Is 15 years old too young to send overseas for studies?

[verykiasu2010]

jtoh:

Very difficult to route biz trips via NZ - it's so out of the way.

it is okay, can fly Air NZ from Auckland to LAX, 2x daily flights

[jtoh]

verykiasu2010:

jtoh:

Very difficult to route biz trips via NZ - it's so out of the way.

it is okay, can fly Air NZ from Auckland to LAX, 2x daily flights

A bit far still. How many hours? A father's love.

[rosemummy]

2ppaamm:

I think it depends. One of my best friends stay just about 25 minutes away from us here in Australia, but I still come with my daughter. I'd rather do the mothering myself when she is so young. Nevertheless, my friend is of great help whenever I need back-up, like babysitting and contacts. Also when I have to travel back for a week or even a month. Short term is good with a good friend. But to leave the child here long term with someone else is something I wouldn't do. But that's just me, again. Super kiasu in this aspect. Motherhood is too important to miss out in exchange for anything else.

Hi 2ppaamm

Good to hear from you. I thought you were heading to the US since you talked about your daughter doing SAT and at this time of the year, it's just before the Fall semester begins in US. I thought in Australia, classes usually start in Feb?

Anyway, yes, it really depends. I suppose parents should just go with their gut feel and what's most comfortable for the family. Actually, Australia is pretty near and most of my friends' children who are there come back a couple of times every year. The family can visit in between. You won't be apart for all that long.

All the best to you and your children in Australia.

[rosemummy]

verykiasu2010:

jtoh:

Very difficult to route biz trips via NZ - it's so out of the way.

it is okay, can fly Air NZ from Auckland to LAX, 2x daily flights

:salute: You'll probably end up spending double the time to get to LA. You need a really nice employer to allow you to spend your time doing that, plus spending some time there.

[rosemummy]

verykiasu2010:

2ppaamm:

I think it depends. One of my best friends stay just about 25 minutes away from us here in Australia, but I still come with my daughter. I'd rather do the mothering myself when she is so young. Nevertheless, my friend is of great help whenever I need back-up, like babysitting and contacts. Also when I have to travel back for a week or even a month. Short term is good with a good friend. But to leave the child here long term with someone else is something I wouldn't do. But that's just me, again. Super kiasu in this aspect. Motherhood is too important to miss out in exchange for anything else.

I know what you mean, but then the younger one is only sec 1 in SG and not ready to move .... so may be I got to do more visiting, or purposely route my biz trips via NZ if my DD eventually goes there

It's really about juggling the needs of everyone in the family, and what works best taken as a whole. Even if your younger one is prepared to go, you may have to be prepared to retire in order to stay there.

If she comes back during all the school vacations, and you visit once or twice in between, you probably won't be apart for more than 2 or 3 months each time. I think that's not too bad. For my daughter in the US, it's about 4+ months, which is pretty manageable for a child above 16 and in college.

[lovejoypeacce]

Hi everyone,


In case if anyone is interested, I have returned from my fruitful trip to Auckland.

In total, I have visited around 5 colleges and even visited the universities with my girlfriend (Auckland U of Technology, University of Auckland and Massy University) as my girlfriend was interested to place her daughter there after her poly graduation later this year.

I am impressed with the colleges that we visited. In terms of the types of courses offered, environment, teachers, extra-curriculum, homestay options and the clear pathways to universities.

Everyone is guaranteed a place in university provided that you meet the qualifying points. For instance, the university will specify that if you want to go for a BSc or BA, you will need 220 points. So kids in colleges work towards this by obtaining these points from their subject combination from year 11 (our equivalent of sec 4) onwards. For example, a maths subject is 5 points. So if you get excellence, it is X5 so you will get 25 points and if you get merit, it is X3 etc...so if a student is smart, they may enter university a year earlier than his peers...
So college students take subjects according to their interests rather than being placed in a course that is determined by number of places in a particular degree. As long as you meet the qualifying grade, you are entitled to a place. I think this is a fairer system.

In term of homestay, the colleges take a very serious stand in the selection process. Each homestay will be screened and home visits are conducted once a month. If the student is below 17, he or she will need to be indoor by 6pm on weekdays and fully supervised on weekends.

My girl has accepted a place for next year so she will be in Year 10. We will be making another trip in Oct to meet up with the homestay parents and we will take it from there.

Thanks for all your valuable comments.

[LOLMum]

thanks for the info. been waiting for your update.



for your girl.

[2ppaamm]

lovejoypeacce:

Hi everyone,


In case if anyone is interested, I have returned from my fruitful trip to Auckland.

In total, I have visited around 5 colleges and even visited the universities with my girlfriend (Auckland U of Technology, University of Auckland and Massy University) as my girlfriend was interested to place her daughter there after her poly graduation later this year.

I am impressed with the colleges that we visited. In terms of the types of courses offered, environment, teachers, extra-curriculum, homestay options and the clear pathways to universities.

Everyone is guaranteed a place in university provided that you meet the qualifying points. For instance, the university will specify that if you want to go for a BSc or BA, you will need 220 points. So kids in colleges work towards this by obtaining these points from their subject combination from year 11 (our equivalent of sec 4) onwards. For example, a maths subject is 5 points. So if you get excellence, it is X5 so you will get 25 points and if you get merit, it is X3 etc...so if a student is smart, they may enter university a year earlier than his peers...
So college students take subjects according to their interests rather than being placed in a course that is determined by number of places in a particular degree. As long as you meet the qualifying grade, you are entitled to a place. I think this is a fairer system.

In term of homestay, the colleges take a very serious stand in the selection process. Each homestay will be screened and home visits are conducted once a month. If the student is below 17, he or she will need to be indoor by 6pm on weekdays and fully supervised on weekends.

My girl has accepted a place for next year so she will be in Year 10. We will be making another trip in Oct to meet up with the homestay parents and we will take it from there.

Thanks for all your valuable comments.

Good to hear and thanks for the updates. I too visited some schools for the gifted here and I am seriously shocked by their standards compared to Singapore.

I have sent my children to 'independent' schools in Singapore and though some of my kids were on scholarships, I understand most children sending kids to RI, ACS(I), Nanyang, RGS, SCGS, etc etc, don't. So most of us pay like thousands every year (excluding tuition) for Sec school/JC if we want to send our kids to 'good' schools.

My younger daughter managed to skip 2 levels to be placed grade 10 in the gifted school here from Sec 2 (Independent school) in Singapore. For the same price (which includes tuition if your child needs), the class size is max at 25, a whole 6-storey building for 150 students. The government sponsors everything else to nurture these high ability students. Now I start to wonder what happened to our tax money in education. Even in the GEP, we don't get such facilities. Recording studios, green rooms, personal practice rooms, university courses etc. Just like our international schools in Singapore that I have visited (not your ACS International/SJ International), but the international, international schools.

Where have our taxes gone? Even in the independent schools where the kids are equality high in abilities, we are looking at 40 per class, and facilities that are shared with a thousand others. Sad.

There is much to learn from our neighbours down south and other true first world countries. What are all those reserves for, if we don't nurture our young, whether they are our brightest, or they need our special assistance to make it. Surely, with our resources, we can turn even our most academically challenged kids to great economic contributors through a more embracing education. Our system has gone too lazy and fat to do these things, by simply claiming and making everyone believe that our education system is the best in the world without solid proof, and forcing everyone to conform or succumb or leave.

[lovejoypeacce]

Yes, the facilities are really first class and I am not referring to private schools either. Some of the public colleges I visited have recording studios, a news room, a fully equipped kitchen and sewing rooms for those interested in Food and Fabric and even an automobile repair workshop for kids to tinker cars if their interest are in this area!


Classes are indeed capped at 25 max and individual counsellors are assigned to each student from Year 11 (sec 4) so that proper course/university guidance is provided each step of the way.

Other than the fact that my child and us have to be separated for a while (although we plan to have her back for hols - every 2-3 months, there is a 2 week break), there is really nothing that she can get out of the system here that she cannot get from there.

[rosemummy]

2ppaamm:

Good to hear and thanks for the updates. I too visited some schools for the gifted here and I am seriously shocked by their standards compared to Singapore.

I have sent my children to 'independent' schools in Singapore and though some of my kids were on scholarships, I understand most children sending kids to RI, ACS(I), Nanyang, RGS, SCGS, etc etc, don't. So most of us pay like thousands every year (excluding tuition) for Sec school/JC if we want to send our kids to 'good' schools.

My younger daughter managed to skip 2 levels to be placed grade 10 in the gifted school here from Sec 2 (Independent school) in Singapore. For the same price (which includes tuition if your child needs), the class size is max at 25, a whole 6-storey building for 150 students. The government sponsors everything else to nurture these high ability students. Now I start to wonder what happened to our tax money in education. Even in the GEP, we don't get such facilities. Recording studios, green rooms, personal practice rooms, university courses etc. Just like our international schools in Singapore that I have visited (not your ACS International/SJ International), but the international, international schools.

Where have our taxes gone? Even in the independent schools where the kids are equality high in abilities, we are looking at 40 per class, and facilities that are shared with a thousand others. Sad.

There is much to learn from our neighbours down south and other true first world countries. What are all those reserves for, if we don't nurture our young, whether they are our brightest, or they need our special assistance to make it. Surely, with our resources, we can turn even our most academically challenged kids to great economic contributors through a more embracing education. Our system has gone too lazy and fat to do these things, by simply claiming and making everyone believe that our education system is the best in the world without solid proof, and forcing everyone to conform or succumb or leave.

My sentiments exactly. Just baffle me how we can spend so much money giving out scholarships to foreigners while doing so little for our own children. I believe every child has the potential to succeed, even if it's not in the traditional areas via the university route.