Institut Villa Pierrefeu
| Institut Villa Pierrefeu | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Glion, Canton of Vaud Switzerland |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Finishing school |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Founder | Dorette Failletaz |
| Principal | Viviane Néri |
| Website | www.ivpworld.com |
Institut Villa Pierrefeu is Switzerland's last traditional finishing school. It is in Glion.
Institut Villa Pierrefeu is run by Viviane Néri. Her son Philippe oversees strategy.
Pierrefeu is the last institution teaching etiquette born of the tradition of 19th century Swiss finishing schools. Such institutions were small, all-girls schools offering year, or half-year courses to upper class European women to 'finish' their education by providing practical skills applicable to their future home lives and social graces to attract husbands. Students were typically between 16 and 18.
There were more than 60 finishing schools in the surrounds of Lake Geneva before the First World War. None are still open.
The villa was built in 1911 on a mountainside above Montreux. It has a view of Lake Geneva. It was the home of a Dutch baroness.
In 1954, Dorette Failletaz founded Institut Villa Pierrefeu. Many other finishing schools were located nearby
Viviane Néri bought Pierrefeu from her mother in 1971. She shifted the client base away from the dwindling gap year market of Britons and Germans, pursuing young women from developing economies, particularly those of Asia and South America. She changed the language of instruction from French to English and began teaching the customs of BRIC countries Home management has become a more peripheral subject. Sewing, interior decorating and the history of art and furniture are no longer taught.
In the 1980s, the Villa accommodated up to 34 students. The LA Times in 1987 claimed that it reached full occupancy every year. The school was threatened by a law proposed in the summer of that year, limiting the ability of foreign students to stay in Switzerland. It did not pass.
In the 1990s, Pierrefeu was primarily occupied by North and South Americans and the Japanese as European interest waned. Around this time, it was common for Néri to conduct room inspections daily and 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 interest from Britain, the traditional finishing school client base, was picking up once again, as well as from China.
In 2013, Pierrefeu opened up to men, hosting a weeklong course for men and women in the service trade. Néri's son Philippe led the process.
Currently, Institut Villa Pierrefeu offers three courses, an intensive summer course in international etiquette and protocol and two weeklong courses on the European art of dining and the exploration of cultural differences.
...
Wikipedia