It's the education, Stupid!
A host of different opportunities wooed us to Japan. Some were very practical and business oriented -- Joni has a much better shot of making partner here than in the States (once she makes partner, I guess she'll become "the Man," which is something I'd rather not contemplate right now). Other factors in our decision to accept "the Transfer" include a whacked out sense of wanderlust, a desire to expose the kids to different societies and cultures, and marginally improved material circumstances. But the thing that really, REALLY swung the monkey for us was the education benefit.
When multinationals move their minions around the globe, they need to have some way ensuring that the spawn of their globetrotting minions stay on track with their former educational systems. If the companies don't do this, I've heard tell, the average, mild-mannered IT guy is likely to start channelling the spirit of an agitated postal employee. To avoid this potentially ugly scenario, a system of "international schools" has emerged in the places one is likely to find expats -- London, Paris, Geneva, Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Rio, Mexico City -- even NYC. In concept, the "international schools" are merely supposed to provide an equivalent education to what a kid could expect to receive in the home country. But remember that the types of people who get sent on foreign assignments are generally type-A hyper-competitive envelope pushers. Projecting their nuttiness onto their seed, they (and by "they," I explicitly include "we") presume their children to be spectacular and worthy of only the best of the whole freakin' country's educational resources. And the expats are backed up by companies resigned to pay gobs to keep "their People" happy (and semi-automatic-weapon-free).
So, in practice, especially in places like Tokyo, these "international schools" have gone completely beyond the pale in providing "exceptional learning environments" for their charges. The most popular school (and not the one to be blessed with our kids) has facilities to rival a typical American community college -- Olympic pools, performing arts center, a 900-computer lab (for 1100 kids), that kind of thing. Most schools have ski chalets in the Japanese Alps. I still can't figure out what those are for. Anyway, these schools are generally first-rate -- not quite Exeter first-rate, but first-rate enough that it doesn't make much difference.
Since the schools are exclusive, they feel the need to exclude. Consequently, they've created a gruelling application process whereby to winnow away the unconnected, the unskilled, the unbright, and most importantly, the unfunded. Here's how it worked for the girls…
Required Letter of Recommendation from Employer = How connected are you/is your company? Partner X's wife sits on the board of ABC charity. ABC charity employs School Z's students and faculty in several events. Partner Y had kids at school Z and is a major contributor. The letter goes out, appropriate names get dropped. Result: My girls got accepted at School Z, aka, International School of the Sacred Heart, without interviews, no questions asked.
By contrast, Christian didn't have a recommendation letter from the employer, as none was required and we didn't have the foresight to send it along anyway. [An aside to anyone applying to anyplace competitive -- throw in your best stuff, be it connections, work-product, whatever, even if they don’t explicitly ask for it. The reviewer can always ignore the extra info you send, but they can't be impressed by what they do not see.] Anyway, without the employer recommendation, Christian had to rely on the strength of his grades, his teacher recommendations, and coursework -- in other words, his application was completely on merit. He had to be interviewed. We worried. Today, however, we received word that he is accepted to St. Mary's International School.
We got our first choice schools. After nearly three months of effort and worry, all our kids got accepted to what we feel are the most appropriate schools for them. Now enough of me being glib…I've always hoped to be able to send my kids to a top-tier prep school. As an immigrant myself, I've always been keenly aware of the opportunities inherent in "access," specifically, the type of access that a prep school environment affords. Having four kids on a single salary, this has never really been an option for my family. When all is said and done, I am profoundly grateful to "the Man" for providing my children the opportunity to enroll at Sacred Heart and St. Mary's (though my son is still reeling from the shock of going to an all-boys school).
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