A Guardian’s view on supporting international families

The promise of a UK education

UK boarding schools attract families from across the world, but many underestimate just how complex and emotionally demanding that journey is for international parents and their children.

As one of the leading Guardianship providers in the UK, I’ve helped thousands of international families find their feet in the UK.

They choose the UK because they believe it will help their children become the best version of themselves.

Longer term, they believe a UK independent school education will give their child a global outlook and the option of an international career. I’m surprised by just how few of our students plan to return home after university.

The reality behind the decision

Families make this commitment knowing there will be wellbeing challenges, due to the distance and lengthy time apart, leading to their child feeling isolated in an unfamiliar culture.

As their Guardian, we expect the students to feel culturally isolated and homesick, it’s both natural and very real. Most years, sadly a handful of our students don’t return to the UK after the Christmas break.

To help students settle, our Area Managers work closely with the family through their onboarding to prepare them for what to expect, in school as much as out. We find talking them through the cultural differences helps to smooth this transition.

Simple things, like what to expect about calling home in the first few weeks, or to bring warm clothing for the UK Autumn. I have had instances of students joining us very late and days later they are in the UK and constantly cold.

Where families struggle most

There will be different challenges to onboard and integrate international students into school life, compared to a student from the UK.

We regularly survey our overseas clients and the consistent gripe I hear is the complexity of securing a place at a UK school, compared to other international markets. Every UK school has different admission criteria and a registration process; and most families are completing the paperwork in a second or even third language.

So much so that on a recent trip to Japan, prospective new parents told me the UK was their number one choice however, less expensive, less complicated and closer to home alternatives were also under consideration.

The visas, Guardianship services, extent of travel within the UK; and homestays can be a surprise to new families, who aren’t always clear on what to do and how much to budget for the on-costs of a UK education.

This adds worry when they are potentially already having mixed feelings about schooling their child thousands of miles from home.

For schools, understanding these pressures is essential, not just for recruitment, but for retaining and supporting international students once they arrive.

Bridging the gap: the role of guardians

We are Guardian to students in over 140 boarding schools across England. By working exclusively with overseas families, we understand the nuances of effective support, which helps to build trust and relationships with the families, beyond the transactional.

It struck me that this in-depth knowledge might be helpful to our partner schools, hence in the past year, we have run free Pippa’s Information Sessions for school staff, designed to share our experiences of supporting international families with our partner schools.

To help further, we regularly provide schools with advice when Guardianship arrangements are potentially at risk of non-compliance.

Looking ahead

I believe international students will continue to be part of the fabric of boarding school life. Most days when I’m in the UK, I am driving to a school to visit students. I always take the time to check in with the staff and not surprisingly, international students are an important part of their intake.

What’s more, international students are mostly model students, who positively add to their school ethos. International demand for a UK education remains healthy, which for many schools is a positive trend after the impact of VAT on UK based families. I am confident that with the right support from schools and the Guardianship sector, this trend will continue.

Thank you for reading, if you enjoyed this you can find my other blogs here.