Australia Best For Offshore Offspring
Thursday, March 11, 2010

Australia is the best place to bring up children as an expat, according to a major survey of expats commissioned by HSBC Bank International.

'Offshore Offspring,' the third and final report to be drawn from the 2009 Expat Explorer research, has revealed that Singapore and Hong Kong also ranked in the top three countries in which to raise children abroad.

However, expats based in the UK and the US find it more expensive to raise children than in their native countries and, along with an number of other factors including children’s integration and quality of education, placed these countries bottom of the table when compared with the other countries surveyed.

“It can be tough being a parent, and expat parents find it equally, if not more, difficult," commented Lisa Wood, Head of Marketing and Communications for HSBC Bank International. "Many parents will be worried about the impact moving to a new country will have on their children, including safety, making friends, social interaction and of course, education."

“The latest Offshore Offspring report has revealed that expat children have the opportunity to experience many new cultures and learn different languages with many expat families declaring that the decision to move abroad was the best they ever made," Wood added. "It is great to see that in some parts of the world expats are really making the most of their new lifestyles to offer the best possible opportunities for their children.”

The report examines six countries from the Expat Explorer research, which were ranked according to number of factors, including organizing education/ schooling, making new friends, experiencing new cultures, and creating healthier lifestyles.

The survey found that, overall, expat parents see their children adapt well to most of the changes brought about by moving to a foreign country. For example, on average almost half (48%) of expat kids adapt very well to a new culture, 50% make new friends easily, and 49% adapt to new schooling very well.

It is Australia that ranks as a top expat location when looking specifically at children. According to their expat parents, children find it easier to make new friends and adapt to the schooling system in Australia than they did in their home country. In terms of integration, the UK and the US overall rank last, as children living in these countries are the most likely to struggle to make new friends and integrate into society.

A large number of expats in Australia said that their children had adapted to making new friends well (83%) and over half of respondents (56%) said that their children had adapted to the new culture “really well”. Looking at the overall social integration of their children, nearly two-thirds (63%) of expats in Australia said that this had increased when compared with their home country.

Expats living in Australia feel the country provides the best environment for healthy and active children. Expat children in Australia are the most likely to spend more time outdoors than before (78%). Children in Australia are more likely to have increased the amount of time spent playing sports (68% vs. 44% globally) and are also the most likely to spend less time watching TV (30% less time) and to eat healthily when compared to their home country. This, the bank's survey suggests, makes Australia the best place for children to adopt a healthy way of living.

By contrast, the US and the UK are the two least child-friendly countries for expats when it comes to being healthy. Children in the UK and the US are more likely to be inactive, spending more time watching TV and playing computer games, 43% and 27% respectively (compared to a 26% worldwide average). Children in the US are also more likely to frequently eat junk food compared to where they used to live – almost half (47%) of expats have noted an increase in junk food consumption since moving to the country.

Singapore ranked first in terms of improved safety for expat kids, and is the place that also offers children the highest quality of education and childcare compared to where they used to live. Parents living in Singapore felt that they had moved to a safer and more childcare-friendly place for their children – a huge 93% said they felt safer than in their previous country of residence, as opposed to 64% globally.

However, Singapore is one of the most expensive places for raising children, with the second largest proportion of expats living there experiencing an increase in the overall cost of rearing children.

The UK poses the greatest challenges in terms of organizing school for children. Over half of respondents (56%) said organizing schools was difficult, making it the toughest country to sort out education. Overall, a large proportion of expat parents in the UK reported a decrease in education standards in comparison to their home country. Despite this, expats in the UK are least likely to say that they would consider investing in paid-for education for their children – just 15% are currently investing in private education for their children.

Of those countries surveyed, the UK is also believed to be the worst country in terms of quality of childcare and standards of education, with over a quarter of expats (28% and 27% respectively) reporting lower standards in both areas since moving to the UK.

Of the top six countries, Singapore scores the highest in terms of education for expat children. It is the country offering the best quality of education and comes second in terms of the ease of making all the associated arrangements.