A student at the French lycée in Singapore, Dubai or Vienna follows the same maths syllabus as a student in Paris and sits the same exams. But when they need a private tutor, they look in a city where few people know the French syllabus, and even fewer its expectations for the prépa or for admissions. Online lessons solve that problem, provided you choose a teacher who knows that syllabus from the inside.
The network of French schools abroad
According to the 2026 key figures of the AEFE, the agency that runs the network, 640 accredited schools teach more than 400,000 students in 140 countries, 30% of them French. All follow the French curriculum and prepare for the same baccalauréat. The early maths exam, two hours without a calculator at the end of première, therefore also applies abroad from the 2027 session.
The baccalauréat abroad: the same exams, a different calendar
Exam centres abroad are split into groups, each with its own calendar, published in the Bulletin officiel. In 2026, for the first group of foreign centres, French and early maths took place on 8 June, philosophy on 9 June, specialisms from 10 to 12 June. In the southern hemisphere, some countries attached to the New Caledonia education authority sit their exams in November. The syllabus is the same; it is the revision calendar that changes.
An online private maths tutor: what to expect
Useful online lessons for a student at a French lycée abroad meet three conditions. The teacher knows the French syllabus and its exams, the early exam, specialist maths, maths expertes. They also know what comes next: prépa expectations on Parcoursup, the SAT or British tests if the student is aiming abroad. And they adapt to the time zone, so that the lesson falls at an hour when the student can still work.
The lesson takes place by video. The student keeps the same teacher from one year to the next, which matters for an expatriate child who often changes city and school.
The CNED, a different situation
For a student not enrolled in a French lycée, the CNED (the French national distance-learning centre) allows them to follow the curriculum remotely. Abroad, the regulated full-year enrolment requires the approval of the embassy's cooperation service and schooling in the French system the previous year; it is what gives the student school-candidate status for the baccalauréat. A CNED student often needs a teacher who follows them in maths even more.
Dated figures and rules. 2026 key figures published by the AEFE; 2026 calendar for foreign centres published in the Bulletin officiel; CNED international enrolment rules consulted on 3 October 2026.
Our lessons, city by city
I give maths private lessons by video to students at French lycées around the world. We have described the situation in several cities: London, New York, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Taipei, Geneva and Brussels. For what comes after the bac, see Getting into a prépa from a French school abroad.