French or British University

[KathyC]

I am interested in finding out whether children whose parents have moved to France part way through their education are more likely to go to university in France or Britain. For those who have chosen to move back to the UK for this part of their education, have they been able to find any help with their choices and the application process generally, or have they (and their parents) had to manage on their own?  This is to do with a service I have been thinking of offering when we move out later this year. Thanks

[The Riff-Raff Element]

We looked into this for the 18 year-old daughter of a (French) friend

who was considering studying for her degree in England. It seemed a

fairly straightforward procedure. Application appeared to be through

UCAS in most cases, and EU students were treated the same as UK

applicants as far as fees were concerned (that is the same all over the

EU). However, most institutions seemed far more interested in students

from outside the EU who pay much more. It was conspicuous that the only

non-English European language options that appeared on most websites

were Spanish and Portuguese, which of course are far more widely spoken

outsdie of Europe. The UCAS site offers plenty of explanation for for

overseas students...all in English.

For the children of English-speaking parents, and for the potential

students themselves, there seem to be plenty of very clear online

resources. For French children thinking of studying in the UK who's

English is not at or near native-speaker level there is very little.

I've no idea what the potential take-up could be, but offering this

service for French children might bear more fruit.

[KathyC]

Thanks for that thought, Jond. I really hadn't occurred to me. You're right that for most people the process is quite straightforward but there are always exceptions and young people from families with no experience of higher education can find the process quite intimidating. A student at an English school would normally have quite a bit of support, particularly with writing their Personal Statement; someone without this help would be rather disadvantaged.  I wasn't anticipating a large take up and certainly not making a living out of it. As I will, at least at first, be on a career break from working for a careers company, I thought that this would give me the chance of using my skills and keeping up to date in case I should decide to return.

[Lollie]

Hi

Where are you moving to Kathy?      If you are near one the the french state schools with an international section, you may be helpful to them. These students have been studying  an extra 6-9 hours of  English since 6eme. and could be looking anywhere inside and outside of france.  My son is in seconde and will return to Uk for university studies, many of his friends parents, french, have asked me where they can look for information regarding courses and universities, and how the system works.

Lollie   Dep t 44

[tmto]

I went to school in France and university in the UK. I directly contacted the faculty that ran the course that I was interested in (after finding out about it on a UCAS CD-Rom) and they sent me all the information through the post within a few days, along with the forms to fill in to apply. They were also very helpful when I arrived there, when it came to helping me find accomodation and doing all the necessary paperwork prior to starting the course; in fact they had a department dedicated to helping out overseas students. This was in Southampton although I would think that most UK universities have similar structures in place.

And while I'm on the subject, to dispel a popular myth that occasionally crops up on these forums, having a non-French qualification is certainly no bar to finding a job in France - my British degree enabled me to find a job here when I finished my course and decided to return.