# Fully immerse 6 yera old in German or International School??



## midoritori2014 (May 2, 2014)

Hello


Hi everyone

There is a 'chance' we may be relocating to Berlin, Germany for two years with possible extension.

My child speaks English, some Japanese...but no Germnan.


We would prefer them to continue on with Montessori Education until high school or another similar in approach alternative school.

In Berlin there is one bilingual Montessori but its an hour away from where we would be living. 

But, there are two German Montessori schools 10 minutes from our house that look lovely. 


My question is then, should we just put her in the German ones? Since its Montessori, all the materials will be the same she's had in the states which should be helpful for her. But how hard is this at six to be just thrown into a foreign language and told to swim? 

Thanks!


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

Six is very easy. Throw them in, they swim. After a year she'll be fluent.

How is your German? You might have issues communicating with teachers if their English isn't up to speed, but more than likely that shouldn't be a huge issue.

I would always pick the nearest school, within reason. 10 minutes walk vs. 1 hour on transit is a no-brainer. If your child is in a German-speaking environment with pupils who live nearby, she will have a social life. The alternative is that she (and by extension one of you) will have only one lingering memory of Berlin - the BVG. And that's not necessarily the memory you want to have. Also be aware that sometimes a "bilingual" school can mean separate streams for each mother tongue, without a great deal of contact between the two.

I have no idea what Montessori is about, so I can't really comment there. The one thing I'd be aware of is that she will need some ramp-up time in the first year when she acquires German, but this also the time when children are taught to read, so you may want to make sure she doesn't fall behind there, and if she's going to return to an English-speaking environment after two years, ensure that she can read and write English at a reasonable level, since that won't be taught so early in a German school.


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## midoritori2014 (May 2, 2014)

Thank you for your help.


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