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Find the right international school for your family

We research the options, contact relevant schools and help you understand where to apply.

US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.

  • A named adviser you speak with
  • Recommendations in 7 working days
  • Any destination, worldwide
Example of school options compared side by side on availability for each child, where the information came from, curriculum, area, fees and next step. School names shown are fictional.

Your schools, side by side

Westbrook International School

Sofia · Year 4Place available
Luca · Year 1Place available
Information
From the school
Curriculum
British
Area
North campus
Annual fees
Confirmed for your intake
Next step
Assessment, then offer

Harbour Ridge Academy

Sofia · Year 4Place available
Luca · Year 1Waiting list
Information
From the school
Curriculum
British
Area
City campus
Annual fees
Confirmed for your intake
Next step
Campus visit, then assessment

Elmfield International College

Sofia · Year 4Not confirmed
Luca · Year 1Not confirmed
Information
From our team
Curriculum
British
Area
Main campus
Annual fees
Earlier-year reference fee
Next step
We ask admissions to confirm

Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.

How Personal School Search works

Three steps. One named adviser. A clear plan for your family.

  1. 1

    Tell us about your family

    Share your destination, each child's age and year group, curriculum preferences, budget and intended start date. Then discuss your priorities in a 30-minute consultation with your named adviser. One brief covers all the children named in it.

  2. 2

    We research your options

    Your adviser assesses suitable schools for each child and contacts relevant admissions teams about the questions that matter to your search, within the agreed service scope.

  3. 3

    Know where to apply — and why

    Receive three recommended schools plus up to two suitable alternatives, with written reasoning for each child and clear next steps. Discuss the recommendations in a 30-minute review call, with follow-up questions answered for 30 days.

US$499 per family · One-time fee. Applications, assessments and admissions decisions stay with you and the school.

Patrick Heiberg, founder of InternationalSchools.org

Your adviser

Patrick Heiberg

Founder of InternationalSchools.org · Father of two · Living abroad

You work directly with me. I research the schools that suit your children, contact relevant admissions teams on your behalf, and write down why each recommendation makes sense for your family.

More about your adviser

Why research beats a directory

A school website tells you about the school.

It usually cannot tell you what is possible for your family now. Your adviser asks the questions that decide where it is worth applying.

  • Whether there is a place for your child, in the year group they need
  • Whether the year group is full or has a waiting list
  • What the fees are for that year group, and what else you pay
  • Whether your start date is possible
  • What the next step is for your family
Example of what a family tells us: destination, children, curriculum preference and intended start date.

What you tell us

Where you are moving
Dubai
Children
Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
Curriculum
British preferred
Start
August

You tell us once, for every child. Your adviser assesses the brief and contacts relevant admissions teams on your behalf.

Example only. School names in these examples are fictional.

The research behind your recommendations

School information, brought together for each child.

Your adviser brings together school information, admissions responses and the practical differences between your options. Confirmed answers and information still awaiting confirmation are clearly distinguished.

Place availableWaiting listFull for this intakeNot confirmed

We do not predict availability and we do not score schools. Examples shown here use fictional school names.

Fictional example of the written reasoning included with a recommendation.

Example: the reasoning for one recommendation

Why it could fit
British curriculum, strong Year 4 pastoral support, 15 minutes from the area you are considering.
The trade-off
Fees are above your stated range for the older child, and the current Year 4 class is close to capacity.
Confirmed
Year-group placement for both children, and the fees for the year you asked about.
Still being checked
Whether an August start is possible for the older child.
Suggested next step
Register interest now, and keep the second recommendation open until the reply arrives.

Fictional example, for illustration only. It does not show a real school, real availability or a completed search.

Example of the school options one family sees, showing for each child whether a place is available, where the information came from, the fees and what happens next. School names shown are fictional.

Your schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August

  • Westbrook International School

    From the school

    North campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake

    Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about

    • Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
    • Luca · Year 1Place availablePlace available for August

    Next step: Assessment, then offer

  • Harbour Ridge Academy

    From the school

    City campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake

    Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about

    • Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
    • Luca · Year 1Waiting listWaiting list, reviewed monthly

    Next step: Campus visit, then assessment

  • Elmfield International College

    From our team

    Main campus · British · Annual fees: Earlier-year reference fee

    Fees for your intake not yet confirmed

    • Sofia · Year 4Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
    • Luca · Year 1Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed

    Next step: We ask admissions to confirm

Every option says who provided the information and whether places are confirmed. Your adviser explains what each answer means for your children.

Example school options. School names in these examples are fictional.

A parent and child reading school answers together on a laptop at home

Your adviser explains the reasoning, in writing.

You receive written reasoning for each recommendation, a review call, and answers to follow-up questions on the agreed search for 30 days.

What you receive

One clear fee, one named adviser, and recommendations you can act on.

US$499 per family · One-time fee

  • One agreed destination anywhere in the world, and every child named in your brief
  • A 30-minute consultation with your named adviser
  • A written shortlist: 3 recommended schools, plus up to 2 alternatives where suitable
  • If fewer than three schools genuinely fit your brief, we explain why and present the options that do
  • Written reasoning explaining the fit for each child
  • Up to 8 admissions teams contacted on your behalf
  • One 30-minute review call after your shortlist arrives
  • Your shortlist within 7 working days, counted from your consultation and your complete brief
  • Written questions on the agreed search answered for 30 days, replies within 2 working days
  • We show you how to arrange school visits; we do not book or attend them
  • Applications, assessments and admissions decisions stay with you and the school
Start my school search

From US$499 per family · Scope and fee agreed with you

Is an employer arranging your move?

Employers, relocation companies and global mobility teams commission the same service for relocating families. Scope and fee are agreed first.

Request a proposal

School search for employers and organisations

Why InternationalSchools.org

Choosing a school is one of the biggest decisions of your move.

You can research it yourself, and many families do. Personal School Search exists for the families who would rather have someone experienced do the work and explain the reasoning. Your personal details are never sold.

Focused on international education

We work on international school decisions every day: curricula, year-group equivalence, fees, intakes and how admissions teams actually respond.

Research you would struggle to do alone

Your adviser compares the realistic options for each child and contacts relevant admissions teams, instead of leaving you to email schools one by one.

Independent reasoning, one clear fee

Schools cannot pay to appear in your recommendations or influence them. You pay one fee, and you know it before you start.

Read the privacy notice

Explore

Explore international schools

Still researching? Learn about schools, curricula, fees and admissions in your destination.

Destinations

What families need to know about international schools in each city, from admissions to fees and timing.

Curricula

British, International Baccalaureate, American and other systems, explained in plain English.

School fees

Tuition, registration, deposits and the costs families often miss.

Family guides

Practical guidance for choosing a school while moving to a new country.

Research on your behalf

We ask schools the questions that matter to your family.

Your adviser contacts relevant admissions teams about your children's year groups, intended start date and admissions next steps. We combine the responses we receive with our research to explain your options. When availability or another important detail remains unconfirmed, we say so.

Your requirements come first

We assess schools against your family's priorities, including curriculum, budget, location and each child's needs.

Relevant questions, asked directly

Our outreach focuses on the admissions questions that could affect where you apply.

Clear about what is confirmed

We distinguish school-confirmed answers from published information and details still awaiting confirmation.

Questions

Questions families ask

Know which international schools to apply to, and why

Tell us about your family, and your adviser takes it from there.

Start my school searchSee how it works

US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.