State school Uk vs International school abroad

Could/would your parents move to join you in the UK? (I suspect the UK make this very difficult, as with most things immigration, but family reunification includes parents here...)

Along with the other factors raised you also need to consider what level of University fees would need to be paid in the UK, if you move abroad, as I think you specifically said you would want them to return for University. International fees are much higher than home student ones.
One other point, it depends on the particular International School but often the pupil cohort moves around to other parts of the world frequently and also sometimes staff turnover is very high.

Completely depends on the International School.

I moved around a lot while my kids were in Primary, and so they've been to multiple international schools in multiple countries - some were great, some were OK, some seemed more interested in the kids wearing the right uniform than actually educating them.

They now go to a state school (well, and a local, private, but with many international students secondary), and the hardest thing for them was that the kids in the state school had already been there years together, so breaking into friendship groups was hard, vs international schools where kids are always coming and going so they could fit straight in.

There are a lot of misconceptions about international schools on this thread. I have spent more than 20 years working in them.

Some are excellent and some are terrible and most are somewhere in between.

Some are expensive and some are cheap and most are somewhere in between.

There is no set definition international school. A school that is totally staffed by local teachers and only attended by local students but offers a curriculum other than the local one can call itself international. Others will only have international teachers and in some cases support staff, and will not allow local students to attend. As above most lie somewhere in between.

The curriculum is that of England and Wales there is no British curriculum even if the school calls itself British.

If you can prove you were out of the UK for employment purposes then some universities will consider home fees. However if you are in your home country I doubt this will work. It is about the tax paying parent not the student being resident.

Having said all of that I would say go to your home country if you are happy with the school.

In British schools there will normally be British teachers. There are a lot of people who want to teach but hate the toxic environment in the UK and so go overseas.

If the children are only 8 now, maybe they won’t want to come back after 10 years away.

Are you comfortable sharing the country?

How old are your parents OP? I’d suggest that if they are, say, mid 70s now, it won’t be as simple as just returning to the UK in ten years’ time, when they will potentially be frailer and more in need of your support . We have had several family members making it to their 90s…

They have to have been resident in the UK 3 years prior to uni in order to avoid paying international rates even as British passport holders. That's usually right in the middle of GCSEs so not the best time to move them :(

that is ridiculous! There are thousands of international schools, and thousands of UK state schools, you can state that one type is better than the other, both have a massive range

100% international school! No question.

how about staying in the UK bit spending all school holidays with your parents? How would that work out financially and with annual leave etc?

if you do this, you will be paying international fees at university too, and have no access to student loans

Be aware that if your children are living outside the UK before going to Uni, they will probably be treated as international students. The fees are much much higher. This applies even if they have British nationality, it’s usually assessed on résidence not just nationality.

Top tier International schools are expensive and if they are top tier usually quite difficult to get into. Lower tier can be dreadful.
Good ones tend to be in the commercial/capital cities areas eg Mumbai/ Delhi if in India but academically should be better than an average state secondary.

Sorry just realised in 10 years they'll go to uni. So basically if you move after the summer you'll either have to come back to the U.K. in about 5 years, or stay 10. Definitely check the pensions issue!

ChiefPearlClutcher makes some very serious points to consider.

I'd also think about the age of kids and what happens if your parents live longer than you're expecting so you end up staying until the kids are in exam years and then want to come back to the U.K. Obviously you want your parents to have a long and healthy life, but as the whole point of returning is being with them before they die, this is also something to consider. Moving during exam years is much trickier and everybody I know who makes international moves for work goes to a lot of effort to avoid a country change during these years. They plan for it years in advance where possible.

As for British schools abroad, in my experience that can be fine, but the ratio of what you get to fees is lower than in the U.K. For a start there's far less competition. There is also a naturally smaller pool of teachers. Facilities may be good, but teaching quality may be quite average.

The other thing is that in a U.K. state school you're engaged with the community and society. With British schools abroad you're naturally in a bubble. First due to finances and second due to language. While you're obviously natives of that country and your kids speak the language, the school community your kids are in for most of their lives will be a (very privileged) bubble. If you're fine with that then it's not a problem. In that social aspect though it's in no way comparable to a UK state school.

I've got my kids in a local school where I live (EU). They were in private schools first, including a British one. The social aspect of going local was huge. They still have friends in the international schools who are just as lovely as their local friends, but the lack of true connection the international school kids have with local life is increasingly obvious. They don't even play sport against teams with local kids, because they compete against other international schools. I think I would want to really look into the social side of things and make sure the kids would have regular opportunities to integrate with local kids if I were thinking of moving back to my home town/country and putting them in an international school.

maddy68 - I can’t speak for mainland europe, but I can tell you that the english (no experience of wales, ni or scotland) education system, even state, is still very, very good, despite the sensational headlines.

Think of where you and the kids want to live long term beyond your parents lifespan.

Then make a plan accordingly. Perhaps a boomerang move, temporarily relocating back home for up to 10 years, sending the kids to international schools, then they can choose university in UK or elsewhere, and you can decide staying in your home country or going to the UK?

Or go back permanently and make use of your educational and living experience in the UK to establish a new life back home. Lots of people do so and become more financially successful than if they remained in the UK. If so then choose the best local schools, rather than expensive mediocre international schools. The kids will have strong cultural ties to your home country and can also choose where they want to go.

Take them with you. They will be fine and get a decent education wherever. Ps British Education isn't what it was.

This think very carefully OP. In fact so many people I know come back to England (eg when they’re out in Dubai working etc) to school their kids here.

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Think very carefully if you really want to uproot your entire lives in the UK to go and take care of elderly parents.
If you ever intend to come back to the UK, I can hand on heart say this will be a very foolish move, unless you have done ALL the sums.
income parity
pension contributions
property - btl here while you are away?
kids education, friends, opportunities
career progression and further study
cost of living (i personally don’t think the UK is that expensive compared to similar)
healthcare
does your parents really expect this???

Our parents are now mid 70’s and we expect that all holidays for the next few years after we complete this posting abroad will be back to our home country to see our parents.
Use technology to stay in touch- set it up and teach them how to use it
Buy help in
Sort out their housing and make sure it is adequate for their needs

International schools are ridiculously
expensive.