Moving to marseille from england - what education is available for a 16 year old who doesn't speak french fluently

[valentina4]

hi everyone, me and my 16 year old sister wish to move to marseille but we are struggling to find further education available there for her. She can't speak french fluently but is very keen to learn. She would like to do a-levels, if possible, in mostly arty subjects for example drama, dance, art. We're looking for a school with no fees for the educations. If anyone knows anywhere suitable or any other opportunities there for a english speaking sixteen year old please let me know :)

[NormanH]

A levels as known in the UK don't exist in France.

Sometimes a Lycée (a bit like a Sixth Form college) will have sections specialising in Music, Cinema or Theatre, but that is only part of the curriculum.

It would be hard to enter a Lycée at 16 without good French, as she would be expected to follow a programme with such things as maths and History/Geography taught in French.

You cant just drop subjects as you can in the UK after 16

There might be a performing arts academy in Marseille (it is fashionable at the moment as a place to make TV programmes) but I don't know of one.

Here are some of the things available there:

http://www.sibmas.org/idpac/europe/frm004.html#3

http://www.studioandrewtodd.com/#/projects/17/

It is an exciting vibrant place, but not cheap to live even in the working class areas, some of which can be pretty rough.

I would be careful about taking an arty 16 year old girl who isn't fluent in French and possibly not very street wise there.

There are opportunities, but not necessarily the ones you would want for her.

[Kitty]

Welcome to the Forum, Valentina.  I am sure that this has been asked before but I can't find it.  If you search on the Education Section of the Forum (cut and paste link below), there are a number of threads about coming to France with children who have limited French language skills.  Happy reading.

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/206/ShowForum.aspx

Here is one about schools in Nimes and Aix area: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/908406/ShowPost.aspx

And an old one about schools in Marseilles: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/684311/ShowPost.aspx

[Swissie]

The UK education system is much much better suited for 'arty' kids. In France, and in most of Europe, post 16 education is either vocational or academic - and as Norman says, students are expected to study all the traditional subjects, including 2 foreign languages, maths, physics, chemistry, French, history, geography - the timetable is totally crammed with those subjects (students in France do about twice the number of study hours than in UK) and there is little or NO space for anything arty/crafty. So you need to think long and hard. Could she stay in UK to finish A' Levels and continue to study French to prepare for joining you later? Marseilles in not an 'easy' city - the area surrounding Marseilles is beautiful, especially the Calanques (a series of beautiful bays to the East) - and perhaps it would be better to live in Cassis. My eldest spent a year at the Ecole de Commerce there- she was 20 and with a group of students from Aston Uni - and very street wise. But I was very concerned when she decided to spend a year there. She got into some very difficult situations but returned safe. Certainly not a town where she could go out at night.