OMG! Kindersurprise is turning into a TOBLERONE!! Moving to Switzerland in August. HELP! Anyone in Geneva?

[Kindersurprise]

DH was offered a new job today and will start 1st October.

I am seriously considering moving with the kids in August so that they can start school with the other kids. DD is 6yo and not in school yet. DS is 4yo. They don't speak French, neither do DH and I.

Can anyone tell me a bit about the schools in Geneva? International schools? Swiss schools?

My gut feeling is to put them in a normal school so that they learn French quickly. Anyone got any experience of this?

The company has some flats in Geneva, anyone know which areas are good?

I am sure that I will come up with a thousand and one questions once it has sunk in.

Hi Sanctury,

our DD is 6yo and Ds will be 4yo next week.

We are telling them tomorrow about the move, I have just been looking for some nice photos of Geneva to soften the blow. I think that DD will be upset, she is really going to miss her friends here and was so looking forward to starting school.

And where she leads, DS follows.

I plan to bribe them with swimming in the lake and skiing/sledging in winter. We don't get snow here so they might be swayed by that.

My DC are 7 and 5 and love it here
There a loads of "beaches" where you can have a picnic and going swimming in the lake
The skiing is great so many resorts to choose from
Your 4 year can do it to this season

The swiss schools are good here but they don`t go on a Wednesday and they close for a 2 hour lunch so you will have to get them into lunch group or pick them up and then take them back
School hours are 8-11.40 then 2-4

There are international schools about 5/6 to choose from.Which you can get to from Vessy
I drove through Vessy today its about 25mins from where I am:its a nice area some places are rural but within 10mins you are in a Town
BUT WHAT is a pain is shops close on a Sunday which I still have`nt got use to

Everybody is very supportive here and look out for each other as most are away from their home countries

Sounds good. Might take them sledging or skiing next week in the Skihalle near us.

We live in Germany at the moment so we are used to the shops being closed on Sundays. When I came to Germany the shops closed at 2pm on Saturdays. That took some getting used to.

Is the Ecole Infantine like nursery/kindergarten or school?

Do the DCs wear school uniform?

The swiss DO NOT do uniform
They don`t like it

The school age is 2-4 playschool (optional)

4-6 its not complusary(sp) to go every session you can pick and choose .We did every session as DS did`nt speak French when he went .
And what they did was take him and others out on a daily basis and teach him French to get up to speed.

He is now fleunt which is good as he tells me what to say

At 6 they have to go
At the international schools they at 4 like the U:K

www.knowitall.ch
Its good to refer to for most things

I will definately be putting DS to every session as he is used to going to kindergarten all day. I think that he will cope quite well. They are going to a French summer camp next week here. We have all been learning French this past year just in case.

Thanks for the link, will go and have a quick look then must get off to bed.

I am sure I will be back to bother you soon with other questions.

Gosh Cali, a purple cow. We have to move there now. Although is Milka not German?

I did think about changing my name but wondered about it being abbreviated to Toby

We told the DCs today, DD cried when she realised that she would not go to school with her friends. DD just kept eating his brezel.

DD calmed down and had a look at the photos, she seems ok now.

Hmm, Toblerone is gone already. Will have to think of something else.

I am shite at chosing new names.Just as well that I have till August to think about it.

used to live in Geneva so can help on districts if you're staying in town but not so much on the satellites. Sounds like you're heading out of town.

I think you need to name yourself filetsdeperches which every Genevois will know about (it's the speciality of the region ) or Mme Lindt. Although what I remember most about my time in Geneva was the Auer chocolate coated almonds which are AMAZING so that's another name possibility but one very few people will understand

I was in Geneva pre DD so cannot comment on schools.

Good idea, I feel very sophisticated now. :-)

Shhh, M&J, don't tempt me. I am on WW trying to lose some weight before we move. The choc covered almonds sound heavenly. I will investigate!

The knowitall book looks great, I will buy it when I get there.

hi kindersurprise,
my husband might have to transfer to geneva (which means we'll have to move with him)... but he's got a choice between geneva and dubai so i guess it depends on where we can save the most. i'll be keeping my eye on this thread. just for future reference.

eandz
Oh, Dubai, that would be a big change. What would you prefer?

Mme Lindt ! For someone on a diet you're talking a lot about chocolate and jaffa cakes!

Let me just wipe the off my face and replace it with a shakey There you go, it worked! I'm sure it will be fine, bet dd will love it there. Dh is always telling me how nice Switzerland is and I am always muttering to him - so why don't we MOVE there then?

Sigh

So much for your summer holidays though, you'll have a lot on your hands getting the move organised. If the company was willing to pay for international schools, would they pay for a private Swiss school? You might find one that is trilingual. I'm wondering because we have a private Swiss (French,German,English) Gymnasium here.

Sssandy
As long as I am just talking about chocolate...

I have heard from several colleages of DH that the local schools are very good. I don't know if the company would pay for a private school, they normally only pay if the local schools are not the same standard as in the home country.

mmslindt,
i guess i would prefer wherever my husband would make partner quicker...but even if he got promoted to partner while living in dubai we'd eventually have to move to geneva in the end anyway. so i guess the choices are geneva to geneva, or dubai to geneva or geneva and no partner. we have to decide before next spring.

eandz
Sounds like a good plan. I will save some of the choc covered almonds for you.

mmelindt,
cool beans. and if i end up in dubai first, i'll bring you back some bellydancing scarves.

btw, i do love geneva..even though i'm always pregnant when i'm there.

Fab thread title. Good luck.

Thanks Cali, but I think I will stick to the chocolate name at the momen With all the stress of the last few days I have lost 2kgs already.

Another question or two for our Genevites.

Schultüten: Do the kids need one for starting school? Thiskind of thing.

Schoolbag/Rucksack: Please tell me that she will need a fancy Scout school bag and that we have not spend ?150 in vain.

Golf: DH has just started playing golf, do you happen to know if he will have to pass a test (Platzreife in German) to be allowed to play in CH. I am assuming that it might be cheaper to do it here before we leave.

Like the name

I see alot of kids taking those kind of bags to school .So its not been spent in vain

Don`t know about the SCHULTUTEN ???
My ds only did a year at swiss school and only needed slippers and bag plus crayons

Sorry cant help re the golf and I dont no anyone who plays it either.

Our school has know broken up for the summer so I can`t ask about.

I mean KNOW not no
The sun has gone to my head

I will wait with finishing the schultüte then, we made it ourselves.

That is great that they use these bags, she is so proud of it