Expat partner Perrine Farges and her husband decided against enrolling their kids at an international or a French school in Amsterdam: “A local school just made more sense to us.”
Multiple choice
“When it came to choosing a school for our eldest (now 5), we had three options: an international school, a French school or a local school,” says Perrine, a Parisian who moved to Amsterdam in 2018. She also has a three-year-old son. “We first eliminated the French school. Would it have made it easier for us, in terms of communicating with the teachers, supporting our kids with homework, and so on? Perhaps. But we would rather our kids learn a new language and discover other cultures while we are living abroad. Our kids will always be able to speak French with us at home and will always be connected to French culture, so we saw no reason to keep them in a French bubble…”
The international option
“An international school was more tempting. If we were to relocate to another country in future, international schooling would make for an easier transition. They would also have learned English quickly. But I’m very confident about our kids’ capacity to learn other languages when they are older. I’m also quite sure they’d be able to adjust to an international school in another country, if that were the best option in future…”
Part of the community
“In the end, it came down to this: we live in the Netherlands, and currently we have no plans to leave. At a local school our kids would continue to learn Dutch and feel completely integrated with the local culture. So that was our decision and I’m delighted to say it has been good for the whole family. The school is very multicultural and we are now part of a very inclusive, international community. My husband and I also really like the Dutch approach to education. Our eldest is thriving and our youngest will soon join her at the same school.”
‘Lekker lunches’
“For me it was never a risk, because we could always make a change if it didn’t work out. I was just a little concerned about the lunchbox culture! Growing up in France we always enjoyed three course meals at the school canteen – I didn’t think a cold sandwich and a juice box would satisfy our kids but I’m happy to say the kids love it!”
Photo: Perrine with her kids outside their local school
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