Congratulations on making a momentous decision in your child’s life. International school education is an investment that will secure the bright future of your child. It will ensure that your child is ahead of the game and will open windows of limitless career opportunities. It will make your child unstoppable. But are you ready for it? Or better yet, is your child prepared for it? If not, then allow us to help you.
Preparing your child for international school admission is exciting. It can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and emotionally frustrating at some point, but there is nothing that you won’t be able to handle if you would get to carefully plan and prepare. You don’t need to busy yourself with googling stuff and inputting queries such as what is Verso international school and whatnot. We will teach you how to streamline everything and make your preparation simpler.
Tip #1: Research suitable schools.
One of the most exciting things to do in this journey is the search for suitable international schools for your child. It is heavily time-consuming but you will love the level of awareness that it will reveal involving your personal values and collective values as a family. When looking for a school, you should look for one that matches your child’s preferences, educational needs, and family values. It is important that you research the following factors as well:
- Curriculum
- Extracurricular activities
- Teaching Approach
- Facilities
- School’s Reputation
- Security
- Safety
Visit your top options in person. You should have a good feel of its environment and get a full understanding of all that it offers before even considering it as a school for your child. The international school of your child must get your full trust and confidence. This is an extremely serious matter because the future of your child is at stake.
Tip #2: Begin early.
There is an undeniably competitive air in international school admissions. You’re not the only one who wants the best possible education for their child. This is why you need to begin your application process in advance. Do the following early on:
- Research on the school’s admission requirements
- Research on deadlines – make a timeline for it
- Complete required paperwork like recommendation letters and academic transcripts.
Tip #3: Prepare for admission tests and interviews.
As many children will be vying for slots, international schools require admission tests and a battery of interviews to assess the academic ability, language proficiency, and overall suitability of your child as a student. Do the following to help your child prepare:
- Familiarize your child with the format of the admission tests
- Make your child aware of the goal and of things that are needed to be achieved
- Provide materials for practice tests
- Engage in mock interviews
- Find ways to make your child feel confident and comfortable in doing tasks related to the admission test and the interview
- Let your child know that you are fully present and ever supportive every step of the way
Tip #4: Language skills.
This will be an important matter if the language of instruction in the international school of your choice is not your child’s first language. If such is the case, then you need time to focus on language skills. You should encourage your child to read, speak, and write the target language. To make it easier for you, you can choose to enroll your child in a few language courses. You could also work with a tutor.
If your child is already fluent and eloquent in the language of instruction in your preferred school, then this will not be a point of concern. You simply need to nurture your child’s confidence in using the language. Always engage in conversations. Ask questions and encourage your child to ask questions as well.
Tip #5: Foster independence
This may be last on the list but is just as important as doing practice tests and mock interviews. You need to make your child comfortable and at ease with being independent. This is one of the many firsts that your child will be doing alone. Your child will completely be alone during the admission test and the interview. Your child needs to be aware of this and comfortable with the concept. As our kids have relied on us immensely, this is something that comes easily for all. This is why it’s important that you slowly introduce the concept of independence early on. Your child needs to have enough confidence to know that he or she can do things on his own. That he is safe and capable of learning and making good decisions even if his or her parents are not around.
Your child will perform well and pass with flying colors if he or she has confidence and is fully empowered to be independent. You can make this happen by doing the following as early as now:
- By having a healthy relationship with mistakes. Your child should be fully aware of the fact that mistakes are learning opportunities. This mindset will make your child limitless.
- Give age-appropriate responsibilities that they can be accountable for.
- Encourage self-expression by letting them speak their mind.
- Enhance their communication skills. Independent children get what they want because they can easily communicate their way around it.
- Teach basic organization skills that can be as simple as determining what tasks to prioritize.
