Skopje, North Macedonia Report of what it's like to live there - 03/04/25
Personal Experiences from Skopje, North Macedonia
School Name:
QSI
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
8 through 10 grade
3. What years did you live here?
2022-2025
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
NOVA Int. School is much bigger as a facility and number of students. (+) Great facilities; many extracurricular activities available; good list of optional foreign language classes available; excellent IB prep program with great acceptance rate to ivy league colleges in the US. (-) Most of the local students are from rich families and can be quite spoiled in my opinion. The expats are rarely able to make friends with locals.
QSI Int. School - everything is opposite here to what was said for NOVA - (+) Great community of students and parents; very supportive community; good conditions for students to make great friendships for life; no bullying; good AP program. (-) Very small facility; very limited number of extracurricular activities available; German and French only optional language classes available; very small classes (up to 9 in HS) ; the social live of students is like in a cocoon. I find that the school management is not adequate.
Our child had an opportunity to spent a few days at both schools before making a decision which school to choose and (at the time 8th grade) has decided to go with QSI for the family-like atmosphere and the type of students enrolled there. However, after spending two years at QSI, there are some questions and discussions at home whether our child should switch to Nova as there are more extras to do and much better preparation for college in general.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
No problems with the admission.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
As mentioned above, the parent community support at QSI is great. I am not sure about the amount of support from the school itself though.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Good communication via email and social media group chat. Teachers are quite open for any questions parents may have via email or in person.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
No uniforms, unfortunately. Field trips/activities are paid by parents; the price depends on the trip. For example, €185 for QSI Jamboree in Montenegro; €110 for Balkan Voices Speech Competition in Bulgaria.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
There is one school counselor for everything, and she is not knowledgeable and useful at all, I find (sadly).
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
There is a small library there, but I am not familiar how good it is. Yes, students can borrow books to take home but since i's a small library, they have to wait for a while until they can get the desired book.
3. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
Some laptops are available at school for students.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
The indoor gym is the only one and it's not a big one. There is small soccer field and a basketball/volleyball court outdoor. No swimming pool.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
approx. 10-1 depending on subject and grade.
6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
QSI has a good AP program while NOVA has an excellent IB program (incl. Pre-IB prep) - they latter doesn't require the full diploma for all students.
7. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
This is our second QSI school, and I can say that the QSI curriculum in general is not developed well enough to challenge students appropriately compared to some other schools we had in the past. I wish they would review and re-design their curriculum soon.
8. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
It depends on the grade and teacher. In most cases, students are not challenged much, I think.
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
All teachers speak English well including local ones.
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
None.
11. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
Soccer, basketball, volleyball. That`s it.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for children with special needs? Is there a general attitude of inclusion for children with special needs?
Quite friendly to all students.
2. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
The environment is quite friendly to all students.
3. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Excellent socialization among all students. Our child has many friends including at least 4 locals; regular sleepovers and hanging out in the evenings.
4. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
Not noticed so far.
5. What is the climate for students who identify as ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious minorities at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Have your children had any experiences in this area?
Not any ethnic, race or religious related issues at QSI. The city itself is quite tolerant to any kind of minorities in general.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
I would recommend QSI to students up to middle school.
