I have an American Customer moving to Xinzhu they want to send their kids to the international school. I googled it and about a dozen names came up so not sure which is the realinternational school there. Anybody know which is the real deal?
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Thanks wisher, thats the one I was thinking of too.
Hsinchu Holland International School has been here for over 25yrs. Kindergarten – Grade 12 students. AFAIK, they are the only fully licensed international school in Hsinchu - though that may have changed recently.
Another option which has been popular with some of our colleagues here is the National Experimental High School but it’s ROC curriculum and they only admit children of employees of private enterprises in the Science Park, government organizations, Industrial Technology Research Institute, National Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University.
Hsinchu Holland International School is definitely the one to go for. It is well-established and has an excellent reputation. The other ones are either illegal and/or really don’t offer much.
[quote=“Walis”]Hsinchu Holland International School is definitely the one to go for. It is well-established and has an excellent reputation. The other ones are either illegal and/or really don’t offer much.[/quote]Along with their great reputation in education and community relationships, Hsinchu Holland International School is the only school offering the French DELF and Spanish DELE programs. It is also the accredited test center for these examinations.
You’ll need to check their new address on their website www.hdis.hc.edu.tw as they have just moved to an amazing new building. I visited last week and was very impressed by their friendliness, depth of knowledge and educational experience.
I have to agree wholeheartedly with Walis on this one.
Believe me, you would be making a big mistake to even consider the so-called “Hsinchu American School”. This was started as a joint-venture by a self-appointed education expert (a local woman with big ambitions and zero credentials) and a rich businessman who thought it would be a lucrative proposition. The school went through 3 principals in its first year and goodness knows how many disgruntled teachers, as well as suffering serious financial and administration problems due to lack of foresight and experience. Due to financial disputes and instability the woman left HAS on bad terms and has since started up her own venture “Pacific American School”, which will undoubtedly go the way of HAS if she has anything to do with it. If you look at the website, even the logo, text and HTML code has been lifted from the HAS site and the building in the photo is not even their own! Quite frankly, I’m amazed that either school was ever granted an official license (if they really were) and I’d be very surprised if either school was around a year or two from now.
I’m very clued up on international schools in Hsinchu as I did extensive research before sending my children to Hsinchu Holland International School (also called Hsinchu International School, or HIS). I have been extremely pleased with this school, and have found its teachers and education philosophies to be top notch. They are a genuine, licensed and listed international school with 25 years of experience. I was previously somewhat concerned though with the lack of space at HIS. However, the school has already moved into a brand new purpose-built campus and the new building and facilities are stunning. You can see some photos at www.hdis.hc.edu.tw.
The National Experimental High School is also a legitimate, quality school but doesn’t seem to offer a truly “international” curriculum and chiefly caters to families based in the Hsinchu Science Park.
I call bullshit on all three of the preceding posts.
What you “call” is irrelevant because you obviously know nothing about education in Hsinchu.
Wow, that’s real persuasive, Brendon, not to mention mature. Care to back it up with anything resembling substance?
Re. the previous comment of Brendan’s, his fine descriptive prose says nothing to help parents genuinely looking for a quality international school in Hsinchu.
Hsinchu Holland International School has been recommended to me by trusted friends with students at the school for many years, but until recently I have not visited because of the distance problem for my kids travelling to school. Now that the school offers dormitory facilities, I visited both the school and dormitory and can only speak from my observations after a lengthy visit and in-depth conversations with administration and staff.
Having travelled extensively worldwide, I have experience of selecting schools for my kids and I’m confident that I have made the right choice for my family.
If anyone is still in any doubt as to which international school in Hsinchu is the ‘real’ one, they need only perform a quick Google search. You’ll get about one hit for the so-called ‘American’ school (their own website, of course), and the rest will be for Hsinchu (Holland) International School. Apart from the official HIS website (which alone should be enough to relieve any doubts), you’ll find a lengthy series of listings originating from other sources such as newspapers and magazines, government institutes, educational organizations, and so forth: HIS has been around for a long time and has earned this degree of respect and recognition. The same cannot be said for any other outfit calling itself an ‘international school’ in Hsinchu (I’ve heard the school in the Science Park is good, but as one of the other posters said, it is more geared toward kids living in the Park, and doesn’t appear to have as broad and ‘international’ a curriculum as HIS).
HIS has seen hundreds of students graduate over twenty-five years, accepted to universities like Stanford and Oxford; as far as I’m aware, the ‘American’ school doesn’t even HAVE any graduates. And if anyone is still in doubt, why not ask around? Call HIS and talk to the principal, or ask HICA (Hsinchu International Community Association), or the government offices in Hsinchu, and see who they recommend.
Anyway, I’m about done with this now. I only posted initially to help the original poster find a reputable school for his colleague, as I have lived in Hsinchu for many years and am familiar with the education scene here. I was not expecting to have to deal with someone whose only contribution to the discussion is to say “I call bullshit” without even giving a reason.
(The ‘Holland’ in the school’s title is just a token designation reflecting the school’s early connections with Phillips and the Dutch trade office, by the way: its curriculum and staff are not Dutch, but thoroughly international.)