Being a busy parent, you would still like to give your child the best possible education you can afford. But you have heard all kinds of conflicting opinions about the value of a private school education. You have even heard some of your friends and relatives speak highly of a particular school in glowing terms.  That's because each one of us knows what we like and likes what we know. You, however, need data and information to drive and support your decision.

How do you choose the right private school for your child anyway? Where should you begin? What's involved?  How do you know which is the best school? What about the ranking?

Though they are tough,  we can still provide solutions for you. Below five tips outline what you need to do to choose the right private school for your child.

Hire an experienced Educational Consultant

You might think that all the information you need is online anyway, right? Not exactly. This is the best advice I can give you. Why? Well, you wouldn't write your own will, would you? Of course you can research schools yourself, but who's got time for that? Since your child's happiness and future success is at stake, pony up the funds and hire a professional educational consultant. You will appreciate the experience which this professional brings to the table. You can find a qualified consultant. Or ask a trusted professional for the name of a consultant in your community.

Prepare a List of Schools

This is the fun part of the process. Most private schools have websites with great photo galleries and video tours. So you and your child can surf the Internet together and find plenty of schools to consider. It is a very efficient way of making that first cut. It is always good to save the schools to your Favorites whilst you find them. It will make a serious discussion of each school easier later on. 

It is really important that you and your child understand each others' needs when it comes to choosing a school. By all means, guide the process. But don't impose your ideas on your child. Otherwise she's not going to buy into the idea of going to a private school or will be resistant to the school you think is right for her.

Discuss the schools on your list with your consultant. She will know what your chances of acceptance are for each school on your list.  Attempt to make a list of 3 to 5 schools. Most likely your consultant will recommend choosing at least one school with a higher chance in getting accepted.  Listen to their advice concerning applying to the more competitive schools. School applications in most local and international schools are very competitive.  Your child just might not make the cut at a selective school.

Schools visit

No missing on this step in most cases.  You simply cannot rely on the opinions of others or a website to tell what a school is really like. Please schedule a school visit for your child whenever possible. It will give her a good feel for her prospective new home away from home.

Make sure you personally visit and inspect each school on your list. The schools want to meet you and interview your child. But you need to meet the admissions staff and ask them questions too. It is very much a two way communication.

Admissions Testing and Applications.

Your child may be extremely smart, even gifted. But if she has not taken a couple of practice admissions tests, she will not shine on the real test.  As such, test preparation is important. It will give her that edge she needs. Don't skip this step.

Submit all applications on time. All schools will have application deadlines. Stick to these. In fact, wherever possible, submit your materials a week or two early.

Once you have submitted your applications, all you have to do is to wait or arrange an interview practice class for your child.  Acceptance letter are sent out in a month or so. If your child is wait listed, please don't panic. You shouldn't have to wait too long to hear one way or the other.

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