Private school advisory for families relocating to the UAE
There are a great many schools in the UAE, and choosing between them from another country is hard. Elizabeth, a former Dubai school leader, gives independent advice on which ones genuinely suit your child, and can stay involved right through admissions to the offer you accept.
Begin a private conversation Explore the service
Paid only by families. No school commissions. A small number of engagements each term.
The decision
Most families arrive with a short window and a long list of schools, and from the outside it’s hard to tell which differences really matter. The school you choose also tends to decide where you live and how the children get there each day, so it shapes a good deal of the move itself. That is a lot to weigh up while you are also moving country.
Families are often juggling:
Services
For families who’d like clear, expert advice and are happy to handle the applications themselves.
For families who want Elizabeth to stay involved from the first shortlist through to an accepted place.
Elizabeth does this work herself, from the first conversation until your child has a place.
Explore search & placementPerspective
Most families get to know a school through its website, its inspection rating and an organised tour. Elizabeth has also seen schools from the other side, in the classroom, in leadership meetings, in admissions discussions and during inspection weeks. It makes it much easier to tell what looks impressive from what will actually suit your child.
About ElizabethProcess
Getting to know your child and your family: how school has gone so far, what matters to you, and where and when you plan to move.
Working out which schools are really worth considering, and setting aside the ones that wouldn’t suit your child or wouldn’t work for the family.
Visits, documents, applications, assessments and deadlines, and keeping in touch with each school along the way.
Looking at the offers side by side and making a decision you feel comfortable with.
Situations
Families come to Elizabeth with all sorts of circumstances. A few common ones:
Professional advisers
School placement is often the most personal and time-sensitive part of an international relocation. Elizabeth can work directly with a family, or alongside the family office, private bank, lawyer, immigration adviser or relocation professional who is coordinating the wider move.
Questions
As soon as a move looks likely. Popular year groups can fill up, and some schools assess and offer places well before term starts, so more time usually means more choice.
That said, plenty of families start with only a few weeks’ notice and still find a school they are happy with. Timing varies a good deal by school, year group and circumstances, and working out a realistic timetable is one of the first things Elizabeth will do with you.
No. Nobody honestly can, because each school makes its own admissions decisions based on the places it has and its own assessment of your child. What Elizabeth can do is make sure your child applies to the right schools, well prepared and in good time.
No. Elizabeth is paid by families and by no one else. She doesn’t take commission, referral fees or introduction fees from any school, so she has no reason to steer you towards one school over another.
Yes. Elizabeth works with families already living here who are thinking about a change of school, as well as families who are moving.
Yes, and it’s very common. Additional children are included in the same engagement. If they need different things or are joining different year groups, Elizabeth plans around each child while keeping the family’s day-to-day life in mind.
As far as schools are concerned, yes. The search takes account of the areas you’re considering and the daily journey each school would mean, and Elizabeth will talk through how the two decisions affect each other. She doesn’t give property advice or act as an agent.
Yes. Introductions from family offices, private banks, lawyers, immigration advisers and relocation professionals are welcome. Elizabeth then speaks to the family directly. There’s more on the page for professional advisers.
The first conversation takes around thirty minutes and there is no charge. It’s simply a chance to talk through your situation, ask questions and see whether Elizabeth can help.
Elizabeth replies personally, usually within the same working day.
