HI,
Now I know this has been done and talked about before so I am sorry this will be old ground for some of you. I read the other threads but they seemed to be older so just for me I was hoping I could get an update or even tap into some of the more recent members.

I am looking into moving to Zurich. Now I am relatively comfortable (well as comfortable as you can be with a move to a different country) with almost everything but what really worries me is the kids schooling. I have two daughters aged 7 and 4. Chances are by the time we moved they would be 7 and 5. If we are moving I would be wanting to intergrate as much as possible s public school system for them. Neither of them speak any german (high or swiss). How much support will they receive and is there anything I can do to help prepare them? I know my company will pay for me to do German lessons which will help out.

Any advice? Any tips? Any reassurance the kids will be okay?

Anything would be appreciated. Thanks.

Zurich is probably one of the easiest cities in Switzerland to integrate your kids into the school system. There is a huge number of foreigners here and the schools are well geared to coping with kids lacking the language.

They tend to teach in standard German but the kids will speak together in the local dialect.

In the meantime, if you can get hold of any CDs or DVDs of kids programmes in German, start exposing your kids to the language now and it won't seem so alien to them when they arrive.

You can get many of the recognisably "British favourites" (Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Postman Pat) in German from Amazon.

For the older child, you could get some of the kids' films such as Nemo, Monsters Inc., etc, in German and let him/her watch them for a similar effect.

Your kids are still within the age limit which they reckon they can pick up the language relatively quickly and a quick search through the forum will pick up lots of stories of parents whose kids were fluent within a matter of months.

Of course there are always people who had a bad experience but, after living here almost 10 years, most of the parents I know have only had good experiences.

Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I have to admit I am really worried about this. I dont mind if it takes me a while to fit in and learn the language but I do worry about the kids.
Love the idea of picking up the grman language version of popular programs and will give it a look see.
A lot fo what I have read suggests the schools are very good at helping out but anything I can do to help will make me happier.

An idea which just popped into my head was perhaps you could arrange for some basic (very basic) German lessons with a German tutor willing to have a go with your kids.

Perhaps the language department of Glasgow Uni could point you in the direction of someone nearby who teaches German that would be willing to spend an hour a week with your kids playing games in German with them.

As a family you could all join in together.

So will learning high german help prepare them for swiss german?
I must admit I have basic german but could understand worryingly little of swiss german.

All teaching is done in High German and everything is written in High German. Learning it should be a priority over Swiss German which, incidentally, your kids will probably pick up much quicker than you from playing with friends. As I said earlier it is a dialect, and it varies slightly from Canton to Canton around the German speaking parts of the country. High German is the "official" language used for road signs, newspapers, communication from the authorities, etc.

I understand Swiss German but only speak High German (although have been known to have a crack at the dialect under the influence of alcohol ).

Agree -- don't worry about Swiss German being a priority. You can't actually learn it other than by being around Swiss, and the kids will pick it up very easily.

Also agree about the influence of alcohol improving any language but of course only for grown-ups!

We had a slightly different experience with our daughter's kindergarten in the city of Zurich. The teacher spoke only Swiss German in the classroom, and in the primary school, although the written work is high German, there is still a significant amount of Swiss German spoken. That being said, the kindergarten teacher was incredibly supportive, spoke English with our daughter when she did not understand the German, and the school did provide additional German instruction when there were enough students in her class who did not speak German to warrant the extra lessons. When it was only our daughter the second year, the school no longer offered additional instruction (which was frustrating for us, but understandable from a fiscal point of view).
That being said, any German instruction is helpful. Some movies are available in both High German and Swiss German: http://www.amazon.de/Lauras-Stern-2-...0635803&sr=1-1

We put our kids into a bilingual Montessori school. At the end of 12 months, after plenty of angst, I wondered if the children would have adjusted better with full immersion in the local school...did we make the right choice and was the cost justified (our kids tuition is part of my husband's salary package arrangement)...?

In our case, the bilingual school offered 50/50 with a native german and native english speakers. And the assisting staff and children speaking dialect in-between...However, neither teacher had ever had a child who started with zero German...and it took at least 6 months of 'trusting' that the children were learning stuff about the language, before the evidence started to appear...

I am *convinced* that our children would have learnt the language faster, and made connections in our local community through being at the local school (and financially it also would have made sense)...taking the bilingual option was a 'soft' option for us because it meant we have been able to deal with all issues arising with the teachers in our home language. Also, our middle child has specific medical needs which affect him daily in the classroom, and the bilingual school accommodated this as well as providing him with meals to match his dietary requirements - I'm not sure I could have handled this with a local school across the language barrier...oh, yes, and my husband's a teacher, so the kids are at his school, which has made it much easier for me as in an emergency he is usually 'on site' already...

I will definitely try to reassure you YES YES YES! - your kids will learn the language, and 1000 other things about people and culture, and life and independence, that they would not learn back 'ome...

Being in the local school at age 7 and 4-5 is an excellent time to 'transition' - they will make adjustments, and the main thing is to not freak out about the 'academics' but recognise that the schooling system at the primary level is as much about broad experience and immersion in learning, as it is about specific academic outcomes...you won't be able to measure how they are going academically for a while, until they start to find their feet in their new school language - but I'm sure they will be fine.

Our daughter came at age 9 with very advanced English language skills. For the entire first year she refused to speak German at all...and she was assessed at the beginning of this year within the class - the teachers set her a year 3 level German exam (she's technically year '5') - but she actually did very well - so the general impression is that kids somehow traverse the language barrier and their strengths in English can translate to strengths in German also - she's also very 'switched on' to French...

However, other than the occasional outburst from our middle child, and our toddler who is babbling both language together...we don't hear what our children can do in German, because we don't speak German at home - but when they are socially with friends, or in the community, or at school, we rely on their teachers to tell us that is going OK...

We will stick with the Montessori because that is our choice for 'learning style' and 'curriculum' - and we are happy with the quality of the French and German, as they have a good team of mostly native-speakers...but I think adapting is more about the family/parent attitude, immersing in the local community and participating in the social life, than the actual technicalities of school...

Thank you all for the replies. I am sure I am probabl stressing too much and under estimating how adaptable children are but I would hate for my move to 'hurt' them. That said I think they could end up with a very enviable education if we go for the move.

Feeling stressed is normal. Moving to a new country is a big change, and change is stressful. The problem I see, and have encountered personally, is how to avoid letting the stress get to you and in particular, not affect your children. If you are worried, and your children sense this, they worry too.

I have helped many families relocate here and most have children in local schools. It can work. It won't be without hiccups but I have to say that for most the experience is a very positive one. It is extremely important to choose the right area to live if your children will attend local schools. This can make all the difference in the world.