I love ESF Hillside! The principal, Chris Duncan, is great and so are all the teachers. My…read moredaughter attended K1 and K2 there. Every day, she is excited to go to school and loves her classmates and teachers. As part of the IB program, the students here learn in units of inquiries and they get exposed to a lot of topics such as the nature and social responsibility. If you want Chinese program, this is not the place for you. Mandarin is taught only once a week, and about 20 minutes each. The primary language is English. The teachers do an excellent job preparing the kids for Primary. They learn a lot of basic skills and are all confident young individuals when they graduate. I have only great things to say about ESF Hillside!

The English School Foundation (ESF) was formed in 1967 to cater for children of local expatriates,…read morepredominantly English and a lot of them were civil servants working out here at the time. They have developed since then, growing to some 20 -odd schools at all levels at this moment. I was lucky enough to have attended Shatin College for some time and I would say that the ESF is an education body that really does care for its students. Without getting all teary eyed, my school years were filled with opportunities that could not be had if the school was a local one. The ESF invests heavily on extra curriculum activities and it affords its student many different facilities that would simply out of the question if it had not been for the immense resources of the education body (the ESF had been funded by the government during all these years; being withdrawn gradually now). Every year there seems to be more facilities being made available to students and given the British curriculum (as well as the IB now being introduced) being taught, it gives students more time and flexibility to develop their interests and I truly believe that it does provide children with a more dynamic childhood. The fees are being raise every year as government funding is being cut back and understandably there will be heavier burden on parents to chip in where the government had paid the bill before. I believe though (and I'm not the only one given the rumoured 3 year waiting list); that for your child this is still worth it.

My dear dear Alma Mater!!!!…read more I have to say I am who I am today largely because of it. I spent all 7 years in KGV and most friends I have now in Hong Kong, I have either met then, or through people I met there. When I was studying, I really took it for granted, but looking back, it's a great school. Arguably one of the best in Hong Kong I think. I mean, come on! we have a big ass field, basketball courts, tennis courts, pool. Our facilities are one of the top and without the huge price tag or stress. (I'm not sure how DBS boys study so hard AND have time for extra curricular to make use of the facilities?) There were many fun activities throughout the year including dance shows, music competitions, battle of the bands, spring fair, etc. But I think KGV really teaches you (and not just the teachers, but the students) to be humble and well-rounded. We're well off but we're not snooty and know the value of money, even the super rich ones! Also many students come out in all disciplinarians. Many in finance, doctors, law, art, fashion, music, teaching. It's really a wide variety and many didn't get it through connections either =p. Students graduate going to top universities whether it's in UK, US, Oz, Canada, HK, etc. I believe KGV also has a very high average IB score now too! I've had many good and bad times in KGV, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Although once I have kids, I would probably just pick the school most convenient to us, but I will try my very best to put them in an ESF school. The teachers are great too. Many of us are still facebook friends, although I don't really see them anymore. Speaking of which, I should really plan a visit back to school =) *** Tips: Just send your kids here Favourities: Facilities, people, teachers, heritage/traditions Meh: None I can think of right now! When I got scolded I guess? Last words: I would go back if I could!

I'm super happy to write a review of my elementary school. GSIS is where I grew up for the first…read more11 years of my life. Many life long friends, and mentors were made in this school. I will never forget my days here which is why I am very excited to write a review for this school. Obviously I am a little biased since I attended this school. But honestly speaking, it isn't considered one of the best international schools in Hong Kong for nothing. It is now even harder to get in than it was when I attended. It's crazy how the mothers I meet in Hong Kong go through so much to send their kids to the best schools. It's almost like survival of the fittest and who wins mother of the club award is the queen b of their children's school. Super competitive, its crazy! I have nothing but good things to say about GSIS. The teachers are exceptional. Every single teacher I had, pushed me to learn the best I could. All the classes, subjects, and facilities provided by the school were top notch and implemented with the best intentions to provide the best learning environment for the students here. There is an English stream and a German Stream. This means that students who were in the English stream are mainly English students who learned German and classes were taught in English. The German stream students were taught in German and had English classes. I was obviously put in the English stream so I had to take mandatory German classes. After school activities were very vast. Students could learn anything from chess, to ballet, to jazz dancing to tennis. There was a wide spectrum for students to gravitate what interested them and learn whatever they wanted after school. Elementary school was from 7.45 - 12.30 PM and after school activities were offered at 2PM. Many of my friends who continued in secondary school at GSIS ended up graduating from Ivy leagues. That speaks for itself.

It's really a good place to learn English. The tutor is experienced and patient. Although it has…read morejust started running, the tutor is good enough to make your kids improve and gain knowledge.

Gigamind English Primary School was established in 2001. It is a private whole-day school located…read morein Tin Shui Wai, nearby Kingswood Villa, Maywood Court. Gigamind is the very first whole-day English private school in Tin Shui Wai. Gigamind is a bi-lingual (English/Mandarin) Christian school with child-centred interactive programs. Gigamind also has a Christian based kindergarten and the location is right next to the Primary school. I have all 3 children going to Gigamind as we don't want them to travel to Kowloon to get quality English/Mandarin education aiming to stimulate the development of children's "Multiple Intelligences" through pedagogically sound teaching methods. There is not any international primary school in this area of New Territories. You need to travel to Shatin for EFS or Gold Coast and pay $5M debenture for Harrow International. For those who don't want to send your kids to local schools. Gigamind is a good alternative in the local community. The tuition fee (Primary 1 to 6) is HK$57,310 per annum for 2012-2013 academic year, payable in 11 installments of HK$5,210 each. Miscellaneous charges (for library services and other utilities) are HK$1,800 per term, to be paid in September and February. Additional fees for school bus service, lunch orders, uniforms and field trip expense will be charged where applicable.

If you are new to HK, or even an old hand, you may want to learn a bit of Chinese. Whether it is…read moreMandarin or Cantonese, I would thoroughly recommend that you call Sasha O, quite frankly the best Chinese teacher in HK, in my humble opinion! What makes Sasha great, is not that she is a better Chinese person than anybody else (she is however very lovely and good natured, and learning with her is easy and stress free), but it is because she teaches you what you need, and want, to know. Sure, teaching kids is very structured, and there are prescribed syllabus requirements, all of which Sasha can teach. However, when it comes to adults, do I really need to know how to say, "This is my friend Richard, he likes to skateboard in the park."? The last time I went skateboarding, the bottom of my trousers were much wider than the tops (OK, only oldies like me will get that!). What is great about classes with Sasha, is that you are flexible to learn what is useful to you. For Mrs L, it's about learning a new language from scratch (and being able to ask for the vegetarian menu). For my friend C, it's about learning business lingo in Mando for trips to the mainland. For me, it is all about going "street" and improving my tones and pronunciation, as I am already a Canto speaker - but just a bit ropey. Sasha specialises in 1-to-1 classes, or small groups (i.e. couples, families). This ensures that her teaching is effective and personalised. Also, as a freelance "gun for hire", her charge out rate is very affordable. As she is based in Lamma, Sasha will travel to your location for classes. I currently learn at work in the IFC. You've come all the way to HK, why not learn a bit of the lingo. You should at least try to learn enough to say "Oi, mate, don't take Garden Road, we'll be here all bleeding day!".

my daughter, 13, is taking lessons from Sasha. She loves her. Sasha is very creative. She is…read moreteaching her both Mandarin and Cantonese. We feel fortunate that we found her.