Services
Two ways Elizabeth can help.
Elizabeth advises families on choosing and securing a school place in the United Arab Emirates, whether you are relocating or already living here and looking for a change.
Both start with a conversation of around thirty minutes, at no charge. It gives Elizabeth a chance to understand what you need, and gives you a chance to decide whether she’s the right person to help.
01
School Strategy Consultation
For families who’d like clear, expert advice and are happy to handle the applications themselves.
Who it is for
Families who would like an experienced view on which schools to go for, and why, but are comfortable contacting schools and making the applications themselves.
What happens
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The first conversation
About an hour, all about your child and your family. Who your child is beyond their school reports, what has gone well and what hasn’t, anything a new school would need to know, where you’re living and what matters most to you. Elizabeth explains how schools and admissions work in the UAE, and goes through a list of schools she has put together for your child, grouped around the areas you’re considering.
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A week or so to look
You then have a week or so to look at those schools yourselves, at your own pace.
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The second conversation
This is where most of the advice happens. You talk through what you liked and what you didn’t. Elizabeth tells you which schools she would recommend and why, and together you agree a priority order of around five schools to register with. You’ll also have a plan: what to do first, and the deadlines that can’t move.
What is included
- A detailed conversation about your child and your family
- An explanation of the UAE school landscape and how admissions work
- A longlist of schools put together for your child
- The areas you’re considering, and the daily journey to each school
- A second meeting to agree the strategy
- A shortlist of around five schools, in order of priority
- Deadlines, and a plan for what to do next
What you leave with
A shortlist with Elizabeth’s notes on each school, a plan with the dates that matter, and a good enough understanding of how things work here to carry on by yourselves.
02
Private School Search & Placement
For families who want Elizabeth to stay involved from the first shortlist through to an accepted place.
Who it is for
Families who would rather not juggle schools, deadlines and paperwork on top of an international move, and who would like Elizabeth to stay involved throughout.
What happens
It starts with the School Strategy Consultation. Elizabeth then stays involved until your child has been offered a place and you have accepted it.
Elizabeth does the work herself, and you can reach her directly at every stage.
What is included
- Checking with each school whether a place in the right year group is realistic, before you spend time on it
- Guidance on the curricula available in the UAE, and what choosing each one means for your child later on
- An honest view of each school, beyond its published rating
- Which documents you’ll need, including transfer certificates and attestation, and which to start on first
- School visits arranged for you, with a proper briefing beforehand and a conversation afterwards
- Help with each application
- Preparation for assessment days
- Offers compared, with Elizabeth’s view on which school is the strongest fit, and help declining the others
- Elizabeth herself on the end of the phone throughout
Brothers and sisters are included in the same engagement. If you would like help through the first term and beyond, that can be arranged separately.
What you leave with
A place at a school you feel sure about, chosen knowing what the alternatives were, and any other offers declined properly.
Side by side
How the two services compare.
| School Strategy Consultation | Private School Search & Placement | |
|---|---|---|
| A first conversation at no charge | Included | Included |
| A detailed conversation about your child and family | Included | Included |
| The UAE school landscape explained | Included | Included |
| A longlist put together for your child | Included | Included |
| A prioritised shortlist and plan | Included | Included |
| Availability checked with each school | Not included | Included |
| Help with documents and attestation | Not included | Included |
| Visits arranged, briefed and talked through | Not included | Included |
| Applications and assessment preparation | Not included | Included |
| Offers compared, with Elizabeth’s view | Not included | Included |
| Elizabeth on the phone throughout | Not included | Included |
Scope
What is, and isn’t, part of the work.
Elizabeth’s work is school placement and admissions. Tuition, immigration and visas, and property advice are outside it, although she is always glad to talk through how they fit around a move.
The most sought-after schools in the UAE decide for themselves, based on the places they have and their own assessment of each child, so no adviser can guarantee a place. The decision always rests with the school. What Elizabeth can do is point you towards the right schools, help your child go into each assessment well prepared, and be on hand when questions come up. There are usually more of those than families expect.
How Elizabeth works
Three things that stay the same for every family.
Paid by families
And by no one else. Elizabeth takes no commission, referral fee or introduction fee from any school.
Done personally
Elizabeth works with a small number of families each term and does the work herself.
Kept private
Nothing about a family, a child or an outcome is shared with anyone, and no family is ever named.
Begin with a private conversation.
Whichever service you are considering, the first step is the same: a conversation of around thirty minutes about your child and what you need. There’s no charge for it.
Elizabeth replies personally, usually within the same working day.