Question 1

What is educational guardianship?

Accepted Answer

Educational guardianship is an arrangement where a UK-based guardian looks after an international student while they study here, away from their parents. It is required by UKVI for students under 18 at UK independent schools and universities. You can read more on our guardianship page.

Question 2

Do international students need a guardian in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Yes. An international student under 18 needs a guardian to act as their main point of contact and a parent figure while in the UK, looking after their safety and wellbeing. It is also one of the UKVI requirements for a student visa, so for most families it is unavoidable.

Question 3

How long has Sutherland Education been providing guardianship?

Accepted Answer

Sutherland Education has cared for international students in the UK since 1965, and that long experience is something families and schools have come to rely on. The organisation was started by Betty Sutherland, who founded the first guardianship association in the UK, the Kith and Kin Association, which she ran at the poet Rudyard Kipling’s former home, Bateman’s, in Burwash, Sussex. The ethos stayed the same when the name changed to Sutherland Education in 1989. The Sutherland clan motto is ‘Sans Peur’, and it is the aim of everyone at Sutherland Education that when parents overseas choose us to look after their child, they can do so without fear.