Education: International & Local Schools, Kindergartens in Singapore

There are many international schools in Singapore to cater for the needs of expatriate children. While more expatriates loose their jobs in the current economic downturn, demand for places in the 27 international schools is shrinking and waiting list are vanishing. However, Tanglin Trust, United World College SEA and SAS still have waiting lists and we recommend to contact them early to avoid disappointment.

More often expatriates employed on local terms choose to send their children to local schools with about 22,000 international students enrolled in the Singapore's main stream education system. See below

International schools in Singapore are quite expensive and you may be advised to negotiate with your employer to integrate their payment into your benefit package.

International Schools have a vast number of extra curricular activities and children are fairly busy and involved in school life until late afternoon. Some schools do not provide afternoon transport and students must either be picked up by their parents or come back on their own. Check with the respective transport office.

The system tracks children when a child gets on and off a bus. The bus driver can identify the students when they tap their passes on a RFID reader as students' photographs are displayed on a dashboard device with an LCD screen. This information is transfered to a centralised server at the bus operator's call centre which then sends SMS messages to parents. The bus is directed to use the shortest route to their destination through GPS satelites and the system can pick up distress calls at any time.

It is also safe to use local busses and you may search for the bus for your child on the website below.

UWCSEA provides a challenging, holistic education with an emphasis on academic achievement, service to others, teamwork and leadership.

UWCSEA Mission

The United World College movement makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. We educate individuals to take responsibility for shaping a better world.

UWCSEA Vision

UWCSEA will be a leader in international education. We will have a worldwide reputation for providing a challenging holistic values - based education with an emphasis upon academic achievement, service to others, environmental stewardship, teamwork and leadership.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) conducts a centralised admissions exercise around Sep–Oct annually for new international students who wish to join Singapore mainstream public primary and secondary schools in January of the following year. Students seeking admission to levels Primary 2 to 5 and Secondary 1 to 3 need to undergo a centralised test. International students should ensure that they satisfy the age requirements for the levels they are seeking admission into. Photo:UWCSEA

International students who wish to undertake preparatory courses before or at the start of their entry into schools should visit here.

International students who are unable to come to Singapore during the dates of the AEIS centralised tests, or who wish to seek admission to Primary 1 or junior colleges (JCs), may approach schools directly.

Any of the 30 top primary and top 30 secondary schools or top 5 junior colleges require to take the Centralised Qualifying Test (CQT) ( download application form) A fee of S$20 is payable at the time of registration for the test. Once the test has been passed the Admissions Operation Unit of the School Placement & Scholarship Branch will issue a Letter of Eligibility to the foreign student for presentation to the school of choice.

Note, that Singaporean students will always enjoy priority over new international students.

To sharper diffrentiate between Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) and International Students (IS), school fees payable by PRs will increase by between $36.50 and $73 per month, and those for IS will increase by between $100 and $400 per month from 2011 onwards. See table below (Source MoE).

Course fees for programs vary between S$ 9,000 and 13,000. On top you need to pay for return airfares, the registration, administration fees, a refundable security deposit, your medical check up and the fees for your student pass.

Before you apply for a school you should make sure the school is registered under the Student Protection Scheme endorsed by CaseTrust and administered by the Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE). Schools must be signed up under both the CaseTrust for Education and SPS scheme in order to be allowed to bring in foreign students.  See website below for more information.

Living cost vary, depending on the type of accommocation you require (S$ 350 - S$ 500) and how much you spend on transport (S$ 50- S$ 200) and meals (from S$ 200 onwards). You need to prove that you are able to support yourself when you apply for a visa.

For your application for a Student Visa the following documents are needed and notorised English translation is required if the original is in another language.

For families staying in Singapore for part or all of the summer can choose among various activities offered by International Schools, Women's Associations and private clubs.

While activities for the youngsters are generally fun based courses targeting High School students offer more academic challenges. Watch the newsletters around May or contact the following schools and their Web Sites