Who Can Use an Educational Consultant?

RNG provides educational and placement advising for students from early childhood through grade 12 as well as for individualized college admissions guidance. We work directly with parents and students to secure the best option possible for a child’s personal well-being and educational success. In order to make a successful placement, we often interview and collaborate with other people who are knowledgeable and important in the child's life, i.e. extended family, teachers, guidance counselors, therapists, and other professionals.

Why work with an educational consultant?

When searching for the right school or program, whether it’s an international school, a boarding school, therapeutic program, or a university, the options can seem endless and the selection and admissions process is complex. An educational consultant with extensive experience and first hand knowledge of schools, programs, and universities will save you months of research and keep you from running into dead ends with schools that may be unsuitable for your child. Most of all, an experienced educational consultant can help you to prevent mistakes that can cost you and your child heartache as well as money. Many times we get the call to help after the parents make decisions that haven’t worked out as they had hoped. See FAQs.

Find related information in About Us.

Who Can Use an Educational Consultant?

Parents

You need more than just a list of schools…

If a parent just wants a list of schools, there is the internet. But the internet can be either a valuable tool or a hindrance. Websites do not ever tell the whole story about the inside culture of a school and whether it will be the right fit for your child. Many times we see well-intentioned parents who are unduly influenced by what they find on the World Wide Web. They usually have never done this before, and so are flying a bit blind. They aren't sure what questions to ask, and they don't have the background on a particular institution.

Getting to know you and your child:

Whether it’s for college, boarding school, or therapeutic programs, parents often request that we give them a list of schools. Our response to that is always, “Tell me more about your child.”

The good news is that vast numbers of educational options exist, but how to know which choice is the right one for your child is not easy to discern without more detailed information. This detailed intake information that is gathered might include questions such as:

What is the current school setting?

What’s working and what’s not?

What are your child’s strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, interests and turn-offs?

What are your child’s aspirations?

How are his/her grades (past and present)?

With so many options to choose from it can be very confusing. Few things in life are as important or potentially as stressful as making the right educational choices for our children. This is one area in which we, as parents, want to get it right. RNG will review your options with you and make professional recommendations on a plan of action. We work together honestly and candidly in order to do what is right for the student. But the final decisions are always made by the family. The goal is to make educational choices that will optimize the student's chances for success.

Separated Families

There are many reasons why more and more families are being separated due to international assignments. Family separations are never easy. We understand the reasons for these separations. It could be:

A short term assignment and relocating the family would be too disruptive for such a short time period.

The assignment is in a dangerous area or hardship location with unsuitable schooling options.

You are unexpectedly separated due to unforeseen circumstances such as a medical situation or emergency evacuation.

Educational needs of the children.

Career commitments of the other spouse.

We work with families who find themselves in these situations. Rebecca Grappo has also faced a two separations from her spouse because of an assignment to a danger post, so she understands the challenges to the family, the marriage, the children, and their educations. In addition, she often encountered this situation when working with diplomatic families at the U.S. Department of State. During this stressful period, it is extremely helpful to talk through the emotional and educational implications for the children with a professional before the major decisions are made.

School Personnel

With experience in both public and American international schools, we fully understand the dynamics, the challenges, the rewards, and the limitations of educating kids overseas. Think of us as a resource for better serving the needs of your students. When a student is facing an important situation, it is much better when the student, family, educational consultant, and school counselors can all work together as a team to help find solutions.

What kinds of situations can RNG help you with?

Scenario:

Your school does not offer a high school program and you are looking for placements for your students who may need to explore boarding school options. We have seen many instances when some families choose a school simply because it’s what everyone else is doing. But what’s good for one student may be detrimental for another. It’s critical to match abilities, needs, interests, maturity and motivation so that students are placed in an academic setting that suits them best.

Scenario:

You have a child who has difficulty succeeding because of learning differences. RNG can provide some objective input. Does the student have access to reliable diagnostic evaluations? Can the situation be rectified within the overseas school setting so that the child can remain with the family and in the same school? In some cases, no matter how hard you try to meet the student’s needs, your resources may be limited. RNG International can help find a school that specializes in a particular student’s learning needs and has an appropriate peer group for that child.

Other areas we can provide supplemental services for:

Students with behavioral and emotional issues that require an intervention

Re-entry and cultural adjustment programs for Third Culture Kids

Additional assistance working with students on the college application process and college selection

Students going through the college application process with LD and/or ADD issues

Presentations and workshops for your students and families

Mental Health Professionals

RNG works closely with various professionals who support the learning or mental health needs of young people - psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, therapists, etc. Either a student is referred to a professional for further assessment or diagnosis, or the mental health professional sees a student that needs additional support or guidance and refers them to us. Some of the issues we see most often are learning disabilities (or differences), ADHD, depression, anxiety, substance use, oppositional behavior (ODD), school failure, or other worrisome or risky behaviors. RNG works to find local resources to help a student and family resolve a challenge, but sometimes there is a need to call upon outside resources or interventions. If you are one of the professionals listed above, and have a young person you are worried about, please contact us. RNG respects all protocols on confidentiality, and works closely with referring professionals for the best possible outcome for the patient/client/student.

Human Resources Professionals

If your company regularly sends employees abroad you understand that the family’s needs must be addressed in order to have a successful overseas assignment.

How you take care of an employee’s family can have a significant impact on how smoothly the employee transitions to a new post.

Vital considerations:

Age of the children

Length of the assignment

Special learning needs

Availability of school choices

Contingency planning for emergencies

High school graduation requirements

RNG can help you when:

The family needs guidance on schooling options at the overseas destination.

The family has a child with special needs.

The assignment works for all family members except the child who is about to enter the last few years of high school.

The family is considering boarding school or therapeutic school or program.

There is concern about quality college counseling while overseas.

The family needs guidance on how to successfully transition to international living.

You are sending an employee overseas without the family and both need additional support.

You are reviewing your company’s policies and procedures for expatriate employees.

Find related information in About Us.