I think you need to give some info on ages to make a relevant comment. Younger kids will have an easier time. My son was 6 in the German school after having been in an international school and english speaking pre-school. And although he has a German mother, the first months are still challenging, probably more from the combination of culture shock and new system as much as from the language.

Also key is the surrounding area, we live in Cologne with a general understanding of foreigners (mostly from other EU countries) trying to integrate.

Do start the language training early and try to contact the schools in advance to see if you can get a teacher alignment that is favourable set up from the start.

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00abuse

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Thank you for your feedback. My children's ages are 12, 11 and 9. I have since learned that their are severl bilingual schools in the area so i feel they would be the best option to reduce the cultural shock and change in the school system. I travel to Germany a lot for business and although the area where we will live is not near a big city (2 hours from Berlin and 1 hour from Hannover) I feel it will be a nice area.

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00abuse

Hi, we just moved to the Bayreuth area in August. We have a 9 year old who is in the 3rd grade. She is attending an international school. But, sadly what was promised at this school is not what is actually happening. We were told both English and German were spoken during each class to ensure a good transition and also that there is a great system in place for German learning support. 90% of my child's classes are spoken in German. She maybe gets a two sentence summary of what is going on in English. There has been little private German lessons in order for her to catch up. Despite this hard transition she is doing ok. She can read and hear German quite well and has a great understanding. Speaking and writing, not so much. She is shy and with out a decent knowledge right now she can't form sentences very well and communicate with her peers. Also, these German kids she goes to school with know English. They are learning English at the school, but outside of class...they don't speak it. :) Our daughter feels a little bit lonely at school with the language barrier and at times frustrated with teachers who insist she understands what is being spoken.
Right now I am going to a language school with many parents from all over the world. Their kids range in ages. The young ones going to pre-schools and kindergartens are having no troubles. The older ones are also having a hard time adjusting and at times are lonely. But I was very surprised to learn the amount of private tutoring in the German language these kids are getting at the public schools. It is much better than this private school we are paying for out of our pockets. I don't have all the answers but I at least want to advise you that not all international schools are what they promise to be and that there may be better help at the local schools. Good luck to you and I would love to hear how your kids transition!!

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00abuse