Secondary education in private schools in Switzerland - topical questions and answers from our practice

Why start a good Swiss school search? His son is 12 years old, he also learns English at his school.

The best option for the son will be to start school in Switzerland at the age of 13 - then he will be able to pass the exams in October-November. The company Smapse will help you gather the necessary documents, organize academic and language training; We will also select an educational institution for you, based on your requirements, preferences and opportunities.

We want to send a 13-year-old daughter to study in Switzerland: where to start the process? How much does it cost, at least an approximate amount?

To begin with, we recommend meeting with our specialist, discussing your goals, desires and opportunities. Based on them we will select for you the region and place of training, as well as the curriculum. After that, we will arrange for the daughter language and academic preparation for the entrance examinations, perhaps a study tour for you and the child on the selected campuses, we will help you to issue a study visa.

The cost varies considerably depending on the institution's choice of your institution, its reputation, location, rating and prestige. An approximate amount for you will be calculated by a specialist, determined with the most appropriate option.

What kind of help can you provide in my child's admission (boy, 12 years old) and what is the cost of your services?

We are doing everything possible to give your child the opportunity to study abroad quickly and successfully. Based on your needs and opportunities, we select a country, region and educational institution, training program, type of residence and stay, organize guardianship or live in a host family. Also we can help you with visa issues - collecting and translating documents, sending an application, writing to the consulate; Answer any of your questions and keep in touch with the student until he returns home. For successful admission we will offer you language courses, tutoring services, we will help to make a bright application and motivation letter. And most importantly - our enrollment services are absolutely free ! We work with educational institutions as partners, and not as intermediaries, so we can save you from commissions and additional expenses.

How can I choose a school in Switzerland and not make mistakes in the proposed conditions of comfort and service, the environment, the national composition of the students?

The most rational way will be the organization of trial trips to the campuses you have chosen - so you can personally get acquainted with the conditions of study and living, communicate with students, teachers, director and administrative personnel. You can use any convenient and accessible means of transportation for you and see any number of schools.

In turn, specialists Smapse are ready to compile for you a list of the most rating and popular schools, provide real photos and reviews, recommend the best options so that it would be easier for you to make the final choice.

We want to give our eldest daughter (15 years) education in a Swiss school: we are considering Institut Le Rosey and Surval Montreux. Can you help us with the admission?

Of course! We are working to ensure that your admission to a foreign educational institution is as simple and fast as possible. We will organize your visit to campuses for preliminary acquaintance, give recommendations on entrance and language examinations, interviews, help you collect and translate documents and send an application, and help you with obtaining a study visa. You have chosen good educational institutions - but it is worth considering that the application for the Institut Le Rosey should be submitted in about 2 years: it is a very large competition due to its popularity, in addition, there is a separate quota for citizens of the former union countries. If necessary, we will select for you and other educational institutions that fully meet your needs, opportunities and needs.

If my child studies in a private school in Switzerland, can I stay in the country legally for a long time? What are the reasons for this?

All foreigners enrolled in private boarding schools in Switzerland receive a Permit-B, a residence permit in the country. Parents are given the opportunity to get a short-term visa - there are no grounds for long-term residency because of the child's education. Exceptions are cases where parents work in a Swiss company, serve in an international or diplomatic organization of that country.

If my child studies in another country, can I get a long visa for living together with him?

Alas, visa and border services do not provide such an opportunity. You can give the child to a boarding school where he will stay and be constantly supervised by a specialist - so you can visit him at any time convenient for you (but the school recommends visiting on weekends), having received a usual tourist visa.

The exception to this rule is Great Britain . Here the parents of a child under 12 years can stay with him on the basis of a temporary long-term visa - but on the day when the student turns 12 full years, this privilege becomes invalid and the parent's visa ends.

We saw examples of introductory tests for English schools - how much they differ from the tests of Switzerland? We are considering the possibility of studying in Switzerland a son of 14 years. Do you personally recommend education in the UK or Switzerland, where is it better?

Apparently, you are looking for an international Swiss boarding house , and focus on the high school programs of the British and American model. In this case, of course, British introductory tests can serve as excellent examples of tests and examinations that await a child in Switzerland .

Concerning the quality of education, we can say the following: as a rule, national educational institutions (both in Switzerland and in the UK ) are better than international schools. British hostels stand out among the rest of the world institutions: they are proud of their teaching staff (about 10% of them are necessarily graduates of the legendary Oxford and Cambridge ) and the level of pupils' academic performance, the quality of the curriculum.

We want to send my son (5 years) to study in Switzerland and choose the day school, as we plan to live with him. Is there such a possibility, is it real?

Usually daytime Swiss schools for admission require the following conditions:

Obtaining a residence permit (for you and then for a child)
Good language training (knowledge of French, German or Italian)
1-2 years of study at the international boarding house of Switzerland .

Is it possible for a child from Russia to study in the Swiss school of 1-2 terms by studying English and French?

Yes, schools that host foreigners for short-term studies exist, and training is available even with an ordinary Schengen visa. One trimester costs about 30 thousand francs - we are ready to choose the best option, based on your needs and capabilities.

My daughter is now finishing 9th grade, would like to continue her studies in Switzerland. But we learned that to enter a Swiss university you need to complete two university courses in Russia. It's true? I would not want to waste time. Is there an educational institution in which we can act now: preferably teaching in English (daughter owns it freely), a boarding house near Geneva or in the city itself.

Primarily, the training in public universities in Switzerland is conducted in German, French, less often Italian. To enter the university without losing time, we recommend that you pass a two-year preparatory program - it is provided by many successful colleges-boarding schools in the country, including in Geneva and its environs. We are sure that during this time your daughter will be able to learn an additional foreign language, and if the remaining results in subjects are sufficiently high, then she will successfully enter the chosen Swiss university.

Is there really a big line in the Institut Le Rosey?

The thing is that the Institut Le Rosey school is very prestigious, rating and, due to this, it is unusually popular, many people are interested in both Swiss and foreigners. For successful admission, we recommend that you apply in advance (2 years before the expected start of classes). Of course, there are exceptions when vacant positions on the course appear during the school year, but such an opportunity can not be guaranteed.

What schools can you offer and recommend for my child? The boy finishes 9th grade (physics and mathematics), fluent in English, Spanish at Intermediate level and initial knowledge of Italian (can explain and understand the speech, but does not yet write). There is 1 adult category in swimming, actively skiing. From preferences - the Italian canton, mathematical and language preparation at a high level.

Apparently, you are looking for a good Swiss boarding school : in the country there are many, you can, for example, pay attention to the school TASIS (it is located in Lugano, the Italian-speaking canton of the country). We also recommend to consider the possibility of entering the national day schools in Switzerland - the level of academic (including mathematical and linguistic) training in them is even higher.

What educational institutions can you recommend? The daughter finishes school this year and wants to study at the University of Switzerland.

One of the best options will be College du Leman . We can clarify for you the availability of places on the course, apply and collect documents for filing.

My family and I move to Switzerland for permanent residence. Our daughter managed to finish three classes in a private Russian school, she knows English and Russian. Is there a chance to go to school Rosenberg Institute?

The school you indicated - the Rosenberg Institute - does not accept strict selective selection and serious entrance exams, so the chance to do so is quite high. We recommend that you organize already now an intensive study of the German language : this will allow the girl to attend a daytime Swiss school on a par with the citizens of the country and get a good level of academic preparation in order to continue to enter a good college and university .

Our daughter is studying according to the IB program in English, studying also French and Arabic, has Kazakh citizenship, as well as our whole family. Does the principle apply that every year of study in Switzerland is counted for two when you apply for Swiss citizenship?

If you have in mind the citizenship (and not the receipt of a residence permit), then this is a very long and complicated procedure. The rule you describe is true for citizens under 20 years old. Citizenship is easier to obtain if you live and study in the UK .

We want the younger daughter (6 years) to study in Switzerland - she communicates with an English nanny from 2 years, so the basic knowledge of the language already exists. What schools can you advise? Maybe there are good summer language courses where mother can live with the child or not far from the school?

From the summer schools, we sing out the summer program Monte Rosa in Montreux - so mom can live with her daughter in one of the local hotels. If you choose primary and secondary school, it should be borne in mind that usually the enrollment in Swiss boarding schools for foreigners is held at the age of 10-11 years (but in some cases there is the possibility of an earlier device).

My child is 13 years old studying French from the 2nd grade (studying in a gymnasium) - can he continue his studies in Switzerland, or should he first learn English or German?

You can easily choose one of the international francophone colleges - they provide quality educational programs and accommodation on a full board basis.

My child studied in the UK in junior classes and passed his first exams (Сommon Еntrance). We want to continue our education in Switzerland - is there such an opportunity and how long will it take for the translation?

In Switzerland, boarding schools are relatively few, especially in comparison with the UK . In some of them a vacant place may appear before the end of the year, but this possibility can not be guaranteed, alas, not. If such a chance arises, you should immediately provide the results of the training and the report card with grades from the previous school, as well as pass the entrance exams: usually it is English, mathematics and natural science. Take into account the fact that for obtaining a Swiss study visa it will take from 1.5 to 2.5 months.