Hello all !
I am new here and well…very confused 
. Me and my husband speak French but it is not our mother tongue, however my 7 years old only speak English. We will move to Lausanne or Geneva in September for his y3 and I can’t decide shall I send him to local French speaking state school or pay for English international school! He is very bright and loves school is hardworking and so competitive and I worry he might lost his proud and confidence in a new school with a new language and then hate school ? How are the local schools in general ? Are there many English speaking kids there ? Are they kind and helpful with him?
Other option can be that I send him to an international school for a year and make sure he learn French in one year and then move him to local school ?
Thank you everyone in advance
Ava
Understand that kids with no French are normally provided language assistance, and I am guessing your son is at the age when he can still join, depending of course on the motivation. My kid just got a Spanish speaking student, no French, and apparently they identified teachers to help a girl.
I am generally satisfied with Swiss public schools but don’t expect many English speaking kids there (at least in Geneva). In fact, in my kids class there are hardly any Swiss (save for the naturalized ones). Some do start learning English of their own volition but it’s more an exception than a rule.
Tough call, must admit.
If you’re planning to stay for a while, I would get him into a local school as soon as possible to be fully immersed. It is easier to learn the language the younger he is.
I would send him to public school. He will be given extra help with French and at that age he will soon pick it up.
You have the added advantage of being able to speak French yourselves so communication with the school won’t be a problem.