Menu
Expat.com

Schooling for my Mulit Third Culture Kids

Last activity 15 February 2016 by Christine

Post new topic

thathamori

My question is to parents raising children in Hungary.

What are the schools like?

Would you recommend private of public sector?

Our children speak Hungarian but not even close to fluent, and are already 10 & 12. They speak English and French but the International schools are so expensive, 1000-1500€ per month X2.

The French private school is about 500€/month and I love that they follow the French holiday system, 16 weeks scholar holidays per year. It is something that we really got used to.

Any advice is truly appreciated!
Eva HAMORI

Marilyn Tassy

Of course if you can afford to keep them in the French school that might be best.
The cost of private schools in HUngary are insane unless your job pays for it such as for some exc. with a nice transfer to HU.
My son went to private school in the US 26 years ago and I know the prices can add up quickly.
The schools in HU can cost more then the family budget for the month.
If they do enroll in a HU school, a public school they may possibly get put back a grade or two, not sure, won't hurt in the long run though once they get up to speed with their Hungarian.
Did they go to school in HU in the past?
I may of misread one of your posts stating you had lived in HU before with your kids.
I knew a women in HU who had her 8 year old in the American school in Budapest. Her father in law paid for it, the rest of the family got angry that she and her husband, his son needed support for everything in HU so it caused a family  riff.
They pulled the boy out of the HU school, tried to put him in public but his HU language skills were bad, she worked out getting him into the Jewish school but he also didn't understand Hebrew.
He was starting to get so isolated that they pulled up stakes and moved to Canada where her husband was from.
I have known 3 different families who brought their HU or  half HU kids to HU and ran into school issues with language.
They all moved away from HU for their kids sanity.
Perhaps you could think of homeschooling them for a short time and hire a language coach to tutor them?
Good luck.
Just noticed your question about health care in HU.
Hope this is not off topic since I would not wish to lose you by making you find the answer on another subject line.
Yes, we have HU national health care, that is a long story not exactly a great system, so many times they miss things or put things off. Used to see a private doc. in HU before my coverage started. Not all that much different except they would see us on off hours, paid cash under the table etc.
Best not to get seriously ill in HU. Not that in the US it is great but the attitude in the US is more business like and professional from my experience most times. Thankfully we are very healthy people who ony see the doc in HU for small things, I often wait over 2 years to bother with getting my annual check ups, that's how non fun the medical system in HU can be.
The dentists are pretty good in HU if you find the right one. Every district has a appointed dentist for whatever st. you live on. OUrs is horrible so we go private with the dentists.
Might be interesting if your mothers speak fluent Hungarian to have them move over with your family for 6 months or so and homeschool with allot of Hungarian lessons as the no. 1 topic.
Kids can catch up quickly later on when and if you enroll them in a HU public school.
We moved allot when our son was a teenager, he became very anti social from moving so much and that was just inside the US where the language was the same for the most part. Slightly different cultures though going from Hawaii to New Mexico.

thathamori

Hi Marilyn,
Thanks for responding.
I did homeschool the children for 6 months on the Canadian curriculum before we moved to France. So when we lived in Hungary, we just explored and enjoyed our expat lives.

Normally France is the same as Hungary. No help from the school while they learn the language, and they get held back, but we had the chance encounter of landing a public school with the most amazing principal with six kids of his own. He helped us along with the language and although he thought our son would benefit from redoubling, we voted against it, and he is fantastic in his middle school. Never missed a beat. 

I don't think I could subject our kids to that kind of frustration ever again. Come hell or high water, they will go to a private school in Hungary. The idea of two extra years of academic torture! No.

The French school near Budapest is actually not that full, so I am certain we can find them a place. Alfonz, my husband, is visiting in May to firm up some wine tour connections, and explore the idea some more. And the best part of the French school is the extra holidays they get. 16 weeks! Enough time to continue our vagabond lifestyle.

The French private school does give the children tutors to catch up on Hungarian while learning the bilingual curriculum French and English. There is hope!

My husband's cousin is a doctor and we actually visit the dentist whenever we go to Budapest. So cheap, 40€ for all of us for a cleaning.
France must have a glitch in their system, because they have installed butchers in place of dentists!  The horror stories! And they don't have hygienists here. What's that about?

Marilyn Tassy

I have run into a few "butcher dentists" in Hungary .
Have been to at least a dozen different ones over the years.
One female dentist had to be told to give a pain shot before starting work! She said she never gets a shot, who the heck cares if she likes pain or not.
Almost cocked to death having my first mold made, didn't know what to expect, the dentist mixed the mold material so think it ran down my throat, I sat there trying to be cool and just about died on the spot, spitting up and coughing my head off, insane stuff.
The dental school in Budapest is great, all the right equipment and time to do a good job.

fluffy2560

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I have run into a few "butcher dentists" in Hungary .


Strangely enough, my dentist really is called Dr Butcher.

I've been going there about 20 years so obviously I've got used to his ways.

Christine

Hello everyone,

A little reminder of the subject here > Schooling for my Mulit Third Culture Kids". ;)

Thank you.

Articles to help you in your expat project in Hungary

  • Key facts for international students in Hungary
    Key facts for international students in Hungary

    Hungary has been called The Crossroads of Europe and it is definitely a central and cosmopolitan destination, both ...

  • Student life in Budapest
    Student life in Budapest

    Besides quality universities, Budapest provides international students with a high quality of life and a range of ...

  • Studying in Budapest
    Studying in Budapest

    Hungary might not be one of the most popular destinations for studying abroad, but Budapest is home to some ...

  • Buying property in Budapest
    Buying property in Budapest

    Buying a house or a flat can be a good option if you are planning to long term stay in Budapest. However, it is ...

  • Customs in Hungary
    Customs in Hungary

    As a member of the EU/EFTA, Hungary supports the free movement of goods within the EU/EFTA area. There are no ...

  • Childcare in Hungary
    Childcare in Hungary

    As Hungary is an EU member, it adheres to the EU premise that all citizens should be entitled to equal childcare ...

  • Driving in Hungary
    Driving in Hungary

    Hungary has an extensive road network, big parts of which have been recently updated to facilitate traffic. The ...

  • Sports in Budapest
    Sports in Budapest

    Sports is a great way not only to stay fit but also to keep yourself busy during your stay in Budapest. Whether ...

All of Hungary's guide articles