Boarding school on idyllic isle attracts Chinese

The beautiful views and relaxed lifestyle of the Isle of Man help make it an education destination because many parents like the idea of having a safe environment for their children to grow.

The island's leading private school, King William's College, is keen to attract more Chinese students to build on the 10 to 15 students from China it receives every year.

Stephanie Gregg, head of international recruitment at King William's, says many Chinese students attend after recommendations from friends and family who have attended.

But the college has been increasing its student recruitment efforts in China, and last year it has invited a group of Chinese journalists to tour the school.

King William's was founded in 1833, and it is the only independent school on the Isle of Man. It is a boarding and day school for girls and boys aged 11 to 18, with a campus that looks like a big castle.

Gregg says many Chinese parents want to send their children to a campus that is not crowded, without the distractions of big cities, and close to nature. The Isle of Man satisfies all these criteria, and its proximity to Britain makes it a good place to prepare students for entry to a British university. The self-governing British Crown dependency is located in the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland.

School officials tout a high teacher-to-student ratio, with each class having 12 to 15 students. The student body is some 360 students.

Fees are not cheap, amounting to 23,835 to 29,985 pounds ($34,080 to $42,880; 30,615 to 38,510 euros) for a full year of three terms, depending on the year the student is in, according to the school's website. That includes boarding fees.

Gregg says King William's likes to create a multicultural environment by balancing the proportion of students from different countries. It therefore tries to attract Chinese students in consistent numbers.

"We wouldn't want a massive amount of students from any country. For example, Chinese parents would be worried if the school had many other Chinese students, because that is not the purpose of sending their children abroad," she says.

One issue Chinese parents really care about is to ensure that their children work hard, Gregg says, and in particular, many parents from Hong Kong want to make sure their children do not play too many computer games.

The wide variety of activities available during weekends, such as sports and visiting local students' homes, means there is scarcely much time left for computer games, Gregg says.

The largest international student population at the college is German, and others come from such countries as Russia, Spain, Italy, India, the Baltic States, Kurdistan and Vietnam. International students make up around 15 percent of the school's population.

Gregg says many of the Chinese students come to the school at age 16, but in recent years the age has dropped as more parents want to send their students abroad earlier.

Contact the reporter through cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com