Shall i put my eight year old into French school for a while ??????

[maltesers]

I am seriously thinking bout moving to the French Alps and putting my ds into ~French school...for a year or so. Will it be too traumatic for him, speaking basically no French. He has been skiing a lot in France since he was three . . We love skiing so that would be the top reason to relocate. My partner, who is very fluent in French and owns an apartment out there would have to find a job and i would have to really improve my French. But should i do this to my son, he could benefit greatly and be happy, but on the other hand he could not....
What do you think ? Would appreciate any advise or thoughts.
Thanks !

[Anna8888]

At eight he will need extra support in order to integrate.

Take a look at the website of Ecole Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel, a bilingual school in Paris that specialises in integrating non-French speaking children into the French school system.

[LIZS]

How old is he ? A friend did this and her kids became fluent well within a year. Doesn't always work though and can take a while to adjust only to have to uproot again. They found it hard to settle back.

[maltesers]

thanks Anna8888 and LIZS

[tiredlady]

A little boy joined my ds's class in september (year 2) He had come over from Berlin, and spoke no English, only German. I took the both of them swimming today and honestly, you could barely tell that English wasn't his first language. They absorb things beautifully at this age. Go for it.

[mumonthenet]

he'll integrate with no problem and be speaking french in 6 months. It's a fantastic opportunity for him. however, if you are planning to move away again within a year it might be difficult for him to have to readjust. Kids do get very attached to their friends at this age...any age really! though I suppose all those forces and diplomatic families survive somehow.

[castille]

I know families who have moved to France with children older than yours and have settled in well, eventually.

However if he knows from the outset that it's only for a year or two he might think it's not worth making the (huge) effort to learn the language and fit in. A lot will depend on how keen, or not, he is.

[Anna8888]

A friend of mine who is half French and half Greek took her children off to Greece for a year and put them in a Greek school. Both children already had rudimentary Greek (including reading and writing) and had been spending at least one month on the island they lived on since birth. Both children are extraordinarily bright.

Neither child really learned to speak Greek properly - the younger one particularly not, the elder one a bit more as he was interested in the Greek girls .

I think that the motivation is hard to find unless you are staying for the long haul and you get extra, specialised help.

[belgo]

I agree with Anna.

I know a family with three children who did this - moved from Ireland to Belgium for a year to improve their flemish, but it helped that their mother is flemish. They do miss their friends though, and the education system is very different in Belgium.

Some children pick up languages very quickly, but with others it does take a lot of perseverance, and if they are homesick it may make it harder for them.

[belgo]

And when he gets back after the year the chances are he'll forget his french unless he uses it regulary.