A cautionary tale
Sep 30th 2008, 8:41 am
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2
A cautionary tale
My first post - but I've been lurking for a while
I just wanted to tell the tale of someone I know & their 15 year old child
They came to Spain 5 or 6 years ago, when the child was about 10
for their own reasons they decided to send the child to a fee-paying International school - where she was very happy & did pretty well
unfortunately a while ago the family hit money problems, and were unable to pay the school fees
at the beginning of this term, the school sent her home with a letter stating that she was no longer welcome, unless all back fees and this years fees were paid upfront
this seems harsh, especially since it's the final year of GCSE's
but the school is, after all is said & done, a business
I know about this because an acquaintance of mine was approached to tutor the girl privately for some of the subjects - which he agreed to do
unfortunately, although it would cost much less than the school, it seems this is also too expensive - and the teacher can't be expected to work for nothing
this poor child is now completely in limbo
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you are thinking of sending a young child to International school - be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that your source of income is secure for years to come
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO ANOTHER CHILD - BUT I'M SURE THIS ONE ISN'T THE FIRST
I just wanted to tell the tale of someone I know & their 15 year old child
They came to Spain 5 or 6 years ago, when the child was about 10
for their own reasons they decided to send the child to a fee-paying International school - where she was very happy & did pretty well
unfortunately a while ago the family hit money problems, and were unable to pay the school fees
at the beginning of this term, the school sent her home with a letter stating that she was no longer welcome, unless all back fees and this years fees were paid upfront
this seems harsh, especially since it's the final year of GCSE's
but the school is, after all is said & done, a business
I know about this because an acquaintance of mine was approached to tutor the girl privately for some of the subjects - which he agreed to do
unfortunately, although it would cost much less than the school, it seems this is also too expensive - and the teacher can't be expected to work for nothing
this poor child is now completely in limbo
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you are thinking of sending a young child to International school - be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that your source of income is secure for years to come
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO ANOTHER CHILD - BUT I'M SURE THIS ONE ISN'T THE FIRST
Sep 30th 2008, 8:49 am
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Mijas, Spain.
Posts: 230
Re: A cautionary tale
My first post - but I've been lurking for a while
I just wanted to tell the tale of someone I know & their 15 year old child
They came to Spain 5 or 6 years ago, when the child was about 10
for their own reasons they decided to send the child to a fee-paying International school - where she was very happy & did pretty well
unfortunately a while ago the family hit money problems, and were unable to pay the school fees
at the beginning of this term, the school sent her home with a letter stating that she was no longer welcome, unless all back fees and this years fees were paid upfront
this seems harsh, especially since it's the final year of GCSE's
but the school is, after all is said & done, a business
I know about this because an acquaintance of mine was approached to tutor the girl privately for some of the subjects - which he agreed to do
unfortunately, although it would cost much less than the school, it seems this is also too expensive - and the teacher can't be expected to work for nothing
this poor child is now completely in limbo
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you are thinking of sending a young child to International school - be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that your source of income is secure for years to come
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO ANOTHER CHILD - BUT I'M SURE THIS ONE ISN'T THE FIRST
I just wanted to tell the tale of someone I know & their 15 year old child
They came to Spain 5 or 6 years ago, when the child was about 10
for their own reasons they decided to send the child to a fee-paying International school - where she was very happy & did pretty well
unfortunately a while ago the family hit money problems, and were unable to pay the school fees
at the beginning of this term, the school sent her home with a letter stating that she was no longer welcome, unless all back fees and this years fees were paid upfront
this seems harsh, especially since it's the final year of GCSE's
but the school is, after all is said & done, a business
I know about this because an acquaintance of mine was approached to tutor the girl privately for some of the subjects - which he agreed to do
unfortunately, although it would cost much less than the school, it seems this is also too expensive - and the teacher can't be expected to work for nothing
this poor child is now completely in limbo
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you are thinking of sending a young child to International school - be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that your source of income is secure for years to come
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO ANOTHER CHILD - BUT I'M SURE THIS ONE ISN'T THE FIRST
Sep 30th 2008, 11:18 am
#3
Senior Moment
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: On the edge
Posts: 20,460
Re: A cautionary tale
Welcome to the forum
Well, sorry they fell on hard times, but thats the same all over the world ..... if you dont pay your fees then you wont get the service I'm afraid.
And as just said, maybe a Spanish State school would have been a good alternative although at the age of 10 would be a bit more of a challenge
Well, sorry they fell on hard times, but thats the same all over the world ..... if you dont pay your fees then you wont get the service I'm afraid.
And as just said, maybe a Spanish State school would have been a good alternative although at the age of 10 would be a bit more of a challenge
Sep 30th 2008, 12:35 pm
#4
¿Dónde estoy?
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: my paradise - Jávea
Posts: 13,330
Re: A cautionary tale
Welcome to the forum
Well, sorry they fell on hard times, but thats the same all over the world ..... if you dont pay your fees then you wont get the service I'm afraid.
And as just said, maybe a Spanish State school would have been a good alternative although at the age of 10 would be a bit more of a challenge
Well, sorry they fell on hard times, but thats the same all over the world ..... if you dont pay your fees then you wont get the service I'm afraid.
And as just said, maybe a Spanish State school would have been a good alternative although at the age of 10 would be a bit more of a challenge
the poor girl in the first post is the one suffering now, through no fault of her own
and I dare say her parents are, too
my older dd was 9 when she transferred to state school & has just moved to secondary school
she is one of only 2 english kids in her year in the 'native' valenciano line, so it is possible
