flanagaj

I have been offered the chance to go to the US (Stamford, CT) for 18 months with my employer. I have an 8 year old and a 17 Year Old Daughter and I am trying to sort out education.

I have been told that areas like New Canaan, Darien and Greenwich have good public schools that are Free so Schooling for my 8 year old should not be an issue.

The other issue I have is that I also have a 17 year old doing A-Levels and I need to understand what options are available for her.

Any help / advice would be welcomed.

Thanks

Mummy in the foothills

If she's in the middle of A levels maybe she could stay with relatives and finish them, and visit for the hoidays. I'd hate to mess up her A levels by moving her.

Sally Redux

I think that will be the best option, particularly as this is only an 18-month assignment.

AdobePinon

+1 for leaving her in the UK. Education is so standardized ( ) these days, that it's hard to imagine a move not hurting her. If she's thinking of university, you may also want to investigate what a move would do for university fees - both in the UK and the US - depending on what her plans are.

avanutria

I used to work in UK university admissions.

A US high school diploma is not as high a qualification as British A Levels. She would have to take Advanced Placement examinations in high school to have something equivalent to A Levels, and the availbility of these vary by school.

Tuition fees are generally set based on where the student had been living for the last three years before starting university. I don't know if living in the US for the last year and a half prior to studies would tip her over into international fees or not. If they did, that fee rating wouldd stick for her entire university career, not just the first year or anything like that.

Another vote for keeping her in the UK, unless she really really wants to go to the US, in which case she should have a talk with her preferred universities first to understand how it might affect her entry chances. On the other hand, if she is interested in going to university in the US she can probably get US rates if she's been living there for at least a year - but again, check with the relevant universities.

dbj1000

Another vote here for her staying in the UK.

My mother did various 12 and 18-month stints in the US during my childhood. I went with her when I was young, but exactly like your daughter I chose to stay in the UK the year before my A-levels when she was in the US.

Sadly, it's just the wrong time in her education to take her out of the UK system.

The only alternative I can see is for her to come out with you for 12 months (not 18) and effectively take a year out of the UK system. Both my brother and sister did this at one stage, and they both benefited greatly from the experience of a different education system... but they both went back into the UK system a year behind their calendar age, so they didn't mess up their exams.

JAJ

It is supposed to be on ordinary residence, but it is not clear who would be able to challenge an unreasonable decision made by university.

Also consider the chances of her getting a green card in the US, probably slim.

I thought the original poster wanted to go to Australia.

Sally Redux

Yes, seems a little strange

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...50#post8226550

avanutria

Decisions at the uni I worked at were made by the head of admissions, who had a very clear set of criteria laid out by the UK government which he had to work within. Decisions were rarely overturned.

flanagaj

That is correct. But given my firm are offering me a short 18 month assignment to the US all expenses paid which I must add only surfaced during a recent business trip to the States is potentially too good an opportunity to miss, plus unlike Australia I don't have to quit my job to go.

Plus, the Aussie visa lasts for 5 years and I only need to be there for 2 to apply for Citizenship, so in theory we can do both

Sally Redux

Sounds OK - but would your daughter want to go to US?

Kaffy Mintcake

Out of curiosity ...

Are you saying that regardless of which US high school the student attended and their grades their qualifications are never considered as high as British A Levels? Advanced Placement examinations in high school are used to earn university credit in the US.

Just wondering because certainly at least some US high schools have very demanding programs. Some of my high school friends went on to attend Harvard or other ivy leagues and are very accomplished today.

Off topic, so that's all I'll say about that ...

Sally Redux

I would agree with you, especially as A-Levels have become easier now.

Kaffy Mintcake

Well, this article says the same:

"According to the British Council, A levels are similar to the American Advanced Placements[4] which are themselves equivalent to first year courses of America's four year bachelor degrees."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCE_Advanced_Level

The issue seem to be a lack of a standardized test in the US to finish high school. Therefore a 4.0 at one school is very different from a 4.0 at another school. (This is VERY true by the way.)

This system seems to penalize US students who would want to earn degrees at British universities as not all US high schools have advanced placement classes and they are certainly not available for all subjects. (I took AP classes for English and French, for instance.)

Very interesting. I am positive that I could have been successful at a British university and that this is true of many American students. Would they have that chance though? Maybe not. I suspect that AP examinations are more difficult, at least in some cases, than A-levels but as there is no equivalent of an A-level in the US, that's what is used.

Sally Redux

Yes, I think it comes down to this. From what I've seen, the honours classes at my son's school cover A-level work but the testing element may not be so rigorous. Then again, A-Levels now have a coursework element.