Tell me about Belgium and Switzerland

[Aventuriere]

DH is French and I lived in France for 15 years as a teenager/adult. DC age 7 and 2 have only ever lived in England.

We have been considering moving back to France for a while now, but also want to consider the French-speaking areas of Belgium and Switzerland.

One of the things holding us back from making a move is the education system. DH and I both found the French education system fairly rigid and 'one size fits all', which suited me fine as a 'nerd' but DH struggled with. Are Belgium or Switzerland any better in this regard?

What is the employment situation like in Belgium and Switzerland? DH and I both speak fluent French. I'm a teacher and DH is a physiotherapist.

I would definitely choose CH over France. Such a better quality of life in my opinion (have lived here with French DH for +10 years).

From my experience there are good job opportunities for teachers in international schools. You need to speak German fluently (B2) and may need some extra training to teach in a Swiss school. Medical professionals can get work easily too although I have heard it’s a faff to validate degrees here - easier in France for example.

School system is really good and focused on either academic or apprenticeship routes. Very low unemployment.

Feel free to pm for further info. I’m in Vaud.

B2 cefr is nowhere near fluency in a language, it's the point at which someone can have a spontaneous conversation or understand the gist of a text but not all words.

With validation of your qualifications, you should find the job situation very positive, especially if you got a job in an international school in Brussels or antwerpen or at shape near Mons.

Belgian French education is excellent and varied in primaire, secondaire is undergoing reform, at academic end, it can be quite negative like in france, but alternative run academic schools are present in large cities.

@Nlds C1 is fluent, so yes, what i really meant was a good solid grasp. I wouldn’t say a B2 level was ‘nowhere near fluent’ though.

Anyway OP, hope we’ve been of use!

Thank you both.

My German is probably around B1, but I'm sure I could get it up to B2+. I studied it at school and was fairly fluent but that was quite a long time ago!

Do you know what the job situation is like in local schools? I did my degree in France so am fluent enough to be teaching (English/Spanish as MFL) in French but would need to learn more about the local system first.

How have you found the general 'pace of life' compared to UK or France? I know this is a very vague question and probably depends more on area than country, but I do have this fantasy of a relaxed life in a European suburb/small town!

What exactly do you teach?

I have lived in France and Switzerland and I would say that the Swiss are relaxed....... about nothing!!! Small villages, slower pace of life, lower population density, beautiful countryside, lots of lovely outdoors things to do... all yes, but relaxed... no.

What exactly do you teach?

I currently teach French and Spanish in a secondary school. My degree is in foreign languages (English and Spanish).

I previously taught Spanish and English in France, but not as a qualified teacher. I now have a PGCE and QTS in England.

As you have a pgce, you could teach in both the big 3 international schools in Brabant/ Brussels, or BSB, is and st johns's, or for less salary at the cheaper international schools in that area such as eeba, ISF Waterloo, bogaerts, that would be teaching French and Spanish but note many secondary French teachers would be native speakers.

You could quite easily get a job teaching English immersion in a handful of French Belgian secondaries but if you can teach another subject like history, geography, science, you'd be more sought after.

You can expect to earn half the amount in a public French school that you'd earn in the big 3 international schools.

Switzerland is an amazing place to live and great for families. But I'd recommend having a decent job sorted before you come.
Unemployment here is rather high at the moment and it is not unusual for people to spend over a year looking for a new role.

For job searching I can recommend:
www.jobs.ch/en/
And keep an eye on the state websites in the areas you would consider, for jobs in state schools.