St. Andrew's or Northlands school

[ghost]

No one mentioned Lincoln?

 

[ghost]

Or BAICA?

 

[sergio]

Or BAICA?

I mentioned Lincoln and BAICA. They are the only INTERNATIONAL schools in BA. Northlands and St Andrews are bilingual schools, not international - they cater to local people. Lincoln and BAICA are predominantly foreign.

 

[on the brink]

If you want international without snobishness, try the Lincoln School. It's the choice of many diplomats, who will be in Argentina just for a few years. The great (and unspoken) advantage of prestige schools such as St. Andrews, Cardinal Newman, or St. Georges, is that students there will make friends with the children of the elite, who will later be in positions of power. In Argentina, who you went to school with will largely determine your social standing, your chances of getting a good job later in life, and even who you marry....! Friends made in elementarty school will likely remain friends for life.

 

[sergio]

If you want international without snobishness, try the Lincoln School. It's the choice of many diplomats, who will be in Argentina just for a few years. The great (and unspoken) advantage of prestige schools such as St. Andrews, Cardinal Newman, or St. Georges, is that students there will make friends with the children of the elite, who will later be in positions of power. In Argentina, who you went to school with will largely determine your social standing, your chances of getting a good job later in life, and even who you marry....! Friends made in elementarty school will likely remain friends for life.

This is very true. In terms of getting ahead in life elementary / secondary schools are much more important than universities in Argentina. Lincoln isn't likely to be snobbish like St Andrews or Northlands but it's very definitely privileged. The enormous fees make that clear. Lincoln is also international whereas the leading bilingual schools mentioned here are much more local in character. If you're looking for a traditional British style private school where kids were uniforms, Lincoln will not be the place for you. It's informal and is basically modeled on US public schools rather than US private schools.

 

[mmoon]

Two things to remember about Lincoln:
1. They follow the American school calendar (which does not fit the Argentine seasons)
2. You will mostly meet fellow expats, particularly those who are only staying in BA for a few years. I never met a native Argentine family who went to Lincoln!

 

[sergio]

Two things to remember about Lincoln:
1. They follow the American school calendar (which does not fit the Argentine seasons)
2. You will mostly meet fellow expats, particularly those who are only staying in BA for a few years. I never met a native Argentine family who went to Lincoln!

I've met kids from Lincoln who came from mixed families - usually one parent Argentine and the other American.

 

[SerManu]

Dear all
We are soon moving to Buenos Aires and we are looking St. Andrew's and Northlands (Olivos location) as potential schools for our children of 10 and 13 years. What are the main differences between them? Which is better academically? Which one gets better IB results?
How long could take the commuting from Belgrano ?
Many thanks in advance for this information,
VPC

I am not an expat. However I lived twice in the US. Once studying and the other working in an international organization. My youngest child is now 10. He atended Belgrano Day School during kindergarten and first year in primary school. Sincé year 2 till today that he is in year 5 he has been atended Northland. I lived in Belgrano till February this year that I moved to Olivos, very close to Northlands. I am extremely satisfied with Northlands. If you are really interested in a school that knows your child by heart, his interest and skills , that they take care of him, that it is really bilingual (the former headmasters was from South Africa, and the current is from England, my child English teacher last year and this year is from England, the assistant are from English speaker countries), whose commitment is to provide an integral formation (music -violin and trumpet my child- sports, science with no specific religious approach and with excellent IB scores I am convinced that Northlands is the right choice. OK, it expensive, but if you prefer to invest your money in your child education rather tan in other things, go ahead with Northlands your will find many people thinking like you. If you don't want your children to have friends during their whole life whose parents were able to afford Northlands then the problema is yours. I wish all the children in Argentina had the education provided by Northlands.

 

[Sven_BA]

Northener, There is no shortage of teaching talent in Argentina that makes it necessary to import, at great cost, teachers from the UK. There are many qualified Argentine instructors who understand IB and ICGSE. While the teachers they employ almost always from Britain are professionally qualified, they seldom stay very long, sometimes have adjustment problems and cost the schools a GREAT deal of money in salaries that are higher than those of local teachers (causing resentment among staff), housing, international air tickets and other expenses. One of the schools mentioned here had a particular problem with a headmistress they imported from the UK. She did not work out well, was let go and demanded and received a massive settlement that seriously impacted the school's finances. I recall an Argentine teacher in one of the leading bilingual schools telling me that a locally hired teacher (married to an Argentine) was a 'bargain" for the school as she "looked expensive" but was being paid far less than those who were on contract from the UK. What mattered to the school was that she gave the school some "status" merely by being British. Some people have the money to send their kids to elite schools but prefer a different environment, so it's not always a matter of sour grapes as you suggest. Remember that even Prince Philip sent his son to the very rustic Gordonstoun and not to Eton, precisely because he wanted him to be challenged in a less elitist environment. It didn't work out well but that's another matter. What particularly disturbs me about the elite bilingual schools is their lack of diversity. Everyone has money (are there any scholarships for those from the less privileged classes?) and focus is on social status and the superficial. As for the imported teachers, bilingual schools are not international schools so there is really no need for foreign teachers as there is in a school like Lincoln that is internationally diverse and strongly modeled on US public schools. I'm not endorsing Lincoln, just distinguishing between international and bilingual schools.

Actually both, San Andres and Northland also demand high proficiency in Spanish as some subject taught in Spanish will have obligatory national Argentine exams (example: Spanish Literature). None of them provide intensive Spanish lessons for foreign pupils ( schools are bilingual so expectations are that arriving kids have good Spanish) neither the staff have a lot experience dealing with international pupils. The teachers are good and caring but Spanish is a must otherwise it will be partly waste of time and frustration for kids.

 

[brandon]

Did the OP move here and kids enrolled in a school?