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Institut Villa Pierrefeu (or Pierrefeu) is Switzerland's oldest standing finishing school, in Glion, Vaud, founded in 1954. Recognized as the "Harvard of finishing schools," it is a member of the Federation of Swiss Private Schools with the international school code of ISO 9001.

History

The villa housing Pierrefeu was built in 1911 on a mountainside above Montreux, overlooking Lake Geneva. It was the home of a Dutch baroness. In 1954, Dorette Failletaz founded Institut Villa Pierrefeu, with Institut Le Rosey in the same canton and lower-tuition finishing schools located nearby.

Pierrefeu is the last remaining etiquette school born of the 19th-century Swiss finishing school tradition, with its own purpose-designed campus facilities and equipment resources. Such institutions were private, all-girls schools offering academic-year or semester courses to high-society, European leaders (i.e. Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Diana, Princess of Wales, Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, and Princess Elena of Romania) to "finish" their education with practical skills applicable to social graces and future household management. Students were typically ages 16-18.

1970s-present: Generational leadership

Viviane Néri bought Pierrefeu from her mother (the school's founder) in 1971 and manages it today. She expanded from the dwindling gap year market of the U.K. and Germany, to women from global economies, including Asia and South America. The curriculum language changed from French to English, with Pierrefeu being one of the first to teach non-Western customs (including those of BRIC countries). Household management has become a more peripheral subject. Art history, interior decorating, sewing (applicable in designer fashion), and childcare are no longer taught.

In the 1980s, Pierrefeu accommodated up to 34 students. In 1987, the Los Angeles Times reported that it reached full occupancy annually. The school was threatened by a law proposal that summer, which would have limited the ability of global students to board in Switzerland. The government restriction did not pass.

In the 1990s, Pierrefeu was primarily occupied by students from North America and South America, with a decrease in Japanese and European attendance. Around this time, it was common for Néri to conduct daily room inspections, as posters were not allowed on bedroom walls. Brochures read: "A complete universe dedicated to the instruction of the art of living. The school of life."

In 2012, Néri reported that enrollment from the U.K., the traditional finishing school population, was rising again, along with Hong Kong and China.

In 2013, Pierrefeu opened up to hosting a five-day seminar for men and women in the professional service industry. Her son, Philippe Neri, led the process, along with administration and strategy today as third-generation management. The alumni network comprises 4,200+ women from 120 countries across the world.

Overview

Programs

Today, Institut Villa Pierrefeu offers three programs at its Swiss boarding school: a summer school program of courses for an International Etiquette and Protocol (IEP) diploma for women (18-exam level), and certificate programs including five-day co-ed seminars on the European art of dining, and home management (co-designed by the Charles MacPherson Academy, which teaches butlers and household managers).

Gap-year boarding program

Historically, Pierrefeu offered a gap-year, boarding program beginning in autumn, targeting girls between secondary school and college education. In 1987, students had 38 hours of classes weekly. Lessons ran from 8:15am to 5:00pm. A 7pm curfew was enforced on weekdays, 9pm on Fridays and Sundays, and 11pm on Saturdays.

Néri claimed that drug problems were minimal. One or two girls were expelled every year.

Education

Subjects taught over 12-14 hours per weekday have included:

(Professionalism and social etiquette)

• business etiquette and public relations (including crisis management),
• French language,
• European etiquette and protocol,
• international savoir-vivre (history, culture, and customs of 20+ countries across all continents),
• advanced etiquette (mandatory for the IEP diploma) and appropriate conversation

(Event organization, applicable for nonprofit benefits etc.)

• hosting,
• art history,
• floral art design (winning 3 of 6 historical rankings in the local L'Art De La Table Competition at Touzeau),
• table decorating and service,
• culinary arts,
• oenology,
• ballroom dancing

(Life)

• personal presentation (image consulting)
• efficient household management (including interior decorating),
• sewing (applicable in designer fashion),
• childcare

One teaching method Pierrefeu has long-used includes regular, practice formal dinners. Roleplaying as either guests, hosts, or servants (requiring the proper dress), students learn how to cook and serve at least five, diversified cultural dinners, with the final exam involving formal dinner prep and hosting. Additionally, it is ensured that students leave the school knowing how to make their own beds, iron their own clothes, and keep their own private bathrooms clean.

Tuition

1980s-90s

Excluding application fees and school-authored reference books, in 1986, parents paid Fr.44,000 ($26,000 USD) tuition for the gap-year program.

As the most expensive finishing school, Pierrefeu increased tuition to $30,000 just a year later, compared to all of the average similar institutions at the time charging $18,000 (approximately half).

In 1990, tuition further increased to $33,000 for a 7.5 month gap-year program.

2000s-present

In 2012, tuition for Institut Villa Pierrefeu increased to $36,387 for a summer school diploma (a higher cost of attendance for a more compact instruction period, mirroring college tuition increases).

Admissions

In 2013, application fees were CHF 600 ($687 USD), in addition to an application from fluent English-speakers, detailed CV, school or work reference, strict dress code adherence, no-social media policy during summer school, and other policy agreements. Approximately 30-40 students are admitted each summer.

Notable alumni

• Myka Meier, American-British entrepreneur and etiquette coach
• Sara Jane Ho, a Hong Kong etiquette coach and star of the Netflix show, Mind Your Manners

See also

• Federation of Swiss Private Schools
• Institut Le Rosey

References

1. ^ Wilson, Sophie (3 Dec 2012). "The Swiss finishing-school that's letting men in". Telegraph. Press Holdings. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
2. ^ https://www.swiss-schools.ch/en/school/institut-villa-pierrefeu/
3. ^ Adams, William Lee (31 Oct 2011). "Mind Your Manners: The Secrets of Switzerland's Last Traditional Finishing School". Time. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
4. Legeune, Christine (21 January 2023). "What It's Like to Send Your Kid to Main Line Etiquette Class". Philadelphia Magazine.
5. ^ McArthur, Samantha (15 Feb 1990). "Traditional Swiss Finish for Modern Woman". Daily News. Kingsport, Tennessee. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
6. ^ Watson, Brenda (16 Dec 1987). "Today's Courses Include Vacuuming, Cleaning Toilets: Finishing Schools Modernizing Curriculum". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
7. "Princess Diana Biography". Bio. A&E Networks. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
8. "Lessons from the Last Swiss Finishing School The New Yorker". The New Yorker. 2018-10-02. Archived from the original on 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
9. Morton, Andrew (1992). Diana: Her True Story. London: Michael O'Mara Books. ISBN 9780329629830. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
10. Brown, Tina (2007). The Diana Chronicles. USA: Penguin Random House. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
11. ^ Grant, Tavia (7 December 2012). "How saving the Swiss finishing school from extinction may be men's work". Globe & Mail. Toronto: Woodbridge Co. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
12. ^ Netter, Thomas W (14 November 1986). "Swiss Schools: Learning How to Live Well". New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2015.

External links

• "Charm academy: Switzerland’s last finishing school". Financial Times (30 September 2010). (Subscription required.)

• Schools
• Switzerland

• Finishing schools
• Private schools in Switzerland
• Boarding schools in Switzerland
• Boarding schools
• Schools in Switzerland
• Educational institutions established in 1954
• 1954 establishments in Switzerland
• Buildings and structures in the canton of Vaud