International Enrolment Information

We welcome international students for a minimum of 10 weeks (one school term). We do not currently offer short term admissions. All students coming to Te Aro School must reside in Wellington with at least one of their parents.

If your child is an English language learner they will receive support from our ESOL teacher, as well as their classroom teacher and possibly support staff. 

If you would like further information you can email office@tearo.school.nz. Please tell us your child’s name and birthdate so that we can provide you with information specific to your child’s year level. We will contact you shortly.

Testimonials:

I really enjoyed our trip to Zealandia including the walk up to the sanctuary. After our Zealandia trip we came back to school for dinner and nearly everyone in the class stayed the night at school that night. I nearly didn’t do that bit but in the end I stayed. We wouldn’t have had a sleepover at school back in the States! Garden to Table has been really good. I enjoyed being in the local action group and eco warriors. I have made new friends in the class. It is a much bigger class than I would be in back in the States. I guess it’s really two classes joined together.  It has been great to have all my friends in one class. Back in the States my friends would have been spread over four classes. In America we don’t call our teachers by their first names.  – Elliot Year 5 – USA

I really enjoyed going to marae for three days. I have found it really interesting to see how children get taught here. Here you don’t have different teachers for each subject like we do in the States. In the States we have a more fixed timetable. I really like how everyone here at Te Aro knows everyone in their class. I don’t know everyone in my grade back home. Back home kids are in cliques. It is not like that here. In the States we have only a lunch break and no other break times. A smaller school, like Te Aro, makes for less people. I really think a smaller school is great.  – Amelia Year 8 – USA

I was nervous about coming here and how I would get to know new people. It wasn’t hard to make new friends.Having one big class was fun. The class was small enough to get to know everyone. People have been so nice. Everyone in the Year 7 & 8 class has been so open to being friends with new people who have joined the class. It’s been great too that it is not a toxic environment. I settled in really fast because of that and because the kids were all so nice. At Te Aro and in New Zealand in general people have been so friendly. I really appreciated the mihi whakatau where me and my family were welcomed into the school. It was warm and inviting. It was really cool going to the marae. I have learnt so much about different cultures being here at Te Aro.  There are a lot more non-academic activities and learning here in New Zealand such as sewing at technicraft. I made a bag which I gave to my Mom. She really likes using it. We also had swimming lessons and leadership time. Swimming was really cool.  Swimming lessons are not something I did back home at school in the States. Having a break from homework has been great too! My advice to people coming to a new school like Te Aro is don’t feel nervous as you will make friends even if you are an introvert! – Ben Yr 8 – China

“I really enjoyed attending Te Aro school because of the cultural studies, the diversity of the students and the hands-on activities.Actively learning about the Māori people was really interesting and very different to Canada, we aren’t taught nearly as much about our Indigenous Peoples in the classroom here. I got to go on an overnight camp to a Māori meeting place (Marae) which was really fun. My teachers and classmates were very welcoming to me, I felt accepted into the school community right away.  We would sing at least twice a week in class and everyone in the class participated enthusiastically. I felt like students enjoyed being at school throughout the day.  I also got to spend one day a week working on a Technicraft project (I chose Sewing but there was also Cooking and Woodworking)” – Maya Yr 8 – Canada

“What a terrific school! Highly welcoming, warm, friendly, international, and so respectful. Sue and all the other staff we interacted with were incredibly kind and supportive and we did not hesitate a second to leave our daughters there. No wonder, our girls fell in love with the school in no time and want to come back as quickly as possible. Ngā mihi nui. – Anne and David“ – Parents of Lia and Thea – Germany

“The other students were so welcoming, and I found friends very quickly. The teachers were super nice and kind, and I loved the outdoor areas with many great and very different spaces to play at.” – Lia Yr 5 – Germany

“I really enjoyed the way of learning at Te Aro and the way classes worked: It was very free and we could do what we were really interested in—including learning about the environment, garbage, English, baking, and so much more.” – Thea Yr 3 – Germany 

Fees for international students

Compulsory Cost of Tuition and Other Course related costs

Tuition Fees (payable in advance)

• $NZ 4,000 (including GST) per term 
• $NZ 14,000 (including GST) per annum if enrolling for the whole year

Fees must be paid in advance.

These fees include:

• Normal classroom tuition costs
• Specialist tuition in English by a trained teacher.

These fees do not include:

• Administration Fee ($350 non-refundable)
• Fees for additional activities which are dependent on what term you join us. These may include swimming, technicraft, noho (school camp), etc. On application we would advise you of any of these additional costs.