Hello All,

I'm joining the Forum today in preparation for a potential move to Zurich, most likely in the summer of 2012. My husband has a job opportunity there, so I am trying to find out everything I can to smooth our transition for our family: daughter 10, son 8, and one very goofy standard poodle. We'll leave behind a son in college, and a grown daughter.

We live in California, and have never been to Switzerland, but we are looking for an adventure and are pretty sure moving our family there for 3 years will be one! I should clarify the we is really my husband and I -- the kids are decidedly unenthusiastic (to put it mildly) about being airlifted out of their very happy lives. But we think they'll adjust!

I have been searching the forum for information on schools, of course, housing and moving with our dog -- lots of helpful information so far, thank you all!

As a family, we love winter sports in the Sierras (kids snowboarding, husband skiing, me snowshoeing) and the rest of the year hiking, camping, golfing, horseback riding, and the kids play seasonal sports.

Looking forward to lots of good advice and insider information from the forum. Thanks in advance,

Ellen

Hi Ellen,
Welcome to the forum, its great that you are doing all your research, so that you can prepare yourself and your family, physically and mentally.

all the best, look forward to your posts!

I am also planning to join the land of cheese and chocolates next year and this forum is a goldmine!!! I've found plenty of very helpful information

Good Luck with the move!!

Thanks for the welcome!

I think Switzerland is such a wonderful place to live, that after leaving for 5 years, we returned. I was not as organized as you though and did not do the research that I should have. When we left, our kids were 5 and 3, and I figured I knew most of what I needed to know....soooooo wrong.
We have returned (just over a year ago) and daughter is now nearly 13 and son 9 and a half. My husband joined these forums when we arrived and I just did not realize what a goldmine they were until about a week ago.
I have spent hours now trawling through many pages in an attempt to catch up on all the excellent information I have missed.
Good luck with all your planning and I am sure your new adventure will be an awesome one.

Hi,

We are going to relocate to Zurich in May 2012 and spend much to smooth it as much as we can. What I can recommend to you is to study thoroughly the book "Living and Working in Switzerland: A Survial Handbook" by David Hampshire.

I have just finished it and found a plenty of quite useful information. Sure it can be of good help to you as well.

I too bought that book ... and honestly after living here for nearly three years i can tell you too ignore it ... its very negative. Zurich is great, Swiss folk are nice, you just have to accept they have some funny Rules.

BTW ... California to Zurich, i would do it the other way around


My family live in a house about 15mins from zurich main station next to a very pretty wood and lovely swiss village, we are looking to move back to London in April /May ... if you want i can show you the details.

Best of Luck with it all