Hi there,

We could really use some help. We are planning your relocate to Switzerland and are completely flexible in terms of location, which makes decision making very hard. We have three kids Age 6 and under. We are a monolingual English household but we all have a basis in French and German and happy to learn more.

Important to us are:
- montessori education but we can't afford more than 10,000chf p.a. so probably can't do private School? Any public montessori schools?
- languages: we prefer German speaking but the ideal would be both French and German immersion school if that exists ?
- countryside preferably but need access to kids ice skating, gymnastics and tennis (and skiing within a couple of hours if possible) so medium size town?

Does anyone have any ideas whee to start please? I feel overwhelmed as unsure where would suit us?!

Thanks so much.

Here's a start link - a great Montessori school that my daughter and many of her friends visited:

http://www.dinsle.ch/index_de.php

But don't know about about current prices / reduction possibilities I'm afraid, did it as a single mom at the time - they were great.

In the meantime, understand that there are many other possibilities through-out Switzerland. There are some experts on EF that might share the right links ;-)

Good luck!

For bilingual French/German education you could start in Biel/Bienne but in state schools you will not find Montessori education.

You can find a list of Montessori schools on these sites:
http://www.montessori-ams.ch
http://www.montessorisuisse.ch

Why the move? Is your spouse an EU national? If not, then moving here will be impossible without a pre-approved job offer.

Here's a new (2016) "free" school (this means free of enforced, authoritarian learning methods, by no means free of fees) in Bergmeilen.
http://www.fsbergmeilen.ch/

Article about them, in a local newspaper (01.06.16) - in German:
http://www.zsz.ch/front/lernen-ohne-...story/30010306

Here is a link to someone who may be able to advise you further. She runs a German/Arabic course for children along the lines of Montessori. This is not a school, but a language course. It is, however, held at a city-subsidised cultural/community centre, so perhaps the organisor would be able to give you some pointers.
https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/sd/de/i...sihl/kurs.html (scroll down to "Arabisch für Kinder")

Here is a music teacher, working for the Zurich city music school, who also has a Montessori background:
https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ssd/de/...leiprecht.html

You won't find Montessori teaching in any public schools, although some teachers, if you are lucky, may include some Montessori methods in their teaching, if they are interested in the methodology. That said, teaching methods are changing even in public schools, and a lot of teachers, especially ones fresh out of teacher's college employ more and more open methods of teaching.
Bilingual public schools are only available in Biel, but all the Passepartout cantons: Berne, Basel Stadt, Basel land and Solothurn teach French from Grade 3 (8-9 year olds), 3 lessons a week.(basically all the cantons that border the French speaking cantons) and English from Grade 5. All other cantons teach English first, then French. Any medium sized town should offer the activities that you are lookign for. Our village Gymnastics club is for instance more competitive than the one in the closest medium sized town, but the town offers skating and tennis as well. So living in the countryside is not out of the question, public transport is good and the kids can travel to the next town for activities by themselves.