So there we go, 2014 has started and we are still unable to decide. Hope you can help us!
Who we are: 2 adults, 2 children (2.5 and 6 months). Living in a part of London we love, but will have to leave- we are unable to find affordable childcare locally (so I'm a sahm at the moment as my income would only pay nursery/ nanny for one child) and our area is very, very heavily oversubscribed in terms of primary schools and we would be unable to get kids into a decent school.
We both have EU passports and speak fluently 3 other languages other than English, so are able to live and work pretty much anywhere in EU, however for various reasons (proximity and travel connections to families/existing friends, the sector in which my partner works and would find it easy to find a job) we narrowed it down to 2 countries (and areas really- northern part of Germany or Berlin, or Geneva area).
Has any of you relocate recently/ in the last couple of years and could tell us more about your experiences? (Between us we did a number of international moves in the past so we know the rough logistics of it, but they were before we had kids- it was all so easy back then ;))
In particular:
How difficult was finding a place to live in either of the countries (we have a dog), arranging childcare, how is the cost of and applying for schools, how are schools in your area, how do you find the overall cost of living (we heard that Switzerland is now pretty much like London in terms of cost of living/accommodation/childcare/shopping- to compare, a small 3 bed place in our area starts at about £1500 pcm plus bills with what it seems to be no upper limit and a full time nursery place is £1700 pcm and up).
What would you consider as a comfortable family income (after tax) to keep a family of 4 going (we are not into luxury items and expensive holidays etc. but would like to have freedom to to things, i.e. be able to afford a meal out with the kids, leisure activities for kids and gym for grown ups and one budget family holiday per year).
If you moved with one job only (eg partner), how difficult was it for you to find a job (and additional (preferably english speaking) childcare to cover Wednesdays and/ or half-day school?
Was it difficult to make new friends to where you moved? Do you like the towns/villages you moved to?
Have you ever regretted the move? Is there anything you would have done differently a second time round? How did you overall lifestyle changed with the move?
A BIG HUGE thank you to anyone who takes time to read all this and takes time to respond!