Cross-border school commuting as a tool for intergenerational social mobility

Abstract

The study examines educational mobility and commuting from Western Transdanubia to Austria. In the first half of the study, the prevalence and main characteristics of cross-border student mobility are presented based on data from the 2011 Census and the 2016 Microcensus. This is followed by a description of the reasons, goals, advantages and disadvantages of cross-border commuting of children, based on interviews with parents whose children are attending Austrian educational institutions. The results of the descriptive statistical analysis show that in addition to the population of commuters from Western Hungary, a significant number of dependent children are being shuttled to Austria to study. Cross-border commuting of students is also significant in other parts of the country, such as from Central Hungary to non-neighboring European countries or from the Northern Great Plain to Romania. Although in the former case mostly university students commute, in the latter case children of ethnic emigrants go back to their country of birth for their studies. Educational mobility to Austria is a significantly different phenomenon. The analysis of interviews with parents suggests that this process can be considered as one of the possible channels of intergenerational social mobility. Parents enroll their children in Austrian kindergartens / primary and secondary schools with the hope of language learning and later employment. Behind this decision is the desire of parents to provide them with better opportunities and life chances through schooling.

In addition to the positive side of studying in Austria, the involved parents reported a number of difficulties: public transport is not provided everywhere, hence it is up to the parents to organize the shuttle. Studying in Austria means a significant amount of additional expenses for the families, and the initial lack of German language causes problems for children. Although legal conditions for interoperability between the Hungarian and Austrian education systems are in place, studying in Austria is a long-term decision as the harmonization of the Hungarian and Austrian curricula is complicated and it is difficult to switch to the Hungarian curriculum if the family decides to teach the child later in Hungary.

Overall, only a fraction of families living near the border seem to opt for Austrian schooling, which partly depends on the family’s financial situation and social connections, on the accessibility of public transport services and on the time needed for commuting. On the other hand, those who let their children study abroad, are committed to completing schooling in Austria and to children’s subsequent employment abroad.