An international school can create a comfortable atmosphere after a child's move to another country
Around the large open area of the Helsinki International School stretches a forest of flags. "Here we have more than fifty flags, one flag for each country in our student body," says Kathleen Nagle, the school's director. "We joke that we have everyone here, from Saudis to Swedes."
As Finland.fi notes, founded in 1963, the Helsinki International School (ISH) has 88 staff members and 424 students. Students aged 3 to 18 study the International Baccalaureate program, aimed at primary, middle, and high school students.
"Many of our students' parents are doing business in Finland for just a few years," Nagle says. "Others have parents who are diplomats. We also have students from local families who want their children to study at an international school."
For an entrepreneur moving to Finland, it is quite simple to register with the Trade Register and the Finnish Tax Administration. A more difficult task may be choosing a school for children who have moved from another country. However, Finland has many primary and secondary schools that teach in English and offer international programs. English is widely spoken in Finland: about 90 percent of adults speak the language to some degree.
International schools are located in almost every major or medium-sized Finnish city, from the Turku International School in the southwest to Etelä-Karjalan IB-Lukio (an International Baccalaureate upper secondary school in South Karelia), which operates in the eastern cities of Imatra and Lappeenranta. Even in Rovaniemi, just 6 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, there is an international school, Lyseonpuiston IB-Lukio (Lyseonpuisto International Baccalaureate Upper Secondary School).
In most international schools in Finland, instruction is in English, but there are institutions that teach in Russian, French, German, and Spanish. International schools in Finland follow various international, national, or original curricula. There are also schools offering international programs in Finnish and Swedish, which are the official languages of Finland.
The International Baccalaureate, one of the most popular programs, is offered by private international schools as well as some regular Finnish schools. There are other options. For example, École Areva MLF in Rauma follows the French curriculum, while Deutsche Schule Helsinki (German School of Helsinki) offers a modified German curriculum.
Two schools in the capital offer instruction in Russian. These are the Finnish-Russian School, which enrolls both Finnish and Russian-speaking students. The Myllypuro primary and secondary school offers a bilingual program in Russian and Finnish for children aged 7-16. The Finnish-Russian School of Eastern Finland in the cities of Imatra, Joensuu, and Lappeenranta provides instruction in Finnish and Russian – 25 percent of students consider Russian their native language.
Kathleen Nagle explains that an international school can receive accreditation from various bodies. The international school is overseen by the Finnish Ministry of Education, as well as three other certification organizations in Helsinki.
"We are accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organization and the Council of International Schools," says Kathleen. "Our school is also accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. This allows us to issue American-style high school diplomas. It is also supported by the U.S. State Department, which gives us access to a large number of resources."
These accreditations help students receive a globally recognized education and continue their studies in other countries, for example, at the university level. The European School of Helsinki has received accreditation from the European Schools Institute with EU support, which is recognized by all EU member states. The Agency for French Education Abroad has issued accreditation to two schools in Finland: École Areva MLF in Rauma and École Française Jules Verne (French School Jules Verne) in Helsinki.
Finland does not have a single official register of international schools, as local municipalities are responsible for compiling lists of schools in their area. The search for such schools should start with the official city website.
Kathleen Nagle says that Finnish cities are eager to open new international schools. Cities are interested in attracting the best specialists from around the world to work in Finland, and providing excellent education for their children can be a decisive factor.
"Our students often move," says Kathleen. "Moving from one country to another can cause anxiety for a child. We try to create a cozy, comfortable atmosphere for the children."
David J. CORD.