Sending your child to a boarding school in Europe: who it's for, what it costs, and how to do it

The topic comes up cyclically among the expat families we work with: « We’re considering a boarding school for our teenager. » Sometimes it’s a long-planned project (the child wants a structured international experience), sometimes it’s an emergency (geopolitical instability, expatriation to a country without a good school, family separation). In both cases, the same questions come back:

1. Is this the right option for my child?
2. How much does it really cost?
3. How do we go about it — especially in an emergency, mid-year?

This article answers all three.

Boarding school vs French internat: two different worlds

First, a vocabulary clarification that many francophone families confuse.

Boarding school (UK, Switzerland, international)

A British boarding school is a private residential educational institution where the child lives on-site 24/7 during term time. It’s not a standard « dormitory school » but a complete universe: classes, sports and cultural activities, individual tutoring, life in a house system, pastoral care (housemaster/housemistress), meals, structured weekends.

British boarding schools are the global standard for residential education. Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Rugby (the most famous names), but also hundreds of less well-known and equally good schools (Oundle, Cheltenham Ladies, Malvern, Sevenoaks, etc.).

Features:

• Curriculum: GCSE + A-levels, or IB Diploma (many schools offer both)
• Size: 300 to 1,200 students
• Supervision: very favourable student-to-adult ratio (~1 adult for 5-8 students, counting housemasters, tutors, matrons)
• Cost: £30,000-50,000/year (€35,000-58,000)

French internat

The French internat is a boarding arrangement within a lycée (public or private), not a total way of life. The child sleeps and eats at the lycée during the week and goes home at weekends. Supervision is less enveloping than a boarding school: it’s a dormitory + a canteen, not a « house ».

Features:

• Curriculum: French Bac only (except international lycées with international sections)
• Size: variable (the lycée may have 2,000 students of whom 100 are boarders)
• Supervision: one supervisor for 20-40 boarders (less favourable than the UK)
• Cost: €2,000-5,000/year public, €8,000-25,000/year private

In-between options

A few French institutions approach the boarding school model:

• École des Roches (Normandy): the oldest « French-style boarding school ». Bilingual, 200 students, highly personalised supervision. ~€25,000/year.
• Lycée Ermitage (Maisons-Laffitte): international sections, IB available, structured boarding. ~€15,000-20,000/year.
• Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye: 14 international sections, public boarding at ~€3,000/year. The best value-for-money if you can get a place (long waiting list).

In Switzerland: Le Rosey, Institut Le Rosenberg, Aiglon College, Brillantmont: maximum international prestige, fees of CHF 70,000-130,000/year (out of reach for 95% of families).

The decision tree: is this the right option?

Criterion 1 — Is the child ready to live away from family?

This is the decisive criterion, before budget, before curriculum, before everything. A 14-15 year old who has never slept away from home, who has a strong attachment to a parent, who hasn’t asked to leave: that child is not a good candidate for a boarding school, even the best in the world.

Conversely, a 15-16 year old who is autonomous, sociable, curious, and who wants this experience: that’s an excellent candidate. The child’s desire is the best predictor of boarding school success.

Test question: « If I offered you a year in a boarding school in the UK, far from us, how would you feel? » If the answer is « cool, I’m interested » → positive signal. If it’s « no, that scares me » → stop signal.

Criterion 2 — Is the budget sustainable over time?

A UK boarding school at £45,000/year over 4 years (GCSE 2 years + A-levels or IB 2 years), that’s ~£180,000 (~€210,000). This isn’t a one-off investment. It’s a long-term financial commitment, comparable to buying property.

And hidden fees add up: return flights (€3,000/year), uniforms (£500-1,000 in the first year), optional activities (music, sports, outings), pocket money.

Rule: if the boarding school budget puts the family under financial strain, don’t do it. A French internat at €3,000/year offers a structured framework at a fraction of the cost. And a French AEFE lycée abroad is often the best option for expat families.

Criterion 3 — Which curriculum is priority?

• If the child needs to continue in IB: choose an IB boarding school (numerous in the UK, a few in France and Switzerland)
• If the child needs to take the French Bac: French internat (public or private lycée)
• If the child is in A-levels / IGCSE: UK boarding school, smoothest transition
• If the child wants to change curriculum: evaluate the cost of the switch (lost time, catch-up, adjustment) vs the benefit

Criterion 4 — Is this an emergency or a planned project?

• Planned project (enrolment for the next September): you have 6-12 months. Visit schools, sit admission tests, prepare the child.
• Emergency (mid-year, geopolitical crisis, family situation): some boarding schools accept mid-year enrolments if places are available. In the UK, specialist agencies (Anderson Education, Gabbitas, Lumos Education) can accelerate the process and find a place in 2-4 weeks.

Real costs, compared

Option	Annual cost	Total cost 3 years
French public internat	€2,000-5,000	€6,000-15,000
French private internat	€8,000-25,000	€24,000-75,000
UK boarding school (good level)	€35,000-50,000	€105,000-150,000
UK boarding school (top tier)	€50,000-60,000	€150,000-180,000
Swiss boarding school	€70,000-130,000	€210,000-390,000

Best value-for-money: boarding at Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (~€3,000/year, 14 international sections, excellent level). But places are very limited.

Key takeaways

• A UK boarding school is a complete residential universe, not just a school with beds. It’s an immersive, structured, and highly supervised experience.
• Criterion #1 is the child’s maturity and desire, not the budget or prestige.
• Costs range from €2,000/year (French public internat) to €130,000/year (Swiss boarding school). The gap is 1 to 65.
• In emergencies (geopolitical crisis), mid-year enrolments are possible in the UK — specialist agencies accelerate the process.
• The French public internat is a serious and underestimated alternative at a fraction of the cost of a British boarding school.
• Don’t put the family under financial strain for a boarding school. A French lycée with internat at €3,000/year is often the best option.

Going further

• Geopolitical crisis and schooling: what to do when school goes online?
• Binational families: how to navigate between two systems
• United Kingdom country guide
• Anderson Education — boarding school consultants
• Good Schools Guide (UK)

---

Article written by Constantin Mardoukhaev, co-founder of Axiom Academic. Constantin supports francophone expat families with their schooling and orientation choices, including emergency boarding school projects.