SCHOOLING GUANGZHOU
In a city boasting thousands of expatriate families from all over the world, there is one thing that unites nearly all of them –the desire to find a school which will provide an excellent education for their children. Guangzhou has a large number of international and local school options from which to choose. Sorting through all of the choices can be an overwhelming and sometimes intimidating task. However, there are two basic strategies anyone can use to make the decision less complex and even enjoyable. The first is to know the Guangzhou school market-what kinds of schools are available, where they are located and what are the basic strengths and weaknesses of each. The second is to understand the available resources for sorting through the choices and making a final decision.
Schools in Guangzhou can be categorized in different ways. The most obvious is whether the school is an “international” or a “local “school. International schools are predictably organized by groups located outside of mainland China, although a handful are operated as a joint venture with a local partner, and can be for-profit or nonprofit operations. Nearly all charge tuition that is significantly higher than that of a local school. Local schools can be government –operated or private. Some have “international divisions” which are open to the enrollment of foreign students. All of the local schools can be characterized by the fact that the curriculum is developed and controlled by the central government. Oftentimes the highly desirable goal of Mandarin language development can (and does) help expatriate families feel comfortable with placing their children in a local school. This decision is frequently supported by the lower tuition charged by local schools.
The Good and the Not so-Good
The international schools in Guangzhou each have their own distinct “flavor”, While all schools claim, and most achieve, a high level of academic excellence, campus location, size, type of curriculum, environment, and faculty and student body composition are all factors that influence a decision differently for different families. Some schools offer special support for students whose native language is not English (ESL) and some do not. Some schools have mature and robust high school programs and some have new and developing programs. Some have campus environments that have the feel of a small town community. Others have large and diverse environments with distinct subgroups or communities. While all of these factors can be confusing and overwhelming, the positive side is that Guangzhou should have a school that “fits” both your child and your family best.
Resources
With all to do and see on a typical “look-see” visit, here are some resources which will help a potential expatriate family sort through the many school options in Guangzhou:
Friends and colleagues with children in school: This is arguably the best and most balanced source of information about a particular school. Most parents are fairly even-handed in their assessment of a school, noting both its strengths (why they are there) and its weaknesses (what they would like to see changed).
Websites: Websites can, and do, say much about a school and what it has to offer . Many international schools in Guangzhou have websites and these can be discovered using conventional web search engines.
School visits: Nothing can replace the chance to see the school in person. For high school students especially, this is a critical step which will not only help them understand the move to Guangzhou, but give them something positive to which to look forward. With rare exception, Guangzhou has a good school option for your child. The choices are many but by using some basic resources and having an understanding of the overall school environment in Guangzhou, decisions can be reached with little stress.
Relocating overseas doesn’t necessarily mean depriving your children of a quality education, and Guangzhou has some of the best international schools available in the country. Here is a partial list of the international schools. Please contact individual schools and institutions for information regarding enrollment requirements and tuition.
Name |
Telephone |
Email/Website |
Address |
Canadian Int'l Kindergarten |
8456 6550 |
|
Agile Garden,Yingbin Lu, Panyu |
Favorview Palace Int'l Kindergarten |
8529 0516 |
|
Favorview Palace, junction of Huanan Expressway and Guangyuan Dong Lu,Tianhe District |
Huangjin Education Group |
8756 2076 |
www.goldbabyedu.com |
10/F, Tianxin Building, 77 Longkou Xi Lu |
China Hotel International Preschool |
86663388-J1112/1114 |
|
Rm 1112/1114, Block J, China Hotel , Liuhua Lu |
Lingnan (HK) Int’l Kindergarten |
8758 2822 |
11 Tianlong Jie, Longkou Xi Lu, Gangding, Tianhe District |
|
Milo Kindergarten |
3885 1108, |
mymilo@sina.com |
1)Huiyayuan,295 Tianhe Bei Lu |
Yihe Int’l Kindergarten |
3623 8230
|
Summer Palace,Tonghe Town, Baiyun District |
|
Naga Kids Fun Learning Center |
3998 7116 |
www.nagakids.com |
Room 2012, Riverside Garden Fishman Wharf, Panyu District |
Raffles Design Institute |
8350 0760 |
www.raffles-guangzhou.com |
5/F,Building No.5, 58 Xisheng Street, Tongxin Lu |
American Int'l School of Guangzhou (AISG) |
8735 3393 |
www.aisgz.edu.cn |
3 Yanyu Nan Lu,Ersha Island |
Enjoy Chinese Language Center |
8358 3613 |
|
Room 6D，Lijing Building，50 Taojin Lu， Yuexiu District |
Glod Arch International Preschool |
8735 3205 |
goldarchpreschool@hotmail.com |
Room 0411，Building 4，Gold Arch Oakwood， Ersha Island |
Guangzhou Grace Academy |
8450 0180, |
www.ggagga.net |
5/F Dormitory T building,St-Lorraine Chinese-English School, Riverside Garden, Dashi Town,Panyu District |
Guangzhou Huamei International School |
8706 5178 |
www.hm163.com |
23 Huamei Lu,Tianhe District |
Guangzhou Nanhu Int'l School |
3886 6952 |
www.gnischina.com |
55 Huayang Street, Tiyu Dong Lu, Tianhe District |
HSKAMA International School |
0769-8686 2648 |
www.hskama.com |
Chashan Town，Dongguan |
Int'l French School of Guangzhou |
8735 2495 |
efic_chine@yahoo.fr |
Building 3,Gold Arch Riverdale,Ersha Island |
Japanese School of Guangzhou |
6139 7023 |
www.jsgcn.com |
10 Fengxin Lu, Science City, High-technology and Industrial Zone |
St.Lorraine Anglo-Chinese School |
8450 7290 |
www.st-lorraine.com.cn |
Riverside Garden,Dashi Town,Panyu District |
The British School of Guangzhou 广州英国人学校 |
8709 4788 |
www.bsg.org.cn |
983-3 Tonghe Road, Nanhu, Guangzhou |
Utahloy Int’l School |
8720 2019 |
www.utahloy.com |
Sha Tai Highway, Jin Bao Gang,Tong He, 广州同和金宝岗沙太公路 Sanhui Town, Zeng Cheng 增城三汇镇 |
Language
Chinese Language Instruction
Nin Hui Shuo Zhong Wen Ma（您会说中文吗）? The Chinese language is one of the most difficult languages for English-speakers to master. Language – The official language is Chinese Mandarin although Cantonese in Guangzhou.
The most challenging aspect is the written language, composed of thousands of unique characters. But it is certainly an admirable pursuit, one that would definitely prove useful and rewarding in the long run. Expatriates in Guangzhou will quickly find that knowing Chinese is not essential to survival. In office or working area, your stuff and colleague can speak English while in shopping area, not many people can understand you and Cantonese is quite difficult to understand. But Mandarin is popular in Guangzhou and you needn’t worry about that, for innovations in teaching styles and techniques have made learning Chinese Mandarin much easier for foreigners, and you will find scores of schools in the city offering language courses.
Below is a brief list of schools, universities and certified institutions that offer Chinese language instruction.
Name |
Telephone |
Website |
Address |
School of International Education , South China University of Technology |
3938 1048 8711 0592 |
http://www2.scut.edu.cn/sie/english/ |
Guangzhou University Town,Panyu District, Guangzhou |
College of International Culture, South China Normal University |
8521 0012 |
http://www.cicgz.com/en/indexen.htm |
Shi Pai, Guangzhou |
Department of Chinese for International Students, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies |
3620 7141, 3620 6067 |
http://www2.gdufs.edu.cn/dwhy/index_en.asp |
No.2 Baiyundadaobei, Guangzhou |
I Mandarin Chinese Training Expertise |
2282 9281 |
www. Imandarin.net |
Room 1505，Metro Plaza， 183 Tiahe Bei Lu |
New Concept Mandarin |
3893 4200 |
www.newconceptmandarin.com |
Room 2001, Tower D, Phase 2, Tianyu Garden, 138 Linhe Zhong Road, Tianhe district, Guangzhou, |
School for Overseas Educational Exchange， |
8411 3110 |
http://soee.sysu.edu.cn/english/ |
135 Xingangxi Lu |
Joy Chinese Language Training |
3881 5306 |
www.joy-chinese.com |
Room 1105,Qiaohong Block, Guanghua Plaza, 86 Tianhe Bei Lu |
Xin Han Ji Chinese Language Center |
3821 6343 |
www.hsktest.com.cn |
Room 2901, Section A, Zhongyi City Garden,25 Linhe Street, Tianhe |
Cantonese as a regional dialect originally in the Pearl River Delta, which is the Southern part of Guangdong Province, of which Guangzhou is the capital city. In the past century, with the spreading of people to nearly all parts of the world, Cantonese is also widely used next to the standard Chinese, which is also known as Mandarin.
Below is a brief list of schools, universities and certified institutions that offer Cantonese instruction.
Name |
Telephone |
Website |
Address |
College of International Culture, South China Normal University |
8521 0012 |
http://www.cicgz.com/en/indexen.htm |
Shi Pai, Guangzhou |
School for Overseas Educational Exchange， |
8411 3110 |
http://soee.sysu.edu.cn/english/ |
135 Xingangxi Lu |
Translation Agencies
Name |
Telephone |
Website |
Address |
Chuangxiangshiji Translation Co., Ltd. |
6113 6266 |
http://www.transbetter.com.cn/Fr/Business_translation.htm |
Rm.1612, Fudou Bld. Guangzhou |
Xinyitong Translation Co., Ltd |
6113 6266 |
http://www.qytfy.com/eindex.html |
Room 1612, Fudu Commercial/Residential Building, Haizhu District, Guangzhou |
Guangzhou Uniworld Translation Company |
8521 6884 |
http://www.transuper.com/english/index.asp |
No.109, First Floor, Building D, New Teachers Village, South China Normal University |
Guangzhou Golden Translation Co., Ltd. |
3848 6499 |
www.jy-trans.cn |
Room B706, Jinrun Building, Longkou Xi Road, Tianhe North, Guangzhou |
Beijing HYW Translation Co., Ltd. |
3898 1061 |
http://www.chinatranslation.net/defaulten01.asp |
North 6F, Junhui Tower, No.9 of Tiyu Xi Lu, Tianhe District, Guangzhou. |
