Desperately need your help re schools...

[cmabs]

Hi,

Basically we have to move with husbands work from Sydney to HK which will mean 3 children aged 4, 2 & 7 months as well as 2 large dogs.

For this reason we had decided to look at living on DB but my problem is schools. I can get my eldest into DMK but DBIS has no places available for the next two years unless I pay the 450k debenture which Mac Bank has refused to pay and I can't afford.
That leaves me only the option of DBC if I get on the waiting list in September and pass the interview.

This worries me hugely, so what are my options ?? what schools are within reasonable commute by public transport that I could try and get him into?

Thanks

 

[howardcoombs]

I would suggest looking to live somewhere else. DB is nice for kids but if you cannot get them to schools in there then the kids will face a 1h+ commute each way which will (for me) kill any benefits of being there.

If budget allows, then look to live more centrally and closer to many other schools.
On the HK side, Happy Valley makes a nice choice (we live there with 3 kids);
on the Kowloon side (closer to the Australian school) look at Kowloon Tong and its surrounds.

You can go a bit further out (eg : Clearwaterbay/SaiKung) to get more space and closer to greenery but you will face some amount of commute similar to DB.

Personally, I would never live in DB; its just feels too much like a gated community and not part of Hong Kong.

HC

 

[cmabs]

Thanks for replying.

I think you might be right about looking at another area. It is just so stressful at the moment as the school thing dictates everything.

Does every international school in HK require a debenture?

Also do I take the risk of moving to an area with an ESF school but still not get a place?

 

[howardcoombs]

No, every international school does *not* require a debenture. Many do and many do not.
Australian International school have them but they are not mandatory.
KCIS do not have any debenture at all.

There is no guarantee with any school and ESF being highly sought after, there is no guarantee you will get into an ESF school at all.

There are very highly oversubscribed locations (eg : DB) and then there are lower demand areas (eg : Ma On Shan) - your chances are obviously better at the lower demand areas; dont worry too much and apply to any and all schools that you feel suitable for you and your kids. ESF is not the only school around as there are many other choices available.

One last thought for you to consider : Your kids are quite young; if you are looking to stay in HKG for any length of time, consider sending them to a Chinese medium school and they can pick up one or 2 more languages while you are here.

HC

 

[penguinsix]

I would second the advice of live somewhere else. It's not that I hate DB but if you can't get a school there you are a bit stuck.

Are you long term or short term? What is your budget for housing? I assume your husband is working in Central somewhere or is he on the Kowloon side? How big of a place do you need?

When is your son four? We put our 4 year old (born in May) into a private pre-school/kindergarten for half a day and then applied to various international schools and ESF for entrance when he turned five. While most schools start at four here we followed the American practice of waiting until age five before going full-time. He just turned five last weekend and will start full-time school next Fall.

In retrospect, it was probably rougher on us to find a spot for a 5 year old than it is a 4 year old, but due to the timing of our move and our own personal preference we had little choice and took the chance. We did apply for about 8 schools last year (got into 3 and high on the waitlist at another).

So if the birthdate is such you might have a year to just go to a private pre-k and then deal with the whole formal application thing this coming September.

 

[cmabs]

I would second the advice of live somewhere else. It's not that I hate DB but if you can't get a school there you are a bit stuck.

Are you long term or short term? What is your budget for housing? I assume your husband is working in Central somewhere or is he on the Kowloon side? How big of a place do you need?

When is your son four? We put our 4 year old (born in May) into a private pre-school/kindergarten for half a day and then applied to various international schools and ESF for entrance when he turned five. While most schools start at four here we followed the American practice of waiting until age five before going full-time. He just turned five last weekend and will start full-time school next Fall.

In retrospect, it was probably rougher on us to find a spot for a 5 year old than it is a 4 year old, but due to the timing of our move and our own personal preference we had little choice and took the chance. We did apply for about 8 schools last year (got into 3 and high on the waitlist at another).

So if the birthdate is such you might have a year to just go to a private pre-k and then deal with the whole formal application thing this coming September.

I am thinking we will have to live somewhere else too!

My son has just turned 4 and unless a miracle happens will he won't be getting a place at a school with a preschool section. So that leaves next year but all the schools I have emailed are full and have huge waiting lists for P1 next year.

I think using that term loosely that I might have a chance of getting him into AISHK but then where do we live.

Our budget is up to 60k and hubby will have to commute to Central but he will be working long hours and we don't really want a long commute as we have this now and he doesn't get to see the children at all.

I can ask which schools you applied to ?

 

[penguinsix]

We moved to HK last April so we were sort of in the same boat. We were too late to apply to the 'normal' Fall classes for 4-year-olds, as the application deadline was in the previous September / October time frame. We thought about sending in our names to a few but were sort of like "is it even worth spending the money or should we just focus on next year?"

Here is a thread we had last year:

Applying for School for Fall of 2010--waste of money? - Hong Kong Baby, Pregnancy and Parenting Forums

We live in Midlevels Central and are on a part of it that is zoned to the ESF Peak school. We sent our son to Woodlands Peak and were accepted to the ESF Peak Primary 1 for next year. A good number of my son's classmates will be continuing on at the Peak next Fall. We are a quick cab ride to Central (I've even walked down to LKF on occasion) and our street is quite residential. In fact we have a Wellcome and that's about it as far as shopping goes.

We applied to:

ISF
Singapore
GSIS
Canadian
HKIS
KCIS
ESF Peak

(oops, that's only 7)

We were accepted at ESF Peak, KCIS, and HKIS (where he will be going next year). We were 'high wait list' at Canadian, like in the top 10 out of 77 or so on the wait list, but the chance of getting off that list was pretty slim we think so we went ahead and put in our deposit to HKIS.

For many schools, the whole process starts anew in September. The schools have various priority systems. For example "Passport holders of XX Country --> Debenture Holders --> Children of Staff --> Siblings --> Date of Application" or something like that (mix it up, turn it around--it varies by the school). Some don't really have a date of application so when you apply in September you have just as good of a chance of getting in as anyone else. The only problem is that in some of those schools they have a 4-year-old class so you are competing only for those few places that open in the 5-year-old classes. With ESF, Primary starts at age 5 so you've got as much a chance as anyone, for example.

 

[kiwiinoz]

If living in DB isn't set, I would suggest looking at Mid-Levels, Mid-Levels West or Pokfulam (or Sheung Wan/Kennedytown). Application for ESF school year 1 (I also have a 4 year old) will be just after the summer break, so if I was you I would apply to ESF then anyways. This year will be a bad year (2007 was year of the golden pig = lots of babies = oversubscribed school applications), however as you will be newly arrived and english speaking I would hope ESF would be reasonably accommodating. There are lots of great kindies on HK island - ESF Hillside, Woodlands, Small World, etc, for doing the K2 year before primary.
If you're staying with DB, then you can still apply to ESF for schooling, but I am not sure which school DB feeds to (I am sure someone here will answer for you) - think it is either Kennedy or Bradbury, however your child will have to take the ferry every morning and you'll have to work out the logistics of that - perhaps with daddy since he'll have to commute too.
You're right to worry about the longer working hours.. I learnt that the hard way when we first moved here.
Good luck!

 

[MommyTo3]

DB feeds into Bradbury (a very very oversubscribed school). I know many many native English speakers who are still waiting for Y1 spots this year and next year is indeed not going to get much better. But do apply, it's cheap and lottery based. They do have a bus (expensive though) from DB straight into Bradbury so no need for ferry (this is particulary good for lower school students).

Apart from the fact I am happy where I am, schooling was the main reason not to live in DB. We don't have debentures so the lists can be very long!

 

[howardcoombs]

....it's cheap and lottery based....

Yes, its lottery based for the most part but calling it cheap is bit of a stretch.
60,000 HKD plus extras is really not cheap at all. Lets call it "less expensive than international schools" but certainly not cheap.

HC