XPATIC/Education and schools
Lead generation for international schools
Families relocate around school places. Get in front of a parent while the decision is still open and you are not competing on fees, you are the reason the move works.
The decision that sets every other date
When a family relocates, the school place is rarely one item on the list. It is the item the rest of the move is arranged around. Where they live, when they arrive and sometimes whether they come at all follow from it.
That makes a school an unusually early and unusually influential purchase, and it means the parent is researching from their home country, months ahead, with very little local knowledge to work from.
It also makes the enrolment decision sticky in a way few purchases are. A family that enrols a child rarely moves them, so a place won is revenue for years rather than a term.
One enrolment, not one transaction
Decided before the family arrives
The rest of the relocation is planned around it
Reaching parents before they land
The most valuable moment is while the family is still in their home country, working out whether the move is viable. At that point they are comparing schools on a website with no way to judge what they are looking at.
Advertising locally reaches families who already arrived, which is a smaller and later pool. Advertising into the source country reaches them while the shortlist is forming, and while you can still be the reason they choose your town over the next one.
It also gives you room to answer the questions parents actually have, which are rarely about facilities. Curriculum continuity, whether the qualification travels, class sizes, how quickly a child settles and how many other families arrived the same way.
What this covers
Education demand in expat markets is broader than enrolment alone.
International and private
The core. High value, long duration, and decided early in the relocation.
British, American, IB
Parents often search by curriculum rather than by school, because continuity is the actual concern.
Local language courses
Almost universal demand among new arrivals, adults as well as children.
Exams and catch-up
Recurring, lower value individually, and strong where a child has moved between systems.
Nursery and pre-school
Often the first contact a family has with a school group, and the start of a long relationship.
University guidance
Applying to universities in a country the family no longer lives in is genuinely difficult and rarely served.
How we run education campaigns
- Source country and localReaching families before they arrive as well as those already in market, because the two are at different stages.
- Entry point qualifiedChild's age, intended start date and curriculum, asked before contact details, so admissions receive something usable.
- Timed to the admissions cycleBudget follows the application calendar rather than running flat, because enquiries outside it convert far less well.
- Careful with claimsNothing about outcomes or results that cannot be substantiated. Education advertising attracts scrutiny and deserves it.
- Measured on enrolmentsNot enquiries. You mark who enrolled, and the campaign learns what a genuine applicant looks like.
Questions schools ask
Can you reach families before they relocate?
Yes, and it is the strongest position available. Families decide on schools before they decide on almost anything else, so reaching them in their home country means you are in the shortlist rather than competing for whoever is left after arrival.
How do you filter out casual enquiries?
Child's age, intended start date and curriculum are asked before contact details. Families who are two years away or looking at a different stage drop out before they reach admissions.
Is this suitable for a single school rather than a group?
Yes, and often better suited. A single school with a defined catchment and a clear curriculum position is a straightforward campaign. Groups need more structure to stop schools competing with each other.
Does the admissions cycle matter?
A great deal. Enquiry volume and quality both move sharply with the application calendar, so budget is weighted rather than flat, and the weighting differs by curriculum.
Can you advertise exam results?
With care. Anything about outcomes needs to be substantiated and presented in context. We build to the same standard we use in regulated verticals rather than testing what a platform will let through.
See what this looks like for your school
A few questions about your curriculum, your year groups and your catchment, then a call to work through the audience and what an enquiry is likely to cost.
hello@xpatic.com