# How did it go with your children 7-10yrs moving to France?



## K Kiwi

Hello, We are looking to move back to France from New Zealand (my home country, husband is English). Both my girls were born in France but we moved to NZ, to be close to my terminally ill father, when they were 5 and 2. The eldest was fluent having gone through crèche and maternelle. We had planned to return to France earlier but Covid has made things tricky. With a move date of Jan next year they will then be 10 and 7years of age. The eldest now understands a little bit of French and has good pronunciation, the youngest not so much. My worry is that the change of language and school systems will be a huge challenge and that, socially, it could be too much. They both love school here and are really confident readers/writers. We do have a good group of close friends in France but there wouldn't be any of these kids at school with them. I would really appreciate hearing of other families experiences with their moves to France:how did it go? How have you found the school system? How did the language learning progress?
It's the major block for us to our plans so far. 
Thanks for your stories.


----------



## Bevdeforges

I think ultimately you'll find that the work possibilities may prove a greater challenge than the kids and their ability to adapt. Since Brexit actually took effect you may find employers here much less interested in jumping through the hoops to hire a non-EU foreigner unless your husband or you are in an in-demand high tech field (see, for example, the passeport talent categories).

On the school side of things, it may depend more on where exactly you wind up going. Paris and some of the larger towns in France may well have plenty of experience with newly arrived foreign kids, so more direct support and all through the schools. More rural areas, or simply areas without many foreign kids in the local schools may be a bit trickier. Plus a lot depends on how adaptable your kids are.


----------



## Lalla

There's a couple with a YouTube channel called Our Move To France who have two kids about ten years old and an older boy about 16. They described in one of their vlogs the process of getting their kids into schools in Creuse, and what the schools did to get the kids up to speed with learning French. I can't locate the exact vlog where they talked about it, but you certainly ask them anything you need to know. The schools assessed their language ability and arranged for them to spend a couple of days a week intensively learning the language.


----------



## Crabtree

Before worrying about school I think you need to find out if you can actually move to France.From what you say neither of you are EU citizens which mean you need to get Visas and be able to show how you intend to live whilst you are here.Unless you have some amazing individual qualification or skill so you can get a Passeport Talent then you are going to have to get a job before you move which frankly is unlikely or start your own business in France and all the hoops that it will involve and you will have to apply every year to renew your Carte de Sejour
The other thing is there a chance that any of your ancestors were EU nationals?
Do not forget that everything has changed since Brexit


----------



## suein56

I was under the impression that K is possibly French (hubby is from UK) and that they had lived in France as a couple and that their 2 children were born here. They went to NZ to help out with Grandpa and now wish to return to France.
Or have I misread things ?


----------



## BackinFrance

suein56 said:


> I was under the impression that K is possibly French (hubby is from UK) and that they had lived in France as a couple and that their 2 children were born here. They went to NZ to help out with Grandpa and now wish to return to France.
> Or have I misread things ?


I don't know, she does say NZ is her home country, but she could still be a dual French or EU citizen. 

Anyway, she is probably sound asleep now given the time difference. Perhaps she will clarify tomorrow.


----------



## BackinFrance

K Kiwi said:


> Hello, We are looking to move back to France from New Zealand (my home country, husband is English). Both my girls were born in France but we moved to NZ, to be close to my terminally ill father, when they were 5 and 2. The eldest was fluent having gone through crèche and maternelle. We had planned to return to France earlier but Covid has made things tricky. With a move date of Jan next year they will then be 10 and 7years of age. The eldest now understands a little bit of French and has good pronunciation, the youngest not so much. My worry is that the change of language and school systems will be a huge challenge and that, socially, it could be too much. They both love school here and are really confident readers/writers. We do have a good group of close friends in France but there wouldn't be any of these kids at school with them. I would really appreciate hearing of other families experiences with their moves to France:how did it go? How have you found the school system? How did the language learning progress?
> It's the major block for us to our plans so far.
> Thanks for your stories.


If you are going to move back, it would be better to do it before your elder child starts collège here. Your 7 year old should be fine and your 10 year old would have a chance to adjust before starting collège.

Bear in mind that the French education system differs greatly from that in NZ.


----------



## BackinFrance

Of course you could use next spring and summer school holidays to get some additional tutoring for your children, but probably not school camps because the staffing issues will almost certainly be the same as this year, sadly.


----------



## K Kiwi

Morning, thanks so much for your replies. Thanks @Lalla for the blog link, will look at that. Very kind to check in that we've thought of all of the above-we've been through it all, we lived in France for 9 years (more for hubby) and keep up to date through friends/local French news. Husband has an Irish passport so I can be there, as I did before, as a spouse of an EU citizen, and get a titre de séjour. Getting Irish passports for the girls. We would be going back to the same place, the Hautes Alpes , so the école primaire would be the local village one, they do get non French speaking families through occasionally. Yes, keen to get there before collège, ideally with a part year or two at the école primaire. Being a teacher in NZ and having taught English as périscolaire in France I have a feeljng about the differences in schooling (French generally seems very traditional) but interested in knowing more. Work is something we've thought long and hard about, we are in a good position financially and husband has just been over there so checked out his job (renos/handyman) is still in demand, the same employer would have him back. I would pick up whatever.
I really am looking for other families experiences with the language adjustment and change of school systems, the reality of this, good or bad. I know it would depend greatly on the children-I am not too concerned for the 7 year old, she's outgoing and resilient. More worried about our 10 year old, she's quieter, an observer, who is more sensitive (she spoke French until 5 years old-this should help a bit?) prepared to do all we need to do out of school at home etc. Thanks again for messages.


----------



## SPGW

Yes, speaking French til 5 yo will certainly help. She may be quieter than usual for a few months, observing and taking it all in, connecting with her 5 y memory then she’ll just speak as if she’d never left France. This happened with our son, though a bit younger, and it wasn’t ‘back to France’ but ‘back to a francophone country’. Good luck. Kids are more resilient than parents.


----------



## K Kiwi

SPGW said:


> Yes, speaking French til 5 yo will certainly help. She may be quieter than usual for a few months, observing and taking it all in, connecting with her 5 y memory then she’ll just speak as if she’d never left France. This happened with our son, though a bit younger, and it wasn’t ‘back to France’ but ‘back to a francophone country’. Good luck. Kids are more resilient than parents.


Thanks for this, how are you finding the French school system? Have just been talking to a friend, unfortunately her kids felt pretty bad while they were learning, quite a bit of negative teacher comments etc.


----------



## SPGW

K Kiwi said:


> Thanks for this, how are you finding the French school system?


They’re in their 20s now, so comparison maybe dodgy, and we’re just one example. No regrets, would do same again, and it’s probably a major reason why we didn’t move again to another country. French school system certainly better than what we would have had in UK or US at that time. Beware also variability within France. We were maybe lucky ( or wise) to choose la Touraine.


----------



## Lalla

K Kiwi said:


> Morning, thanks so much for your replies. Thanks @Lalla for the blog link, will look at that. Very kind to check in that we've thought of all of the above-we've been through it all, we lived in France for 9 years (more for hubby) and keep up to date through friends/local French news. Husband has an Irish passport so I can be there, as I did before, as a spouse of an EU citizen, and get a titre de séjour. Getting Irish passports for the girls. We would be going back to the same place, the Hautes Alpes , so the école primaire would be the local village one, they do get non French speaking families through occasionally. Yes, keen to get there before collège, ideally with a part year or two at the école primaire. Being a teacher in NZ and having taught English as périscolaire in France I have a feeljng about the differences in schooling (French generally seems very traditional) but interested in knowing more. Work is something we've thought long and hard about, we are in a good position financially and husband has just been over there so checked out his job (renos/handyman) is still in demand, the same employer would have him back. I would pick up whatever.
> I really am looking for other families experiences with the language adjustment and change of school systems, the reality of this, good or bad. I know it would depend greatly on the children-I am not too concerned for the 7 year old, she's outgoing and resilient. More worried about our 10 year old, she's quieter, an observer, who is more sensitive (she spoke French until 5 years old-this should help a bit?) prepared to do all we need to do out of school at home etc. Thanks again for messages.


Hi, the couple I've mentioned said they thought their younger two would take to it more easily and it would be more of a challenge for their older son, but they said it turned out the other way. Of their two younger boys, one is an extrovert and the other the complete opposite, so very like your two. I think they use Facebook a lot but I'm not on there. If you put something in the comments of their latest vlog or on the channel's community tab I think they'll get back to you pretty quickly. Good luck with everything 😊


----------

