The Best Places for Raising Children Abroad
Children social integration more important than financial gain to many expat parents
If you plan to move abroad with children, the decision making process is always more complicated, as you have to consider, not only the usual aspects (career, income, logistics…) but also your child’s needs, which usually represent a prevailing factor in deciding where and when to move.
There are actually great and not so great places in the world when it comes to raising children. According to the 2011 HSBC Expat Explorer survey, France, the Netherlands and Australia are the top countries for expat raising children. Nevertheless, the countries that have proven to be just perfect for expat children are not always the best ones in terms of salary and financial gain. As a matter of fact, the survey reveals that the countries which offer the best benefits to expats in terms of financial wealth are not places where families with children can integrate easily. Those countries, highly ranked as the “high income” countries, usually have poor (or lower) standards of childcare.
Three major criteria were taken into consideration in the Raising Children Abroad ranking table: childcare, health and well-being, and integration. The survey found that expat children living in the three top countries spend more time outdoors, get more involved in sport activities, and generally integrate easily into a new society.
For example, 58% of expat parents living in France claim that their children are not missing friends and family at home. Compared to the global average of 35%, this finding ranks France at the top of the list as a country with a high child integration rate. It was also proved that expat parents in France spend more time with their children after moving, and 62% believe that their children are safer in France than in their home countries.
Nevertheless, the top three countries for expat children are on the bottom of the Expat Economic ranking list, with France at 28, Netherlands at 29th and Australia in 21st place. According to the survey, expat parents often choose to put their children needs first when making relocation decision, as expats living in these locations do not benefit from higher salaries or any other related benefits and luxuries.
The worst ranked country in Raising Children Abroad is the UK. The survey discovers that expat parents living in the UK face the average annual childcare cost of $12,790 per child. Furthermore, parents reported poor social integration of their children living in the UK.
It seems that the financial benefit is not the prevailing precondition for relocation choices of expat families with children. As Lisa Wood, head of marketing at HSBC Expat says: “For many expat parents, the knowledge that their children will easily be able to integrate into their new community will outweigh any potential increase in earnings and saving potential when moving”.
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