| One of the hardest parts of our move was | | | | exceed available spaces by a wide margin, both |
| finding schools in Paris. | | | | schools reserve space for international applicants, |
| We moved to Paris France in August 2008 when | | | | including children of families who expect to remain |
| our children were ages ten and twelve and neither | | | | in France for a limited period of time. |
| of them spoke any French. Now that we've lived | | | | WARNING! Getting into the top public schools is |
| in Paris for a year I realize that finding schools is | | | | like getting into college! The application forms are |
| one of the biggest challenges faced by all families | | | | lengthy, you need report cards, references from |
| relocating to Paris, including French families moving | | | | teachers and principles, samples of the children's |
| home after living overseas. | | | | work and test results. If everything looks good on |
| My strongest advice with regards to schools is to | | | | paper you might have to fly to France so the |
| investigate the different options early, apply to a | | | | children can be tested and the families |
| few schools and don't assume you have a place | | | | interviewed. Jeannine Manuel often requires a |
| until after you receive your acceptance letter. | | | | special IQ test if they do not recognize the |
| Things to consider when choosing a school include; | | | | educational system of your home country or |
| whether or not your children speak French, their | | | | previous posting. |
| general scholastic aptitude, their personality, the | | | | The schools are very clear about the level of |
| length of your stay in France, where you will be | | | | commitment required and explain that there is a |
| livings and your budget. | | | | lot of pressure on the children and that if they do |
| French Public Schools | | | | not meet the required level they will be asked to |
| Public schools in France are free and offer a | | | | leave at the end of the year. These schools |
| generally high level of French education. Many | | | | maintain their top academic ranking by shedding |
| children integrate perfectly well into the | | | | their weaker students every year and continuing |
| French-only classroom. The younger your children | | | | to teach to the top of class. |
| are the easier this is going to be. In France you | | | | We know students who have had wonderful |
| can send children to school starting at age 3 | | | | experiences at these schools and some who have |
| "Maternelle". The elementary school is called "ecole | | | | melted under the pressure. Whether or not this is |
| elementaire", middle school is the "college" and high | | | | a good option for your family really depends on |
| school is "lycee". | | | | your children's personalities and on how much time |
| The French education system is successful but old | | | | you can commit to helping them with the |
| fashioned. Children still learn to write with an ink | | | | transition. |
| pen and daily dictations are normal. Some public | | | | Both of our children were accepted on paper at |
| schools will accept children who do not speak any | | | | St. Germain En Laye and we had to fly to France |
| French but not all of them have programs to help | | | | just for them to take the entrance tests. We |
| the students. | | | | were told that the tests were just a formality |
| You can register for the French public school in | | | | but when neither of them passed this left us |
| your neighborhood by going to your local "Marie". | | | | scrambling to find other schools. |
| Make sure you ask what the school will do to help | | | | I have meet a number of other families since |
| your child transition. Check to see if the school | | | | moving here who had similar experiences and this |
| has a program for non-French speaking children. | | | | is why it's important to check out more than one |
| These program places all non-French speaking | | | | school. I would not recommend trying out for |
| children in a separate classroom where they work | | | | both Jeannine Manuel and St. Germain En Laye in |
| with a teacher specialized in transitioning children | | | | the same year as their entrance criteria is very |
| into the French system. Depending on the grade | | | | similar and if you do not make it into one it is |
| level the goal is to move the children into their | | | | very unlikely you will make the other. |
| regular French classroom by Easter of their first | | | | Private International Schools |
| year. | | | | Most subjects are taught in English and the |
| I would definitely check out this option as I have | | | | curriculum is either American, British or an |
| recently met two American families who moved | | | | international standard designed to help the children |
| to Paris with children from kindergarten to high | | | | transition easily when they return back to their |
| school and who have had very good experiences | | | | countries of origin or move on to their parents |
| with their local schools. | | | | next posting. These schools tend to be very |
| French Public Schools with Tuition Based | | | | expensive but do provide the easiest transition |
| Immersion Programs | | | | for non-french speaking children. |
| Fees for these schools range from 3000 to 6000 | | | | The downside to choosing an international option is |
| euro a year with the exception of the Lycee | | | | obviously that the children do not learn to speak |
| Honore de Balzac which is the only French public | | | | fluent french. The academic standard is hard to |
| school I'm aware of that offers a "free" | | | | track as most children only spend one or two |
| international program. | | | | years at these schools before moving on. |
| The principle of these schools is that students | | | | Both of our children currently attend EaB Victor |
| who speak French must be bilingual when they | | | | Hugo which is by far the most affordable of all |
| enter whereas international students who speak a | | | | the international schools. At EaB the school is small |
| foreign tongue will grow, either to become bilingual | | | | with only one class for each grade level. The |
| or multilingual with the teaching of the French | | | | school is well run, there is a very friendly parent |
| language. | | | | teacher association but the academic standard is |
| Unlike regular French Public Schools these schools | | | | harder to judge especially when it comes to |
| also offer lessons in literature, geography and | | | | middle school and high school where teaching |
| history (from 6 to 8 hours a week according to | | | | standards very from class to class. On the whole |
| the grade) in the students mother tongue. | | | | I would have to say I'm happy with the school |
| EaB Park Monceau (private school subsidized by | | | | but if we were planning to stay in Paris for longer |
| the French government) and International | | | | than two years we would have gone with an |
| Sections of Sevres offer immersion programs | | | | immersion program in one of the French public |
| that are very successful but not as stringent in | | | | schools. |
| their academic demands as St. Germain En Laye | | | | Other Things to Consider When Selecting Schools |
| or Jeannine Manuel. Severs also offers a very | | | | in Paris |
| strong French/German program for German | | | | If possible find an apartment or house close to |
| speakers moving to Paris. | | | | the school with good metro, bus or tram options. |
| Two of the top rated public schools in Paris | | | | The school day is long in France and there are no |
| offering immersion programs are Jeannine Manuel | | | | school buses unless you are at private school and |
| in the 15th arrondissement and the Lycee | | | | even then you can expect to pay around 3000 |
| International in St. Germain En Laye (a suburb 20 | | | | euro a year for the school bus. |
| km west of Paris). Although applications typically | | | | |