Expat Essentials

Expat Essentials: Dispatches’ guide to international schools in Vienna, Pt. 2

We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again: one of the bigger challenges for English-speaking expat families – even for well-paid corporate nomads – is finding a satisfactory, English-language international school.

Such schools cater to expat students, with curricula tied to the host nation in question, or an international education organization such as Edexcel, Cambridge International Examinations, and International Baccalaureate; if you’re curious about the International Baccalaureate program, by the by, Dispatches Europe has a primer for your convenience.

Wherever you’re headed, do not wait to get there before starting the application process with your preferred international school, which can be lengthy. Also, there are more students than capacity in many European cities due to the increasing global mobility of talent.

Picking up from where we left off, Vienna (Wien auf Deutsch) is known to be one of the world’s most livable cities, ranking first or second in several “quality of life” surveys by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Monocle, and Mercer (the latter of which we reported on back in March 2016).

Arts and culture are synonymous with Vienna. The Burgtheater and the Akademietheater are two of the finest theaters in the German-speaking world; the Hofburg, Albertina, Museum of Art Fakes, and Sigmund Freud Museum contain valuable pieces covering the many facets of Vienna’s history; and the city itself is the last stronghold of the 19th-century ball, with as many as 450 balls held annually in some of the city’s finest palaces.

Finally, Vienna is a technology hub, whose size is comparable to that of Helsinki or Munich.

Nearly 9,000 IT businesses called the city home in 2012, with firms like Hewlett Packard, Frequentis, and Kapsch among them. And of course, by 2020, every home and business in the City of Dreams is expected to have full broadband internet coverage.

Without further ado, here is the second and final part to Vienna’s international schools (the first part can be found here)!

Mayflower Christian Academy: Wondering where your littlest ones can obtain a Christ-centred education? You can do no wrong by sending them to Mayflower Christian Academy.

MCA is a primary school covering preschool to 4th grade students whose mission is to develop each child’s personal development through God, including: fostering English-language skills; finding and building personal abilities; appreciate other cultures; and establishing the foundation for graduates to meet “the demands of a multicultural, multilingual and transnational society.”

The primary school plans to expand into grades 5 through 8 once a new location is found.

  • Fees (2017-18 academic year): €310 one-time refundable deposit; €490 one-time non-refundable registration fee; €100 one-time refundable school readiness assessment; €4,680 –
    €5,400 annual tuition fee, depending on grade level and whether the student(s) attended the Arche Noah for 24 months before entering Mayflower
  • Requirements: Arrange appointment to visit the school/teacher; arrange interview with child and office for maturity assessment; submit required documentation; full information here
  • Application Deadline: N/A; contact school for information
  • Contact: [email protected]
  • Website: www.mayflower-christian-academy.at

Vienna Elementary School/Vienna European School:

Vienna Elementary School and Vienna European School view itself as not only a house of learning, but one for socializing, where all students from all over the world “share experiences together such as learning, singing, games and celebrations in a non-threatening, enriching environment.”

VES also has the aim of ensuring their students are ready for a future whose requirements and expectations for living and working do not yet exist by way its early formation process. The schools follow the Austrian curriculum.

  • Fees (2017-18 academic year): €760 application fee for pre- and elementary school students, €800 for middle and high school students; €7,860 – €11,400 annual tuition fee, depending on grade level; full schedule of fees here
  • Requirements: Complete and submit application with required documentation
  • Application Deadline: N/A; contact school for information
  • Contact: [email protected]
  • Website: www.ves.at

Vienna International School: Located near the United Nations headquarters in Vienna’s 22nd district, Vienna International School is the learning home of 1,400 students between 3 and 19 years of age, hailing from 103 nations and speaking 70 languages.

VIS offers the full International Baccalaureate programme, with final-year students graduating with the IB Diploma in their hands.

The school’s mission “is to empower all… to be successful and responsible in a nurturing and diverse learning community, so that they can achieve their potential in a changing world.”

  • Fees (2017-18 academic year): €500 application fee; €4,578 admissions fee;
    €2,725 capital fee (VBO and Dipl. Corps), €3,815 fee for all other students; €370 deposit fee; €6,508 – €19,692 annual tuition, depending on grade level; full schedule of fees here
  • Requirements: Complete and submit online application with required documentation
  • Application Deadline: Ongoing enrollment
  • Contact: [email protected]
  • Website: www.vis.ac.at
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Lifestyle journalist. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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