Which International School do you recommend?

2POSTS

11 years ago

Hi
We are expat family (British/American mix) with three kids, moving to Bucharest in August 2015.聽 All three kids currently attend IB School previously a private school in UK.聽 All costs will be covered by Company relocation.聽 Can anyone provide unbiased and genuine opinion on the schools - looks like it's between American IB School in North (looks a big school over 600 pupils) or British School (new one off campus, sports facilities look great) or the International British School downtown (but does it have any greenfield sports areas?).聽 Which schools have a good British/American mix of kids, which school has best reputation for education and well behaved kids, which school has happiest kids?聽 Appreciate anyone replying who has first hand experience, barely any info on web.聽 Thanks

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iolandaionita Member

3POSTS

11 years ago

Hi my name is Iolanda .
I would advice to attend the British Skhool in down town is the the best.
I have been working for a multinational Company like ING Bank and some of our Managers have their kids to that school.
If you want you can contact me at [moderated: pls avoid posting your personal details]
I live in the best area in the Down Town .
I would be more than happy to help you with a lot of advices.
let me introduces聽 my self Iolanda Ionita ex Office Manager at the ING Bank.
I am retired and I could look after your children I have a lot of experience.
Hooping to here from you soon.

have a great day!

Iolanda

1 member reacted to this post

Gabriela30 New member

6POSTS

11 years ago

lauder-reut.eu/index.php?lang=en
Hello!
I recommend Lauder-Reut, I used to work there!

kands Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

Hello...I am an American and have been living in Bucharest for five years. I have been teaching here in various schools and have some knowledge of the various schools. I personally would highly recommend Verita School. I am a teacher there for 3rd grade and can tell you it is wonderful. They are brand new in Romania and focus a lot on the emotional development of children, not just academics. We have democratic day where kids vote and choose some of the themes for the classes and the kids love it. The meals are all bio and healthy. Come check us out or visit the Verita School website. Oh by the way, the director is also American.

1 member reacted to this post

Freedelia Member

1POSTS

10 years ago

Hi all -- we are also moving to Romania at the end of August, with 4 kids aged 3 to 11. Been homeschooling so not too worried about school, our oldest two will go to Romanian schools for the first year but we are interested in putting them in an international school in a year or two.

I can't seem to find a list of all the international schools in Bucharest -- is there one?

Are there any expats who had their kids in international schools in other countries and can compare to international schools in Romania?

A concern I have is that due to the prohibitive price tag, the Romanian students attending would be from very rich families and maybe bad habits would make their way into the schools (as it is often the case with very rich and very young people). Does anyone have any comments on that?

Thanks a lot!

kands Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

Hello, I am an American living here in Romania. I have been teaching at a few different schools in the past 4 years. I am currently teaching at Verita School, a new International School under the British Wales system. We also focus on emotional intellegence and I can highly recommend my school. It is both a great education as well as a great place to work. You can find us on the web under Verita School.

kands Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

freezer35 wrote:
Hello, I am an American living here in Romania. I have been teaching at a few different schools in the past 4 years. I am currently teaching at Verita School, a new International School under the British Wales system. We also focus on emotional intellegence and I can highly recommend my school. It is both a great education as well as a great place to work. You can find us on the web under Verita School.

Hi Robert,

I've seen that Verita School is authorized by the Romanian Ministry of Education, but is not accredited by them.聽 Is this correct, and can you let us know the implications of not being accredited?聽 I know other schools, like the Mark Twain International School for example, are fully accredited聽 by the Romanian Ministry of Education.聽 This difference may be significant to some parents in choosing a school.

Thanks

Romaniac
Romania Expat Advisor
大咖福利影院

1 member reacted to this post

kands Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

Hello...I am only a lowly teacher and not an expert on this topic. I think it comes down to timing. We have only completed our first year as a school in Romania. I think you have to have been established a few years for full accredidation. Better to speak to our school directly for that question so I dont say the wrong information.

Valcea New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

Hi Freedelia,
My name is Alisa and I have a sun about 5 yrs.
He going to Verita School!
If you are still interestited finding a school in Bucharest let me know!

Regards
Alisa

Valcea New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

#10

Hi Freezer35,

Are you聽 still there?
My son -David聽 learning to Verita School?

Regards
Alisa

Questfield Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#11

And we went through all these stages until we found a kindergarten to meet all these criteria (which we did not even realize as they are outlined here and which we realized after wasting a year of changing kindergarten.
Now Anne goes to Questfield and I am very happy!
The most important thing and especially what impressed me was the educational curriculum - the British curriculum. Thinking realistically and pragmatically, the child goes to kindergarten to get ready for school. Last but not least every week has a book and learning seems like a play for my little girl.
I recommend you take your time and schedule at least a visit to meet the Questfield community.

kands Guest

0POSTS

8 years ago

#12

Hi,
We are a mixed Romanian English family. My wife and I looked at all the international schools before deciding on one particular school. The main factor we refused to take into consideration was cost. Just because a school is the most expensive dot not mean that it is the best. In fact in some areas quit the opposite is true.
We finally decided on a school that offered the "Step by Step" programme and the first school in Bucharest offering the "English Conversation Club". That was in 2010, our son is now 13 years old and is fluent in Romanian and English, and is at an intermediate level with Spanish and French. The school we chose for our son was actually a Romanian school. If for whatever reason,normally kudos, you are determined to send your son or daughter to an " International " school then by all means do so but take 5 minutes to consider the Romanian schools, you might be surprised.

1 member reacted to this post

chloejadeh New member

5POSTS

8 years ago

#13

Hello.... to the woman who mentioned Verit脿 school .... may I ask how the salary is for you working in the school itself.... this would be my ideal plan too to work for a school either as a teacher or counsellor ... are you able to easily cover costs of 1 or more child? Whilst it's perhaps 700鈧� a month for these British/American schools ... how do the salaries compare?? Xxx

mihai1980 Member

3POSTS

7 years ago

#14

Stay away from British School of Bucharest, it is expensive and although good at showing off, its results are based only on home tutoring. Teachers are weak and are not genuinely interested in children. They care only about their paycheck and their comfort, no effort is done to really motivate a child, especially in secondary school. Your best bet would be Avenor. My daughter went to both, but she was happy only at Avenor.

kands Guest

0POSTS

7 years ago

#15

I totally agree with Mihai1980 regarding the so called "teachers".

Hi,
We are a mixed Romanian English family. My wife and I looked at all the international schools before deciding on one particular school. The main factor we refused to take into consideration was cost. Just because a school is the most expensive dot not mean that it is the best. In fact in some areas quit the opposite is true.
We finally decided on a school that offered the "Step by Step" programme and the first school in Bucharest offering the "English Conversation Club". That was in 2010, our son is now 13 years old and is fluent in Romanian and English, and is at an intermediate level with Spanish and French. The school we chose for our son was actually a Romanian school. If for whatever reason,normally kudos, you are determined to send your son or daughter to an " International " school then by all means do so but take 5 minutes to consider the Romanian schools, you might be surprised.

1 member reacted to this post

chloejadeh New member

5POSTS

7 years ago

#16

Hello Iolanda! Could you contact me as I would be interested if you could potentially babysit some hours of the week/ meet new people as I am new here, thank you

SimCityAT Expert

13786POSTS

7 years ago

#17

chloejadeh wrote:
Hello Iolanda! Could you contact me as I would be interested if you could potentially babysit some hours of the week/ meet new people as I am new here, thank you

Iolanda has not been active on the site for 3 years so doubtful you will get a response. You are welcome to place a FREE advert in the job section of the site. The link can be found at the top of the page.

1 member reacted to this post

mihai1980 Member

3POSTS

7 years ago

#18

At British School of Bucharest, the Headmaster teaching Geography is in fact an accountant by education, the head of secondary, teaching French is by education a teacher of German/Russian, some of the teachers teaching Science are by education engineers and so on. Very few of the teachers graduated on the subjects they teach and they became international teachers mostly to travel the world and have better salaries than they could find as mediocre professionals. No real love of teaching there. They know little about motivating and inspiring children and next to nothing to deal with a child who does not like the subject.

SimCityAT Expert

13786POSTS

7 years ago

#19

mihai1980 wrote:
At British School of Bucharest, the Headmaster teaching Geography is in fact an accountant by education, the head of secondary, teaching French is by education a teacher of German/Russian, some of the teachers teaching Science are by education engineers and so on. Very few of the teachers graduated on the subjects they teach and they became international teachers mostly to travel the world and have better salaries than they could find as mediocre professionals. No real love of teaching there. They know little about motivating and inspiring children and next to nothing to deal with a child who does not like the subject.

I understand you dislike the school but after research, I find a different outcome.

Philip Walters, joined BSB in 2012, as the Head of Secondary and is now Headmaster. He is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, having studied Geography at Christ鈥檚 College. He taught for many years in a highly selective UK grammar school, before moving on to the international sphere and a position at Harrow International School, Bangkok. He worked for seven years in Thailand as a Head of House and ultimately as part of the senior leadership team, serving in the role of Head of Sixth Form.

鈥淭he good progress of the BSB students is a result of teaching that is well-planned and effectively delivered鈥� was one of the conclusions within the 2018 International School Inspectorate report. The latest UK Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) report judged British School of Bucharest as 鈥渆xcellent鈥� in educational quality. The key findings were that 鈥渢he quality of pupils鈥� learning and achievement is excellent鈥� and that 鈥渢he quality of pupils鈥� personal development is excellent鈥�. This is an outstanding result for the school, in particular for the teachers and leadership team. The report also mentioned that 鈥淕ood behaviour in lessons results from motivating teaching which reflects teachers鈥� extensive subject knowledge and understanding of the pupils鈥� needs. Appropriate teaching methods lead to effective learning throughout the school鈥�.

mihai1980 Member

3POSTS

7 years ago

#20

Research means reading what they post on their own site, right? On the headmaster鈥� s bio it says he聽 read geography, not graduted in geography. I read it, too, but I woukd not be a great geography teacher. Research like yours and a glam pitch聽 fooled us into enrolling our daughter there. Reality is a different thing. I am glad we moved her! Certainly not worth the fee they ask for!

karmicaly Member

2POSTS

7 years ago

#21

Hi Bucharestred

also in a British Romanian family. Can I ask the name of the Romanian state school you chose?

thanks

karmicaly Member

2POSTS

7 years ago

#22

Hi Mihai1980

in the UK, the expression to 'read xxx' at university is an old fashioned way to say graduated in (esp in Oxbridge - Oxford and Cambridge)

46chilesgillian Member

1POSTS

7 years ago

#23

Hi Guys,

I am new to Romania and Bucharest but I love it already, the city is wonderful and the people are great.

My husband and 8 year old daughter are both Romanian. We are looking for a good Romanian school in Bucharest. Learning English would be very important for us so a school that offers a good English programme or English conversation lessons would be great.

Thank you

kands Guest

0POSTS

7 years ago

#24

Hi Gillian,

I replied to a similar question a few months ago, see my "edited" reply below.

We are a mixed Romanian English family. My wife and I looked at all the international schools before deciding on one particular school. The main factor we refused to take into consideration was cost. Just because a school is the most expensive dot not mean that it is the best. In fact in some areas quit the opposite is true.

We finally decided on a school that offered the "Step by Step" programme and the first school in Bucharest offering the "English Conversation Club".

That was in 2010, our son is now 13 years old and is fluent in Romanian and English, and is at an intermediate level with Spanish and French. The school we chose for our son was actually a Romanian school, Scoala 5.

Hope this helps and good luck.

kands Guest

0POSTS

7 years ago

#25

Hi Bucharestred,
Thanks for your help.
Do you have a contact address for Scoala 5 or the English Conversation Club ?

SimCityAT Expert

13786POSTS

7 years ago

#26

Bucharestred wrote:
Hi Bucharestred,
Thanks for your help.
Do you have a contact address for Scoala 5 or the English Conversation Club ?

Are you replying to your own comments?

Francis Brentwood Member

3POSTS

7 years ago

#27

Hi , we are an American family living 4 years in Bucharest.聽 Our 2 kids are currently enrolled at Verita International School - which is using the National Curriculum of England.聽 We love the teachers and the academic approach.聽 Diverse teacher selection (American, Canadian, Australian, and British) Rigorous academics combined with teaching children how to think rather than what to think. Love their Social emotional learning program.

The down side is the campus which has all the athletic facilities but is located 5 min walk from the main campus. Also the location with the small streets is somewhat crowded with traffic especially in the morning. Overall though , definitely a better more diverse education for my children聽 compared to the bland expat international schools in Pipera

Francis Brentwood Member

3POSTS

7 years ago

#28

I have also heard good things about IBSB but do not have any direct info on them

Francis Brentwood Member

3POSTS

7 years ago

#29

It鈥檚 hard to get out of the expat bubble and have your kids experience something authentic and vibrant. Pipera certainly doesn鈥檛 offer that.

Bilegt New member

8POSTS

7 years ago

#30

Hey Members, This thread is very helpful for those who are looking for a school, I also do.

My daughter has just turned 7, she is still back in the home town and she will come to Bucharest in summer.聽 She has some speaking challenges with consonants. Has anyone had a similar situation? Why I am asking this is the Romanian language is very difficult to speak to be honest, and I don't want to give a hard time for my daughter. Unfortunately, my company did not offer the school in relocation and I have to figure it out by myself, including the school fees.

Since I have to pay everything I am considering Maria school, Beirut Intl school, Matei Intl school and so on. Basically, they are the mostly cheaper ones.

Any suggestion from who are paying on their own for your children's school?

Giko44 Member

1POSTS

5 years ago

#31

Bilegt wrote:
Hey Members, This thread is very helpful for those who are looking for a school, I also do.

My daughter has just turned 7, she is still back in the home town and she will come to Bucharest in summer.聽 She has some speaking challenges with consonants. Has anyone had a similar situation? Why I am asking this is the Romanian language is very difficult to speak to be honest, and I don't want to give a hard time for my daughter. Unfortunately, my company did not offer the school in relocation and I have to figure it out by myself, including the school fees.

Since I have to pay everything I am considering Maria school, Beirut Intl school, Matei Intl school and so on. Basically, they are the mostly cheaper ones.

Any suggestion from who are paying on their own for your children's school?

Hi Bilegt,

did you figure out which one was best and why? I have the same situation and considering these schools.

If anyone has some recommendations about Maria international school, how good they are?

Abdul 1477 Member

2POSTS

5 years ago

#32

I am also facing the same issue. Please let us know if someone got any information. Anyhow the private international school are very expensive. I have 4 kids.

Vero Team

9026POSTS

3 years ago

#33

Hi Laylabatar,

Welcome to expat.com!

Some of the members you are answering to haven't posted for a while.

For a better visibility among our active members, I invite you to create a new discussion with your question on the Bucharest Forum.

Regards,

Vero

大咖福利影院 team

fulyaaltin91 Member

1POSTS

2 years ago

#34

@kands hi can you tell me the name of the school? Is it private school or public?

heyanorange Member

1POSTS

2 years ago

#35

@mihai1980 I'm so regret to not see your review earlier....after no more than 3 months experience, I have the same opinion with you!! And enrolling in BSB is the worst decision of my life so far!