Internation Schools in Hong Kong with Strong Mandarin

[ssheng]

Hello all


At the moment, only ISF and IMS are on our list. Both are just as expensive and has distinct disadvantages.

Thank you so much for this thread - it is really helpful! Given the strict Mandarin rules for ISF and the brand new campus, what are the distinct disadvantages from CIS? I saw they do not offer upper grades right now since they are too new, so perhaps that is the major disadvantage.

I tried to call CIS but they said to call back when my child was 2, as you cannot get on the waiting list until then. So actually, I guess you can apply too early, as well!

 

[Obiwan]

Thanks Mamamia1. Does that mean a child should go to another nursery/K1 and apply for Reception later? What is the right age to apply for Reception? Apologies for my very basic questions, like you say, the HK international school system is pretty mind boggling to navigate for someone new to this

I am trying to find out how/when best to apply so that my child can have a better chance of getting into CIS. Thanks!

 

[lesliefu]

the HKIS program is catered to both expat families and Chinese families...they have 2 streams. basically once you're in one stream there is very little chance to switch to the other stream (unless you go from Chinese stream to expat stream)...there Chinese has been around for over 10years, but they do stress they are not a bilingual school where there focus is on English, so, the amount of time allocated to Chinese is a reflection of this. of course the amount increases as you move up, but whether or not the increment is enough, it really depends on your perception

as for having a better chance to get into CIS, I hear that your child needs to be able to interview in both Mandarin and English and that the average waitlist is about 2 years.....like all schools, there are advantages and disadvantages...one being (for CIS) the English is not so good (my friends say)...but, that again is a matter of perspective...I'm not 100% sure myself....I know corporate debentures, even if you are willing to pay, are not sold to "anyone" your company has to be "big" and "well known" in order to get one...go figure!

 

[Gabriel ma]

How about RC?

 

[wuxu]

Mamamia1 Thank you so much for sharing with us. Good Luck with everything!

 

[scoopydoo]

mamamia 1,
again, you have been a great help in contributing these info. good on you.
btw, do u know how to get in touch with the CIS corporate debenture buy/sell market? presumably these are bonds with maturity and yield interest income?

 

[Obiwan]

This wait list thingy --- everyone talks about the long wait-list, but you can only apply within the application period, so how do people end up being on a wait list couple of years long.

Like an earlier poster said, don't think we can apply early right?

Another question is ... what nursery/Kindergarten do you send your child to pre international school since many of them start in K2 or K3...

 

[flo]

mamamia, I feel the same way as you do. My hubby's niece and nephews all graduated from CIS. We also know a few people who go there. All that snobbery is true. So a child who goes to CIS will fall in one of 3 groups: A. the super rich kids B. the academically strong ones C. land of no where.

I have heard of a case where a parent decided to pull out her child because they couldn't stand the snobbery. She felt that her child was given the wrong values in life.

ISF - I have "heard" that there is a frequent change in principals - apparently the result of the board which is made up of "knowledgeable" parents of different views. Also, as a school of short history, it could be of concern.


Victoria - My cousin enrolled her daughter in the primary school and decided to pull her out 2 years ago. She said the school was not yet settled, administration was chaotic, high turnover of teachers, no progress report to parents. I don't know how it is now.

SIS - our foremost choice. the drawback is simplified Chinese, but we will try to cope. Anyway, the international trend is simplified Chinese. After all, there is less than 30M people in the world still using traditional Chinese.

SIS primary school only has 8.5 hours of Chinese/week. In many ways, it is also taught as a second language, only at a higher standard. I think that it is important for parents to guide the child to do more Chinese reading because it is a difficult language to master.

 

[flo]

Don't expect much for CIS Chinese also. It is also taught as a second language, so kids will naturally prefer English. Of course, the standard is better than ESF - IMHO, practically nonexistant.

 

[lesliefu]

ESF has in fact increased the overall time for Mandarin classes...some classes have daily chinese, some have every other day but longer times (45mins vs 30mins) - i think it is G2 or 3 that have alternative days...not 100% sure. still not great but the daily exposure is good.

CIS claims they are a dual language program at the primary years so that the language is not actually taught as a second language but rather immersed, which i think is why many parents are attracted to it...but unforunately like flo says, kids naturally prefer english because the environment in HK is just not conducive to the "proper" learning of Mandarin so making it difficult for children to find necessary to learn.

if you are really serious about mandarin I'd send your child to Kiangsu and Chekiang school for the primary school years (traditional stream)...had students go there before and even with no language environment at home, the kids (caucasians with 0 background in any form of Chinese) were speaking near perfect Mandarin and could understand it extremely well...I'm not sure what the school is like since I haven't visited but I have seen the Mandarin standard of kids and it is quite impressive.