For parents, choosing a school can be overwhelming. The FTA has created a guide for parents seeking a school and outlines some simple techniques to differentiate between schools.

Before you begin, consider your budget. Schools range in price, depending upon grade level and quality, as follows:

1. International Schools: $10,000+/year
2. Private Schools: $2000-10,000/year
3. Public Schools: No fees, parents usually buy books, supplies, and pay for field trips

*Note: If you're in the US, UK, AU, NZ, CA, or several other Eurozone countries, Public schools(usually) meet the same standards as International schools.

After you've decided what your budget dictates, consider your location. Try to select at least 3 schools within your location radius. You can check our School Directory to find more schools or drive around, ask some people.

Pay each school a visit and look for the following:

1. Books: What curriculum is the school using? Generally speaking, IGCSE=good and "We have our own curriculum"=bad.  Some schools will say they follow the British or US national curriculums, that's good too. If they say they follow the local/state/federal government curriculum of their own country, you have more work to do: verify the curriculum is equivalent to IGCSE or else at least make sure your child will be learning what you want them to learn.
2. Teachers: Are the teachers losers? Talk to them for a few minutes and make up your own mind. Ask about grading policies, discipline, and how they deal with bored students.  Many public and private schools hire teachers to fill seats and they'll take just about anyone including pedophiles, crack-heads, people who haven't finished high school, etc. Ask the school if they verify their teachers' credentials and run Criminal Background Checks. If not, your child could be molested or taught incorrectly.
3. Administration: Are the administrators losers? Key indicators: gold watch, expensive suit, drives a BMW, and never talks to their teachers. Many private and public schools have rich people who make money from your student tuition fees. They typically pay their teachers the lowest possible salary and spend as little as possible on curriculum, professional development, and things which would improve your child's education. You'll see signs of this when you talk to the teachers and see that they're either losers,  low-paid locals, or immigrants from poor nations.Top schools attract top talent and pay accordingly. Terrible schools attract losers and pay very little.
4. Class Size: 35+ is too many. Your student won't learn anything worthwhile in that environment. Ideal class size is 15, but 20 is manageable.