‘Beyond the cosmopolitan bubble’: An insight into ‘global middle class’ formation from alumni at an IB international school in Europe

The number of private K-12 ‘international schools’ delivering a curriculum wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking nation reached 15,000 in July 2025, showing a rise of 45% over the previous decade. However, there has been very little empirical insight into the long-term advantages and implications of attending such a school. Our paper aims to help fill this gap, reporting on a study of 15 alumni aged 25-30 who attended a well-established international boarding school in Switzerland. The alumni graduated with the International Baccalaureate’s Diploma Programme (IBDP). The findings revealed a detachment from the local/nation alongside an inter-connectedness to a diverse international community. This ‘corporate cosmopolitan bubble’ continued into the university sphere, whilst the alumni expressed a strong sense of solidarity and confidence in navigating the global labour market. Overall, the schooling experience provided a form of cultural and social capital accumulation that might signify ‘Global Middle Class’ formation.