So, you’ve just received your employment offer to relocate to Saudi. Your new employer is offering a generous salary package, housing, a company car, and valuable opportunities to gain experience and evolve in your career. You’ve discussed this possibility with your spouse ahead of time, and they have been researching job opportunities in Saudi as well. But there’s still one thing that still lingers in the back of your mind; what about your child’s school? Is the future of your career going to affect their education? Or is this going to be a dealbreaker for your professional opportunity?
Luckily, the answer to both questions is “no”.
The Benefits of living in Riyadh
As Riyadh is a city on the edge of advancement, it has become a melting pot of business and industry, attracting intelligent, skilled, and talented professionals from all around the world. It then should come as no surprise that there are several internationally recognized schools at various price points in Riyadh. Additionally, these schools are designed to not only seamlessly advance the educational pathways of those professionals’ children, but to also take them to the next level by offering world-class education faculty, facilities, and standards.
Near Antara alone, in less than half an hour’s drive, you can find four different schools offering certified curriculums that will pick up your child’s education right where you left it at back home, and are designed not only to be internationally certified, but also to foster and encourage a caring, learning environment with a diversity of activities and subjects. After all, Riyadh is not content to simply attract the top professionals, but also to help in shaping the future ones.
Of course, Saudi being a country with a unique culture and educational system that likely seem quite different from where you’re coming from, there’s bound to be some differences. For example, not all holidays you’ve been accustomed to outside of Saudi will be observed, while some different ones will be. One example you’ll quickly discover is that Sunday is a school day, while Friday isn’t’.
What Educational Systems are there in Riyadh?
But it’s not all differences; Depending on the school you apply for, there will be one or more universal languages of instruction, one usually being English. And it goes without saying that depending on the school you choose for your child, there are several different academic paths on offer for your child.
For example, the SEK International School, only 14km (or a little over 8.5 miles) away from Antara offers the International Baccalaureate Curriculum, opening up various international university and college pathways to graduates, while the Kingdom International School (nearly 19km or 11 miles away) follows the American Curriculum that will feel very familiar to Americans (and is recognized as such). Also using the International Baccalaureate Curriculum, the British International School of Riyadh has multiple campuses in Riyadh, with the closest one only 16km or 10 miles away, with more campuses set to open in the near future. Meanwhile, the closest school to Antara, King’s College Riyadh, is only 4km (2.5 miles) away and offers a traditional British curriculum in partnership with the world-famous King’s College in London.
Education in Riyadh holds opportunities for the whole family
As each child is unique, their educational experience should be unique as well. Riyadh has many different international schools, both public and private, each one offering a different curriculum, and you should take the time to research which will be the best fit for your child. Each school focuses on different areas, but they all aim to not only educate children, but to also develop their social skills, foster their creativity and broaden their horizons. After all, working in Saudi Arabia should benefit your entire family, and Saudi Arabia’s commitment to education is, quite literally, world-class.
