IS THIS NORMAL - Steep Deposit/Admission Fees 4 Pre-Schools?

[peacetruth]

HI All

My child is just 3years old...

I would be very grateful if you can please tell me - is it normal practice in Singapore to be paying perchild admission fee of $1600+ and per family registration fee of $7000 for the very good International Schools?!

I went to visit eaton house international pre-school at 714 mountbatten road today - and was horrified to think that they want to just keep, use $7000 from parents as deposit till the child stays there.

though i loved the fascilities i am really finding this hard to digest and unfair practice.

its a HUGE amount of money and in my opinion day light robbery...

BUT IS THIS NORMAL FOR other eaton schools and other international pre-schools.

thanks in advance!

[sundaymorningstaple]

Welcome to Singapore. The American School will set you back 20K/child/year. And you're complaining about 7K?

[JR8]

I'm curious, on what basis do they hold this 'deposit'?

Can it be forfeited, for example if the child misbehaves, or parents do not meet contractual obligations?

On the face of it it sounds most odd. Like requiring parents to not only pay fees but also to fund the school's balance sheet. I.e. two bites of the cherry.

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

Welcome to Singapore. The American School will set you back 20K/child/year. And you're complaining about 7K?

Really closer to 30K, although it's a bit cheaper in pre-school. Guess what? They're all going up too and this is despite the fact there are more and more International School options for students opening up in the next 12 - 18 months. It's a boom town mentality, but still the not-for-profit schools and the for-profit schools are charging basically the same tuition. Doesn't seem right.

[JR8]

What does 'not for profit' mean?

If you own the company and pay yourself enough there is no 'profit'.

[peacetruth]

to answer moderators question - i am NOT referring at the fees - the fees are around $21000 - and i am NOT complaining about that.

i am just referring to the DEPOSIT - is it normal to be paying deposit equal to one terms fees = $7000?

hope this clarifies my question.

to answer other persons question, it is refundable and nothing to do with childs behaviour or damage, its to cover for unpaid fees r if parents dont give enough notice to leave nursery.

STILL Tthe question remains, is anyone else paying such hign DEPOSITS?

ADMIN/REGISTRATION/ADMISSION FEE IS ALSO $1600 - which i think is huge!

over to you....

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

What does 'not for profit' mean?

If you own the company and pay yourself enough there is no 'profit'.

It means they operate pretty much on a break even basis. It speaks more to their ethos than balance sheet. SAS is owned and operated by a trust. Stamford is owned an operated by Cognita.

A few years ago SAS slipped in a policy regarding a behavior code for parents (ridiculous since it should apply to everyone, not just parents) that made it easier to eject entire families if a parent got out of line.

@peacetruth~ people must be paying these deposit fees, as there are waitlists everywhere.

[aargon]

HI All

My child is just 3years old...

I would be very grateful if you can please tell me - is it normal practice in Singapore to be paying perchild admission fee of $1600+ and per family registration fee of $7000 for the very good International Schools?!

I went to visit eaton house international pre-school at 714 mountbatten road today - and was horrified to think that they want to just keep, use $7000 from parents as deposit till the child stays there.

though i loved the fascilities i am really finding this hard to digest and unfair practice.

its a HUGE amount of money and in my opinion day light robbery...

BUT IS THIS NORMAL FOR other eaton schools and other international pre-schools.

thanks in advance!

not sure you`ve got your facts right. my 3 yr olds goes to eton house, the $1600 is the deposit which you get back when u leave provided you give 2 months notice. The 7K is the fee for each term which you have to pay in advance.

[sundaymorningstaple]

So what you are saying is the op got her dander up and all in a dither on the board, because she didn't listen to what they were saying (most likely in singlish).

[aargon]

So what you are saying is the op got her dander up and all in a dither on the board, because she didn't listen to what they were saying (most likely in singlish).

basically, yes.

I suggest the OP also checks out the eton house website where the fees are also listed in black and white.

link attached in case u have difficulty using the search function

http://www.etonhouse.com.sg/index.php?o ... Itemid=151

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

But the problem is, you have to pay at all the places you apply to just to be put on the waiting list. Since your child can only go to one, you lose out on all the other admin/deposits at the other schools.

[JR8]

How can that be legal?

What are they offering (non-successful parents) of value to form the basis of a contract from their side?

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

I believe most school give back the deposit, but it stills ties up a lot of cash.

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

Also, either way most schools put a greater financial burden on new families through some kind of administration fee to offset tuition increases for enrolled students.

[aargon]

But the problem is, you have to pay at all the places you apply to just to be put on the waiting list. Since your child can only go to one, you lose out on all the other admin/deposits at the other schools.

2K deposit isnt a lot when you`re talking about 20K of annual fees.

Look at it from a schools perspective. If they didnt employ this "fee" then they`ll struggle as families will put their children on every list possible. I have no problem with the deposit, provided I get it back.