The social integration of children is more important than financial gain to many expat parents.
Relocating with children always complicates the decision making process, as you have to consider, not only the usual aspects (career, income, logistic matters…) but also your children needs, which usually represent a prevailing factor in deciding where and when to move.
Around the world there are undoubtedly great and not-so-great places to live when it comes to raising children.
Three major criteria were taken into consideration in 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.
According to the 2011 HSBC Expat Explorer survey, the top countries in the world to raise expat children include France, the Netherlands and Australia. 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. The top three countries for expat children are on the bottom of the Expat Economic ranking list, with France at 28th, Netherlands at 29th and Australia at 21st place. According to the survey, expat parents often choose to put their children's 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. Those countries, highly ranked as the “high income” countries, usually have poor (or lower) standards of childcare.
For example, 58% expat parents living in France claim that their children are not missing friends and family at home. Compared to global average percentage of 35%, this finding ranks France at the top of the list as a country with high children integration rate. It was also proved that expat parents in France spend more time with their children after moving, and 62% of the believe that their children are safer in France than in their home countries. Another reason why France performed so well this year could be down to its favourable rankings in terms of the cost of childcare and education. 44% of expats reported that the overall cost of raising children was cheaper in France than in their home country compared to just 21% overall. Even though France ranks 5th in terms of quality of childcare, it has the lowest average annual childcare costs - with expat parents here spending just $5,562 each year on childcare for their children, compared to a global average of $7,534. Furthermore, while half of expats in France report a higher quality of education than in their home country, expat parents here generally spend considerably less on this aspect of raising children. Expenditure on education in France has an average annual cost of $6,780.30 compared to a global average of $11,558.94.
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 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 be able to easily integrate into their new community will outweigh any potential increase in earnings and saving potential when moving”.
source: expatforum.com via moveoneinc
