubby is working there.
But ,you know, everytime when I ask him the education enirvonment in SH,he just says in a very causal way that it is good and the future career of our son will in mainland China and urge  me to quit the job and move to SH.
He had mentioned the Soong Qing Ling but don't have the detail information you have given me.
May be he is too busy.I want everything as well planned as possible before I and my son moved to SH.
let's keep in contact.

critic

angela,

you can visit www.classmateasia.com, they have a listing for international schools in China.

Soong Qing Ling has 2 division, one for international, one for local.  I have to check again with those gweloi to see which one she is talking about.

I have a booklet with the best local nursery schools in SH.  My son's school manager has visited those schools, she has recommended a few to me.

From the booklet, all the schools are hugh & with lots of green and outdoor area.  She said Soong Qing Ling students impressed her the most.  Students are very proud of their work and have the confidence to deal with strangers.  (she said, she never see HK students can behave that way)   From her professional comment, the facilities in most local nusery are very similar because they have lots of space.  She said, we should pay attention on how the teachers interact the kids and how the kids behave, e.g. are they willing to talk? are they shy? are they happy in the school?

I have found a job in Shanghai during my last visit. The company wants me to start ASAP. As I have not chose a school for my son so I have requested my mom to go and live with us for a few months. I'm afraid I won't have enough time to take care my son.  It's not a local offer so I don't want to lose the opportunity. Feel sorry for my son, hope he can settle down without any problem.  

LittleWing

Hi, Critic,

Where can you find the booklet for the school in Shanghai?  I have interest to have a look on it.

The school fee you mentioned for those international school are quite expensive and I don't think I can afford.  

During the last trip to Shanghai in April, I have visited an international school that is referred by my hushand's friend (he is also a HongKonger and his kid is age 3).  He said that the school is quite new but he found it is quite good.  The school is called "Warner Brother".  It is a Warner Brother, USA sponsored school in Shanghai.  It locates at "吳中路" The school fee for K1 classes is around HK$2,600.  K2 and K3 is around HK$3,600 (for full day course from 9:00 to 4:00).

Any comment from you on the school I mentioned?  Can you share with me?

By the way, congratulation on your job offer.  Do you think you can introduce one for me?  He...hee....

Cheers,  

critic

Little Wing,

Do you have the tel. no of Warner Brother School? have you visited it? I'm also interested to take a look. I agreed that US$1000 per month is very expensive, imagine they are playing, eating & sleeping for a few hours/day.

I borrow the booklet from my son's school manager. I have to give it back to her and it's quiet thick, I'm lazy to make copy.  Anyway, the info for each school is almost the same.  The nursery on the booklets are graded as No.1 in Shanghai.  I can copy the first few pages & fax to you. The first 2 pages with the school names & addresses.  The school manager has hi-lite the one which are good. You can pay a visit when you're in SH.

Remember I told you, I don't mind to send my son to local school.  After my husband works there for a month, he said, "No local school."  the reason is, his team are educated locally in good schools but my husband is not happy with their English standard. He is afraid the local school's english standard is low.

If you are looking for a job, I can give you some tips. Actually it's not that difficult (consider I don't speak Mandarin!) I have 5 job interviews within 2 business day.  All of them are international or foreign companies.  3 of them offer me a job.  However, background and experience are key issue.  Are you working now?

angelachan

Hi critic ,
Congratulations ! You are so smarts !No wonder you got  a numbers of offers in such a good terms.
Do you mind fax to me as well ? I will pm the fax no to you later. thank you so much.

Hi little wings,
How old is your kid ?Wow,the international school fee is soooooo expensive. I certainly  need to find a job in SH. Ha, I can speak mandarin and some Shanghai dialect.

LittleWing

Hi, Critic,

For the tel. no. and address of "Warner Brother" International School, I need to check with my husband and come back to you.    Actually, when I visited Shanghai last time, it was school holiday.  I took a look on the environment nearby.  It is quite spacious.  The school is clean and quite new.  However, there is a construction site near the school.  Hope they finish construction before I decided to let my kid study in there.  

Besides, for your information, the school is located in 小區 of 浦西 and not in down town.  So, if you live in down town, your kid may need time to travel to / from school everyday and that is not good for kid.  

Where can you find the job advertisement for the job opening in Shanghai?  Yes, I am still working but just a small peanut in a small company and without special skills.   However, I am not so hurry in finding a job.  If I can't find a good with good pay, he prefers me to settle down with my kid before working.

Hi, Angelachan,

My daughter is now 27 months ago.  How about yours? son or daughter?  When will you move to Shanghai?

critic

Hi LittleWing,

I will go to SH again on June 18-June 23.  You can send the address & tel no.to me once you get it from your husband.  I passby Yew Chung in my last visit, to my surprise that it is located in a not very decent area, very local.

There are a few websites can give you some hints to search for job for expat. To give you a guideline, if you are not expert in any industry, the salary is very low. They will only offer local package.  For example, secretary or admin assistant is RMB2000-3000/month.  Sales Manager is RMB10,000. Sales Executive is RMB 3000-5000+commission.

If the salary is below RMB10,000, I prefer to stay home and take care my son.

I will suggest you to apply for international or foreign companies (like my case), you will have a higher chance to bargain for local expat package.  Again, it is depending on what you are doing right now.

Or, you can ask head-hunter to help.  In my 5 interview, 2 are arranged by head-hunter in HK, the salary package/offer is much better, they offer expat package.

I also ask information on looking for ayi.  For a very good one, RMB 1200-1500 full time. For someone from countryside, RMB 800.   If you are looking for part-time RMB 8-10/hour.

angelachan

Hi Little wing,
My son is only 8 months old and I plan to move to SH next year...to save some more money, As i expect it is difficult for my to find a job there.

Hi Critic,
I advice you to find a local AYI i.e shanghainese, not those from countryside. The standard is totally different. Most important of all, it is much more safe. Most rubbery in SH is done by those from countryside.And worst of all, most rubbery end up with death of the owner.
So I suggest you find a descent agent  or employ those ayi recommended by your friends .

critic

Just back from Shanghai. Here's my personal view on the schools.  I will suggest you visit as many schools as you can and do a comparison before making a decision.  I have spent total 2 days to visit more than 20 schools. When I was in Victoria Wah Kwong, I met a few HK couples there to make registration for their kids, I thought they are very familiar with the school but the fact is not. They have not found an apartment but eager to register for a school.  They said, the Victoria in HK is not bad and the one in Shanghai should be OK.  My view is, don't trust the brand as the management, teacher quality are totally different.  The traffic in Shanghai is very bad. Most international school will provide school bus service (quite expensive) When you're looking for a school, you have to consider where do you live. If you are living in downtown, it will take 30 mins to Hong Qiao.

International School
Tiny Tots, I don't think they worth for RMB10,000/month.  Tiny Tots is very small, not many outdoor area. I believe it is an old house being transformed to a preschool.  Classrooms are small and that's the reason they have to limit to 8-10 students/class.  Students have to nap on floor in the same classroom.  I personally found the school is not very well managed and clean.

Rainbow Int'l (next to zoo). Because it's summer holiday, the school looks very messy and untidy, not very good impression. It is bigger than Tiny Tots but if you are not living in Hong Hiao area, it's quite far to take school bus.

Soong Ching Ling. This is the best school I have visited, very well organized. The outdoor area are BIG BIG BIG with lots of greenery.  However, the waiting list is very long.  You have to pay RMB1500 for registration and can't guarantee for a seat.

Shanghai Community School
Very good facilities and very concern on teacher qualification. Preschool starts from year 3, I think I will submit an application for next year.  (but I will also visit American Int'l School as people said it is better than Shanghai Community School)

Bilingual School - I don't recommend at all. If you're interested, go there for a few times to observe a class.

Victoria Wah Kwong in Hong Qiao. Same as most Victoria Schools in Hong Kong. Small and no outdoor area. School fee is much cheaper, approx. RMB3200-3400.  I don't see any native English teachers there. I wonder if they just use local teachers to teach English.

Tweety Bilingual School (introduced by Little Wing)
English/Chinese class is RMB2400/month.  Only English is RMB3400/month.  It is very new and not well organized. It gives me a feeling that the school is trying to sell Warner Brothers characters to China market. I saw one very young girl (native English teacher)  I have spoken with some teachers but they don't speak English. Not recommend, too new and too commercial.

Local Nursery - I have visited more than 10, all of them are BIG with lots of outdoor playground, running track, swimming pool / paddling pool. Because I only visited the one which rank as Grade 1. (best of the best) Most of them are full and don't have a waiting list.  School fee is from RMB1700-2500/month.

My final decision : because my son is only 2, I can't send him to Shanghai Community or Shanghai American School yet.  I have confirmed to send him to a very famous local nursery - international division.  They only accept students with foreign passport. US$500/month. It is situated next to American Embassy.  I went there 2 times and observed an hour on their international class.  Each international Class with one Canadian Teacher, one Chinese teacher and one teaching assistant - help students to eat & go to toilet. Each class has 16 students. Morning section only in English and afternoon section in Chinese.  They have sleeping rooms and beds. (not napping on the floor)  I talked to the native English teacher (she is going to be my son's master teacher) she works for the school for over a year and has renewed the contract for another year. She said she is happy with the school.  They have put the lesson plan on the entrance of each classroom so you will have an idea what your kid is going to learn for that month.  They have a big Montessori classroom for all students.  

LittleWing

Hi, Critic,

Thank you for your valuable information sharing.  I have forwarded your comment to my husband to see what we should do for my daugther's schooling in Shanghai.

It is really headache...............

angelachan

hi critis,
thank you for your sharing.
How about yew chung ?Have you paid  a visit there?
You say there is a very long wailting list for Soong Ching Ling. How long is that? ? one year ? Or is there special requirement like knowing some VIP ?
Have you do anything right now for your son for better adpation after moving to SH  , eg learning madarin ?
Sorry for so many questions.

critic

Hi Little Wing, Angela & other moms who will relocate to Shanghai!

I've visited Shanghai American Montessori Kindergarten this morning. It is located in Heng Shan Road, close to American Embassy.  It used to be a local nursery and transformed to bilingual kindergarten in coming September. It's for age 2-6. School fee is Rmb2500/month (if you confirm in August) They are planning to increase the school fee to 3500-4000.  

Each class has 16-20 students. One Chinese teacher and one American teacher/class.  All teachers are holding Early Education Certificate and Chinese teachers are with Mandarin Certificate. (Sorry, I don't know the official term) The school is not very big but I found the teachers are very serious and caring.  The feeling is quite good.  They are renovating, so everything is going to be brand new, with big classroom, sleeping room (with beds). Since it is a Montessori school, they have an area for children to teach how to take a shower by themselves, washing clothes and drying clothes. But not many outdoor area.  They said, Heng Shan Rd has many parks, so if class size is small, they will take the children out.

All american teachers are having summer holiday, so the summer course will be taken care by Chinese teachers. School fee for August is $1500.  I think I will enrol for one month and let my son get familar with the people & school.  The summer class has less than 10 students. (as it's really too hot!)

School hour is from 8:00am t0 4:00pm, if parents are working, latest can stay until 5 pm.  I will take taxi with my son in the morning to drop him there, then will take MTR to go to my office.

If this school is OK, I won't let him go to the other one that charge US$500/month (although it is bigger, teachers are not friendly & helpful)

I will keep you update. Bye now & take care.

LittleWing

Hi, Critic,

Thank you for your valuable information.  Would appreciate if you can give me the detailed address of the school so that I will ask my husband to pay a visit first.

How is your life in Shanghai?  Sure you have settled down well and started your working.

I will quit from my job in Hong Kong by the end of August and will start to prepare for my relocation.  If everything is smooth, I will go to Shanghai after China National Day Holiday.

Did you ship all your stuffs to Shanghai?  Can you give me tips on relocation or some experience sharing?

I don't have any relocation experience before....... So I feel quite headache on this.

Stay in touch.

  

critic

Hi LittleWing,

Today is my son's 3rd day school. I will try to let him stay there for whole day. (but my mom insists to pick him up after lunch!)  The school address is No. 2 Heng Shan Road. The entrance is quite difficult to find, because it is inside a lane.

Anyway, I am thinking to let him go to other one which is focus in art, drawing, piano & violin.

Have you decided where to live?  I will suggest you to look around every nursery in your area.  Below is a link for the best of best local nursery in Shanghai. Each nursery will focus on different thing, e.g. arts, music, physcial.... depending on what you want.  Actually, I think it's very good.

Best nursery in Shanghai

I chose Crown Relocation. Their service in HK & Shanghai are professional and fast. I don't know if you have many stuff to carry. We pay approx. $50,000 including insurance etc... I can refer the girl to you, asks her to give you discount.  If you find other companies, look for a good reputable one, if not, I'm afraid it's difficult to claim in Shanghai.

My job.... it's quite funny. I can do whatever I want if I can sell. besides selling to corporates, I have to take care a retail shop, it's located in a 5 star hotel in Pudong. I never in retail, and found it's quite fun to incharge on what to sell, how to display etc...  

LittleWing

Hi, Critic,

Thank you very much for your information.

Regarding the moving, I think my husband's company will pay for the relocation cost.  But I don't know the top ceiling.  I will check with his HR staff and If I need your referral, I will contact you.  Thanks in advance.

We haven't decided where to live.  The Leasing agreement of My husband's existing apartment will end in September.  It is too early for him to find a new one.  But one thing for sure that we will live in Pu Xi as my husband's company is in Pu Xi.

Does your son like the school life?  I think boys are easy to adapt new environment, unlike girls.

It sounds interesting in your new job as you have some new experience to gain........  What product do you sell?  books??

Anyway, do keep me update on the new challenge that we may face in Shanghai.  Thanks.

critic

LittleWing,

Yesterday was his 3rd day school, he stayed until 4:30 pm. I'm not very worry about him because he can communicate very well with me, he can tell me what happen in the school, who crys (he is the only one!), what did he play, what's for lunch and snack....

A little reminder, the teachers in Shanghai are very different with HK. I've drafted a note and will inform the principal, maybe you can take it as reference:

- I don't want the teachers to kiss my son (face is OK, not lip.  I found it's very common for Shanghai strangers to kiss babies in the street, on the lip!)
- I don't want the teachers who are wearing heavy make-up to take care my son.
- No chocolate or candies. (they like to offer chocolate or candies whenever children are crying)
- Wash hands after toilet

Tell you more about my job next week, have to go now. We will go to IKEA - it huge and have a big children playing area.

LittleWing

Hi, Critic,

thank you for your reminder.  It is very practical.  I don't want straighters to kiss my kid, too.

Enjoy your weekend with your kid and husband in Ikea.  By the way, will you go to Carrifour every weekend?  My husband said that most of his friends from Hong Kong used to go to Carrifour for shopping every week with their family (as outing!!!  ha..ha...ha..)  So, other than Carrifour, Ikea is another place for Outing....ha...ha...ha...

My husband said that If I relocate to Shanghai, he plans to make short trips to the provinces nearby so as to spend the weekend.   I will wait and see what he will do.  (he used to sleep & rest during weekend while he was in Hong Kong.  He is too lazy....)

Stay in touch.

critic

LittleWing

Meat & fish in Carrefour are not fresh, most are frozen. They do not look as clean & neat as the supermarket in HK.  Everyone in our home is picky eater, it's lucky that my mom and dad able to find a fresh market in our area.  They go out early morning to shop for breakfast (fresh soya bean milk - Rmb 1 for a big pack, steamed bun Rmb 0.5/piece) food, fresh meat, chicken & vegetables.  Price is much cheaper than Carrefour.

We are planning to go to Suzhou or Hangzhou next weekend. Will take train as my son loves and never take a 'real' train in his life.

Today is his 4th day school, hope he did not cry too much.  My mom bought him many picture books during the weekend, good printing quality, only Rmb10/each.