{"id":3751,"date":"2025-07-08T09:02:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open-sky-intl.com\/?p=3751"},"modified":"2026-09-29T20:42:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:42:04","slug":"how-to-choose-a-bilingual-school-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open-sky-intl.com\/en\/choisir-une-ecole-bilingue-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose a Bilingual School in Paris: the criteria that matter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In an ever more interconnected world, multilingualism is a valued asset. For many parents, finding the right bilingual school for their children has become an utmost priority. This article aims to guide and help parents through the process of identifying the best school for their child.

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Why choose a bilingual school?<\/span><\/h2>\n

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The growing interest in bilingual schools<\/a> is linked to the developing globalisation of economic and social relationships. Mastering more than one language is a significant educational goal. A bilingual or multilingual person can communicate with others orally, as well as read and write with native-like mastery of punctuation, grammar, and structure. While vocabulary evolves throughout our lives, a bilingual individual has sufficient vocabulary to seamlessly immerse in a language.

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What bilingualism offers a child<\/span><\/h2>\n

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There are several valuable advantages to bilingualism.<\/a> Being bilingual opens doors and grants a multitude of professional opportunities in the international market. Bilingual people tend to integrate socially more easily. Bilingualism fosters open-mindedness about other ways of working and living. In an ever more globalised and interconnected world, companies value employees who can engage with a variety of national markets. Exposure to more than one language broadens awareness and facilitates integration in different communities. Scientific studies (Peal and Lambert in 1962, Bialystok and Martin in 2004, Blaye and Poulin-Dubois in 2010) underscore the many benefits of bilingualism. It boosts cognitive abilities, strengthens multi-tasking skills, and facilitates the learning of new languages. This explains why parents seek bilingual schools, as they rightfully expect such establishments to give their children the tools they need to grow and succeed in an international world.

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An international curriculum, teaching team and student body<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Preferably, international schools should offer a curriculum that incorporates the best of a variety of national curricula. The teaching team<\/a> should contain a diversity of nationalities and native speakers. The management team should reflect the international DNA of their school through its vision and experience. International schools should welcome a cosmopolitan student base. Immersion in a rich intercultural and multilingual environment helps students develop a more open-minded and mature outlook on the world, as well as strengthen their language skills.

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Choosing a bilingual school where both languages carry equal weight<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Bilingual international schools should incorporate the aspects of bilingualism and internationalism mentioned above. They should provide balanced time and resources between the two languages of instruction and encourage their students to interact with each other outside of classes in both. A thought-out, tangible EAL\/FAL (English\/French as an additional language) support should be given to those who struggle with one of the languages, to help them engage with their peers and follow classes in that language quickly. Academic staff should be able to communicate freely in the two languages of the school. Teachers should teach in their mother tongue and have experience in teaching students in a language that is not native to them. As a result, students should attain oral and written proficiency in the two languages within two years.

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Recognised qualifications for further study<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Finally, international schools award their students various national and\/or international diplomas. This is a crucial point, as these diplomas provide access to higher education. To enter (or re-enter) the educational system of their choice, students may require a specific diploma issued by an accredited institution. Common certifications include the International Baccalaureate (international), A-Levels (UK)<\/a>, the Baccalaur\u00e9at (France), the High School Diploma (USA), and the Abitur (Germany). A French-English bilingual school should, at a minimum, offer the International Baccalaureate in both languages \u200b\u200bto enable students to pursue their studies in either France or the English-speaking world. A good choice of school might be one that offers A-Levels in English and the International Baccalaureate in French.

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Six questions to ask yourself before choosing a bilingual school<\/span><\/h2>\n

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In summary, when choosing a bilingual school for their children, we advise parents to consider whether the school:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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