Is it worth sending a child to study abroad?

Secondary education abroad is both risks and opportunities

Not only the children of the oligarchs have been studying abroad for a long time, and the certificate of the foreign school seems to be a reliable investment and a ticket in a successful life. In the same Europe and the United States, a lot of opportunities are opening to schoolchildren - from traveling while studying to the best universities in the world, but do not forget about difficulties. Nobody canceled the difficulties of adaptation, the language barrier and longing for the house. Together with the educational company IQ Consultance, we figure out what awaits a Russian teenager in a foreign school.

You can quickly learn the tongue

This is true. The easiest way to learn a foreign language is to leave for another country. Remember how already on the third day of vacation abroad you order morning coffee with you without hesitation. Learning a language in this way is even easier to learn than an adult. According to the therapist with 25 years of experience and the author of the medical series “... for dummies” Sharon Perkins, children learn intuitively-they absorb information from the world around them, without getting ticked on the rules of grammar and mistakes made. Therefore, they progress faster. Most American and European schools accept students from other countries, provided that they know the language at the Intermediate level - this is necessary that at first the child is not at a loss in the new conditions and quickly caught up with peers.

It will not be easy to adapt in another country

To let the child go to another country, and even for a long time is a difficult decision. Will he handle one there? Will he find friends? Will it be full, healthy and happy? Foreign students really have a hard time, especially the first time, when everything is new and unfamiliar around. But they quickly understand that they themselves may solve the everyday problems that were previously lying on the shoulders of their parents. In addition, in foreign schools there are special programs for adaptation of beginners, and educators live in residence with adolescents - you can seek advice. For greater calm, parents can use the supervision service - educational agencies do this: they will establish contact with the school and will report to how a teenager copes with the curriculum and an independent life.

In foreign schools, a more friendly atmosphere

It is not customary to scold and punish children for errors abroad - mistakes here are treated as an experience on which and should be studied. Teachers communicate with students on an equal footing. As a result, adolescents know that you can turn to an adult with any problem and will not be punished, but, on the contrary, they will help to analyze the situation and draw conclusions for the future. Studies confirm: adolescents, who were taught to “work on mistakes” in childhood, are faster to solve problems in adulthood.

Schoolchildren themselves decide that they are interested in studying

In Russian schools, the Ministry of Education decides everything for adolescents: there is a unified curriculum and approved textbooks - they expect results from children. Abroad, schoolchildren are not imposed on schoolchildren, but, on the contrary, they offer to try new and interesting: if you want - study the painting in depth, if you want - sign up in a circle in chemistry. Here they encourage individuality and creative thinking. As a result, children quickly understand what disciplines they have more abilities. In high school, they work individually with students, but here the choice remains for a teenager: he decides which university wants to act in, and consultants help to prepare and score a score. The results are evident: for example, 87% of the graduates of the older school Abbey College Manchester entered the universities they have chosen, from Cambridge to the London Higher School of Economics. By the way, the search for an educational institution abroad should be entrusted with an educational company, they regularly arrange specialized exhibitions. At such events, you can talk with representatives of several schools at once and choose the right one.

Studying in a foreign language will be difficult

Even familiar disciplines and rules in someone else's language are more difficult. At least the first time. What can we say about new information: the teacher sprinkles with unfamiliar terms, classmates understand the material faster and perform tasks. And the teaching methods in foreign schools are not like Russian: you need not just to answer the question, but to explain why you are answering that way. How not to be confused here? Not everyone knows how to reason and formulate thoughts even in Russian, what can we say about a foreign language. All these are additional difficulties for the student, but also a good school of life: the child will learn to argue his point of view and independently look for non -standard solutions.

Creative circles and sports sections - part of the curriculum

In any foreign school, the curriculum is not limited to standard literature and mathematics. They always offer children a new one to understand that they are actually interesting. Extracurricular education abroad is organically inscribed in the school schedule: the student does not need to frantically adjust classes in the theater circle or training in the rugby under the curriculum - they are already part of it and pass in the school territory. The choice of circles differs from the country to the country. So, in English schools, fencing, cricket and rowing are not inferior in popularity to discussion clubs. And sports sections in American and Canadian schools can in the future bring to great sports.

And traveling too

Of course, Russian schoolchildren are arranged for group campaigns to museums and taken out on excursions to other cities. But while our teenagers are rolled over the Golden Ring, abroad their peers manage to go around several countries. So, in American schools, programs for exchange with the schools of Great Britain and Australia are widely practiced, their students go on excursions in France, Italy, Spain and Japan. Many adolescents participate in volunteer projects, which not only develop empathy, but will also be counted upon admission to the university. In the end, what could be more pleasant than studying through travel?

Schoolchildren are immediately prepared for admission to a foreign university

By sending the child to study abroad, many parents expect that he will go to the university there. This is really the easiest way to get into a foreign university. They help to choose a future profession in high school - there are meetings with specialists from different areas. And in the eldest, they are already aimed at the entrance exams at the universities that the student himself chose. So, a graduate of a foreign school, who has passed the International Baccalaureate program, can enter many world universities without exams. Russian schoolchildren do not have such advantages, and preparation for admission to a foreign university will require incomparably more effort and time. In addition, secondary schools abroad are directly cooperating with universities - and their graduates will be prepared many times better.

By the way, the choice of universities is huge and is not limited to one continent

For graduates of foreign schools, studying at Stanford or Yale University is not a dream, but a reality. For example, American Heritage School students often become Harvard students. For admission to prestigious Western universities, foreign schoolchildren already have the necessary certificate, preparation and knowledge of the language. Suppose your child dreams of making a career in the field of hospitality, in Russia his choice will be limited to several universities, but if he graduates from school abroad, he will open prospects for several continents at once. And this applies to all areas - from business to social sciences.

It will not be easy to return to Russia - first of all, psychologically

Not everyone is ready to stay abroad for a long time - the reasons are different: in Russia a family awaits, it is good in another country, but it seems better at home. Some of the students often come to Russia on vacation, others, having graduated from the university, return for good. In both cases, the years spent abroad can cause a reverse cultural shock to the returning home. We are not accepted by the Smoltsi, they do not sit on the lawns, and in public transport they are rude. He will have to re -get used to everyday life and culture, look for friends and find a common language with them. Of course, it is easier to adapt in homeland than abroad, but you will have to make efforts. In any case, whether the student will remain abroad or will return to Russia, the knowledge gained and life experience will be very useful to him.