IBac and Alevels

[HappyNevertheless]

Very simply put, what is the difference between them and is there any interest to do one over the other?
Non British here and I'm struggling to sort out what is what and how things work.

I don't think this is entirely true: UK employers do distinguish between different UK universities when hiring graduates (for at least some jobs). They indeed don't know how to rank degrees from many other EU universities but this generally doesn't work in the favour of those with degrees from such universities. For jobs where it is not sufficient to have just any degree, employers will want to know how the degree compares to UK universities and will often just reject candidates from places they don't recognise.

Also if a student wants to stay in France after their degree they will find themselves shut out of many top jobs through not having gone to a grande ecole. Students graduating from French universities may well also find themselves unable to get into better regarded masters/PhD programmes (in France and elsewhere).

In the Netherlands they cannot reject home (Dutch) students on the basis of school leaving grades and the failure rate amongst Dutch students is also high. (My colleagues in Holland often complain about this.) The only real limitation on university student numbers is the number of pupils attending grammars and hence taking the VWO diploma required for university entrance. The only programmes which are allowed to insist on specific levels of grades are university colleges and nowadays medicine etc.

I think the main reason why Dutch numbers in Belgium are rising is financial. In the past Dutch students went to Belgium for subjects such as veterinary medicine, medicine, because Holland operated a lottery system instead of selecting by merit.

I wouldn't be worried about PhD in France after going to Uni. That wouldn't be an issue.
However, there is no way you can get a job as an engineer if you haven't done the 'grandes ecoles'. I'm aware about that.

On the other hand, if the idea is to go back to the UK anyway, it doesn't matter (Whether it's France or the belgium or whatever else).

I have always thought that the best way around it is to do one more year arriving back here so that UK companies have an idea of what you are done and can 'rank' you.

We're very far from the IBac anbd Alevels though!

I wouldn't be worried about PhD in France after going to Uni. That wouldn't be an issue.

It really is an issue for STEM subjects such as maths and physics - very difficult to get funding if you are not from a grande ecole because the perception is that you must automatically be worse.

I agree this is not directly related to the IB versus A level question of the OP, except if people are thinking about IB in the context of studying abroad.

Hayita, I didn't say Dutch students can be rejected on basis of their grades, I was talking about UK students going to the Netherlands and other EU countries.