“When we started planning our move to Portugal, we did some preliminary online searches on the schools in our region of interest. The websites are very impressive and it quickly became apparent to us that understanding the real but subtle differences between schools would require local expertise. This was when we contacted Nathalie. From our first meeting with her, it was clear that Nathalie is an expert in her field. Combined with her lived experience and local context, her expertise in the similarities and differences between educational programs and curricula, insights into cultural values and norms – and more subtle nuances in between – is priceless. We signed up for ‘The Complete School Placement Package’ and our daughter starts school in September. In planning an international move with your kids, this is the best money you could spend.”
“I knew I was starting the school process late. I looked at High Schools on my own online, prowled various Facebook groups and other informal online resources, and spoke to a few parents in person, but none of these gave me the clear picture I needed to help decide which International High School would best suit our son. It became apparent I needed help. I did look into a number of education consultants but none seemed as experienced, nor as knowledgeable as Nathalie. Nathalie explained the different curricula, how each might hinder or help our son’s transition into a new academic environment, the nuances between each school’s culture, and her take on which short list of schools would best fit our needs as I described them. I depended upon Nathalie’s relationships with each Admission team to ascertain where we stood, which steps we should prioritize, and kept track of the next steps for each school. I am so grateful for the mental load she carried on my behalf. Our son was accepted into our top choice despite what I thought were slim odds. I could not have navigated the school search and application process as seamlessly if it had not been for her expertise and diplomacy, nor would I feel as reassured as I do now, were it not for her intervention. I am deeply grateful and unequivocally recommend Tendoria and Nathalie in particular.”
“We’ve moved to Lisbon from Russia, where the school system is drastically different. Nathalie helped us to understand that difference, navigated us through all the schools we were interested in, and helped to make optimal choices for two kids. We ended up upgrading to the school placement package and this is what I would recommend to anyone as we had got what we wanted. It was a pleasure working with Nathalie!”
“I had the good fortune of using the “School placement package” at Tendoria Education for finding a school for my 11 yo and 13 yo children. We are from California and have been planning a move to Portugal for the past 1.5 yrs, for a safer and better quality of life. Nathalie is very knowledgable about the educational system and the cultural differences (attitudes and teacher-student relationships which can’t be discerned from simply looking at School Websites). For our family, choosing the right type of school was the biggest and most important decision for our move abroad. Nathalie was able to correctly point out the unique challenges for the Tween age group when moving abroad, which I don’t think I was sensitive to when planning my approach. She efficiently set up school visits during our scouting trip in June/July 2023. After our trip, she followed up with us and made sure that all the schools had received our complete applications. She helped strategize which schools to apply to and if we did not get into those, then how to target the next tier schools. The international schools we were looking at basically had no openings and we were hoping and praying that we would be lucky enough to gain places for both children. We just learned that they are offered enrollment at one of our top choices. I don’t think we would have been successful without her help. I encourage anyone who is thinking about moving to Portugal with children to use her services. It will be the best decision you will make.”
“Nathalie was an invaluable resource in planning our move to Lisbon. She took the time to learn about our daughter and tailored her school recommendations to meet our family’s needs. She has tremendous knowledge about the breadth of school options available in the greater Lisbon area, and about the different curricula. She addressed all our questions in a knowledgeable and forthcoming manner, with real attention toward our family’s preferences. With Nathalie’s help we were able to identify wonderful school options that would work for our family; a tremendous reassurance when planning an overseas move. We are so grateful to Nathalie for helping us navigate and make manageable our school search in the greater Lisbon area.”
“We were very lost as we were considering secondary schools in Portugal. While the schools themselves provide ample information on their philosophy and curriculum, we were missing the insider’s perspective on the relative reputations and more nuanced distinctions between schools in Lisbon. The very well-researched, practical and comprehensive information Nathalie provided was invaluable. With Nathalie’s help, we were able to select the school that was the best fit for our son and felt very comfortable in our decision.”
“So great to speak with you yesterday and thank you very much for sharing your great expertise and wisdom. You are the Oracle of schools in Portugal and you have helped hugely to enlighten our path on this journey. I don’t know how we would have managed to distil all the crucial information on schools without your guidance.”
“I highly recommend Tendoria to find the right school for your child. When I moved to Portugal, my secondary school-aged son started in an international school with a curriculum different to the one he was following before. When I initially visited this school, I was told that my son would be able to adapt easily. But that was not the case. The curriculum was completely different and my son had a very difficult and stressful time adapting to the new system so we decided to move him to another school. Nathalie explained the differences between the curriculums and schools in the Lisbon region and helped me find the right place for my son. I’m so thankful.”
“Nathalie helped us through our relocation to Portugal and choosing the right school for our daughter. Nathalie went above and beyond to walk us through the local education system, coordinate school visits, admission process and much more. Her deep knowledge and involvement in the international school system in Portugal was apparent from the get-go. I could not imagine a smooth relocation to Portugal without Nathalie. Thank you on behalf of our entire family.”
“I was initially unsure about the role of Education Consultants as most of us probably feel that choosing a school for our children should be second nature but both Nathalie and Tanya were excellent and I can see why families would (and should) use their services.
They provided objective information on a range of schools in Madrid, offering a broad yet still targeted selection in line with what we had asked for in the pre-meeting client questionnaire. In addition to covering key topics such as curriculums, results etc., they also spent a lot of time trying to gauge what would work best for us as a family both culturally and socially. They brought ideas and perspectives to the table that we hadn’t previously thought about, ones which enabled us to ask ourselves more questions about what it really is that we’re looking for from both an educational and social/emotional point of view. I really feel they have helped to guide us on the right path, one I’m not sure we would have taken without speaking with them first.”
“We were very pleased with the school search package service that Tendoria provides. It’s great to have an insider look, because the school websites offer limited info. Our tween daughter couldn’t be happier at the school that we chose after touring all of the options. Highly recommend working with Diana and her team in Valencia!”
“When relocating from the UK with my husband’s UN role, Diana was an absolute fount of knowledge regarding schooling in Valencia. She made the whole process so much easier for us! We are more than happy to recommend her services.”
“We used Nathalie as our education consultant and found her to be exceptionally professional and service-minded. We highly recommend her services and expertise, which were invaluable when we were planning our move to Valencia.”
“Muy agradecida con el servicio prestado por Natalie y Diana. Dado que dispongo de muy poco tiempo por mi dedicación en mi consulta dental, escogí el paquete escolar para tener el mejor asesoramiento a la hora de buscar colegio para mis hijos.
Sin duda te facilitan y resuelven muchas de las cuestiones que se tienen en el momento de escolarizar a los niños.”
“Curt was very helpful in walking me through the application process, from the college essays to preparing for the standardized tests – and breaking down an otherwise intimidating process into clear, simple steps with precise deadlines.”
“I absolutely love my course and probably wouldn’t have found it without Curt’s help – let alone get into LSE without his support.”
“Thank you, Jacquie, for your support during this process. I wanted you to know how much I appreciated your attention to detail and commitment as we edited my essays and worked on my applications. Your infectious enthusiasm made our chats something I always looked forward to and will always cherish. It was a pleasure working with you!”
“Thank you, Jacquie, for all of the time and care you put into supporting my daughter throughout the college application process. Your encouragement has meant so much to her. I know that she often felt like you ‘got her’ more than we did, as she communicated different facets of her identity through her essay. Thank you for being her ‘cheerleader’!”
“I am a 1st year medical student at King’s College London and even though it is always very busy, I am loving the whole experience. Mariana was my mentor last year when I was applying for Medicine which is always a stressful time as I was dealing with all the school work but at the same time, trying to keep up with my reading around the subject area and completing my UCAS applications. With Mariana’s help, my application became stronger as she guided me with my extracurricular studies, personal statement, especially its structure, and suggested some more extra reading I could do. After I received my interviews, Mariana’s help was also extremely important as we did mocks MMI interviews and her feedback from this helped me with my real MMIs. I found having someone outside school as your mentor very helpful and can help you deal with all the stresses involved in medical applications. I’d really like to thank Mariana for all her help during the application process which ensured that I got this place at Kings which is such an amazing medical school.”
“Working with Mariana was a truly excellent experience. I was accompanied regularly throughout the whole process, and knew exactly what I should do to maximise my chances of success in my applications. Mariana has an outstanding, extremely clear template for writing a great personal statement, which truly facilitated an initially daunting task, and my accompaniment throughout the writing of my personal statement was consistent and extremely useful. I ended up getting admission into all my choices, and would 100% recommend Mariana for any student considering applying to the UK.”
João secured offers from all five of his target UK universities to read Biology, including Imperial, St Andrew’s, and University College London.
Please get in touch so that we can learn more about your family and schedule your consultation.
