Contact us 0800 368 7694 (UK) or +44 203 286 6824 or consultants@goodschoolsguide.co.uk
In today’s world, many families are truly international – their working and family lives taking them all over the world. The Good Schools Guide supports these families wherever they are. The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants (GSGEC) supports families coming to or resident in the UK. Good Schools Guide International supports families all over the world.
International families in the UK
Increasingly, GSGEC clients are international families. Parents from all over the world, often in families where several languages are spoken, come to live in London and look to us to help find their children the best schools – in the metropolis or boarding schools in the countryside. We can advise you in several different languages so please tell us if you are more comfortable speaking in your own language.
We have unrivalled knowledge and experience in this field and can draw on the expertise of our consultants, several of whom have lived and worked abroad and understand all the concerns of relocating families.
We can advise you on language schools, on ensuring that your children’s English is of the required standard to enter the schools you want for them. We have years of experience in helping families bridge the gap between the school system their children are coming from and the one they will join in the UK.
We work closely with our international branch – Good Schools Guide International which has consultants all over the world.
There is an additional charge for consultation in some languages eg Russian and Chinese. We can offer excellent interpreters/translators in these languages.
A Note about Educational ‘agents’
The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants takes no commission ie money from a school if we recommend a child to go there – not even if the child is accepted into the school. If you are deciding whether to use The GSGEC or a local agent, please consider the following important points.
We are increasingly hearing stories of people acting as ‘agents’ for UK education abroad. Many of these people are reputable and honest. However, we hear worrying stories of ‘agents’ who:
- only recommend a small number of English schools. They do this because they take commission ie payment from these schools for introducing new pupils. The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants never takes money from schools for introducing pupils. Our advice to you is entirely based on what you tell us about your child and your requirements. Please ensure that any agent you have dealings with can assure you that they have no financial arrangement with schools.
- have never visited the schools they recommend. We have even heard of ‘agents’ who have never even visited the UK! Please ensure that any agent you may use genuinely knows the schools he/she recommends.
- ask enormous fees for their advice. Parents abroad sometimes do not realise that much of the information an ‘agent’ supplies is freely available either from schools or on the internet. Please check before paying large fees to ‘agents’ that they are not over-charging you. You will find that the service offered by The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants is far less expensive than that charged by most other companies or agents. This is because, although we too are a company, our principal concern is that children find schools in which they can learn and be happy and successful.
A final note: we very much hope you come to us for advice and guidance. However, should you choose to go elsewhere, please ensure that your ‘agent’ or company is honest and that the charges are reasonable. The reputation of UK education is deservedly high. It should not be tarnished by unscrupulous people who feed off the anxiety of parents.