Hello Everyone,
Is there any rule about giving teachers a present during the holidays inSwitzerland? I would hate to do something in appropriate and not be aware ofit. Also, I need present ideas for my daughter’s male teacher. He is Swiss and approximately24 years old. Both factors make him a mystery since my husband is much olderand from America.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa, I have never heard of anyone giving any teacher a present anywhere in Switzerland.

Maybe I am wrong, but I am sure it is NOT acceptable to give teachers presents.

There's aren't rules but there are customs, and there's a big difference, I think.

Presents at Christmas aren't customary, from what I can gather, but on the hand there's nothing stopping you. The past couple of years my daughter has given her Kindergarten teacher and German teacher presents, but just something small and usually homemade (card, picture, homemade biscuits).

We did this because we will be eternally grateful to both these teachers for providing such a wonderfully supportive start for our little Australian girl!

The main present time seems to be at the end of a teacher's time with students (end of Kindergarten, end of three years with the same teacher etc)when it is likely that a whole class will club together and get something more substantial for a teacher.

But hey, if you want to express your thanks somehow I would go right ahead!

Can't help with the male teacher, but as it really is the thought that counts why not go with something homemade, something to eat etc.

Kate

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I'm not sure of the swiss custom but in the uk we used to give gifts for xmas time. I brought the teacher a pen with her name engraved on it and one year a mug with her name on it. Just something small inexpensive.

i do give my son's teacher a present at christmas time. in the past we have made an ornament for the christmas tree, given a small box of chocolates or a plate of homemade cookies. nothing too much but a small thank type of present with a nice note from my son and my husband and i.

At the end of Primary, the parents had a whip round to buy a present for the teacher.

We did get a bottle of champagne for my daughter's Realschule teacher when she arranged for my daughter to go up to Secondary before the end of the semester. She certainly didn't refuse it.

But generally - no.

Generally it is not done so there is no need for you to feel you should. But there is nothing to stop you doing it. If teacher gift giving is a part of your culture which you want to share with someone who has made an impression on you/your daughter, then why not?

We have always given a gift to my son's teacher and his German teacher. It is always homemade and of little monetary value, normally something that reflects our culture and is normally something to eat .. so scones and a little pot of homemade jam, or mince pies, or christmas morning muffin mix (just add butter and an egg) in a jam jar together with the recipe written out in English by my son. Perhaps the best received gift though was lemon curd (with a jam jar lid cover decorated by my son). All 3 teachers (piano teacher got one too) wrote and asked for that recipe.

(Not sure what they made of the mince pies but they were very polite!)

Not that I am award of it ,but I will appreciate one BMW 528e is on my wish list
Gift idea for a 24year old ,good looking ,adorable,hansom,sexy and and.I suggest a keg of beer

I agree with this, I've done most of my schooling in Switzerland, and I remember that at the end of the year most parents got together to get a collective gift for the end of the school year.

Later on, in my last year of high school, the class got together and offered a present to a particular teacher we really liked.

But I must say that I have never seen individual gifts given to teachers. To me it just feels like something I wouldn't do here... mostly because I know that I'd be the only one to offer a present making it feel akward and it could be misinterpreted.

If you want to give the teacher a gift, I would just explain that it's a way of sharing the english/american/whatever culture.

For the young man, maybe an Itunes gift card, assuming he uses Apple products...

In nursery and primary school, when kids have only 1-2 teachers, it's very common to offer a little sthg for Xmas, and at the end of the school year. A little attention, nothing too expensive or fanciful!

Nom nom! Can I teach your child, please?

I think I could write the chapter of a book on the subject of gifts for teachers. Personally, over the years and through several countries, I have received gifts ranging from meal vouchers, a lollipop, wine, 7.5 metres of beautiful Thai silk, book tokens, sports shop tokens, a cookie jar with hand prints of the whole class in the glaze, chocolates, scarves, photograph frames, perfume and other cosmetics, boxed fluffy towels, simple homemade Xmas cards made by children with Mum or Dad helping, pens, ornaments, picture frames, a hug, pot plants, a smile, coffee mugs, flowers, a thankyou. All are equally appreciated by me and I know most colleagues feel the same.

I once taught with a male colleague who was given a leather jacket (gulp!) but tend to think a more suitable gift for a male teacher would be a bottle of wine, or a book token.

I have lived in one country where there was a custom ( firmly resisted at my school) to give teachers and university lecturers a gift BEFORE exam time. In the case of uni, I was told by one of the students that there was always a class representative who collected the money, to pass on to the examiner, along with the list of who had donated As I said, I could write a chapter.....

As a parent, I liked to give my children's class teacher something to acknowledge and in appreciation of the time they had spent with my children. At high school level where there were many subject teachers, and the effort of teachers seemed far more variable, I occassionally sent flowers or a thankyou note when it was least expected.

Now, about those mince pies or the homemade lemon curd .....

Whilst in my experience the teachers here DO NOT expect a gift, a small gesture is always welcome.

We err on the side of caution and go for something that is small, homemade, and easily disposed of if it is not to their taste. The last thing a teacher needs is a huge, homemade monstrosity, that they then have to pay to gt rid of.

Our normal gift includes some home made cookies, and a decorated tea light holder with scented ta light inside. The kids decorate a basic glass tea light holder with strips of paper in seasonal colours, and we bake cookies. We will also sometimes send in a small pot of home made jam.

All of the above can be easily recycled if needed.

At the end of the year for a particularly good teacher I always send a bottle of decent Swiss wine and a card.

I gave some chocolates one year to my daughter's kindergarden teacher. She seemed a bit embarrassed about it, so the next year I made a cake for her to take to the staff room for all the teachers and whoever else to share. They seemed to appreciate it.

I want to thank everyone for the responses. It's difficult to know what is acceptable and I don't know what I would do without the help of EF. I sincerely appreciate it.