There are some things we cannot change; the Earth is round, night follows day and the English language is the international standard. The reasons why the English language made it to the top of the heap are numerous, largely due to the colonisation efforts of the British in the 17th and 18th centuries, and let’s face it, wherever you live in this world, you need to gain a solid understanding of the English language.
The International Language of Business Communication
There’s no doubt that English is the international language used in commerce today, and whether you are looking for a British school in Thailand, or a US international school in Beijing, there are learning institutions where every subject is taught in the English language. A Thai family, for example, would have their child at an international school from grade 1, and the child would become a fluent English speaker by the time they reach the secondary years, then moving onto a foreign university, where they would study their BA.
Experiential Learning
When your child enrols in an international school, they are getting a lot more than the English language, as top schools have an active learning approach, where the learner takes responsibility for their learning. The project-based approach empowers the students, as they must plan their project and work together as a team, while solving real-life problems as they arise. In this style of learning, the teacher becomes a facilitator, encouraging and guiding the learners. Here are a few mistakes to avoid when planning your child’s education, which is a must-read for every parent.
Career Opportunities
Without a level of fluency in English, you are very limited with your career choices, indeed the ability to speak and understand English is very often one of the first requirements when a position is advertised. If you are applying for a position with a multi-national company, you would be collaborating with people of different nationalities, with English as the agreed medium of communication. If you live in a non-English speaking country, language acquisition can be difficult, and for children, the best time to introduce a new language is as early as possible.
Practice Makes Perfect
Of course, this is true for just about everything, and language acquisition comes best when the person is using the language, and when a 5-year-old Thai boy is immersed in an English-speaking environment, he quickly adjusts and the language is acquired naturally, building vocab as he goes, and by the time he leaves school, he has at least an upper-intermediate level of English, which far exceeds the national average. If a child is listening to English 8 hours per day, it is inevitable that they will acquire the language very quickly, and such is the ability of a young child, they can learn a new language while growing up. Click here for more information on education in Thailand, from the Ministry of Education.
If you would like to know more about international education and discover if there is a suitable international school near you, a Google search will reveal the whereabouts of the nearest international school that teaches the UK curriculum.