Education for teens in Amsterdam

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

As you've discounted the International Schools, then I'll stick to the Dutch Public School system, I'll let you work out where your daughter could sit in this.

If I have this right, you are a US citizen, planning to move to Holland and you have a family, including a daughter who is 14 and does not speak any Dutch?

To explain the Dutch education system; all kids up to the age of 12 (regardless of ability) go to the same elementary school.  In the final year at elementary school, the kids are tested and depending on ability, are then streamed into either VMBO/MBO, or HAVO/HBO, or VWO/WO high-schools.  Put simply (and this is my way of explaining it):

VMBO/MBO is aimed at blue-collar workers, (so lead to apprentice type jobs);
HAVO/HBO are university biased;
VWO/WO are research university biased.

If you want to read about it for yourself, this Wiki page explains it in much more detail.

The important thing that all immigrants to Holland should note is that the test that all the kids take at 12, includes a Dutch language (spoken and written) test, if they can't pass that, regardless of how bright they are, they will be streamed into MBO, there is no way around this system.  However, this in itself is not the end of it, because should any child subsequently prove to be capable of passing the test, then it is possible (with the parents and the teacher's agreement) to move across to the higher levels; you should also note that should a child pass the test, then prove unsuitable for other reasons (deemed by the school), they could get moved back to a lower level, but this is normally preceded by being moved back a year.

Your daughter will be arriving in the middle of the VMBO/MBO, she will then have 2 years to get her spoken and written Dutch up to the level of a native speaker if she's to have the chance to go to University; this is on top of the normal education.

As for teaching in English - no; Dutch schools teach English as a 2nd language, but they don't teach in English.  Our kids had to go straight in at the deep-end; they had no problems, but they were a lot younger than your daughter.  There is one exception to this, the kids that go to VWO/WO school can elect (in fact are encouraged) to do their courses in English or German (in general this seems to be determined by the geography, schools in the east offer German, schools in the west offer English; it makes sense if you think about it), but they have to speak/write/read Dutch at a native level to get into these schools in the first place.

So what to do; my advice is based on what happened to us and on feedback we get from people who have asked the question before you.  But maybe it has changed, perhaps there is something new being planned; so go and speak to your daughter's current school and tell them what your plans are; who knows, they may have someone there or even another colleague, who has taught in Holland, or has contacts there.

Use Google to find the schools in the area where you're going to live in Holland; call them (they'll speak English, but just remember you'll sound funny to them) and ask the questions you have.

Perhaps it's better to leave your daughter behind with family in the US to finish her secondary education, then come to a Dutch/German University (where the courses are in English and it won't matter so much that her Dutch/German is not at a high level).

These are important decisions; the more you ask from people in the know, the better informed you will be.

Hope I've helped; if you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey.  I'd appreciate any feedback you have to offer so we can better inform those coming behind you.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you so much for all that valuable information! I hadn't necessarily discounted the possibility of international schools, I had just heard that they had a 2 year waiting list and that we wouldn't be able to get her in if we were to be moving there, say, this Autumn.
Does anybody have any information on short-notice admission to international schools there?
And maybe the real question: does going to secondary school in Amsterdam (VWO) make it so that she is automatically eligible to go to TUM/a university in the EU? As an American student in the USA, she would have to apply as an international student and the only thing keeping her from having to study for an additional year in Germany would be taking a test in Germany or having taken five or more AP tests in the U.S. with a passing grade to show an equivalent level of education.

Hi again,

I haven't heard of 2-year waiting lists (or any such thing); certainly, nobody on here over the past couple of years has mentioned it.  The only consistent thing we hear about these places is they are mouthwateringly expensive.  The only thing about the International schools, in general, is that they seem to follow a non-Dutch curriculum;  I always view it like this; if your intention is to come to Holland to live permanently, or just stay for a couple of years, then head back to the US and your kid would be of elementary school age when you head back (so under 12), then choose a Dutch public school, they'll learn Dutch and make some amazing friends.  Anything else, then an International school should be seriously considered.

Both HBO and WO are university streamed, but WO is more streamed towards the sciences and engineering, while the other offer the more generic training.

The Dutch university system operates a system called "Numerous Fixus" (sounds like something from a Harry Potter movie), this is currently being revised.  Places on courses were allocated on something that looked strangely like a lottery.  Looking forward, most of the courses taught in English will not be subject to Numerus Fixus; the exceptions, for which Numerous Fixus will still apply, include medicine, psychology, international business administration, economics and physiotherapy; so if your daughter is heading to any of those specific disciplines, there is no absolute guarantee she will get it; the best "qualified" students will always be allocated to the existing places.  This link will take you to the "Study in Holland" website that explains it in much more detail.  I think it's true to say that the Dutch system does recognise and reward excellence; which most of us would support unless our kids weren't excellent enough to qualify.

As previously advised, speak to the schools, the teachers are the subject experts.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team