Many people would like to move to New Zealand with family and children. In such cases, people ask different questions. How do I arrange a kindergarten placement for my child? How do I choose a school in New Zealand? How much does it cost to study in New Zealand for children? In this article, we will try to answer all of these questions in detail.
New Zealand is an ideal place for families and children. It offers comfortable conditions, safe and interesting life for the younger generation. Even in big cities, there are always a lot of playgrounds and activities available for children. Given that most people live in stand-alone homes, there is also the opportunity for children to frolic in their own backyard.
Family Visas
The Immigration policy of New Zealand allows students who come for professional study to bring the family. With language courses, it is a little more difficult and riskier, but there have been such cases. The student’s partner has the right to obtain an open work visa under the partner category, while the student is studying for a year or more on programs at level 9 and higher (in any area). There is also a chance to get a work visa for the partner of a student who is studying at level 7 or 8 in a speciality from the Green List.
A work visa for the partner provides the opportunity not only to find a job but also for the child to attend a public school for free. You can read further for more detail.
Kindergartens in New Zealand
Pre-school education in New Zealand begins at the time of birth and continues until entering primary school (5 or 6 years). Pre-school education is not compulsory, nevertheless, about 95% of children go to kindergartens and other pre-school institutions.
From 3 to 5 years of age, a child can go to a kindergarten for up to 20 hours a week for free, regardless of the type of visa you have. The state subsidises pre-school institutions, thereby helping young families. In other cases, an hour of supervision of the child in a kindergarten costs from NZ $ 7 to NZ $ 10.
In New Zealand, there are about 4,000 licensed preschools, which include kindergartens, educational centres, play centres and children’s playgroups. In some preschool institutions, there are registered teachers, and in others, parents themselves take turns supervising the kids. Also, in some cases, there is an opportunity to invite teachers to the house, which can also be subsidised by the government.
Despite the fact that most of the pre-school institutions teach in English, there are many pre-school institutions that target immigrant children and those of other cultures. For example, you can find kindergartens with Russian teachers and children, kindergartens for Maori, for people from Asia and the Pacific island countries.
Read more about preschool education in our article.
Schools in New Zealand
Primary and secondary school in New Zealand is the second level of the country’s educational system. The school system of education consists of 13 years, children study from 5 years of age and finish at 18-19 years of age. Unlike pre-school education, schooling is compulsory from 6 to 16 years.
Schools in New Zealand are more like fairy tale. Here they not only teach general education, as well as specific subjects in the upper grades but also help children develop all around. Music lessons in well-equipped classes, theatre classes, robotics, art and dance groups, a huge selection of sports activities and clubs; surfing, skateboarding, sometimes even horse riding and much more. And all this is accessible even in good public schools.
A very interesting feature of schooling in New Zealand is that a child can start school on his 5th birthday! It is not necessary to wait for the beginning of the next academic year, so many children in New Zealand go to school on their birthday.
Most New Zealand children go to schools that are located near their place of residence. Many schools give priority to enrolling children who live nearby. If you want your child to go to a school that is located in another area of the city, a place in the school will not be guaranteed, and you may be refused.
Cost of Schooling
In New Zealand, there are two types of schools: public and private. State educational institutions adhere to the national education program. For citizens and residents, public schools are free of charge. In addition, a child can get the status of a local student (Domestic Student) if at least one of his parents has citizenship, residency or even a work visa. If this does not exist, then the child is considered an international student and studies cost from NZ $ 12,000 a year or more. In addition, even with free education, parents do pay small fees for school uniforms, textbooks and extracurricular activities.
Private schools have their own values, goals and objectives, and often follow a certain philosophy and religion. These schools receive partial funding from the state but mostly exist at the expense of paying parents. Private schools develop their own training programs and are not required to adhere to the national education program. The cost in such schools starts from about NZ $ 25,000 a year or more.
For foreign students, free English classes are provided in schools, so they are usually accepted to the school even with an elementary level of English.
Read more about school education in New Zealand in our article.
Higher Education in New Zealand
Compulsory schooling in New Zealand requires graduation from 12-13 grades. And since the duration of education in a Russian school does not correspond to the schooling system in New Zealand, it is almost impossible to apply to a New Zealand university directly on graduating from a Russian high school.
In order to prepare for graduate admission to universities or institutes in New Zealand, you can use the following options:
- Pass a year of university training in your home country
- Undergo a Foundation Year in New Zealand, starting at NZ $ 20,000 per year
- Apply not to a university, but a New Zealand Institute for the Diploma program, which will allow you to get a college education over 3-4 years, even to Bachelor level, without any loss of time.
The cost in private universities starts from NZ $ 8,000 per year, and public ones from NZ $ 15,000 per year.
In order for your child to get higher education at prices for local students (from only NZ $ 7,000 a year) they must have resident status. Until then, they will be considered foreign students and only qualify for prices for foreigners, without subsidies from the state.
If you are interested in immigration through study, fill out our application form and we will think over all the options specifically for your case.
