When it comes to the decisions to be made ahead of a new foreign posting, executives and other expatriates without children may think about what neighbourhood they would like to live in or where the best restaurants in town are located. Those with children will focus on one thing: the quality of the international schools.

“Your kids are the most important part of what you’ve got,” says David Dean, head of recruitment and consultancy at Gabbitas Educational Consultants, a UK-based schools consultancy specialising in private education. “So you have to think of them and what will make them happy.”