Managing child-related expenses in China

Sorry Cheryl but you just avoided the basic question here: schools. As foreigners, we are "forced" to put kids in a private institution that costs a fortune and which is not up to the standards normally. And I am underlining the word "forced" because many of the foreigners relocating to China are supporters and used to public educational systems so just the fact to consider a private school is difficult for many.

After schools one has to think about extracurricular studies like music/dance conservatories (quite accessible in other countries as they are public) or other thematic activities like federated sports which are not just for entertainment. Access, cost and schedules are .... a unique case there. Most of them actually are only facilitated in the weekend...

So if one wants to open a debate here it should be really analytical and critical as there are specificities that don't occur in other nations.

"International schools" are prohibitively expensive for the vast percentage of foreigners in China.

The good news is that (by law) all public schools are not permitted to deny a foreign student to attend. But, what that means is that the foreigner must apply to attend a local school, and this is based upon a number of factors.

• How long you have lived in the area that the school represents.
• Whether you own or rent a home.
• Your social credit score (if you are Chinese)
• Distance from your home to the school.

These factors are assigned a point value, and those with the highest score are allowed to attend school. My personal experience is that (off hand) most foreigners will end up having a low score, but the school Principal would make allowances for foreign children to attend. Yup, if you are a foreigner, your kids can (possibly) go to the head of the line.

But keep in mind that this is full immersion. Everything is in Chinese. So, unless they are really young, or can speak some Chinese, they will be a little retarded in the learning effort.

Personally, my daughter has Chinese citizenship. It was one of the first things that I insisted on, and I'll be damned if the United States has anything to do with her.  Because of this, medical, care, schooling, and all the rest has been very easy and streamlined.

She's "mixed blood" , cute as all get out, and everyone at the school loves her.

So the bottom line is this;

• Foreigners in China can home school.
• Foreigners who teach, can also have the school (they work at) sponsor the children.
• Foreigners can pay the enormous fees of an "International School".
• Foreigners can also apply for their children to attend public school, but a visit with the Principal is advised.
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Best of luck! 

I have a child of mixed blood also but he is a Chinese citizen, mixed blood has nothing to do with it. He attended public school all his life and is in his final year of high school. I have never heard of a child who is not a Chinese citizen being allowed to attend the Chinese public school system

I knew an American man who was an English teacher and he got a job at an international private school. His daughters who were Chinese citizens and spoke very little English were allowed to attend for free.

Generally, the cost of raising a child can be slightly higher than in my home country, especially if you're considering international schools, which tend to be the most significant expense. However, some child-related services, such as domestic help, are more affordable in China than in the West. On the other hand, certain specialty services can come at a premium. From what I've observed, financial support tends to be primarily reserved for local citizens.