In our first meeting we discussed the school system in Austria and Switzerland and compared it to the school system in Northern Ireland. As we are both studying to become teachers, this is a very interesting topic for both of us as you will guess from the length of this blog.
Sarah told me that in Austria everyone has to attend 9 compulsory years of school. A child will go to Kindergarten at the age of 4. Following 2 or sometimes 3 years of Kindergarten, a child will attend primary school from first to fourth grade where the pupils are taught basic subjects like: Mathematics, German (reading and writing skills), Music, Sports, Human and Nature and some freely chosen subjects in addition. Sarah attended a music lesson where she learnt how to play the flute and one lesson a week of basic Italian language.
After those four years of primary school there is secondary school where the pupils can choose whether they would like to attend a normal secondary school, a gymnasium or a secondary school with a special focus (sports, music, art and other subjects). If a child wants to go to gymnasium or the school with a special focus, their grades have to be very good. The school Sarah was going to is called Musikmittelschule Götzis which is a secondary school with focus on music as she played the trumpet. She also joined the choir and the music group of the school as well as a dancing group.
Following primary school and secondary school the range of decisions of where to go to next is even wider.
1. The “Berufsschule” is a school where pupils will get ready for their further working life. They can start an apprenticeship after this one year of studying in school which is highly practice-orientated.
2. The second choice would be a school lasting for five more years with a specific focus on different topics for example natural sciences, music, sports, any kinds of engineering, tourism, … Those schools are for example called “Höhere technische Lehranstalt“, “Tourismusschule”, …
3. The third opportunity is the “Gymnasium” for four years more. That means you will keep on studying if you are in “Gymnasium”. In this school you get a basic education but no specific training in any kind of profession, so you would have to go studying afterwards.
Sarah attended the HLW (Höhere Lehranstalt für wirtschaftliche Berufe) after secondary school which is school type 2. With this education Sarah could also work in any kinds of Tourism work like: waitressing, a chef or a receptionist. Moreover, she has learnt 3 foreign languages (English, French and Italian) and different office related subjects such as: accounting and economics and therefore could work in an office or bank as well.
When finishing school type 2 or 3 you have to take the final exam which as a result allows you to study at any university afterwards. This is a similar aspect to Northern Ireland. The so called college is a university with a higher focus on practical matters.
Sarah told me that in Austria everyone has to attend 9 compulsory years of school. A child will go to Kindergarten at the age of 4. Following 2 or sometimes 3 years of Kindergarten, a child will attend primary school from first to fourth grade where the pupils are taught basic subjects like: Mathematics, German (reading and writing skills), Music, Sports, Human and Nature and some freely chosen subjects in addition. Sarah attended a music lesson where she learnt how to play the flute and one lesson a week of basic Italian language.
After those four years of primary school there is secondary school where the pupils can choose whether they would like to attend a normal secondary school, a gymnasium or a secondary school with a special focus (sports, music, art and other subjects). If a child wants to go to gymnasium or the school with a special focus, their grades have to be very good. The school Sarah was going to is called Musikmittelschule Götzis which is a secondary school with focus on music as she played the trumpet. She also joined the choir and the music group of the school as well as a dancing group.
Following primary school and secondary school the range of decisions of where to go to next is even wider.
1. The “Berufsschule” is a school where pupils will get ready for their further working life. They can start an apprenticeship after this one year of studying in school which is highly practice-orientated.
2. The second choice would be a school lasting for five more years with a specific focus on different topics for example natural sciences, music, sports, any kinds of engineering, tourism, … Those schools are for example called “Höhere technische Lehranstalt“, “Tourismusschule”, …
3. The third opportunity is the “Gymnasium” for four years more. That means you will keep on studying if you are in “Gymnasium”. In this school you get a basic education but no specific training in any kind of profession, so you would have to go studying afterwards.
Sarah attended the HLW (Höhere Lehranstalt für wirtschaftliche Berufe) after secondary school which is school type 2. With this education Sarah could also work in any kinds of Tourism work like: waitressing, a chef or a receptionist. Moreover, she has learnt 3 foreign languages (English, French and Italian) and different office related subjects such as: accounting and economics and therefore could work in an office or bank as well.
When finishing school type 2 or 3 you have to take the final exam which as a result allows you to study at any university afterwards. This is a similar aspect to Northern Ireland. The so called college is a university with a higher focus on practical matters.
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http://www.bic.at/downloads/en/brftipps/0_1_bildungssystem_en.pdf
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Sarah explain that compared to Switzerland where she is studying, pupils attend five years of primary school and then go on with secondary school. A child in Switzerland would also start Kindergarten at the age of 4. In primary school in every class there would be around 15 to 25 children. After primary school the pupils are divided in two possibilities of secondary school education due to the fact that there is a lower and a higher level of secondary school.
Holidays in Switzerland
In Switzerland pupils have 5 weeks of summer holidays and 3 weeks of autumn holidays, then 1-2 weeks during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, 1 week to participate in sports in January (Skiing) and 2 weeks at the end of March.
Holidays in Austria
In Austria summer holidays would be a bit longer, which means there are 9 weeks in summer, 1-2 weeks during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, 1 week at Easter and 1 week in February.
In both countries, Austria and Switzerland school is from Monday to Friday 8.00 – 12.00 am and some afternoons from 1.30 – 16.00. The afternoons are depending on the degree the child is in. Normally, children get Wednesday afternoons off, but this could also vary from school to school. Moreover, the pupils would have to learn German and English in school. In Switzerland French is also obligatory from 5th degree. If someone wants to attend university he or she has to pass the final exam which is called “Matura”.
In both countries, Austria and Switzerland school is from Monday to Friday 8.00 – 12.00 am and some afternoons from 1.30 – 16.00. The afternoons are depending on the degree the child is in. Normally, children get Wednesday afternoons off, but this could also vary from school to school. Moreover, the pupils would have to learn German and English in school. In Switzerland French is also obligatory from 5th degree. If someone wants to attend university he or she has to pass the final exam which is called “Matura”.
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