Hi Friends, My close friend got an onsite opportunity in her organization to Paris for a minimum period of 2yrs extendable to 3 yrs. She is in a dilemma to take her 10th grader(CBSE) daughter along with her. Need to know from Ilites, 1 Will it be a right decision to take her daughter along, taking TC from current school in India and pursue schooling in Paris. Her company will be bearing international school education expenses at Paris (Medium of instruction will be 50% English and 50% French) 2. Will the kid able to adjust 10th/11th grades in French school, the teaching/learning methodology? (she know basic French) 3. What will be the options for the kid, once she returns India either for 12th grade (which school boards should be considered? after completing 12th grade (options for higher education in India/Abroad) Regards, Janani
I don't have personal experience but 50% French medium instruction may still be very tough for a tenth grader to follow. The French are not just very passionate about their language but they also speak their language very fast. Even as a French language student, it would be very tough for me to understand even simple sentences because of the way they spoke. And tenth to twelfth grade is a very crucial time for a kids future. Please ask your friend to consider this before taking a decision
I am in similar dilemma, and I have got some great advises from the friends who faced more or less the same problem in the past. I am still analyzing my options, and I would like to share those details for your friends to process. It depends on whether your friend intends to extend her stay in France beyond the contract period or not? If yes, then it is a great idea to take the child to France, use the company backed international school education as a transition to learn French while continuing at least 50% of the studies in English. The transition period may be tough, but kids can learn fast and will be able to settle in France later on. If your friend has no plan to extend her stay in France after 2-3 years, then it is not a great idea to complicate her daughter's studies at this crucial stage by mixing it with French - a new language, and then making her compete with Indian education system in a few years. That would be crazy. But, speaking from a different view point.... It is all about her family dynamics. Is her husband joining her to France? if not, will he able to take care of the adolescent DD on his own? Does any other family member joins in support in her absence in India? If so, would the kid feel safe and happy? If everything is positive (like a favorable support system where the father of the child is present and supportive) the kid can stay back, let the mom pursue her career in France for the next 2-3 years, and then they all reunite in India. But, if they lack proper support system in India, then it is always better to be together than anything else. A child needs a secure and happy home than the mode of her education. I have a colleague, whose child has seen all over the world. Every 2-3 years she rotates (works in different country) and takes the child along. The little one has learnt Arabic, French, Hindi, Tamil, and some new languages other than English. But after 12th, she enrolled to a famous university in UK, and studies Medicine. Your friend must analyze all these before making a decision here
Is there a possibility to study her graduation in France after 12th - they should consider that as well! If it is easier to get into a good French/Swiss/ German uni from there after 12th in an international school, do evaluate their aspirations for her.... She would need to pick up the language and accents pretty quickly, even then there is still a possibility that she might lose a maximum of 1 academic year where 'marks' etc might not be good..... They can evaluate what would happen if she loses an year due to the moving - (Hint: the sun will still rise in the morning) So, write down the pros and cons - if she gains more than she loses, those few years might be a learning and challenging experience for the kid (Unless they consider any kind of change as 'traumatic' and 'pstd' etc...) I moved throughout my school days - we would move every 2 years to a new state, sometimes even in the middle of the academic year... I took it as an adventure... The cost for me was making new friends, establishing a reputation at the new school - all this was a challenge I enjoyed... In exactly the same situation, my older sister hated the changes... she wanted stability, she wanted the same old friends, she didnt like the effort it took to get used to the workings of the new teachers etc.... But schooling eventually gets completed whether you like the moving or not... And she is a successful person in her own right, without any trauma from the shifting around.... So, it totally depends on your friend's kid and friend! Apart from the 50% french + 50% english, they need to expect that even the english the teachers would speak would be peppered with French words and/or French accent! (Imagine a Malayalee or Bengali teacher teaching Biology terms in English .. No offense to either Malayalees or Bengalis, I have had some excellent teachers, in spite of their accents, they were wonderful teachers, I am just using them as examples) So she will not have a easy time at the beginning .... She will need some help from her parents ... How much effort are they prepared to put in? I guess I didnt answer any of your questions, but gave you more questions Keep smiling HR