Transnational references in the lives of young migrated people are (made) relevant in educational institutions in different ways (Fürstenau & Niedrig, 2007). The appreciation of cross-border mobility by young people varies greatly and often depends on whether the respective migration is seen as a (economical) burden or a gain. With a special focus on the intersection of youth, migration and socio-economic status the contribution focusses on youth from abroad who attend private boarding high schools in Germany for several years with the aim of completing the Geman university entrance examination (Abitur) (Terhart, 2022). This international students mobility is regarded as a phenomenon of the increasingly global school choice of internationally oriented families (Ball & Nikita, 2014), and at the same time private boarding schools benefit from a wealthy client group (Kenway & Fahey, 2014; Brooks & Waters, 2015). But how do the young people themselves experience the change to another national school system, everyday life at a German boarding school and contact with their family, which usually lives far away? As part of a Grounded Theory-Interview study including case studies of students, parents and school representatives’ perspectives (Strauss/Corbin, 1996; Stake, 2003, S. 136ff.; Fatke, 2013) the contribution focusses on the young migrated students experiences attending private boarding schools in Germany. As a phenomenon of privileged educational migration the growing up in transnational contexts against the background of family expectations of an internationally prestigious school education in Germany is examined. In the analysis of ten interviews with students, it becomes clear that the young people have to get used to the new conditions during the transition to the German school system. In most cases, reference is made to the advantages of attending school in German boarding schools with regard to the resulting further educational and professional opportunities in the global startification structure of the global educational market. The (social) price paid by the students and their families for this option is estimated differently. As they navigate their transnational educational experiences, gendered arguments become just as apparent as the othering process they are subjected to as migrants.

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