The Cost of International Education in Europe: Understanding Your Options

International schools can offer families an excellent combination of recognised curricula, specialist teaching, international communities and purpose-built facilities. But for families relocating to Europe, choosing the right education is also a question of priorities, flexibility and long-term cost.

For some families, a physical international school is exactly the right fit. For others, particularly those who move frequently or want to prioritise the curriculum and qualifications themselves, an online British school can offer a different route.

So what should families consider when comparing their options?

We spoke to Taryn Jankes, Chief Marketing Officer at Teneo International School, about the costs involved in international education, what families should look at when comparing school fees, and how online schooling can provide a more flexible alternative.

Choosing the Right International Education for Your Family

When deciding which type of education is the right fit, families should start by looking at what you are actually paying for, not just what the brochure describes. The benefits of an international school are real: a recognised curriculum, teaching in English, a community of globally minded families, and often excellent facilities. The question is which of those benefits your family specifically needs, because you are paying for all of them whether you use them or not.

A family that values the physical campus, sports grounds, science labs and on-site community is buying something an online school cannot replicate. A family that primarily values the curriculum, teaching and qualifications may find they are paying a premium for a campus their child does not necessarily need.

The other consideration families often underweigh is duration. A school that suits a three-year posting is a different calculation from one that needs to work across multiple shorter-term moves. If you expect to relocate, any investment in a physical school’s capital levy or debenture may not travel with the family when they move, while an education that travels with the family continues from one country to the next.

Comparing the Full Cost of International Education

When comparing different schooling options, it is helpful to compare the all-in cost. The headline fee at an international school is the starting point, and on top of it can come enrolment fees, capital levies or debentures, transport, lunch, uniforms, activities and exam fees. A school advertising €15,000 in tuition can therefore cost considerably more once those extras are taken into account.

An online school has a simpler cost structure. The school fee typically covers teaching, platform access and materials, with exam entry fees on top in the qualification years. Families should still ask for the full picture and not assume the main number they see is the final total.

When looking at tuition fees, international families are not just comparing prices. They are deciding which combination of educational experience, facilities, community and flexibility their child needs.

Additional Costs Parents Should Budget For

At a physical international school, the most significant fees can be the one-off costs at entry, which can add a significant amount on top of the first year’s tuition, and refund conditions for debentures vary between schools. Annual extras can then include transport, lunch, uniforms, activity costs and, during the exam years, exam-entry fees. For families with more than one child, this can really add up.

At an online school, the cost structure is leaner. There is no campus, transport or debenture, but families should still budget for hardware such as a laptop and a reliable internet connection, as well as exam-centre fees during the qualification years. The honest advice is to request the full, itemised cost from any school before committing.

How Rising UK Private School Fees Are Affecting Families Abroad

UK private school fees have risen sharply over the past two years, with VAT now applied to fees. It is one of the biggest structural shifts in British education in a generation, and its effects reach well beyond the UK. Since 1st January 2025, UK private school fees have been subject to 20% VAT. For families already stretching to afford private education, that can represent a significant increase.

The direct effect is that families who were paying for a UK private school while living abroad, whether boarding or maintaining a place for a return to the UK, are now paying more for the same education. Some have absorbed the increase, while others are reconsidering.

The VAT change has prompted families to question the overall cost model of private and international education. Families in Europe may therefore be asking whether there is another way to access high-quality teaching, recognised qualifications and academic support without paying for a physical campus.

That question is helping to drive interest in online British schooling. Teneo’s model offers live teaching by specialist teachers, a British qualification pathway and Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs and A Levels, with the cost structure of an online rather than physical school.

How Teneo Provides a British Education Online

Teneo is a full school offering live teaching by qualified specialist teachers, a timetabled learning programme, real classmates, pastoral support and a recognised British qualification pathway, without the physical campus and the cost structure that comes with it.

A physical international school’s fees reflect its buildings, grounds, facilities, on-site staff, transport infrastructure and maintenance. Teneo does not carry those physical infrastructure costs because the school is delivered online through its Smart School System™.

What families keep is the academic substance: the Pearson Edexcel British International pathway from Key Stage 3 through International GCSEs to A Levels, specialist teaching, recorded lessons, progress tracking and academic and pastoral support.

How the Teneo Model Works in Practice

A student follows a structured programme, combining live lessons across the week with pre-recorded coursework. Lessons are scheduled, so students log in at set times and participate with their teachers and classmates. Each subject has regular teaching slots across the week, alongside independent study including homework, consolidation, reading and, during the exam years, past-paper practice.

Everything runs through one platform, the Smart School System™, where students can find their timetable, join lessons, access learning materials, submit homework and watch recordings of lessons they need to revisit.

The practical shape is a structured school day that fills the morning and into the afternoon, with independent work around it. For families in Europe, lessons are delivered on a timetable designed to work across European time zones, while recordings provide additional flexibility when a student cannot attend live.

Understanding Teneo’s Fees

Teneo’s fees start from £423 per month. Compared with the annual cost of a physical international school in a European capital, or a UK private school with VAT, this can represent a substantial difference.

What that means for a family depends on their starting point. For a family currently paying a significant international school fee, the potential saving can materially change the overall cost of education. For a family that could not previously afford a physical international school, an online model may make a recognised British education more accessible.

Families should still check what the fee includes and what might be added on top, including exam-entry fees during the qualification years and the hardware and internet the family provides.

Comparing More Than the Headline School Fee

Five things to consider include:

• The one-off costs. A physical international school may charge an application fee, enrolment fee and capital levy or debenture on entry. An online school typically does not.
• The cost of the next move. A debenture, waiting-list place or school place may not simply transfer to another country. An online school’s education travels with the family.
• What you trade. An online school does not provide a physical campus, sports grounds or the in-person community of a school site. For some children and families, that is an important priority. For others, it may be less important.
• The exam costs. During the qualification years, exam-centre fees may be payable separately and can vary by country and centre.
• The total across the school career. Families should consider the long-term cost rather than comparing one year’s fees in isolation, particularly when planning for more than one child.

Teacher Support and Accountability in Online Schooling

Online education can sometimes raise questions about the level of teacher support available. Teneo ensures that students still receive specialist teaching, accountability and individual support. Every subject is taught by a qualified specialist teacher. Lessons are live, allowing teachers to respond to questions, check understanding and adapt as they teach. Classes are small, which provides an opportunity for teachers to know their students and identify when someone is struggling.

The Smart School System™ adds an accountability layer by tracking engagement, work submission and academic progress. When it detects that a student is falling off pace or their performance is changing, the academic team can intervene early. According to an independent actuarial analysis of Teneo learners from 2023–2025, students improved their marks by an average of up to 12% in their first year, with further improvement over subsequent years.

What Students Can Access Beyond Online Lessons

Alongside live and recorded teaching, Teneo students have access to academic support, progress tracking and a recognised qualification pathway. The aim is to provide a complete school experience around the teaching itself rather than simply giving students access to online content.

For families considering online education, it is therefore worth looking beyond whether lessons are delivered online and asking what sits around those lessons: who teaches the child, how progress is monitored, what happens when they struggle, what qualifications they can work towards and how much direct support is available.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing an International School or Online Education

For a family moving abroad and weighing up their options, here are the key questions they should ask themselves before choosing a school or education pathway:

1. How long are we likely to stay, and will we move again?
2. What qualification does my child need at the end?
3. What is the all-in cost, including fees and extras?
4. What happens to our initial investment if we move?
5. Does my child specifically need a physical campus?
6. Is the teaching live and delivered by qualified specialists?
7. How will my child sit their exams?
8. What does the school do when something goes wrong?
9. Can we start when our family circumstances require it?
10. Have I spoken to the school directly?

The right answer will be different for every family. For some, the facilities, community and in-person experience of an international school will be central to their child’s education. For others, curriculum continuity, flexibility or cost may be higher priorities. The important thing is to understand what you are paying for and choose the model that best fits your family’s circumstances.

Find Out More About Teneo International School

Families considering an online British education can learn more about Teneo International School or contact the Teneo team with questions about admissions and the programme.

About Taryn Jankes, Chief Marketing Officer

Taryn Jankes is Chief Marketing Officer at Teneo International School, the online British school educating more than 20,000 learners across the UK, UAE, Singapore, Hong Kong, and beyond. She leads the school’s growth strategy across international markets, overseeing how Teneo communicates its proposition to globally mobile families navigating some of the most consequential education decisions of their lives.

Taryn joined Teneo at a moment when online schooling was moving from an emergency response to a deliberate, first-choice decision for a growing number of families, and has been central to articulating why the shift makes sense: not as a compromise, but as a genuinely better fit for children whose lives do not conform to a fixed catchment area or a single country’s school system.
Her work sits at the intersection of education, technology, and family decision-making — audiences that demand honesty over marketing gloss, particularly when the stakes involve a child’s qualifications and university pathway. That orientation shapes how Teneo communicates: directly, with evidence, and without overstating what online school is or what it can do.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an international school in Europe usually cost?

International school fees vary considerably by country, city, school and year group. Parents should look beyond tuition to consider registration fees, capital levies or debentures, transport, meals, uniforms, activities and examination fees.

Is online school more affordable than an international school?

Online schools generally have lower physical infrastructure costs because families are not paying for a campus, transport or associated facilities. However, parents should compare the complete cost of each option, including equipment and examination fees.

What are the advantages of an online school for expat families?

Online schooling can offer flexibility and continuity for families who move frequently, allowing children to continue with the same curriculum and school while living in different countries.

What should parents ask before choosing an international school abroad?

Parents should consider the curriculum, qualifications, total cost, teaching quality, pastoral support, school community, facilities, flexibility and what happens if the family relocates again.

Read more articles about international education on the MumAbroad blog