Moving the kids to school in Paris to learn French

[Dvushka]

(Posting here b/c I'm not sure if this question is for this topic or specialised primary educ.)

I have 2 dds, one in Reception and the other in Year 2. We've always been big on having them learn languages - afterschool clubs in French and Chinese once a week - but we realise that they will never truly become fluent unless we immerse them.
So we're planning to go to Paris for at least 7 months if not the next year as well (we'll see how it goes). I've already found a place for Y2 dd at EAB Monceau in the immersion programme - they'll take her in January. My 4yr old would have to go to a local maternalle (if one is available). Has anyone done this before and/or have any knowledge of EAB or other schools in the 8th or 17th arr.? Do you think they will speak fluently after a year and a half and then keep it up after they move back to London? (They would at least have an afterschool French speaking nanny once or twice a week if not go to the Lycee.) It's a sacrifice for us but I just think it's less disruptive to move over now before the demands of KS2 really kick in and we start preparing for the move to secondary school.

I think you would have to work extremely hard if they are to keep it up with any degree of fluency. Do you speak French yourself? If you do then I think you would need to use French at home most of the time.

My MIL is French and when DH started school he only spoke French, although he picked up English quite quickly. His mum still normally speaks to him in French but I've noticed that both he and BIL always answer her in English. Also DH doesn't always know the French for certain words if I ask him - having grown up in a French speaking household - but he is reasonably fluent.

I don't understand why you would do this? It would probably take them 7 months to get in the swing of it, then they'd come back and forget it all. The disruption would not be worth it. They would only keep up their french if they were surrounded by it back at home.

Could you not get a french au pair instead?

why?
no one will speak french unless french in the next 20 years - everyone will speak English

you do sound nuts tbh
are you nuts?

They wouldn't be able to keep it up when you moved back unless they had regular contact with young French people (to keep up with slang, etc).

I'm sorry but I don't think this is a good idea.

LOLOl at poor poor reception kid havign to learn chinese when it can barely read

Do you and/or your husband speak French? Will you be able to support them and their school/homework in France but, more importantly, if you put them into the Lycee on your return? If the move were to happen naturally as part of your family's work pattern I would say good luck, but if, as you say, you are having to make a sacrifice to do it I would be a bit dubious about it all.

Agree with jem. And even if it was driven by work needs, if it was only to be a short posting, I would recommend they went to an international school if at all possible to minimise the disruption to their education.

I have a bilingual dd, who attends a french speaking school. This has its own challenges, believe me.

Having seen my friends' children in this situation, English spoken at home, French at school, it has taken their now 6 yr old 3 years of school to get close to fluent.

Another friend moved back to the UK after her DD did 2 yrs of maternelle, the DD has forgotten all her French now.

Why not just concentrate on learning a language and then send them abroad as a gap year or something.

Agree with everyone else - it sounds like a daft waste of time to do this when your DC are so young - they'll forget it all, esp if they only have a nanny 2x week after school.

Unless you're relocating semi-permanently, I really don't see the point.

Also agree that trying to make your reception child learn TWO unrelated foreign languages at that age is way too hothousy.

I think you are quite barking!

And I have to say I do feel a bit sorry for the pressure you're already putting your very young children under.

Are you fluent in any other languages? Do you realise the effort/commitment that it takes to reach fluency?

And, as someone who has been studying Chinese for the last 3 years, it's an even more complex language than French.

It's a great time in their lives to learn other languages, as they tend to pick things up more quickly, but I think you're pushing them way too hard. And if it means lots of sacrifices on your part, I can see only trouble ahead for you!

Let them be young and enjoy their childhood.

I think you may regret this OP. Its good that you want your children to learn languages but i am not sure this is the way to do it and it will massively unsettle them and you as a whole family. Sadly they will probably forget what they learnt over time.

DD could speak quite good Urdu because that is what a lot of the staff at her first nursery spoke and she picked it up along with English which I never discouraged. Now 2 years after leaving she can't speak very much Urdu. It has to be kept up or they lose it quickly.

i was fluent in German when i was 20
i am now not
sod all use it was

If you are able to keep it up when you get back I think it's a brilliant idea, but you must have other reasons for the move. Do you want to learn french? What about jobs?

Personally, I would go for it, and don't think you're mad at all. Some friends of mine have done the same in Bulgaria. They go back annually and have both learnt Bulgarian, and have Bulgarian friends with kids over here. Their children chat in both languages.

Linguistically, the children will learn some ~(fluency will be hard to obtain) but will lose it at home, even if you try and keep it up. You really need a French au pair or something when you return if you want it to keep improving.

Sounds really fun to me, don't be put off by those who think it's too disruptive, children are quite resilient.

I find a lot of these comments a bit depressing. Why shouldn't children this age enjoy learning languages - presumably they're not sitting there reciting the primitive tenses of 'moudre', they're singing songs, colouring in etc etc. Big deal.

Having said that, I agree that it will take a lot of work to maintain. Have you looked into the European schools over here as well as the Lycee, would they take your daughters? I don't know their entry criteria?

OP I think you are very wise to see using more than one language as a necessary skill, and applaud your determination that you children will have another way of thinking that another language affords.

Also I think you are ahead of the curve with their Chinese classes.

However I wonder if you are over egging the pudding by wanting them to actually be in France at this stage of their education.

Why not have a Chinese or French native person in your home for a while - or have a French/ Chinese nanny / student come in every evening for an hour or two and just talk with them in French /Chinese.

Go to France on hols, and enrol them in some immersion classes there.

well done on being so proactive.

And JuanMoreTime - "LOLOl at poor poor reception kid havign to learn chinese when it can barely read"
....
looking at world populations and demographics etc it looks like most people in the world in the future will be talking Chinese, Urdu, Japanese and Hindi, not English actually!!!

the kid concerned can barely read
why not wait and ask the kid if it even wants to rather than living your life through it

anwyay
where is nutty OP

Ouaf ouaf

C'est un wind-up, n'est pas??

Certainment.

There's a big difference between allowing children to enjoy learning languages and uprooting them and focussing all your resources on making them fluent, though!

My dh moved to France with his family aged two for about two years. He was fluent when he left, but ended up being no better than any of the other kids by the time he started French at school back in England. It sounds a bit crazy to me. And I'm a French teacher, so hardly anti-language-learning!

Mad idea.

I was also fairly fluent in french form grwoing up in canada and having immersion at school
after yrs here I am crap now

I think living abroad is a fabulous thing to do.
It broadens everyone's horizons and is something you never foregt. Indeed young children are probably easier to take because of less disruption.
Folk in the UK are very resistent of doing anything different ( as you can see ).

However, I don't think your purpose should be soley language skills. First, seven months is probably not long enough and you won't achieve fluency.