Travel with teens in February...

[YlangYlangYlangYlang]

Ok have had my head in the sand about overseas travel as we had no plans at all but just been thinking about going to a German speaking country in February (say Germany, Switzerland or Austria) so that our y11 can get some German immersion before her GCSEs (should they happen). We've done this with her siblings for languages and she's missed out on the exchange trip that school usually do.

So... looked at rules, and do I have it right that while DH and I would be able to (currently - I know this could change) go, the two teens would have to isolate for 5-10 days subject to tests because the 16 year old will only be given 1 dose (that's the policy with Pfizer for her age currently) and the 15 year old (GCSE student) will not have had any. Have I got this right? And that there is no way we can pay for these privately to meet the entry requirements?

I know that rules will continue to change but it will affect whether I try to book now or wait until after Christmas when rules will be more as at time of travel and vaccination regimes may have changed again.

All these countries have different entry requirements, have you checked them all individually?
In particular since Switzerland removed UK from the "variant of concern" list, I think currently your minor children are entitled to enter with you, and not quarantine, but you may have to do a PCR for your 16 year old. www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/switzerland/entry-requirements Worth noting that you may well overlap with half term skiers which will make flights etc expensive.
Austria and Germany did have more restrictive rules until recently, but I'm not really abreast of them.
Definitely you cannot get vaccines privately at this point.
But who knows where we will be after Christmas if there is a significant wave.

Thanks @churchroad I'd only looked at Austria so will indeed look at variations and tbh I'm now inclined to wait until after Xmas to think of booking, when situation may be very different to now.

Yeah, aware of the skiing overlap which is why I'd have preferred to book now, and would have been looking at trains first rather than planes as we love doing it that way. But I think the transfer across more countries makes that even harder so might think of planes or even ferry and drive. Or forget the whole thing.

You might be OK say Mon-Fri and city breaks for example as ski weeks tend to run weekend-weekend on the peak weeks. I think most of CH and Austria is on wintersports holiday that week but parts of Germany may not be (if they are inclined to allow entry from the UK).