Moving to Antwerp?

[nomad5]

Hello

Calling any Belgian/Antwerp MNers out there? My DH has been offered a permanent job in Antwerp. We have 2 DC, preschool age and toddler.

What do you think/things to be aware of? We would like it to be a long-term settling down kind of move, hopefully, as we have been living and working in different parts of the world for the past few years.

A goal for us would be to buy a house within a few years - how accessible/value for money is the housing market?

The children would be going to local crèche/preschools rather than international schools - where do I even begin? How would I help them to adjust to a new language?

What is life like for young families in Antwerp and Belgium generally? Quality of life for a young family looking to put down roots somewhere?

For my work field there would be a lot more jobs in Brussels. Is the idea of commuting to Brussels bonkers or something regularly done?

Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you!

Antwerp is lovely.

Start here.
www.facebook.com/AntwerpParentChild/
www.antwerpparentchild.com/

A few Antwerp mums in this group.
www.facebook.com/groups/365571260276668/?fref=nf

There are 4 international schools in or just outside Antwerp, so you'll find a fair few little pockets of English speakers around them and also near to areas where English speakers work.

The biggest indigenous English speaking community there are Indian Jainists who dominate DY Patil school and you see at Da Vinci school too.

I'd absolutely go for local schools which starts age 2.5 years - 6 years called kleuterschool, primary is called lagere school and both are often combined into a single 10 year school called basisschool.

You can find your nearest schools and it also builds a map using this link. You can get lists by whole province (of Antwerp) or city (of Antwerp) or post code. Just Antwerp itself has 243 basischolen.

data-onderwijs.vlaanderen.be/onderwijsaanbod/lijst.aspx?hs=bao

For housing, just need immoweb really. You'll have to get to know the post codes quickly. Antwerp city has several, plus you'll probably look just outside like to Edegem or Aartselaar or Merksem.
www.immoweb.be/en/real-estate/for-rent

Do make sure it's really Antwerp. Often when people say Antwerp, when I check the address, it ends up 50km east in Lommel!

Thanks so much for this info lifeisunjust!

It's been really helpful.