Curricula, tutors, universities
The most expensive mistake in a privileged childhood is the wrong school for the wrong child. Everything here helps you decide with more information and less pressure.
The short version
Education is the one purchase where money buys options rather than outcomes. A child can be sent to the best school in Europe and still need a good tutor, a clear plan for university and a year off that is more than a holiday. We write about all four.
In this section
Education · 8 min read
Three certificates open the same universities and reward different children. The IB wants organised generalists, A-levels want early specialists, the Abitur wants stamina. Here is how to tell which one your child is.
Education · 7 min read
Good tutors are the most cost-effective money a family spends on education. Bad ones are expensive babysitters with a laptop. The difference is visible within three sessions if you know what to look for.
Education · 7 min read
A year of beaches and hostels is a holiday. A year with a job, a language, a skill and a stretch of real independence is an education. The difference is a plan made before results day.
Neither is better. The IB rewards breadth and organisation across six subjects, A-levels reward depth in three or four. A child who already knows their direction usually thrives with A-levels; a child who wants to keep doors open, or who may apply outside the United Kingdom, is often better served by the IB.
Two years before the application. In practice that means the summer at the end of Year 11 or grade 10: subject choices, a first shortlist of countries and the sports, music or volunteering that will carry the personal statement.
In London, Zurich and Munich, a qualified subject tutor charges between 60 and 150 euros an hour; former examiners and Oxbridge specialists charge 200 and more. Residential tutors who travel with the family cost from 6,000 euros a month plus expenses.
