My wife and I are moving to the Geneva/Lausanne area this summer (her job will be in Lausanne; mine is to be determined) with our 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. We're Americans who have been living in London for the past 3 1/2 years, and the kids are in grades 10 and 7 at the American School in London. Our daughter has been taking Mandarin for several years (was planning to take the Chinese AP exam next year) but speaks no French yet; our son takes French at school but is still at a pretty rudimentary level.
We are thinking about Collège du Léman, Ecolint and the International School of Lausanne. In my research, I've been leaning toward CdL because it's the only one that offers American-style AP courses rather than just the IB program, but it's possible other factors would lead our daughter to accept switching to IB if another school had broader all-around appeal. She is an excellent student but somewhat shy, and she's concerned about finding a good extracurricular activity to burnish her record for college. At ASL she worked up the courage to join a literary and arts journal, so a similar outlet at her new school would be ideal. Our son is a very good student but more easygoing academically--one of his main concerns is finding quality basketball instruction and competition. CdL seems ahead of the other two in that regard.
Any thoughts on those schools welcome! I don't think there are others in the area that would be appropriate--Champittet and IIL seem too French-intensive, Brillantmont too small--but let me know if I'm missing something. My wife's employer will be covering tuition, so cost isn't a factor.
Hi, I don't know much about these schools.
But you may also want to consider La Cote International School and GEMS, located around Aubonne (eastern Lausanne).
Not sure it would fit but I heard good things about La Cote.
Thanks, Anahe. I had looked at those schools and think they're not quite the right fit, but I appreciate the suggestions.
If you want a more american curriculum, then CDL is probably the place to look closer at, as it caters to those who want that. Ecolint has three campuses (schools), each are a bit different, including curriculum, languages, etc. So if considering ecolint, be aware of what you want and where it is offered and see if there is indeed space available at that campus. If based closer to Geneva, ecolint would be fine, but if in Lausanne I would not consider that kind of daily commute for kids. If considering living in Lausanne, you might also want to consider the international schools in the riviera region, ie. Vevey, Montreux, etc.. I have not much knowledge of ISL.
If your kids plan on going to a US college, than all 3 of your options work fine. Personally, I went to Ecolint and, with the IB, it enabled me to come back to Switzerland to University when I had changed my mind
The IB, along with SAT scores are fine for US universities as well.
Thanks to both of you. We're probably going to try to live close to whichever school we decide on, as I'm also wary of forcing the kids into a long commute (we grown-ups can handle one, if we have to). My daughter seems open to exploring the IB, so Ecolint could indeed be a possibility.
Swiss education is one of the best in Europe, why not send them to the local Swiss schools? Switzerland is very safe, and nobody drives their children to school here.
Your children might have to do an extra year in school, and you might want to buy a few extra language lessons, but they will quickly learn French, and you will quickly meet your new neighbours, who might become friends. Your children will appreciate it as they won't have to commute, and most importantly their school friends will be living nearby.
A Belgium family I know were living in Geneva, and their children went to a private school there. When they moved to Lausanne, the local school insisted the children repeat their last year as their knowledge was poor. So it was a complete waste of money.
Thanks, but it will be disruptive enough having them move to a new school in a new country at this stage of their education. Especially for my daughter, with only two years left before college, there's no way I'm subjecting her to a local school with an unfamiliar system in a language she doesn't yet speak. Even though my son might fare a little better, with more time to adapt, it's not enough of a priority for us to put him through the needless discomfort of struggling with the language and possibly doing an extra year. We'll stick to the international schools.
Whilst I am a big fan of choosing local schools and Swiss schools are very good it wouldn't be easy for the OP.
The elder child at 15 would be in the final year of obligatory schooling here and would have a pretty tough time getting decent grades in the local school. It would be a waste of time putting a 15 year old into the local school.
The 12 year old is less clear cut but it is still a difficult age to be starting schooling in a foreign language as it is a important time with regards to streaming etc.
1) Swiss education is good, how good depends on the canton
2) No education is a waste of time or money, you always get something out of it.
Folks, to update you, we visited CdL, LGB, ISL and La Chât last Thursday and Friday, and we decided LGB was the best fit. Seems like a great school where our children will be quite happy and well-educated. So, our challenge now is where to live. Despite the warnings about rush-hour traffic, we're thinking about somewhere on the right side of the lake, so my wife's commute to Lausanne isn't too onerous. Ideally somewhere walking distance from Cornavin or a quick bus or tram ride from there. We also have a dog, so we'll want somewhere close to a park or the waterfront, if possible. Any thoughts on areas to consider?
Well to be honest you might not have much choice if you choose to live in Geneva. Unless you have a very large housing budget expect to apply to at least 35 properties where you will compete with hundreds of others for one apartment. If you have a relocation agent working on your behalf consider yourself lucky and you will likely find something in half the time or less.
We do have a relocation agent working for us. We're hoping to find a four-bedroom apartment or house, for CHF5,000 to CHF7,000 a month. Seems like there are some listings in that range, but I know spotting a listing is only the beginning.
Our son goes to la cote international school and we would highly recommend you visit the school. Not too big, yet providing world class facilities in a great location.
Thanks, Frednyon, but we've already enrolled both children at La Grande Boissière.
Thanks, Vaudman. The kids have just completed their first semester at Ecolint's La Grande Boissière campus and are enjoying it a lot.