hblondie26

Hi, we are a british family living in sydney and considering a move to Shanghai. We have 2 children aged 5 and 12 and wondered if you could give any advice on schooling, where to live and the difficulties (if any) that we may experience.

thanks

Hayley

hblondie26

PS. Our youngest has been schooled entirely at the French school of sydney in French only., Is there something similar in Shanghai ? an international one where tuition is on french ?

lumines

Hi Hayley

You could check out the French and German International School. It's in the far west of the city and many French and German expats live near the school. What type of school are you interested in for your 12 year old? There isn't an Australian school, but there are several schools teaching the British curriculum. British International School (2 campuses, one near the French school), and Rego International, and Dulwich - but Dulwich is on the other side of the city from the French School. There is also the Shanghai American School.

Shanghai is a huge city and the traffic is horrendous. The schools all have buses that run from all over the city, and many kids have an hour on the bus in each direction. Honqiao is a popular area for expats, so is Pudong - but Pudong is a long way from the French school. Before deciding where to live, you have to consider where your office will be and where the schools are, then somehow juggle that!

Good luck - living in Shanghai is a great experience!

hblondie26

thank you so muc. I found the ecole francaise and the british intl schools - we're thinking that as she is going into high school the best thing would be to enter back into the English system rather than staying aussie.

Bearing in mind the size of the city it would definitely be prudent to try and get them as close as poss to where we live - I'll look into the areas you suggested. at the mo in sydney their schools are in diff suburbs but both withiin walking distance so a bus ride of an hour will def be a shock !!

we areso excited as we think it will be an unbelievable experience - however the 12 yr old is not too excited at the prospect of being in a new contry with a diff language.

thanks once again.

Hayley

PS: did you live in shanghai ?

lumines

Yes, we lived in Shanghai for nearly 4 years, we left last year. I really miss it! To reassure your 12 year old, when we moved there, our son was 12 and he absolutely loved it there, he had a ball. If the kids go to an international school, their lives obviously tend to revolve round school and the friends that they make there, and they can end up being quite protected from the fact that they’re living in China – particularly if you live in a compound with lots of other expats – so from their point of view, no worries really about not speaking the language etc.

Two websites you could have a look at – shanghaiexpat.com and shanghaiprops.com – both would be very useful for you I think. Also have a look at Rego International School – that has a British Curriculum.

Good luck with your research – let me know if you have any more questions and I’ll try and help. When do you think you’ll be moving?

hblondie26

we think that we would move at the end of the year, beginning of next as this is when the aussie school year ends.

did you live in a compound ? If so is it hard toget into one and how do you know which is good/bad etc

thank you so much for you help so far.

What did you enjoy most about living there ?

lumines

Yes, we lived in a compound. A lot of the housing in Shanghai is in compounds – like houses or apartments in walled areas, with security guards at the gates. It sounds strange, but you soon get used to it!

As far as good or bad compounds – what do you mean by good or bad? Do you mean from a safety point of view? I don’t think any compounds are bad – for such a huge city, Shanghai is pretty safe. If your company is providing you with a relocation agent, they will probably only show you round compounds that are popular with expats anyway. The more expensive compounds tend to have gyms, pools, tennis courts, that sort of thing, and may be houses (called villas) or apartments. I think with your kids being the age they are, it’s probably good for their sakes (particularly the older one) to live in a compound with other kids their age. Maybe when you’ve decided on your schools, you can ask them which compounds are popular with their students – for example, in Hongqiao, Windsor Place and Elite Garden were two very popular compounds – lots of French people in Elite Garden, and Brits, Aussies and Americans in Windsor Place. There were also a couple of compounds near the French and German School that were popular with expats, but I can’t remember what they were called (I can try and find out though if you’re interested).

What I enjoyed about living there – it was interesting, it was challenging and so different. I worked part time (teaching English) and also had an ayi (a maid) to help with the housework so I felt I had a really good balance! You can also have a great social life there, though that again might depend on what compound you choose and where it is. There are lots of restaurants and bars, and eating out is fairly cheap.

Will you have a chance to go for a look-see visit before you actually move there?

uk_vette

I have been through Shanghai, just stopping for a few days, but why Shanghai ?
It's just too big, it's huge !
I am living up to the North of Shanghai, right on the coast, with good beaches, at a place called Yantai.
It is such a beautiful place, I can see why there are so many expats here.
We have moderate summer, instead of the wild heat at Shanghai and Beijing, we have the lovely breeze off the ocean.
Still, I suppose if your work is sending you there, then there isn't much you can say about it, but go and try.

I could very happily stay in Yantai for many years, but it won't be the case, for some other commitments.


'vette

aNDREW mOORE

Welcome to China!
I lived in Shanghai from 2002 to 2004 and still live in China today. I would say that Shanghai is the most expat friendly place in China. I am British though!
Definitely give it a go, you wont regret making the decision in my opinion.
Keep in touch if you need any of my local knowledge in the future. And tell me your experiences too. Thanks.
Andy.