It’s a huge adventure for the whole family. Expatriation is as thrilling as it is nerve-wracking. Among its many unknowns is the choice of educational system for expatriate children. Between the local school, the international school, the French school, or homeschooling, the range of options is wide. Here’s a closer look at the different types of schooling available to French families abroad.
The local public school: ideal for long-term young expats
This is the school of the host country. Classes are therefore taught in the local language. Enrolment takes place directly in the host country, based on the child’s age.
Who is it for?
This option is recommended for the youngest children who can’t yet read or write. In the public school of their new country, young children learn the foreign language naturally. The younger the child, the easier this learning tends to be. This school choice is recommended for families planning a long-term stay in the host country, so that the effort of adapting has time to pay off. It’s therefore best avoided for older children who already know how to read and write.
Pros and cons
A simple and effective way to make friends quickly! After all, the local children are also the ones in the schoolyard. Immersion in the new culture will feel more natural. That said, be mindful of French, since learning it will slow down considerably once it’s no longer taught at school. Reintegration in France will be more difficult. To help with this problem, an online private tutoring platform is just the thing! Among other things, ORA offers online French lessons with a tutor chosen by the family. Accessible from anywhere, these French-speaking tutors will help the child keep up their learning in their mother tongue.
A young child can pick up a new language just as quickly as they can lose their mother tongue.
The French school or lycée français: the right choice for primary and secondary school if a return to France is planned
There is a network of French schools abroad that allows expatriate children to continue their education when the local education system is too different from their own. The AEFE network (the French agency for education abroad) alone has more than 485 schools worldwide. Enrolment is done directly through the AEFE. For other schools affiliated with or partnered with the AEFE, parents must apply for enrolment directly with the school.
Who is it for?
The lycée français (which covers both primary and secondary levels) is aimed more at children who already know how to read and write and who don’t speak the new country’s language. It’s a sound choice when the family is planning a return to France at some point during the child’s schooling.
Pros and cons
Communicating with other French-speaking pupils will make it easier for the expatriate child to settle in. Learning will continue in line with their existing knowledge in their mother tongue. French schools abroad have high academic standards. This option requires a solid academic level from the child. The downside remains that expatriates tend to be somewhat siloed together, limiting immersion in the host country.
The international school: the solution for globetrotters of all ages
Teaching at international schools is 100% in English. They bring together children of all nationalities. French is just one optional language among others. These schools are difficult to get into, as they require an excellent academic level. As such, most international schools require an entrance exam. Enrolment is done directly with the school.
Who is it for?
This education system is designed entirely for young globetrotters of all ages who move frequently! Whether bilingual or not. From one expatriation to the next, children don’t always have time to master the language of each host country before leaving it again.
Pros and cons
The main advantage of the international school is the constant presence of English, which will stay with the pupil throughout their schooling regardless of the country of residence. These schools place particular emphasis on pupils’ personal development. That said, if there’s a return to France, the pupil will, at best, need to join a French international school to avoid interrupting their studies. Tuition fees at this type of school are often very high. As a result, if parents choose to reintegrate their child into a French public school, the child will usually need to repeat a year to catch up with the French curriculum. Indeed, the baccalaureate prepared in international schools differs from the French baccalauréat. There remains the option of private online lessons with French-speaking tutors from the ORA platform, to keep the child at the right level and prepare for schooling upon their return to France.
Homeschooling: a stepping stone before joining the host country’s school system
Homeschooling (IEF, “instruction en famille”) means learning outside the school system. Lessons are given by a parent or a close relative of the child, at home.
Who is it for?
It’s a fallback option when the host country has no schooling system suited to the child. In France, this option is available from ages 3 to 16. It’s also aimed at children who are expatriated for only a short time. There’s no point unsettling a child by plunging them into an environment very different from their own if they aren’t going to be there for long.
Pros and cons
Homeschooling in the mother tongue is reassuring for the child. It should nonetheless remain a temporary solution. Once the host country’s language is mastered, the pupil should be gradually integrated into a local school. To support this process, the ideal approach is to reinforce home lessons with private tutoring, whatever the subject. This could, for example, mean learning the foreign language. ORA is an initiative geared towards exactly these kinds of solutions for expatriates. With its network of qualified French-speaking tutors, it offers online lessons regardless of time zone.
Choosing your expatriate child’s education system also means helping them find happiness in their new life. However, not all children and teenagers are equal in the face of the upheaval of expatriation. The French school calendar has features not found abroad. This can be unsettling for the pupil. Making friends in a new class, sometimes partway through the year, isn’t easy for everyone. Finally, missing friends left behind in France, the family framework, and lost points of reference can also be potential sources of psychological shock. To prepare for departure and ease the expatriate child’s arrival, psychological support is recommended. By choosing consultations with French-speaking child psychologists online via the ORA platform, parents can anticipate these shocks and support their children through this delicate transition. With no travel required, since sessions take place remotely, the psychologist following the child will be by their side anywhere in the world.
