Hi there. I am seriously thinking of moving to the Geneva area (but probably going to live in France) so that I can send my son to the International School of Geneva next year. He will have just finished at his prep school here in London so the options are to move back to America (and live on Cape Cod and be near my family); put him in a boarding school here in England (he's very open to it as his sister boarded and he will be 13); or move to the Geneva area. My son has two close friends already at the school in Geneva and is very keen to become fluent in French, partly because his father has a business in Provence and we spend a fair amount of time there. Apart from the fact that I, personally, quite like the idea, at this stage in my life, as I don't feel quite ready to settle on Cape Cod and would like to do a bit more travelling, my main concern and priority is my son's education. Thus far, it has been very good and I don't want to compromise, although I know there is no such thing as the perfect school! Judging from the Geneva school's prospectus, it seems that it may in fact be a more broadening experience for him in some ways (ie versus the rather affluent homogeneity of a top boarding school in the UK). He would learn the language much more quickly and he's keen on learning about other cultures, and I like their emphasis on the importance of global awareness in today's world. So, I am wondering if there is anyone who might know anything/something about how the schools might compare (UK boarding v. Private Geneva) in terms of quality of teaching, sports, coping with classes in French, the social aspect (the transience of the student population), pastoral care/support, transportation, etc. Any comments would be most welcome and helpful. Thank you. Teresa

Hi Teresa,

I can't really talk about the Geneva School as I haven't been there but it certainly is one of the most famous international schools in the world and has been at the heart of international education since the early days. After working in the UK I absolutely loved/love working in international schools - but you do have to check how international they are - there is an energy and excitement about working and teaching children from all over the world with different experiences and cultural backgrounds. The international baccalaureate organisation has programmes for all age groups and the Middle Years Programme, for your son's age range really picks up on the internationalism aspect of education. The diploma programme for pre-universities ages is accepted all over the world and is highly rated by universities. Students can be exempted from their entire first year in American colleges, including Harvard, and they gain more kudos in the UK. My sister is in charge of admissions at a top UK university and has been very impressed by its programme.
As I said, in my earlier post, Geneva has three separate schools so it's worth choosing carefully. I believe it is quite straight forward to do a bilingual programme there.
I'm sure there will be ample opportunities for extra-curricular activities such as sports and music and theatre. That is very much part of the holistic part of the international education.
There will be a much less stuffy atmosphere than a British school and many of the international schools don't have a uniform which gives a different feel. Best advice is to go and see the school yourself and see how it feels.
Hope that helps somewhat. I'd go for it... sounds like a great idea!

not sure if you have looked at glocals.com, but it is a geneva specific forum and you may be able to get some advice from that source (it does not seem like a lot of geneva folks use the eforum.

I have two sons who in Grades 7 and 10 at the Chataigneraie site of the International School of Geneva - we just moved here in the summer from another international school.

The important thing to know is that the schools here are very heavily oversubscribed and we were "lucky" to get in having made an application in January. If you change into Grade 10, then there is the added complication of being the last to choose your options and therefore there may be a limited range of choices which may not suit you.

You may also know that the three sites are really quite different in terms of feel and you do need to visit to see this for yourself. Having visited the three sites, we had a definite no, a possible and a preferred choice.

You also need to consider the IB versus GCSE and A levels that your son may wish to study. The IB is a broad and demanding curriculum which some students are more suited to than others.

Finally, you speak of "affluent homogeneity" in UK boarding schools, but given the level of fees here, any mixing is more of nationalities and languages!

Good luck with your decision!

Dear India,
Many thanks for your input and words of encouragement. It sounds like you have quite a lot of experience in the int'l school system. You have made a good point about universities - I only wish I knew whether or not my son will end up at a Uni in the UK or US! Presumably, to have an IB is better for the former and a diploma better for the latter - or do Uni's in the UK accept the diploma as well? My daughter is at Bristol Uni, but she went through the system here in the UK so I'd never thought about it until now...perhaps cash flow will dictate that!
Thanks very much for your help.
Teresa

Thanks very much; I will check that out.
Teresa

Dear Moosealot,
Thanks very much for your helpful reply - I had a feeling that an early application might be a good idea and although I'd only arranged to visit two of the campuses early in January,based on what you said, now we're going to see the one your boys' go to too! Speaking of which, would you mind telling me why you chose that one over the others? Was it your first choice? Also, I am curious as to whether you live in Switz or Fra and if you know whether commuting to that campus from France (that area) is do-able and if you like the area. (I am coming from a place of total ignorance here, in terms of nice areas to live in and not too far from the campuses which worries me a bit! - presumably there is no bus service if you are not living in Switz)
I am not quite sure what you meant about changing in Grade 10...is that at the age of 15?
Regarding 'affluent homogeneity', yes I absolutely agree with you. What I probably should have said is 'affluent, British, homogenous' or some such thing - I only meant that my daughter went to a public boarding school here in the UK and the 'products' of these schools are all pretty much the same - it's a rather specific kind of person that these schools produce, from my American pov, which probably sounds horrid (and I think it is to an extent!). So the whole international, cultural aspects of the school in Geneva appeals to me in general for that reason if that makes any sense.
Thanks again.
Teresa

Hi Teresa,
I don't think a standard HS diploma would get you into a British university. APs will but they aren't as highly regarded (I think) as the IB Diploma. The IB Diploma will get you into American universities - that's where most of my ex students have headed.
It is a demanding programme and suits the more organised and self-sufficient students which is why universities like it.
To throw another option into the mix... I've been really impressed with the idealistic vision of United World Colleges. They offer the IB programme but offer full scholarships to some students and subsidise their education. Most are only grades 11 and 12 (A level age - years 12 and 13). They are fully residential. There is one in Wales, one in Italy and then several in other locations around the world. Students apply to a pool as well as locally and may be placed anywhere if they are deemed suitable. They have the more egalitarian version of an international school.
Hope that helps... feel free to ask more or personal message me if it's necessary.

Rufus, shouldnt you be introducing yerself on EF before printing your phone number?
On the question of International school, you have to remmber that these schools are primarily an option for the expat community to put their kids for a few years whilst in the town, and the school reflects that.My son went there all the way through and some kids do well , others kick back and enjoy a very relaxed time of it. The general child at the school comes from a priveledged background and in many cases, is purely in the school because it has to. If your child is diligent, he could do well. If your child needs pushing, its the wrong place for him.

I completely agree with Grumpygit. The sentence "and in many cases, is purely in the school because it has to" is particularly relevant. Our child spent seven years and just finished IB from Ecole Int Geneve, La Chat campus. It is absolutely correct that all kids there come from a very privileged, affluent background (we being one of the few exceptions - strictly middle class). There is a total lack of competition and everything is fairly laid back and relaxed. The general focus of the students is on anything but academics. Although this not the teachers' fault, I always felt that the teachers could do more to motivate the students. If you want your child to do well in such surroundings, you need to keep "working" hard with the child to keep the interest level up.

I went to Ecolint from the age of 10 until 17. I did the IB, but failed it by one point! Maths was not my forté.

I have good memories and have kept in touch with a lot of my schoolfriends. But I agree with the above, we were a "middle class" family too. I got 15 francs pocket money a week, one of my friends got 200!!

Our Kids are on the wait list for Ecole and we will only get to know in November.

Does anyone have any information about Institut de Lancy and teh CDL school how do they compare

The "search" function is your friend.

All of these schools have been discussed several times on the forum, search and you will find.

A side note, you have looked at the 3 biggest English language schools in the Geneva area. Look at which curriculum they follow and what degree(s) they would offer your child upon graduation, there are some differences among them. There are also some of english language schools or bilingual if interested, the 'sticky' on schools will tell you how to search for them.