Why the time is right to consider a truly bilingual education
With the school break here, now is the time to plan for the future to ensure children and families thrive. Relocate Global’s upcoming webinar live with Françoise Zurbach of EIFA international school, Johanna Mitchell, of Lumos Education and Brenda Levis of NYC Navigator offers a wealth of practical insights.
Ruth Holmes
16 July 2020
Covid-19 has upset even the best-laid plans of parents, employers, global mobility, destination services and relocation professionals, but it is not too late to secure the right school places and property for families on the move.With some international assignments put on hold, while others receive an unexpected go-ahead, and quarantine and immigration legislation changing all the time, working parents and employers are having to adapt. And quickly.Services across the global mobility realm are responding in new and exciting ways. From an education and family support perspective, this means continuing to think ahead – and differently – about the challenges relocating families face in today’s new normal.Related content from Relocate Global and the latest issue of Relocate Global magazine
Relocate Global’s upcoming and thought-provoking Education and Family Focus webinar, the latest in this highly successful series, will explore as one of its themes the bigger picture through the lens of experiential bilingual education.Offering a reassuring sense of familiarity for both relocating Francophone and international families of many nationalities, particularly in these anxious times of Covid-19, a bilingual education is an inspiring learning experience for every child, including those with other first languages. The global Covid-19 crisis also risks masking the ongoing shifts in the global economy. Behind the pandemic-focused headlines, plans are well underway for the UK’s exit from the European Union while Canada is forging stronger links with the EU under its free-trade agreement.Opportunities for globally mobile employees are also quietly growing in some of the world’s most dynamic economies. French is the national or joint official language of four of the top ten of Nasdaq’s fastest-growing economies in the world (Cote D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Cambodia and Senegal). Relocate Global's webinar therefore acknowledges it is time to look again at what a truly bilingual education can offer today’s relocating families.Fiona Murchie, Relocate Global’s managing editor, catches up with Françoise Zurbach, Head of French-English bilingual international school, EIFA, which is based in Marylebone, London, to find out why a truly bilingual education is something to consider for every family.“There are many benefits to a bilingual education,” explains Françoise Zurbach. “Being fluent in two languages develops all-round cognitive skills and higher executive function, builds confidence, as well as fosters global mindedness and cultural awareness – all of which are valued by prestigious universities and employers, and enable young people to choose their own career path.”
Supporting relocating families during Covid-19
Françoise Zurbach will also talk about how the Marylebone school is going the extra mile to support relocating families and children during Covid-19 and ahead of the new school year.Robert Stitch, Principal of Relocate Award winner the Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur, will talk too about how its school community is offering ground-breaking approaches to continuing support over the summer for students and all their family, plus resources for others to share.Françoise will be joined by Johanna Mitchell, Director of Lumos Education, and Brenda Levis, President of NYC Navigator, Relocate’s award-winning Destination Services Provider. They will exchange views on how children should spend the summer break, share their advice and tips on catch-up tutoring for children, the value of retaining the services of an education consultant, cultural awareness, networking for relocating families now and in the future, and career support for partners in these difficult times.Also participating in this fascinating conversation are Gael Panhelleux, Executive Director of FOCUS, a London-based expatriate membership organisation, together with her guests Mary Burke Tobias, Director of Admissions at Marymount London, and Sophie Taylor, Relocation Manager at relocation management company, Sterling Lexicon.They will offer valuable insights into securing school places and property over the busy summer months as offices reopen, and planning for the big return to work and school takes shape.
Register now to join us live on 21 July 2020 and get the inside track on what the best international schools and service providers are doing to ensure top-of-the-class transitions over the coming months.
Share the registration link with colleagues managing international employees and expatriates and international parents. Have your questions answered on the live chat.
Subscribe to Relocate Extra, our monthly newsletter, to get all the latest international assignments and global mobility news.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory
Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory
