Moving to France as a family – is it right for the children?

Moving to France en famille is often a decision taken to ensure a better quality of life for the children, but how do they really feel about it?

Uprooting your children from their familiar surroundings and friends and setting them down in a foreign land with an even more foreign language seems to make no sense at all when stated like that, but many families who’ve been there and done that say it was the best move of their lives. Every parent’s first priority is their kids, with ensuring they start to learn French even before the move itself the first step to a successful integration. It’s estimated children will have a working knowledge of the language after the first year in France, and be fluent by the end of the second year – by which time they’re ready to translate for their still-struggling parents!

Another parental headache is choosing the right school for your children. France’s education system provides free state-funded schools and is banked up by a selection of fee-paying private and international schools. Naturally, state schools use only the French language, with extra support for non-French speaking kids not always available. Being in a total immersion environment can result in kids learning rapidly, but for some children it’s a major challenge. International schools teach in the English language but are very expensive and only found in larger cities. Most private schools receive government subsidies, making them less expensive and are, generally speaking, the best bet for the average expat family.

Perhaps the most tricky aspect of moving to France is the cultural barrier which makes forming friendships at any age more difficult than in the UK. Family orientations are the norm in France, with breaking into the tightly formed networks a real challenge for newly arrived expat youngsters. Encouraging your children to get involved in a variety of activities they’ll enjoy is one way to break down cultural barriers and ensure they’re in the best places possible for making friends. As regards choosing the most suitable French destination, it helps to remember locals in rural regions and small towns in France are more welcoming to expatriate families than are residents in upscale sophisticated cities such as Paris.