A useful international school enquiry gives admissions enough context to answer the right question. Include your child’s age, current year group, intended start date, current location, curriculum or language needs, and one clear request. This guide explains how to contact an international school by email, enquiry form, telephone or WhatsApp, then gives templates for availability, fees, learning support, school tours and follow-up. It also shows how contact questions change across eight Doris-listed schools in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Start with the channel the school publishes. An enquiry form suits a general request or information pack. An admissions email works well when you need to explain a transfer, overseas move, sibling connection or learning requirement. Use the admissions telephone number when the question is urgent or several details need discussion. A Doris message route can help you start a conversation with a listed school.
Use WhatsApp only when the school publishes the number or gives it to you through a verified admissions channel. Singapore International School Hong Kong publishes an admissions contact route by email and telephone, but that does not mean every school accepts WhatsApp. Keep formal applications, passport copies, school reports and payments inside the school’s stated system.
Before you write, check whether the school has separate contacts for admissions, early years, boarding, transport or learning support. Sending the same message to several general inboxes can delay the reply and expose your family’s information unnecessarily.
Admissions teams need enough information to identify the child’s likely entry point. Include your name, the child’s first name or initials, date of birth or age, current year group, intended year group, preferred start date, current country and the curriculum or language question you need answered.
Add one sentence about the reason for contact. You might be relocating, changing curriculum, applying from overseas, seeking a place mid-year or checking whether the school can support English as an Additional Language. If the child has a learning-support requirement, describe the practical need and offer to send relevant reports through the school’s secure process.
A clear subject line helps the admissions team sort the message. Use a format such as “Year 5 place for September 2027”, “Transfer enquiry for a Year 8 student” or “School tour request for a four-year-old”. Avoid “Please send information” because it gives the recipient no way to route your enquiry.
Washington International School recommends an online enquiry form before families submit an application. Its process then separates information sessions, applications, questionnaires, visits, testing, recommendations, transcripts and decisions. Your first message should give admissions the facts needed to tell you which of those steps applies.
Ask whether the school has places in the intended year group, whether applications are open for your start date and what the next step should be. Do not assume that a published age range means a place is available. Ask whether the school uses rolling admissions, a deadline, a waiting pool or a year-group review.
Use a short structure:
My child is [age] and currently attends [school or year group] in [country]. We are looking for a place in [year group] from [month and year]. Could you confirm whether applications are open, whether places may be available and which documents you need first?
If you are applying from overseas, add your expected arrival date and whether the child will need a visa or local registration. Do not send passport scans in the first message unless the school’s official process asks for them through a secure route.
Tokyo International Progressive School begins with initial contact and admissions steps before the application package, interview, possible English assessment and trial period. That sequence shows why a parent should ask for the next step instead of attaching every document immediately.
A useful international school application enquiry names the feature that matters to your family. Ask whether the school offers the curriculum your child needs, teaches in the required language, accepts the intended year-group entry, provides English-language support, or has a process for reviewing learning-support information.
Ask the school to confirm whether the answer applies to your child’s campus and year group. A school may offer several curricula, campuses or entry points. The person answering a general enquiry may need to refer your question to a specialist team.
Use questions such as:
Saint Maur International School begins with an eligibility enquiry before sending the full application link. DSC International School describes an application and assessment journey that moves from enquiry to application, interview or assessment and orientation. These processes make the first question important: ask what the school needs to decide eligibility and placement.
Copy the structure below and remove any sentence that does not apply. Keep the finished message short enough for an admissions adviser to scan on a phone.
Subject: Admissions enquiry for [child’s first name] in [year group] from [start month and year]
Dear Admissions Team,
My name is [parent name]. I am enquiring about a place for my child, [child’s first name], who is [age] and currently in [current year group] at [current school or curriculum] in [country].
We are looking for entry into [intended year group] from [month and year]. We currently live in [city and country] and expect to [relocate or remain locally] from [date].
Could you please confirm whether applications are open for this year group and start date? I would also like to ask about [one specific question, such as curriculum entry, English-language support, learning support, transport or assessment].
Please let me know which documents you need first and whether we could arrange a short call, virtual meeting or school tour.
I can provide school reports and other documents through the admissions process you recommend.
Kind regards,
[Parent name]
[Telephone number]
[Email address]
If the school has a detailed admissions page, mention the point you could not resolve. “I have read the application requirements and would like to confirm whether Year 6 has places for January entry” gives admissions a clear task.
WhatsApp suits a brief first contact, a tour confirmation or a request for the correct admissions email. It does not replace the formal application unless the school tells you to use it. Keep the first message to one screen and avoid sending multiple voice notes, repeated questions or large attachments.
Hello, my name is [parent name]. I am enquiring about [child’s first name], aged [age], for [year group] entry in [month and year]. We are currently in [city and country]. Could you confirm whether this is the correct WhatsApp number for admissions and share the best email or enquiry form for the application? Our main question is [one question]. Thank you.
For a school tour, write:
Hello, I would like to arrange a school tour for my child, aged [age], who may join [year group] from [month and year]. Could you share the available dates and the admissions contact for confirming the visit?
WhatsApp’s suspicious-message safety guidance advises users not to share personal or financial information when they cannot verify a contact’s identity. Check the number on the school’s official website, do not pay an enrolment fee through an informal chat and move passport copies, reports and contracts to the official route.
Wait for the period the school gives you. If it gives no timeframe, send one concise follow-up after several working days. Keep the original subject line so the admissions team can find the thread.
Subject: Re: Year 5 place for September 2027
Dear Admissions Team,
I am following up on my enquiry sent on [date] about a Year 5 place for [child’s first name] from September 2027. Could you please confirm whether the message reached the correct team and advise whether we should complete an enquiry form, book a call or submit an application?
I would be grateful for any update on the next step.
Kind regards,
[Parent name]
If the school replies, answer the question it asked before adding new topics. Confirm the agreed date, document route, assessment, tour or application deadline in writing. The Harbour School publishes school tour, application and assessment steps, which illustrates how an initial contact can lead to a visit, application, trial day, screening and enrolment decision.
Nexus International School Malaysia publishes learning-support and admissions context that includes personalised support, an Inclusion Team and a Primary Personal Learning Assistant route. A parent asking about support should request the current admissions contact, the relevant year-group process and any additional cost before sending documents.
The table shows how to tailor the first message. The fee figures are current directory references, not quotations for a future intake.
|
School |
Region |
Ages |
Curriculum |
Fee reference |
Useful first question |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Singapore |
1½–18 |
IB, American, AP, BTEC, Reggio Emilia |
SGD 20,420–56,110 for 2026/27 |
Which campus and pathway apply to my child’s age and intended year? |
|
|
Singapore |
3–18 |
IB PYP, MYP, DP |
SGD 30,250–41,100 for 2026/27 |
Is the intended year accepting enquiries, and can we arrange a tour? |
|
|
Japan |
9–18 |
American Curriculum, AP |
JPY 3,138,300–3,740,000 for 2026/27 |
Should we begin with the initial contact form or an admissions call? |
|
|
Japan |
2–18 |
Montessori, IPC, Cambridge IGCSE, IB DP, AP |
JPY 2,857,000–3,626,000 for 2026/27 |
Can you confirm eligibility and the correct application stage for our family? |
|
|
Hong Kong |
4–18 |
Canadian Curriculum |
HKD 147,100–168,100 for 2026/27 |
Which reports and assessments are needed for the intended year? |
|
|
Hong Kong |
5–18 |
American Curriculum |
HKD 194,800–249,500 for 2026/27 |
Should we contact the Garden Campus or another campus for this year group? |
|
|
Malaysia |
3–18 |
IEYC, IPC, Cambridge IGCSE, IB DP |
MYR 46,050–104,490 for 2026/27 |
What are the current application, assessment and place-availability steps? |
|
|
Malaysia |
5–16 |
Cambridge Primary, Secondary and IGCSE |
MYR 23,000–38,200 for 2026/27 |
What documents and entrance tests apply to the intended year? |
What should I include in my first email to an international school?
Include the child’s age, current and intended year group, start date, current location, curriculum or language need, one clear question and your preferred next step. That information helps admissions route the enquiry without asking you to repeat the basics.
Can I contact an international school on WhatsApp?
Yes, if the school publishes or confirms that channel. Keep the message short, verify the number through the official website and move formal applications and sensitive documents to the school’s stated email or portal.
Should I send school reports or passports by WhatsApp?
Do not send sensitive documents to an unverified number. Ask admissions which secure email, portal or upload link it wants you to use, then follow that process.
How long should I wait before following up with admissions?
Use the response time the school gives you. If it gives no timeframe, send one concise follow-up after several working days and keep the original subject line.
What should I do after an international school replies?
Answer the question the school asked, confirm the next action and record any deadline, fee, visit, assessment or document requirement. Ask for the official application route before paying or uploading anything.
doris is a free, impartial international school discovery platform designed to help parents find the right international school for their children worldwide. Every school profile includes fees, curriculum, admissions, pupil numbers and more. Parents can compare schools, contact schools directly, access expert parent guides, and connect with a community of parents around the world. Start your search at doris.
This guide was written by Aditya, part of the doris editorial team. doris sources school data from institutions worldwide and speaks directly with parents navigating the school search process. Schools are listed for informational purposes only. doris does not rank or promote any school.