International School Parent Magazine - Spring 2022

ADVERTORIAL
to offering a high quality educational
programme, can make a huge difference.
Moving
to Zurich?
Moving from one country to another is one of the most thrilling but
challenging transitions your family will ever experience. It’s exciting and
terrifying in equal measures, but we’re here to tell you that this is also one
of the most amazing experiences you’ll ever have, and we should know.
After more than a few sleepless
nights, your family has finally
made the decision to move to
accept an international posting in Zurich,
Switzerland. The children are excited,
already asking you what their new school
will be like and if they can have Swiss
chocolate every day, although you can
see they’re anxious about leaving their
friends behind. Meanwhile, their parents
have so much to think about and to do
that their heads are spinning. Packing,
moving, housing, paperwork, school, jobs,
insurances, plane tickets, permits, doctors,
dentists, the dog or cat, learning German,
all of it creating one giant to-do list that
only seems to get longer with each new day.
Choosing a school
The choice of school is usually the top
priority for most families with school aged
children. We recommend choosing a school
that is accredited and offers a recognised
top quality educational programme
based on an international curriculum and
sequence of learning that will, if needed,
easily transfer to other locations. For
example, the world renowned International
Baccalaureate Programme (IB) is a valuable
asset for children who are destined to
move schools given their parents’ job
posting to various countries. The world
renowned curriculum of the IB offers
students outstanding learning opportunities
as it empowers participants to inquire,
investigate and discover whilst developing
a love of learning under the direction of
highly qualified and trained IB teachers.
It’s also the gateway to higher education
opportunities.
Once the educational curriculum
programme choice is clear, it’s time to start
considering other factors that are important
when making the transition to another
country. Choosing a school that attends to
your family’s transitional needs, in addition
School diversity
At our school diversity is a key factor for
successful transitioning and our community
is truly international. Not only our students
and their families but also many of our staff
come from all over the world. This means
that most of us have been through the
process of transitioning from somewhere
familiar to somewhere new. We know what
it’s like to open your eyes on that first day,
where the light is different and the sounds
and smells are unfamiliar. We remember
how it is to barely understand a single word
someone says to you when they approach
you in the street, to go into the supermarket
and search in vain for a favourite breakfast
cereal, or to be brought up short by all the
little differences, even as you knew to expect
the big ones.
Providing support
We remember what it’s like when actions
and words that used to be second-nature
suddenly require deliberate thought, and
you begin to question your decision to move
away from everything familiar and beloved,
your friends and family, your professional
networks. And we remember what it’s like
to find yourself living somewhere where
it can seem as if you hardly recognise
yourself, let alone your surroundings.
But what we also know is that the one
element that can make a world of difference
throughout this transition process is
knowing that, when you arrive, a friend will
be there waiting for you. At our school, we
invite our newly arriving families to think of
our school community as that friend.
Helping to settle in
We’re like the local resident who already
knows the ropes and can’t wait to help
you settle in. We firmly believe that an
international school needs to make the
commitment to help families access
resources on different aspects of living in
Switzerland, from how to negotiate the
trains, trams, buses, and boats, to how to
select the best health insurance packages
for you and your family, along with the
all important question of where to live,
whether that be in the city of Zurich
itself, or in one of the charming villages
surrounding our school campus. And
because we know we can’t answer all your
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT SPRING 2022 | 56