Elizabeth Perelstein, Founder and President of School Choice International, is a seasoned educator who founded School Choice as an expatriate in London over a decade ago. School Choice now has 90 consultants in 50 locations throughout the United States and worldwide.
Prior to founding School Choice International, Liz was a teacher, an educational administrator, elected for two terms on a public board of education, and worked at all levels of education, from nursery school through university. She holds two Master's Degrees from the University of Chicago, in Educational Administration and in Public Policy.
In 2006, Liz co-founded the British International School of New York, the first British curriculum school in the New York metropolitan area.
Liz was a semi-finalist in the 2009 International Women of Influence Awards sponsored by Global Executive Women Magazine and is a member of the Women's President's Organization International.
Expat Women's Interview With Liz
Expat Women: Liz, your success in transforming an expat entrepreneurial idea into a business that turns over in excess of US$1 million is to be envied. What took you abroad originally and what inspired you to start School Choice International?
Elizabeth: We lived in London from 1996-1998 as a result of my husband's business transfer. Although I had been a professional educator throughout my career I was unable, during the stress of an overseas move, to make informed decisions about curriculum and appropriate schooling for my own children. Although their school experience worked out well, I felt there was a void in the market. I began offering a service to assist families in transition to think about what is most important in their child's education and use the move as an opportunity to make a well thought out decision about his or her school experience, and choose a school based on these principles.
Expat Women: What do you believe are the most common mistakes families make with regards to schooling abroad?
Elizabeth:
1.
Parents try to replicate the school experiences their children had back home, when a different approach may better suit their child at this point in time.
In general, when parents choose their child's first school their decisions are made based on location, recommendations of friends, or other information that has little to do with a child's unique characteristics. Sometimes a school works well for a child but at other times a bright child may be unhappy in a school that is too pressurized, or a musical child may be despondent in a school that focuses too much on sport. This is a chance to think about a child's strengths and weaknesses and match them with the offerings of the school to ensure motivation towards academic goals and social compatibility.
2.
Parents worry about putting their children through transition or adversity of any sort and make choices based on anxiety rather than evaluation of information.
As parents, our instincts are to protect our children from transitions. While admittedly difficult, do not be afraid of transition: children who master the art of transition develop life skills and confidence that equip them for anything they will face in the future.
3.
Families blindly follow the lead of others. When moving to another location, parents typically have heard names of schools that they think of as the only alternatives. These are regarded as the "A" list and if they are full or their child is not admitted, parents will not consider another school.
The right school for a colleague's child may not be the right school for another child. This approach eliminates alternatives that may, in fact, be a better choice. In my experience, the "Avis: We Try Harder" schools often have the best teachers, smaller classes and more individual attention and should not be overlooked.
4.
Parents often focus on superficial things, such as "my child will not be challenged" rather than anticipate and plan for more day-to-day adaptation issues.
Customs surrounding schooling vary considerably between countries. Vocabulary, playground practices, lunch and what to give the teacher for holidays can be difficult moments for a child who is new. Becoming informed about what their children will encounter and preparing their children for these small but crucial changes will make for an easier adjustment and is perhaps more important to focus on.
5.
Families think of education as 'schooling' rather than as 'learning'.
As a result, often parents get caught up in trying to match curricular content precisely, concerned that their child will be ahead in maths or behind in reading. Parents often forget that curriculum differs even within schools in their home country, so they might never find the 'perfect match'.
Information can be obtained in advance and measures taken (outside tuition or tutoring, study during the summer and/or online courses) to minimize any disruption in curriculum or schooling, if it is a genuine concern. But parents should set their sights on the 'learning' that the child is getting as a result of the move, rather than the 'schooling'.
Expat Women: In terms of starting a business, what mistakes have you made that we could learn from?
Elizabeth:
1.
I hired someone with fabulous skills who was not a good fit for our culture. At the end of the day, fit is more important than specific skills because one person can spoil the environment. Another mistake I made was to keep someone for eight years who was a great fit but did not have the right skills.
2.
For years I believed that I was the only one who could do certain things and could not relinquish control. Many people who start their own businesses are similarly controlling. But at a certain point you take your business as far as you can grow it and need to work on your business rather than in your business
Expat Women: What qualities do you think have helped you and your business ideas stay ahead of any competitors?
Elizabeth:As an entrepreneur I know when it is time to get into something new, seem to understand the right balance between taking risk and maintaining a secure business, and am not uncomfortable taking risks. I have also been able to see voids in the market and respond to them ahead of the curve. When School Choice International experienced a plethora of families moving to New York from the UK, I saw a need for a British school in NYC, and co-founded the first British curriculum school in the greater NY area.
More recently at School Choice International, I recognized the demand for lower cost, web-based services to supplement the personal delivery of educational services, so we launched our own web-based tool, Global Education Explorer™ at the start of 2009. This tool, which enables families moving internationally to compare curricula, assessments and customs surrounding education between their home and host countries through a self-service model, came out at exactly the time that employers were seeking lower cost solutions to help families in transition.
Expat Women: Finally, I have always wanted to be a fly on the wall at a Women's President Organization (WPO) meeting – to listen and learn from women who have started multi-million dollar businesses. Can you share with us a little about what happens at a WPO meeting and what motivates each busy WPO member to take part?
Elizabeth: I look forward to my WPO meetings more than anything else I do each month. I come away from each three–hour session feeling I have learned more than I did in a year of schooling, and that there is nothing I can't tackle.
The WPO meeting is highly structured, led by a trained facilitator, with an agenda that we adhere to with a time clock. Although the women are extremely close, there is virtually no time to socialize except before, after and during our short break if we are on schedule. We begin with a two minute check-in updating each other on our progress in meeting last month's promises and then go on to cover two topics that the program committee has set for the day, with input from the group. On occasion that is putting a particular business under the "microscope," which means a case study to solve a specific problem, or we may have an outside speaker. Everything we discuss is done in a very focused, directed way. At the end we make promises for the following month.
The value of the meetings comes from several factors. First of all, being a female business owner is an intensely lonely job. We have no peers within our organizations with which we can discuss many things and rely heavily on each other for support and guidance. Secondly, the women in the group are brilliant. There is a revenue threshold to become a member - $1 million US for a service business and $2 million for a production business - and it takes a great deal to achieve that. Although 50% of all US businesses are owned by women, only 3% reach the million dollar mark, so being in the company of these women is astounding, and I feel like I learn an invaluable amount from every comment. Finally, our particular facilitator and the structured process ensure that every moment of the three hours is packed with valuable content.
Expat Women: Thank you very much for your time Liz. We look forward to hearing more about you and any new business ideas that you have in the future!
