Joséphine Vigouroux
Expatriation is often synonymous with a blank page: adapting to a new position, discovering a new city...but it is also about finding the "right" school that will allow your child to be well integrated and happy.
So how do you choose the right school when you are an expatriate in Paris? Discover all our tips!
If you are planning an expatriation abroad, sending your child to a French school can be a good way to ensure continuity with the language and culture. Moving abroad with your child can be a real change of scenery. Immersing your child in a French school allows him/her to have a privileged contact with the language and culture of his/her country. Educating your child in a French school will provide continuity with the French school program. You are an expatriate and the French educational system seems difficult to understand? We decode it for you here.
An expatriate child can also jump into the deep end if you feel that the right school for your child is a local one. Expatriation is a unique experience that allows a child to be totally immersed in the culture of the host country. This can facilitate integration into the country and make your expatriation a challenge for your child. Enrolling your child in a local school can be a unique cultural and linguistic experience. Although difficult at first, choosing a local school has many advantages for a long-term expatriation. What's more, enrolling your child in a local school will provide an introduction to a new curriculum, and if your child already speaks the local language at home, it's a good way to extend language learning and maximize the expatriation experience.
The best way to ensure a smooth expatriation for your children is to preserve some of their cultural and linguistic references by choosing an international or bilingual school. With curricula inspired by Anglo-Saxon teaching methods, these international or bilingual schools guarantee a fairly balanced relationship between the language of their host country and the English language: ideal for an expatriate child. Choosing an international or bilingual school gives your expatriate child the chance to approach bilingualism in a diffuse way in the classroom throughout the day, as is the case in some schools, or in a more targeted way during slots specially dedicated to English.
Expatriating with your children to a destination where it's not easy to find schools adapted to your child's level and needs can also be a reality. If you can't find the right school for your child during your expatriation, distance learning can be an excellent solution! Your child receives courses to study at his or her own pace, and can even be supervised by a team of fully remote teachers to guarantee quality teaching. Find out more about solutions like Griffon courses.
What if home schooling was the right school for your child after all? A way off the beaten track to explore that could make the expatriation abroad experience fun. If you're a keen teacher and want to pass on knowledge to your children, homeschooling is the way to go. Of course, it's not something you can improvise, and you may need teaching resources to support your children. For inspiration, many expatriate families write about their experiences on their blogs, such as 3 souris libres.
As you can see, there are many choices when it comes to choosing a good school for expatriate children. It's up to you to put all the options on the table and see what works best for your family dynamics.
