International schools

[Rukasu]

I would like to know if some international schools provide housing for their students, or can arrange a place in a dormitory.
Are there schools who do that?

And could one of you tell me an average price for studying at a college and university?

[Haivart]

The international school I taught at (very long ago) provided some housing; but that in Europe.

[Rukasu]

I'm from Europe, and I don't know if they still provide housing.
But I was specifically looking for schools in Japan
I hope I can go as an exchange student in 2006, but it's till very uncertain.
If I like it, I might try to go to a 'normal' school.
But I read everywhere that housing (renting and buying) are very expensive.
So If the school could provide housing, it would be great.
Small chance I think

By the way, how old is an average first year university student?

[Ewok85]

Originally Posted by Rukasu

By the way, how old is an average first year university student?

18-19 years old.

You do know this all costs a fair bit of money, right? You need accomadation, food, maybe transport, all your stationary. Then there's entrance fees, term fees, tuition fees, etc etc. I'm still paying off my uni fees for studying in Australia....

[Suki-Yaki]

The accomodation costs me around 3000 dollars every 6 months. I found the living fees to be the most of the challenge though .. but .. I'm still living .

It's not impossible y'know. If you could get yourself a good job (which I'm trying now) then that would be enough to cover atleast half of your expenses. You WILL need the help of your parents though , or since you are planning forward ,you can start saving money as well.

I reccomend applying to scholarships like the MEXT . But I have no experience at whether they are easy to get ..

What's up with all the 16 years old wanna come to Japan ???!

[Mike Cash]

Originally Posted by Rukasu

I would like to know if some international schools provide housing for their students, or can arrange a place in a dormitory.
Are there schools who do that?

And could one of you tell me an average price for studying at a college and university?

International schools in Japan typically exist to serve the children of expat executives with fat expense accounts. The kids live with their parents and commute to the school, often by school bus. There wouldn't be much point in foreign parents coming to Japan and then sending their kids off to a boarding school in Japan. The schools exist because they're located within commuting distance of a concentrated community of people who can afford their fees, in other words.

[Apollo]

I agree with mikecash,

I went to an international school in Yokohama, and my classmates and I lived with our parents, who were all foreigners who lived in Japan because of their jobs or other reasons.
There are also Japanese students at international schools but their reasons for attending were again due to their parents' position in their company and international lifestyle.

For me, my Danish father was transferred to Japan in his company, and it made sense that I went to an international school being a bilingual.

Normally, pupils of international schools in Japan live with their parents and commute every day, certainly I haven't heard of such international schools providing lodging.

You have to bear in mind that international schools are very expensive, the tuition fees are high.

[Rukasu]

Originally Posted by Suki-Yaki

The accomodation costs me around 3000 dollars every 6 months. I found the living fees to be the most of the challenge though .. but .. I'm still living .

It's not impossible y'know. If you could get yourself a good job (which I'm trying now) then that would be enough to cover atleast half of your expenses. You WILL need the help of your parents though , or since you are planning forward ,you can start saving money as well.

I reccomend applying to scholarships like the MEXT . But I have no experience at whether they are easy to get ..

What's up with all the 16 years old wanna come to Japan ???!

I was planning to try to get a scholarship, but I don't know if thay are in my country (netherlands).

I think many 16/17 year olds want to experience the japanese school environment and the rest of the culture.
You could also go there later to work, but I heard about the working conditions which are pretty bad.

18/19 years seems pretty young for university to me.
I think the whole school system over there is totally different than here.
And I do understand that it is going to cost alot.

And I didn't know that international school were for the most part for kids with rich parents.
I just thought it was a school where more foreigners go to learn.
Sorry

If you've spent a year in Japan as an exchange student, you should be able to know a little of the language, right.
than a normal school would be less of a problem.

I'll change my question.
can some 'normal' schools arrange housing and what are prices.

Suki-Yaki, in what kind of accomodation did you live?

[GaijinPunch]

They don't have scholarships. Those schools, as stated, are for rich kids. They run (currently) about 2 million yen per year, and only take 50% of the applicants last I heard.

[Rukasu]

That's why I changed my question.
I just thought it would be easier for a gaijin to enter these schools
It was my mistake

[think_too_mut]

Originally Posted by mikecash

International schools in Japan typically exist to serve the children of expat executives with fat expense accounts. The kids live with their parents and commute to the school, often by school bus. There wouldn't be much point in foreign parents coming to Japan and then sending their kids off to a boarding school in Japan. The schools exist because they're located within commuting distance of a concentrated community of people who can afford their fees, in other words.

It is not that the expats can afford - it's a contract between the expats and their companies. All schooling shall be paid by the company (the sender).

Japanese attending the same school with expats' kids, I agree, that's rich Japanese parents and less rich who have (IMO) justifiable desire to get their kids through education in English or some other foreign language.

In Bangkok, Thailand, there are many Japanese working and living with their families. Most of the kids attend an international school that is not all that much cheaper than in Tokyo. Big money for Thai - 1 million Yen up to 1.5. Only a handful of Thai kids around.

Just 2 weeks ago spoke to a teacher from a Japanese kindergarden. She lives in the same building as my family in Bangkok. She said, most of the Japanese kids are in the "English" section, some are with her in the Japanese but there is a second teacher who speaks English.

[Apollo]

Originally Posted by think_too_mut

It is not that the expats can afford - it's a contract between the expats and their companies. All schooling shall be paid by the company (the sender).

Japanese attending the same school with expats' kids, I agree, that's rich Japanese parents and less rich who have (IMO) justifiable desire to get their kids through education in English or some other foreign language.

In Bangkok, Thailand, there are many Japanese working and living with their families. Most of the kids attend an international school that is not all that much cheaper than in Tokyo. Big money for Thai - 1 million Yen up to 1.5. Only a handful of Thai kids around.

Just 2 weeks ago spoke to a teacher from a Japanese kindergarden. She lives in the same building as my family in Bangkok. She said, most of the Japanese kids are in the "English" section, some are with her in the Japanese but there is a second teacher who speaks English.

It is true that there are some lucky ones who have the tuition fees paid by the company, however, it is NOT a rule. There are many parents who can afford and pay for the tuition for themselves, as the company does not have a policy which pays for the children's education.
I myself attended an international school and know how much the tuition fees are, as my parents just told me, and it is VERY expensive, but it is important to bear in mind that it is not a common rule that companies pay for all the tuition fees. In my case, my father's company only paid about 1/3...so it depends on company of course.

As for the Japanese students attending international schools, many Japanese attend extra English classes in the afternoon...

@Rukasu:

About scholarships, it is difficult to advise you as you are in the Netherlands, but the cheapest way to get a scholarship to Japan is attending a university in your home country and get an exchange agreement in Japan for a term or two. The other option is of course to attend a Japanese school/university, but this requires a good command of Japanese.