More expatriates opting for local schools

QX179R SG

Singapore-based American investment expert Jim Rogers enrols his daughter Happy in a Singapore school and he is not the only expatriate to do so.

Local schools are now a serious option to many foreigners, with more hired on local terms and receiving fewer expat perks.

On the plus side, the schools offer lower costs, good teachers and Chinese-language programmes.

The Ministry of Education declined to give The Sunday Times figures on foreign children in local schools. But expats have noticed this trend themselves. Ms Audrey Mitchell, 37, said that when her daughter Daisy, now 13, started Primary 3 at Tanjong Katong Primary School in 2007, there were only two or three Caucasians studying there.

-- ST

dragg SG

why decline to give figures?

any idea?

likeyou SG

Recently my kid has a new classmates from aust.

And seem like neighbourhood school accepting more foreign students.

FireIce SG

yes i can see tt when i pass by the pri sch on the way to the mall..........

Fatum SG

that's only cos the ang moh expats can't afford international schools anymore .... they don't really have a choice ....

elindra SG

They think local schools not enough competition so must accept more FT kids ma to give our students a more international feel

MooKu SG

Will school fees be raised as the schools "improve" their curriculum to cater to the growing diversity?

FireIce SG

alotta ppl think expats = ang mohs only

Fatum SG

Will school fees be raised as the schools "improve" their curriculum to cater to the growing diversity?

do you remember paying school fees for primary and secondary schools ? .....

only foreigners pay school fees .......

we only pay misc fees .... it was like $3.50 then ..... and about 5 bucks now ....

MooKu SG

Weally???

What if you go to schools like... RGS... cos I remember I was worrying about the school fees back then when I heard it was $200 per month...

Fatum SG

Weally???

What if you go to schools like... RGS... cos I remember I was worrying about the school fees back then when I heard it was $200 per month...

education is free for singaporeans up till secondary schools, and subsidized after ....

the only fees you pay is the misc fees, a few bucks a month.

so did you end up paying $200 a month ? ....

FireIce SG

Weally???

What if you go to schools like... RGS... cos I remember I was worrying about the school fees back then when I heard it was $200 per month...

cos is indep sch.

hisoka SG

education is free for singaporeans up till secondary schools, and subsidized after ....

the only fees you pay is the misc fees, a few bucks a month.

so did you end up paying $200 a month ? ....

Independent school a lot of other fees one. And to the rest of us, it is still "school fees" despite all the wrangling and labelling into school fees and miscellanous and/or eca fees.

Loor SG

I guess companies are starting to not pay so much for their 'expats' children's fees anymore. Less perks, as the article writes.

i think this is a good thing in terms of helping 'foreigners' to blend into the community and build common understanding. I just hope it doesn't drive school fees up.

Fatum SG

Independent school a lot of other fees one. And to the rest of us, it is still "school fees" despite all the wrangling and labelling into school fees and miscellanous and/or eca fees.

true .... but school fees or misc fees, it's still 5 bucks a month .... I think most kids get at least that much for pocket money per day, these days ....

FireIce SG

they pay more

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/international-students/general-info/#monthly-school-fees

MooKu SG

ohhhhhh...!

... nope, didn't manage to get in lar

Susanteo2011 SG

Singapore-based American investment expert Jim Rogers enrols his daughter Happy in a Singapore school and he is not the only expatriate to do so.

Local schools are now a serious option to many foreigners, with more hired on local terms and receiving fewer expat perks.

On the plus side, the schools offer lower costs, good teachers and Chinese-language programmes.

-- ST

all the ah nehs, prc and 3rd world refugees of course go normal school lah.............

Jim Rogers is a well-known scrooge so what to expect ???

his daughter really named Happy ah ???

with his kind of money..........sure happy lah..........

Bio-Hawk SG

Expat perks dropping^^

deathmaster SG

Do they mean that the quality of expats' pay packages dropped, or do they mean that the quality of expats dropped?

In the past, expats almost exclusively refers to Ang Mohs, and most of them do receive a higher pay than us locals.

Now,with lax immigration, any Tom, Dick, Harry,Ah Neh, Ah Tiongs can also be called an expat, as long as they manage to produce a university degree, regardless whether its authentic or not.

The Nehs and Tiongs here are not foreign talents, but rather, cheap labour. Classing them as expats alongside Ang Mohs will only lead to "depressed expats' pay package".

What would be more useful is to obtain statistics of the number of Ang mohs enroling in local schools, instead of using the term 'expats' which covers a far wider range of nationalities.