Hi

I have the opportunity to consider moving to Basel to work at one of the companies based on Peter Merian Strauss. Total package TBC but would be more than here in UK and with support for accommodation and things like that from the company.

I am married with a baby who would be about 1 year old by the time we moved and my wife would not work. We also have a large dog cross sharpei and Doberman!

We will have a car but am looking to get the tram to work as this is supposed to be good?

So if anyone has an opinion, comments good or bad they would be much appreciated to help us inform our decision.

Things particularly of interest to us are: areas to live considering where i will be working, gyms, mums and baby groups, good places to walk dogs, dog sitters/walkers, nice places to get out into nature, where to get our food shopping for reasonable prices and any other general advices!

Quite a bit to consider for us you can see!!!!

Thanks

Basel is a great place to come with kids, in my opinion! The BCT is a fabulous resource for mums and kids, www.baselchildrenstrust.ch its an organisation mostly organised and run by expats and their young families. It organises lots of playgroups, meetings, nights out and fun events.
In terms of places to stay, you don't have to travel far, all the surrounding villages have a selection of shops and quick access to the countryside. We are in Oberwil, its 10 mins by public transport to the city centre, 20 mins for my husband to cycle to work. But we also walk out the door into forests and fields which are full of dog walkers, cyclists, joggers etc. Its a really safe and peaceful place for families. Other nice spots are Riehen to the north of the city, Muttenz, and then getting a little further out of town Reinach, Aesch, Arlesheim, Biel Benken and Therwil are all well connected to the town and have lots to offer. There are a lot of expats with young kids here so lots of opportunity to meet others and hook up with mums of kids the same age.

If you have a car then Germany/France for cheaper shopping is no more than 20 mins away. Riehen is much closer to the border. If you anticipate being at the INternational Schools (I know it is a way ahead) then you might want to live closer to those. One car families are quite normal, workers use the excellent public transport system to get to work and usually the mums end up with the car to do the shopping and child related activities!

Hope that helps a bit, feel free to ask more if it doesn't make sense!
good luck

As stated Basel is a nice place to raise a family.

Internation Schools can cost a fortune so keep that in mind!

Yes BCT is excellent and there are also a few childrens play goups for english speakers but the earlier you have your child listening to the local language the better as you wont need things to be "English Speaking"

As im sure you are already aware the cost of living is quite high (Salary usually matches so dont be too scared lol)
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living..._countries.jsp
This site will help

Keep in mind its usually apartment living so you might find it difficult to get a garden. .

Germany is the place ot go shopping and the further away from the border you go it seems the prices get cheaper. Lorrach is a good place to go.

We ended up moving out to France, just over the Basel Border. For us, taxes are cheaper and its closer to work).

Basel is quite central in Europe & we have an airport (which is great). Easyjet flys to and from UK and has loads of destinations for city breaks.

Im here 7 years. If you have an Q's your welcome to PM!

Good Luck