Hello everyone,

My family and I are currently in Austin, but are looking to make a move to Lausanne sometime this year. We have two young children and really want to use this experience as a first step in embracing a high quality of life. This forum has been excellent to browse thus far and I can only expect it will be more helpful now that I've joined.

Anyone from Austin or Texas who has made the move?

Cheers,
Ryan

Here we go again...

Ryan, please use the search above. There is an immense amount if information available here. Anther tip: offer details if you want detailed answers

Moving from Texas, Austin, Wyoming or LA - there is no difference. A number of factors must be in place before an American can move to Switzerland. We have had this discussion a few times in the past weeks. Therefore the details in the recent posts are quite current.

Good luck
JC

Hi, Ryan.

What the previous poster meant to say was "Welcome to the Forum!"...

Anyway, welcome to the forum!

Welcome and good luck!Might get groaned for this but it seems one always has to be 'prefect' on the forum,never ask silly questions(or what others perceive as silly),always always check that the question or something similar hasn't been asked before..it's like there are a lot of school teachers on here ready to jump down your throat if you don't follow the rules or do everything according to the 'book'.It may just put people off posting.It has put me off in the past.Come on,be a bit gentle on here.We're all human(at least I hope we are),all make mistakes(even if some seem to more than others)..Anyway,that's just my take on things..

Welcome to the forum
I can't help you out with regards info for moving form Texas but what I can say is is that if either you or your wife enjoy baking, stock up on baking supplies (brown sugar, brown sugar and more brown sugar) over there. There are online stores but it's way cheaper purchasing the ingredients in the US.
Switzerland is a wonderful place for your little ones to grow up in.
Good luck with the move!

I meant 'perfect'..couldn't edit it anymore..ha..ha..there are certainly some 'prefects' on here.

Why do you put words in my mouth?

Well, yes... welcome. Still doesn't change my message above
JC

Wow. Quite the response JC. Here another person goes introducing themselves on the introductions board. I'm fully aware of how to search and that there are others from Texas and elsewhere, but it would be awfully presumptuous of me to just start private messaging away without first offering people a chance to say hello. I'm also not asking for any specific advice on this thread, as its the introductions board. I'm just saying hello. But thank you, I see some forum users are the same no matter their locale.

To everyone else, greetings and I look forward to chatting more!

Welcome to the forum, Ryan! Glad to have you here.

I relocated from Texas with my family in 2011; feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions for which you can't seem to find a specific answer and I will do my best to help.

Best for the New Year and for your move!

Get over it... I was not singling you out - just the rash of Americans of recent... thus the redirect.
JC

Excellent reply, OP. I didn't read anything into your post other than:

1 - Howdy y'all
2 - Anyone else move to CH from TX?

So howdy back atcha. Not from TX but lived there once. Welcome to the Forum!

Oh and a quick tip in case you haven't seen it yet - you need to have 10 posts before you can use the PM function.

I'm not from Texas (Rhode Island actually) but I do live in Lausanne and would offer you this advice...unless you want to live in the city proper, definitely consider some little towns a 10-20 minute drive just north of Lausanne. More room, lower rent and beautiful...a part of me looks forward to having kids for the excuse to move out into the country. Of course, living in town has its benefits and one of the first things I did, and highly recommend, is to take the walk along the lake shore from Ouchy to Lutry and back. It's a wonderful introduction to the kind of high quality of life you're looking forward to and your kids will enjoy all of the nature that it offers.

Best of all, there is no dreadful season here...they're all equally pleasant so you have plenty of time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. If you need any tips, don't hesitate to PM.

Howdy! I am from Texas.

Morges and Nyon are quite nice little towns which
are not so far from Lausanne.

Good information for you:

You will probably only be able to open a bank account
at 1. PostFinance
2. Credit Suisse
3. UBS

What other questions do you have?

Howdy Ryan!

I am originally from Texas and arrived in Switzerland 3 years ago (via a year in Germany) Can't help you on kid related or location related questions, as we are in Zurich, but if your family was into outdoor sports in Austin, Switzerland is paradise!

When you say you're looking to move do you mean your company is going to move you here? If not, it'll be quite difficult to get a work permit as the rule is Swiss and EU nationals first for jobs. Only if an employer can't find a Swiss or EU (or non-EU who has a Swiss permit already) with the right qualifications/experience can they then apply for a work permit for someone from the rest of the world.

Thanks! Luckily, we have connections in the city and they've told us the same. The idea of living in the countryside is very appealing to us as we love the outdoors. While we currently live in Texas, I grew up in the northeast and miss having mountains and snow so close. I think our kids will really enjoy it too. Since Lausanne itself is more moderate, it's the best of both worlds.

My best friend and his wife have been in the Lausanne area for the last seven years and they mentioned Morges as their favorite town. They just built a house in Perroy, but mentioned both Morges and Rolle as great communities outside of Lausanne. Luckily, we have great friends there already and they've been able to help with many of the questions my wife and I have had.

I have heard of the increasing difficulties in opening a bank account there now. Thanks for passing along the banks who may still be open to the idea.

I'll actually be there next weekend for an interview. It's not my current company, but a company looking to hire for a specific skill. I've had several interviews with them already, so they are aware of my non-EU status. Since they have this information and are flying me out, they are considering sponsorship. With luck, we'll be able to make the move.

I really appreciate the introductions. While we do have friends in Lausanne, it's always nice to know there are many others who have traversed similar circumstances and love living so far from 'home.'

Ah, then it sounds as if it may well be possible for you. It's the skills and expertise that count so sounds like you're in a good position.

Don't neglect the eastern towns from Lausanne either. Yverdon isn't that far away and even Fribourg is easy by train to get to work in Lausanne. Do you know which side of Lausanne your work place is going to be? That might be a deciding factor if you don't want to put up with cross town rush hour traffic. If thinking of using the train to get to/from work then if you know of any towns you think you'd like to live in, use the www.sbb.ch site, then enter the town and Lausanne to see what the journey times would be like.

Not quite a Texan here. Born in Oklahoma, but spent many happy vacations down in Texas.

Welcome OP

Is this new? Because I receive quite often PMs from people with no posts at all.

Hmm...mods? Maybe I am confusing PM with posting an ad? Set the record straight, please and thanks.