Schulbildung: Auf britischen Internaten können deutsche Schüler lernen wie der künftige König von England

Ferdinand Steinbeis, a German student, initially struggled with the transition to a British boarding school. However, he persevered and eventually settled in, forming friendships with fellow students and teachers. Steinbeis, who now manages an international boarding school agency in London, has even become a confidant to his former roommates.

German students constituted the third-largest group of private school pupils in the UK before Brexit, according to the Independent Schools Council. Since then, the council has ceased publishing statistics. Half of the children and teenagers in the UK live without their parents, either in host families or boarding schools. Despite Brexit, prestigious British boarding schools continue to attract many German parents, as evidenced by Prince George's enrollment at Eton in the summer and the sister of King Charles attending the elite Benenden School in Kent.

These renowned schools are expensive, with a two-year wait to secure a place, high application pressure, and substantial tuition fees. For instance, Harrow School in London, where Winston Churchill once studied, charges £84,000 annually, including accommodation, extracurricular activities, fees, and visas. About 20% of students initially only envision a three-month stay, but most elite boarding schools prefer students who plan to stay for at least a year.

More affordable schools offer similar benefits, focusing on language acquisition and new experiences rather than connections to British high society. Over 500 boarding schools exist in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Interested individuals can easily find information about these schools, their requirements, costs, and qualifications on the websites of guidance agencies or the British School Association (BSA) and the Independent Schools Council, which provide regulator inspection reports similar to a school inspection report.

Free consultations for German interested parties are available through various agencies, which charge the private school upon successful placement. Representatives from British boarding schools frequently visit Germany to provide small infotainment events in cooperation with agencies like von Bülow Education, Stanford & Ackel, or Töchter und Söhne.

These agencies offer individual consultations at no cost to families, which the school then pays for upon successful placement. Since 1996, Munich agency Glasmacher Familien has provided guidance on British boarding schools. Business manager Theresa Glasmacher advises parents to first clarify what their child hopes to achieve from the stay, determining duration, entry point, and school requirements.

Most families send their children to an international boarding school after the 10th grade with their Realschulabschluss. While younger students may also seek a fresh start, Glasmacher notes that a boarding school with suitable learning and leisure options and close contact with the host parents is crucial. In addition to academic education, personal development is highly valued at British boarding schools, with subjects like social services, club engagements, mental health education, and practical lessons on insurance or private finance integrated into the curriculum.

Families are often surprised by the extent to which self-reliance and maturity are fostered at these schools. Glasmacher recommends focusing on a limited number of schools at first and visiting three of them in person. Together with the family, her agency conducts interviews with teachers, school leadership, sports coaches, or heads of music programs based on the child's interests.

After two hours on campus, students typically know whether they would be comfortable attending the school. British boarding schools have become even more expensive in recent times.