# Australian International School - Sharjah



## ns0035 (Apr 9, 2010)

We are currently looking at sending our two children to the Australian International School in Sharjah. Does anyone have any thoughts on quality, reputation, personal experience?


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## juzzrach (Apr 7, 2010)

ns0035 said:


> We are currently looking at sending our two children to the Australian International School in Sharjah. Does anyone have any thoughts on quality, reputation, personal experience?


Hi, I do not have any personal experience with that school, however I asked the same question last week about that school. We are from QLD, OZ and are looking at relocating at the end of the year. The response I have was not great form that school so we are now looking elsewhere. I have heard good things about the Victorian International School Sharjah (VISS) which follow the VIC curriculum. We are looking at that school and a couple more in Mirdif area which is where we plan to live. I hear the British curriculum and the IB are good too for aussie kids. Good luck!


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## ns0035 (Apr 9, 2010)

Not sure if I have already replied, but your advice is much appreciated. I have now made contact with this school (and VISS). AIS has about 80 Aussie teachers, and around 1000 kids - from nursery to IB





juzzrach said:


> Hi, I do not have any personal experience with that school, however I asked the same question last week about that school. We are from QLD, OZ and are looking at relocating at the end of the year. The response I have was not great form that school so we are now looking elsewhere. I have heard good things about the Victorian International School Sharjah (VISS) which follow the VIC curriculum. We are looking at that school and a couple more in Mirdif area which is where we plan to live. I hear the British curriculum and the IB are good too for aussie kids. Good luck!


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## alphaville (Sep 23, 2009)

I send my kid to AIS, it is a great school with very well trained teachers. The facilities are great, good security system, great social activities for the kids too. If you love the Australian (QLD) education system this is the school for your kids. What in particular do you need to know?


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## ns0035 (Apr 9, 2010)

Hey Alphaville,

This is good news for us...

We have twin boys (will be 11yrs old at time of arrival in Dubai). Both boys love their sport, and do pretty well academically. We previously lived in Kuwait, and the only other Australian boy in their class was the son of the Australian ambassador (handy when we picked them up from their place - and we stopped in for a beer!). Is there much of a sporting program at AIS? Could the boys establish themselves in a team of some sort? 

I am assuming there is a mix of nationalities at the school. Many aussies/brits/americans?

Our boys currently go to a private school in Melbourne (bit stuffy, by anyway!), so I'm assuming there would be a rather relaxed attitude at AIS. How would you compare the facilities (including classroom)? Dont know much about the QLD education system, but at this stage of their lives I guess they wont complain too much...

We will be fortunate enough to go back and forth to Melbourne (maybe 3 or 4 times/year) for Xmas and snow skiing.

What about weekend recreational activities? Is there plenty for the kids to do? We may well be travelling from a place like Arabian Ranches to AIS - is this do-able?

Have looked into fees, and we understand that there may well be some considerable increase for 2010/2011. 

Any other feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks heaps... 





alphaville said:


> I send my kid to AIS, it is a great school with very well trained teachers. The facilities are great, good security system, great social activities for the kids too. If you love the Australian (QLD) education system this is the school for your kids. What in particular do you need to know?


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## alphaville (Sep 23, 2009)

ns0035 said:


> Hey Alphaville,
> 
> This is good news for us...
> 
> ...


Regarding sports, dont expect the amount and quality of activity as in an Australian school. There are sport activities within the curriculum, even teams to join. But if your kids want to join teams etc they might be better off doing that wtih groups outside the school.

Brits and americans stick to their curriculum so this school wouldn't be their choice. Australian kids are a minority, with Emiratis and Arab expats being the majority, still there are expat kids from Europe and other parts of the world.

The style at AIS is rather relaxed without this meaning at the expense of teaching and learning. Facilities are great, large sports hall, swimming pool, technology integrated in the classrooms, etc

No recreational activities during weekends. Arabian Ranches is far far away, you would be taking the 611 bypass (30mins at least, maybe 45mins, not sure), then left on Maliha Road, another 15mins). Fees, I guess they will go up (dont they always?), my employer pays for it so I cant tell you for sure. Check the website, it has a lot of useful information, maybe if u contact one of the teachers you'll get more info.

Alphaville


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## ns0035 (Apr 9, 2010)

Many thanks again, Alphaville...

Apologies for any confusion, but when I mentioned 'recreational activities during the weekends' I meant outside the school. I hear reports of indoor snow-skiing places (our boys are both avid skiiers) water theme parks, etc. Do you think it would be a good place for a couple of 11-year-old boys outside of school? We will both have cars, so travel (over a reasonable distance) wont be a problem. 

Any thoughts on some good accomodation options a little closer to the AIS school? I'm going to be working close to Festival City, but I am not the key issue - the main game for my wife and kids is proximity to school, and a reasonable standard of living within easy reach of AIS. By the way, let me know what you have to do to get your employer to pay for school fees??!!. This is the single thing I could NOT negotiate!

Best regards again




alphaville said:


> Regarding sports, dont expect the amount and quality of activity as in an Australian school. There are sport activities within the curriculum, even teams to join. But if your kids want to join teams etc they might be better off doing that wtih groups outside the school.
> 
> Brits and americans stick to their curriculum so this school wouldn't be their choice. Australian kids are a minority, with Emiratis and Arab expats being the majority, still there are expat kids from Europe and other parts of the world.
> 
> ...


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## alphaville (Sep 23, 2009)

ns0035 said:


> Many thanks again, Alphaville...
> 
> Apologies for any confusion, but when I mentioned 'recreational activities during the weekends' I meant outside the school. I hear reports of indoor snow-skiing places (our boys are both avid skiiers) water theme parks, etc. Do you think it would be a good place for a couple of 11-year-old boys outside of school? We will both have cars, so travel (over a reasonable distance) wont be a problem.
> 
> ...



Dubai is heaven for kids (yes, they can ski at the Mall of Emirates, ice skate at Dubai Mall, and 'fly' at i-Fly at Mirdif CIty Centre) there's a lot of things going on, TIME OUT Dubai magazine publishes a monthly issue for kids, that says a lot. Mirdif is a nice area with spatious villas and 20 mins from the school (that's close, trust me). A favourite place for Australians and basically a family place, and easy access to all conveniences including easy access to Dubai from the Business Bay bridge. New huge Mirdif City Centre just opened. Check out the villas in Shooroq, new residential area in Mirdif. Festival City is only 5-10mins away from Mirdif. Other places to look for accommodation next to Festival City: Al Badia, Marsa Plaza and the Al Garhoud area (where the Le Meridien village and the Irish Village are located). Maybe you don't get fees paid probably because you get more cash or other benefits in your package? As for the wife, there are a lot of groups of in AIS and Mirdif to join. A.


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## ns0035 (Apr 9, 2010)

Once againn many thanks for the support.

My employer will be accompanying me (upon arrival) to look at a few properties - Festival City, Al Badia are included so far), and we will obviously need to 'strike a balance' between ease of getting to school and some form of family-friendly area. Will now check out Shooroq and Al Garhoud on Dubizzle. Hey, any advice on taking a fully-furnished place (I know these are sometimes rare) or buying some second-hand stuff to fill a 3-bedroom villa? I heard that you may well be in a flight-path in some places around Mirdif?






alphaville said:


> Dubai is heaven for kids (yes, they can ski at the Mall of Emirates, ice skate at Dubai Mall, and 'fly' at i-Fly at Mirdif CIty Centre) there's a lot of things going on, TIME OUT Dubai magazine publishes a monthly issue for kids, that says a lot. Mirdif is a nice area with spatious villas and 20 mins from the school (that's close, trust me). A favourite place for Australians and basically a family place, and easy access to all conveniences including easy access to Dubai from the Business Bay bridge. New huge Mirdif City Centre just opened. Check out the villas in Shooroq, new residential area in Mirdif. Festival City is only 5-10mins away from Mirdif. Other places to look for accommodation next to Festival City: Al Badia, Marsa Plaza and the Al Garhoud area (where the Le Meridien village and the Irish Village are located). Maybe you don't get fees paid probably because you get more cash or other benefits in your package? As for the wife, there are a lot of groups of in AIS and Mirdif to join. A.


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## alphaville (Sep 23, 2009)

ns0035 said:


> Once againn many thanks for the support.
> 
> My employer will be accompanying me (upon arrival) to look at a few properties - Festival City, Al Badia are included so far), and we will obviously need to 'strike a balance' between ease of getting to school and some form of family-friendly area. Will now check out Shooroq and Al Garhoud on Dubizzle. Hey, any advice on taking a fully-furnished place (I know these are sometimes rare) or buying some second-hand stuff to fill a 3-bedroom villa? I heard that you may well be in a flight-path in some places around Mirdif?



Furnished place? I haven't really seen any furnished places. Second-hand stuff you will find, although there are a lot of good sales all over the year. The flight path: well, yes and no, depending where in Mirdif you are. Read my reply to another post about moving to Mirdif.


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