Need primary school for waidi stepson

[billiardsmike]

My fiance has torn out all of her hair and is about to start on mine. We need to find a good school for her son, who is starting first grade in the fall. She wants to keep the tuition to around 20,000 RMB per year.

The problem is that all of the decent schools that she has checked with in Wudaokou and Liudaokou are not interested in admitting her son because they are Shanxiren.

Any recommendations or advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Don_Horhe]

Sorry I can't offer help or advice, but is primary schools not accepting children from other provinces really an issue? Why? I mean, the rate at which children literally soak up language wouldn't pose any serious problem for the child and its education. When I started first grade in an all English school, I only knew the numbers 1-9 and the phrase "jingle bells" and had absolutely no problem. Plus, aren't kindergartens in China also "run" in putonghua?

[imron]

Yes, it's a huge issue (and it's not just primary schools, but also middle and high schools). It's not so much about language but rather 户口. If the child is not registered as a Beijing resident, it will be difficult for him to get into a Beijing school.

[gato]

Show these two lists to your fiance. They list the "support fees" (赞助费) at elementary schools in Haidian District for non-Beijing residents. The lowest seems to be RMB30,000 per year at 海淀实验小学. Pretty steep on a Chinese income.

http://www.wlsq.com.cn/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=7808

海淀知名小学赞助费一览（含万柳三小）

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_52e89fe10100dnvx.html

海淀小学排名及赞助费

[miss_China_so_much]

It looks that you live in Haidian District, the hotest area for parents seeking school positions! 20,000RMB per year is too little even for those not-so-famous ones. You need "guanxi", which is as important as money, if not more. Chinese parenting forums probably are better places for such a question.