Should I Homeschool My Child Whilst Living Abroad?
Who wouldn’t want their child to experience new ideas, languages and cultures? Moving abroad and setting up life in a country alien to your own can be an incredible experience, particularly for your kids. Whilst there are challenges expat families face in regard to education, such as expensive independent schools and interrupted study, there is an educational option that is becoming popular amongst expat communities. There are particularly prevalent home education movements in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However, the beauty of homeschooling is that it can be transferred anywhere.
Regulations for homeschooling differ from country to country, and may not even be permitted in some countries, such as Germany. Therefore, it’s important that expat parents assess the guidelines of the country they are living in before taking the plunge. Most government websites for specific countries will carry homeschooling legislation and connecting with other expat parents will be helpful on your quest. Some parents even club together to run mini homeschools.
The benefits of homeschooling
- You will have full control over the curriculum your child studies and how it is delivered
- Homeschooling offers completely flexibility
- Families can become closer if they learn and teach together
- You can teach your child at their perfect pace and match their capabilities
- There is no commuting to and from school, leaving more time for hobbies
- The family home is less distracting than busy schools
- For nomadic families homeschooling allows for a continuous uninterrupted educational study
- Less expensive than independent schools
The disadvantages of homeschooling
- Some children can struggle making friends and/or having a social life
- Your child needs to be comfortable with homeschooling for it to be successful
- Parents and children will be required to have high levels of motivation concentration
- Both parties must be disciplined, comfortable and independent
- Parents are completely responsible for their child’s education
Should I homeschool my child?
Every single family is different and homeschooling certainly isn’t suited to every child or parent. Commitment from parents to give their children an exemplary education whilst ensuring they are socialising with other children regularly is a tall order and only parents willing to go above and beyond should consider homeschooling their children.
