Moving to mumbai with toddlers?

[vdpmum]

We are considering a move to Mumbai with our three boys - eldest 5, youngest 4 months. Has anyone done it? Is it mad? Are schools accessible? Help!

Where in Mumbai? It's a big place.

I live there, have done for 4 years now.

My office is in Lower Parel... I would prefer to live close to schools, but not sure where that might be. Or indeed if the kids would get places...

I would never, ever take a young family to India. Even the best schools are not what you would want! It is manic, frenetic, dirty, full of rubbish and what friends will your children have? There may be international schools but nothing is remotely like it is here. There are facilities for the better off but it would not be a life for me. Have you been on holiday there? That might give you some idea of the pollution, the chaos and the poverty.

Holy cow (ahem) Milly, don't hold back.

I am Indian. My family lives in Mumbai. I can firmly state that yes it is manic, yes it is frenetic, yes some parts of it are dirty, no it is not full of rubbish, and my nieces and nephews (who are receiving a far superior education in their private schools than their cousins receive in London) would make excellent friends for anyone.

Except for narrow minded people such as yourself.

Do you vote UKIP?

I have been to India many times, just that it was before children. I am not worried about exposing them to a frenetic and vibrant city - I am worried about removing them from good schools in the UK for the uncertain prospect of potential places in Mumbai. And yes, I worry about the social aspect as both of us will be working.... But the place is amazing and the jobs are fascinating. Anyone have experience of schools? Districts to live in?

I think if you have the chance then go for it. I certainly would!

Mumbai is a frantic city but i love it here. I teach in a private school and my daughter attends it. Yes Milly it is nothing like a school in the UK, it is far superior to anything I could send her to there.

My daughter is friends with the children of Bollywood stars, wealthily business people and a cross section of other Mumbaikers. She has a lovely bunch of friends.

CrimeaRiver where are your nieces and nephews at school?

vdpmum I will get back to you with more informations

vdpmum.

OK office is in lower parel. Will you be with a partner? Will he/she be working, if so where? Who will be paying for accommodation and schools. The range in prices is incredible.

Mumbai is big, we have students who have a commute of an hour. If you live close to school, you may then have a long commute.

When will you move? Schools following Indian boards are on holiday now and will start back beginning of June. Most International schools, doing IB, will be finishing at the end of May and start back at the end of July. My school manages to fit the holidays in so we finish the weekend before Indian schools restart and then the holidays finish the weekend before UK school holidays start.

It is very hot at the moment. It is 9 pm and 33 degrees. Monsoon will start soon, when it will be a little bit cooler but with lots of rain.

I will be with my husband, who will hopefully be working. My job will cover (most of) accommodation costs and schools. We would be coming in January, though, so that would mean starting at the beginning of the January term. I imagine we would have to come out to meet schools etc, probably around September, so well after the monsoon - in your experience is a mid-year start possible? I just can't imagine moving in time for the new year starting in July!

Excuse me, but I managed alone in India and I have a visual impairment. Yes, it is challenging (I was even there during an earthquake) but you'll get used to that! :)

Marco, is it still tough to get a SIM card? It was a nightmare last year....

Also, I really hope the coffee in Mumbai is better than in Gujarat. Crazy traffic, I can deal with, powdered coffee, Is a different story. I ended up at Coffee Day usually. There was a coffee place with lavazza coffee, too. If you don't like coffee, chai is addictive!

Yes mid year start is possible but I know that my school charges full fees whenever you start.

Getting a SIM card is still difficult, but I haven't tried recently.

Thanks, that is really helpful. Any thoughts on neighbourhoods? Bandra? Worli?

Vdp, have you had a look for expat groups on FB? I found Ahmedabad expats and there was a lot of good info.

I haven't looked at Indiamike in a while, but it used to be good.

I think if you know what to expect, even the smaller things, you'll have an easier time with the move.

Bumping this thread as we are actually going to Mumbai, decision made... So, still very much in the market for any views on schools, neighbourhoods, and advice on any bits to take from the UK which may be harder to get out there. How do children cope during the monsoon? We aim to remove ours as quickly as possible, given heightened risk of illness etc, but we both work so... Ahem, challenge ahead!

About the on only thing I buy in the UK to bring here are super plus extra tampons and aqua fresh big teeth toothpaste.
Most foods can be bought here although at inflated prices. Good cheese is difficult though and meat requires a long trip at least from where I live.

Monsoon is here and it has been very heavy this week. I got soaked waiting for a rickshaw Monday morning. I took my dress off and wrung it out when I got to school and had damp underwear. I had left my good umbrella at school and the spare one was broken. You can easily get child sized umbrellas here though and rain coats big enough to hide a school bag under. You just get used to always carrying an umbrella, wearing rainy weather shoes etc. and the traffic taking forever.

Will you have a car? Will work help you find accommodation?
Do you want to live near work or near school? What is your budget for school? Costs vary incredibly. I presume you want the 5 year old in school. The youngest will be at home, who with? And the middle one?

Try and join Hopping Bunnies

in.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mumbaihoppingbunnies/info?tab=s

It is a group for expat mothers. The Indian definition of expat is a bit vague and there will be many NRIs there, i.e. people of Indian origin who have non Indian passports. I know a few people who are members and find it useful. I never joined as DD was 4 when I arrived and went to school and I live a long way from South Mumbai.

Bandra is a nice area. Big mix of people, probably an easy introduction to Mumbai. I'm not sure about Worli though.

Thank you!! Both the eldest will be at school, just the youngest at home. I'll be looking for an ayah pdq, as will need someone to mind all three in the afternoons after school, but may bring mother over to help me with first weeks of childcare. (Should add my mother knows India!). We are fortunate to have schools paid by work, so are considering asb or dsb. Any thoughts? If we go for DSB, we would aim to live in Breach Candy instead. How does it compare to Bandra?
Thanks on Hopping Bunnies, I'll join that, though suspect non-working mothers are a more frequent occurence than working mothers in the expat community... But there we are!
Thanks again!

Oh, also how easily available are baby things, like large-ish nappy sizes? The youngest will be 1 when we go, so I may take a decent stock? I expect most stuff is available but at inflated prices if imported, no? Thanks!

I agree working mothers are not a common occurrence at Hopping Bunnies or in general. I think I am the only mother in paid employment in DD's grade - a lot help out in the family business but still manage to meet for lunch lot.

I don't know much about schools. I am a teacher so DD got a place at my school and I didn't look at others. I have heard good things about both of them though. Breach Candy is a nice area as well. I am in accommodation provided by school and we had no choice as to where to live, so I've not really looked around.

I would bring your mother over initially. I was lucky when I first arrived as I found a nanny/cleaner who had worked for previous staff at the school. She was fantastic. She left Mumbai a year ago and I interviewed various people and never found a good replacement. DD is now 7 and so can stay at school until I need to leave, so I went for just a cleaner and no childcare. I had trouble finding someone who was used to being left on their own in the house and capable of using their initiative and who could understand a text I sent. If you have your mum there, you can take time to find the right person - hopping bunnies might be able to help there.

Sorry no idea about nappies. I have only ever bought a couple of packets for night time when she was ill, we were away or travelling. I would bring a decent stock with you.

When will you arrive? If before October then it will still be monsoon. Consider that when sorting out shipping and also bring more clothes with you than you think you might need initially as it takes a long time for things to dry.

I do have some issues with ASB they only take Indian nationals who are not planning on staying in India, which I find odd. DSB does seem more mixed.

Will you be able to come and visit before you move?

Yes, coming alone for a week before the end of the year, so hopefully can get a head start on schools, housing and ayah... We don't arrive until start of next year or December at earliest, hopefully some more clement weather will offset the culture shock!

I lived in Mumbai for nearly a year. I found BombayExpats (groups.yahoo.com/group/bombayexpats/) very useful for all sorts of recommendations - you might want to check it out.

December/Jan is a good time to come weatherise. Indians think it is cold, it goes down to about 12/13.

Visiting schools is a good idea, you can get a feeling of them far better in person.

Poofus I was excited when I saw your post, until I saw the used.

I think I am the only MNer in Mumbai, possibly in India it will be nice to have another one.

Bombay Expats is now on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/groups/2292709597/

It is a closed group and says you have to message to an admin to get on, I didn't send anything but managed to join. My profile picture is of me being foreign in Indian clothes so that might have been enough.