International assignment policy: A focus on education support

Ensuring suitable provision for children’s education is a key aspect of organisational support for families relocating internationally. Dr Sue Shortland comments on current issues affecting international assignment policy content.

Sue Shortland

6 November 2025

The need for education support

Concerns over finding suitable schools for children and them settling in well can prove to be a major barrier to international assignment acceptance. Research indicates that identifying and placing children in appropriate educational institutions is a major cause of stress which can lead to reduced employee productivity, assignment refusal or early return.Research also shows that families are less likely to agree to take up a posting abroad when they have teenage children. This is due to concerns over educational continuity and the potential effects of disrupting children’s education during key stages leading up to important examination milestones. For employers, this means a reduced talent pool from which they can draw upon to fill international positions.Research also highlights the reluctance of women in particular to accept assignments where children’s education is not supported effectively by their organisations. For employers, this affects their efforts to widen diversity in their international assignee workforce.The provision of employer support for children’s education is thus paramount within talent management in an international context. It can help to drive forward competitiveness through the employment of the best possible staff and by capitalising on the widest range of ideas.

Cost reduction

Set against this, organisations are seeking to be more competitive through cost reduction. An area that falls under the spotlight is the cost of finding schools and the school fees themselves where children are unable to attend state schools (for example, because of language and curriculum differences).Over the years employers have been gradually reducing the educational support articulated within their international assignment policies. To some extent this follows trends in parental choice, but it also reflects different approaches to international policy design aimed at providing greater flexibility to the business. For example, it is less common today for parents to wish to leave children behind in boarding schools while they undertake an assignment. Hence, it is becoming unusual to see boarding school fees met by employers along with reunification air fares being paid in school holidays.It is notable that employers have increasingly made use of single status assignments such as short-term, commuter and rotational assignment patterns. To some extent this reflects entry into new markets which lack expatriate support structures (such as appropriate family housing and schooling facilities) but it is also a means of cost reduction.Sending employees on single status is less expensive than family mobility. However, employers should consider the talent and productivity implications of solo mobility. Research indicates that family separation causes stress, so does frequent travel. Short periods in the host location also reduce opportunities for achieving full cultural integration. These can all affect productivity negatively, reducing cost effectiveness of the assignment.

Policy flexibility

To provide greater flexibility to the business, education support may not necessarily be listed as a core element of the relocation policy; rather it may be presented as an option that gives the business flexibility to offer it if it is considered to be a necessity to attract particular talent.Organisations are increasingly offering lump sums to address aspects of relocation so that assignees can choose to spend the funds on what they feel they need. The intention behind this approach is to improve the employee experience. Potentially education support might fall within this cafeteria benefits style framework.Care needs to be taken though as parents are likely to need advice on appropriate schools to ensure the curriculum dovetails well with the home country system and to address special educational needs. Advice from specialist educational consultants is therefore a valuable part of employer support.

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Policy content

Where education support is articulated specifically within the international assignment policy, provision may be made for payment towards school search assistance, with the fees of specialist consultants met. The aim of this service is to identify suitable schools and secure places. This can prove difficult for parents to manage themselves especially if they are moving mid-term/school year.With respect to the payment of school fees, organisations may meet the full costs but it is more likely that there will be some restrictions placed around this. For example, employers might: meet the costs up to a specified maximum based upon the average of those charged by a range of comparable institutions (typically excluding elite establishments); pay a percentage of the fees; simply pay a flat rate sum towards the cost; and/or place a cap on the number of years that educational support will be offered.Organisations may also apply a “home education deduction”. The latter refers to the employer meeting any additional school fees after deducting the cost of any fees met privately by the employee in the home country prior to the assignment. The logic behind this is that the employer accepts responsibility for additional costs incurred by relocating abroad but the employee does not profit through saving costs that they would have met at home.It is notable that education support may be restricted to secondary school educational stages, with support for younger children withdrawn or reduced. It is less likely today for employers to meet the costs of “extras” (non-compulsory after-school tuition, such as specialist music lessons). However, the cost associated with remote education – such as lessons provided online by experienced tutors – might be funded as an alternative to traditional classroom based education.It is important to remember that there is a wide range of education options available today and depending on children’s needs and the location of the assignment, flexibility in the provision of education support should be recognised and addressed through policy.

Language tuition

International assignment policy typically includes various training aspects for the employee, partner and sometimes for the children. Language tuition may be offered under policy. This can be helpful for children to settle into their new communities.Children typically gain language competencies quickly and so the provision of language tuition can assist those who will be undertaking their education in local schools. It can also benefit those who will be joining an international school, assisting with their integration in the school as part of the wider local community.

Transition support

Starting in a new school is a daunting prospect, especially in a new country. Transition support is invaluable to help children to settle in, build friendship networks and understand the expectations of their new school community. International schools typically focus on this issue very effectively.

Post-assignment

The length of the assignment might mean that children’s education abroad is disrupted by repatriation. To address this, international assignment policy might make provision for the continuation of private school fee payments until the child reaches the next critical education stage. As this could mean extending the payment of private school fees to some extent beyond the length of the assignment, it is likely that should this be offered there will be some form of clawback provision in policy if the employee leaves within a specified period.

Equity and policy communication

Every international assignment is different and this means that the relocation support given to each employee and any accompanying family will vary. Education is a big cost and childless assignee couples and singles might view policy as being unfair if their financial package does not equate in value to those seen as work comparators who relocate with their families and receive more financial support.One approach is to provide a lump sum or relocation support up to a single value to everyone. While this might appear fair to singles, those with additional family responsibilities will see this as inequitable as clearly they have additional costs associated with the number of family members going on the assignment and their educational needs. For this reason international assignment policy must reflect individual circumstances, but these must be balanced with the needs of the business.Communication of policy intention, the procedures used in constructing it, and the distribution of rewards and benefits under it must be transparent and thorough. Care must be taken to ensure that support goes beyond money. Advice will be invaluable to match children’s needs with resources available locally.As international assignment policy continues to evolve, education support is likely to change. Employers will be trying to balance talent attraction and retention alongside cost control. Greater individualisation of policy application has the potential to be of benefit to the business and families on the move.

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