17th April 2023
French Schools Shun Britain As Post-Brexit regulations are 'too restrictive'
French schools have been shunning trips to the UK in favour of Ireland because 'they also speak English and you don't need a passport to visit'.
French schools are choosing Ireland over the UK for trips because of the added complexity of post-Brexit travel to the UK, which requires EU visitors to present a passport rather than a national identity card. Additionally, as many French families frequently travel within Europe's border-free zone, they often don't possess passports. Ireland, being an English-speaking country, offers a simpler alternative.
While the cost of acquiring a passport may not be prohibitive (€17 for under-15s, €42 for those aged 15 to 18, and €86 for adults), for certain schools, it presents an additional obstacle. Furthermore, some French students who are citizens of non-EU countries may require a visa to enter the UK, which can cost €118 and necessitate a trip to a major city for application and collection.
Time Consuming and Onerous
With 7.7% of France's population being from non-EU countries, schools are facing significant challenges as a result of Brexit that were not present before. According to Didier Rys, head of Vauban Lycée in Aire-sur-la-Lys in northern France, the new system is burdensome. He said: "Because of Brexit, it's too restrictive and onerous to go to our English neighbours. You need a passport for each pupil, which is an additional cost for families."
Edward Hisbergues, director of UK school trips organiser PG Trips, compared the current process to a "Hundred Years War." He said: "The families travel to the visa application centre and that can take an enormous amount of time and money if you live in a small village in the Dordogne or somewhere like that. They pay for the visa application but they don't get their money back if it is refused. It's very dissuasive." Hisbergues questions the UK Home Office's assumption that these students will stay in the UK illegally and argues that the current system creates a negative image of the UK. He emphasizes that it is now 2023 and not 1400, and that the UK needs to modernize its approach. He added: “They already tear their hair out trying to get parents to provide the documents to authorise their children to leave France, properly signed with the right photocopies. Now [the teachers] are going to have to make sure they do the ETAs as well. The journey to Ireland may cost more, but it’s simpler."