I am currently in california. My husband is taking a job in Zurich. I have a 6 year old is going to 1st grade next year. The international schools appear to be very expensive. We are going to be there by couple of years and we are not able to decide if we should pay 30k per year for international school or go to public school in German. Is there any one who can provide any inputs based on experience? Appreciate your help.
Leena, As you know, the medium of instruction in public schools is German (if you are in the German-speaking part of Switzerland like Zurich). The public schools in my area have an immersion programme for children from non-German speaking families i.e. these children would typically spend a few months learning German before they join the regular classes, and this could mean these classes could start even before the school year. You need to contact the local school(s) in the area you'll be settling in to get the details. The other two options are bilingual schools (instructions will be in both German and English) and the international schools. If you are going to be in Zurich (or Switzerland) for a short period only (like two years), international schools would be the better option in my opinion. And fees for the international schools are usually borne, either fully or partially, by the employers of the parent(s). Which means your husband needs to talk to his employer to find out what they are willing to pay. I would also suggest that you get in touch with the Indian Association of Zurich (if you are an Indian national) or the association of your nationality (just google for them); they would be in a better position to help you. Good luck!
Peperoncino, thank you, I really appreciate it. My husband checked with employer,they are going to give partial help. One small question, any idea how much do the bilingual schools cost? I could not find it on the net.
Leena, I got this list of bilingual schools from the website of the state (canton as it is known in Switzerland, or "Kanton" in German) government of Zurich (came across it when I googled "bilingual schools in Zurich"). The schools are: - Terra Nova Bilingual School Zurich - SIS Swiss International School - Bilingual Dayschool Zimmerberg - Lakeside School - Bilingual Middleschool Zurich These schools' curricula are based on that of Zurich’s state schools but they also incorporate elements from international curricula. This guarantees children can transfer to a state school at any time or to a similar school in another country. I do not know how much these schools charge, but as they are private, the fees could be similar to those charged by the international schools. Google the names and you should be able to find the schools' websites easily.[FONT="][/FONT]
