Digital Nomad Families: The Education Aspect
It’s easier to be a digital nomad when you’re going solo, for sure: You have much less to think about when you don’t have any dependents.
On the other hand, nomad life can be much more enjoyable if you’re doing it with your family. Experiencing new things with your partner and children, and never getting lonely throughout your journey are the most obvious perks of traveling as a digital nomad family. However, there is one thing that weighs on the mind of every digital nomad parent, and that is how to provide their children with the best education facilities possible while traveling.
If you’re a digital nomad parent whose mind is preoccupied with the same question or contemplating shifting to the nomad lifestyle with your family, read on to learn about the educational aspect of it through the words of a fellow digital nomad parent.
Education on the Move
Let me warn you, providing your children with a good education and enabling them to get the experience out of traveling to the fullest simultaneously is no picnic. However, as with everything else in digital nomad life, it’s possible when you make thorough research and detailed planning beforehand.
If you manage to find the most effective way for your family, education on the go even has countless perks. First and foremost, your kids will be learning by experience as well as at school each day. The nomad life will allow your kids to see new places, learn about new cultures, meet new people, and catch a few phrases in foreign languages every day. Finding the right education option for your kids on top of that will result in them becoming well-qualified global citizens.
In addition to education, school is important for children to establish long-term friendships as well. When you’re constantly traveling, it’s not very easy to work up stable connections. Picking the best fit from among the schooling options for your kids will also help them socialize more healthily and build up long-reaching friendships.
Schooling Options for Nomad Families
There are a couple of schooling options for the children of digital nomad families. Depending on your travel frequency, your kids’ characters, skills, and demands, you can choose the right educational route for your children.
The following are three of the most commonly preferred education options by digital nomad families:
Online Schools
In my opinion, online schools are the best possible education option for the children of digital nomad families, especially the ones that move around frequently. I’ll elaborate on the perks of online schools for nomad kids but for now, let’s discuss the ABCs of online schools.
For your children to attend an online school, you only need a solid internet connection and a set schedule to keep up with the class hours. Fixed class hours can pose a problem if you’re in a completely different time zone, though.
Other than the potential problems that time zone differences can cause, online schooling is a great option because there are excellent education providers with teachers who are of the finest qualities.
Private International Schools
If you’re not traveling frequently but rather staying in one place for at least a whole school year—or preferably more—and have adequate financial means, of course, private international schools are a great option for your kids’ education because being in such an environment helps them socialize and receive a more traditional on-site education experience.
Homeschooling
Homeschooling seems like a better fit for nomad families in terms of schedule flexibility, although it’s not the best option for kids to socialize.
Homeschooling is widely popular among conservative families, especially in the US, but there are many secular tutors as well. It’s no piece of cake to find a good homeschooler or other resources of the finest quality, though. Being your children’s tutor yourself is another option, although it has its own challenges.
Asynchronous Learning
In this model, the kids—instead of logging on for the classes daily following a set schedule—can choose to study in their own time. Asynchronous education employs sources like videos, textbooks, and slights that the children can use online or by downloading.
Perks of Online Schooling
Despite its challenges in terms of following a set schedule, I believe online schools prove to be the best education solution for digital nomad families. Here’s why:
1. A Healthy Routine
Although randomness is a fun factor in digital nomad life, having a healthy routine is good for your children’s well-being because it creates a sense of control, security, and confidence.
Online schools add a dash of routine to the lives of nomad kids with scheduled courses. This also relieves the stress of frequent environmental changes in children.
2. Flexibility to Explore
As opposed to sending your kids to local schools as you travel, online schooling leaves more room for children to enjoy the travels and explore. It’s also a relief for the nomad parents because you’ll know your children’s education is in capable hands when you work with a solid online schooling institution.
3. Long-lasting Friendships
One of the biggest problems when traveling with your children is that the frequent environmental changes may not allow kids to establish long-term friendships. Online schooling, in this sense, provides children with a persistent social environment, regardless of their location in the world. Hence, children can socialize more healthily and build long-lasting friendships.
4. Qualified Staff
There are many great educational institutions that operate online. Fine-quality online schools employed experienced and well-qualified teachers, who know how to use online tools to teach children and guide them even from afar.
Challenges of Education While Traveling
Although as a digital nomad you have many options for the education of your kids, you may come across challenges as well. The biggest challenge is probably to find the balance between a good education, a routine, a flexible schedule, and a healthy social life. In this regard, the educational lives of the children of digital nomad families take some serious planning.
Another challenge of education on the go may be finding good teachers for online learning or homeschooling. The same challenge can also arise if you enroll the kids in a local school termly at each destination. You’ll need to conduct thorough research on schools and tutors again and again as you move around.
Once you figure out the most effective route for your children’s education, on the other hand, they’ll even be privileged to be receiving an education on the move.
The Bottom Line
Living the digital nomad life with children can be difficult, especially in terms of arranging their educational and social lives. It’s a huge responsibility to find the best education for them as you travel. However, when you manage to break the path, you’ll be raising global citizens with the know-how of getting around the world; individuals who enjoy life, and are eager to learn and explore.
Traveling around the globe, seeing new places, meeting new people, and getting familiarized with new cultures is a teacher like no other. Combine that with the best-fitting education option for your family, and you’ll have the perfect education solution.
