The main advantage of private schools over public ones is the high level of teaching, flexibility regarding educational models, the presence of a clear pedagogical concept, and an individual approach to each student.
Globalization processes do not bypass secondary education either. More and more schools, in addition to the national standard, offer instruction according to several other models, including the British and American ones. The International Baccalaureate is also popular. For example, at the French school International School of Sophia-Antipolis, one can choose between the French and International Baccalaureate. In Paris there are schools implementing the British model—British School of Paris and Mougins School—and in Switzerland the American one: Leysin American School and TASIS.
The high quality of education allows boarding school graduates to enter universities without much difficulty. Many manage to do so through the simplified Advanced Placement scheme. If an agreement has been concluded between the school and the university, places are specially reserved for students demonstrating high results in the first year. If graduates live up to this high trust on their final exams, they become students outside the general competition. The Californian Southwestern Academy has an agreement with the University of California under which “advanced” students in history, natural sciences, physics, and mathematics can use the Advanced Placement system. If one does not aim to enter a university, then at a private school one can also acquire a quite promising, “lucrative” profession. It is no coincidence that almost half of all students at vocational schools in Germany have chosen the private sector for themselves.
In contrast to public schools, private schools pay great attention to the comprehensive development of students: they engage in a wide variety of sports, play musical instruments, and put on plays. The curriculum includes many subjects “for the soul and for work”: art history and stagecraft, psychology and artistic metal forging. For example, at the same co-educational boarding school, Southwestern Academy, children study graphic arts, drama, photography, and music history; they can take vocal lessons and participate in publishing the school newspaper.
Another trump card is upbringing and discipline. The school uniform makes the children of employees and millionaires equal. The school day in most schools begins at nine o'clock in the morning with a general assembly and lasts until 4 p.m. Special hours are provided in the schedule for homework. Smoking and drinking alcohol are strictly prohibited. Senior students may leave the school grounds for two to three hours several times a week; younger students are allowed to go out only accompanied by adults (parents, guardians, school staff).
The admission procedure is different at each boarding school. In some places the interview is largely a formality; in others it is a serious exam in individual subjects that must be taken in a foreign language; in some places foreign students are treated quite loyally and given a chance to improve their performance during their studies; in others they are held to the same standards as local students. Everything here is very individual, but both parents and children should be prepared for the fact that not only are they choosing the school, but the school is choosing them.
If a child is facing a serious interview-exam and their language proficiency leaves much to be desired, add another six months to a year of preparation to the year and a half allotted for searching and paperwork. If the school cooperates with one of our educational agencies, then very often exams can be taken at that agency. You can prepare for exams at home, or you can go to special educational centers in the destination country where foreign children are coached for admission to boarding schools. In Great Britain, for example, these include Bedford School Study Centre, Taunton International Study Centre, Rossall International Study Centre, and International College – Sherbourne School.
Naturally, going all the way from the first school bell to seeing the child off at the airport alone, without resorting to the help of educational agencies, is somewhat problematic. At the same time, one should not shift the responsibility entirely onto someone else’s shoulders, for the price of a mistake here is too high.