My children are dual US/Japanese citizens living in Tokyo.
Currently they are in daycare but we need to figure out the rest of their education all the way up to high school.
My Japanese partner likes the idea of international school because they speak English all day but I worry that their Japanese would suffer as we primarily speak English at home.
Wondering what paths other parents have taken in this situation and how that worked out in regards to their children’s development.
8 comments
If they can already speak English then public elementary and junior high school will probably be fine in that regard.
My son came to Japan at five he’s now nine and still speaks English just fine because I use it at home.
His reading is a little behind, but they are starting to teach that at school and I can see he is accelerating away from all the other kids in this regard.
About the only thing I have noticed is that he lacks a few past-tense of irregular verbs. But he picks them up immediately upon hearing the correct word.
https://www.bsig.org/_files/ugd/c2c0d2_c8affc9519dd4d9bbbf2743af56dac8d.pdf
I don’t plan to send my child to international school unless they show an interest in attending university overseas. The above link is nice to check out if you would like some more information on raising your child in a bilingual environment.
It’s about more than just the language. The culture, the way of studying, the way of thinking, are all different between the Japanese system and international schools.
Also budget. ASIJ is probably 3m per year per kid by now, and you’re using plural forms, so it’s not a negligible factor.
I put my son in an international school because I never plan to live here forever.
So, it really depends on your family’s plan.
Our kids went through international schools here and overseas. It’s cost a fortune, hoping to give them an open and international mindset, independent thinking and confidence. So far so good but if you plan on living in Japan forever, perhaps local schools + language classes/summer camps overseas would make more sense.
Like others may have pointed out, it depends on various things. Just wanted to share my thoughts on this as I too am in a similar situation.
So for my kids I’m planning to send them to international school at least during high school, if they wish to or if it’s making sense (for example if their goal is to move overseas etc.). This is because I myself was on this path growing up. Local school all the way even until high-school before I loved to the states and continuing a bit of high school/pre college years and I turned out just fine.
Bottom line, really as parents, we’re doing the best we can so don’t worry too much 🙂 definitely involve your kid/what their interest in considering these.
Education is something you can give your children that they hold forever. The Japanese and International school systems are definitely different- both with pluses and minuses l.
Perhaps start from a point of what education would want for them if money was no object. Then work out the education you can afford that is closest to that and how can you perhaps fill any gaps.
There are various junior/senior high schools in Tokyo that offer advanced English, some up to half the timetabled hours with several subjects being taught in English. Some offer IB programs or the chance to get a diploma from another country at the same time as a Japanese high school diploma. If you plan to be here long term it could be worth looking into those if you think you can keep their English up while in Japanese elementary. They’re generally a lot more reasonable than international schools.