Hi,

As the title suggests my family and I are currently living in Dubai, UAE but will be moving to Vevey at the beginning of February. Excited but also the usual apprehensions!

We are a British family originally from East Yorkshire. I am a Finance Manager and my husband Andrew is a Sales Manager for Nestle, hence the move. We have 2 children, Eleanor aged 5 1/2 (year 1) and Alastair aged
4 1/2 (reception). Hopefully they will be attending Haut Lac school from February.

This is our second company move (we have been in Dubai for 5 years) and we are looking forward to our new life, meeting new friends, cooler weather, being able to go outside in the Summer etc. My husband speaks some French and I have tried some basic stuff a few times but never had the chance to use it so I guess this is it!

Just trying to get my head around all the things we need to do before we leave here, coupled with 2 weeks in the UK for Christmas with family. I think in all we have 5 weeks to sort everything out but the company is used to moving people and has already helped a lot.

So, once I get a bit more sorted, I will have tons of questions, the usual things I suppose. I have not seen many references to Vevey and Lausanne on the site, so any contact with people living in the area would be really welcome.

Andrea

it'll be colder but as Yorkies, you'll be fine

well we might see you there, my wife also starts at Nestle Feb 1st, and i'll be looking for a job, we are both having french lessons when we get there (which is what i am suposed to be looking for now.)

Hi ,
might see you there too! we are moving to the vevey area in the summer 2007. love the area, used to live in lausanne ( and Qatar). will probably be come over to start looking for accomodation in next couple of months.we have 2 kids but a bit older than yours, ( 9 & 12 ) but will probably put them into state school.
joan

hi,

I have just moved from Dubai to Lausanne as I am a student of the IMD MBA this year. Just visited Montreux which is v near Vevey and absolutely loved it!

This area is easy to like and settle down. I came here on Dec 15 and already feel comfortable. Also, the weather has been pretty warm for this time of the year so that makes the transition much easier.

All the best for your move and do ping me in case you need to ask anything about Lausanne.

Strange how Nestle moves people around. Originally from just outside York, moved around abit now in Switzerland (just above vevey) finished at Haut-Lac this summer, but my mother works in the primary school. Small world

There might be an expat community building up in Vevey or Lausanne, with the Nestle moves.

Hi, well I might be joining you all in Vevey, as I'll be leaving London soon and starting work over there in early May...where else but Nestle.

As I know virtually nothing about Vevey and the surrounding area it would be interesting to know how some of you all got on as you've now been there for a month or so.

I might even come over a little sooner and look into all of the usual stuff like scouting locations in an around the area to rent a house or apartment, best place to learn French (in my spare time), setting up broadband, buying a car (maybe I'll drive mine over for now) and everything I've forgotten about...

Cheers

Peter

I've been living in Vevey for around 18 months now, moved with other half (Nestlé surprise surprise) and I have now also joined the company, working in Lausanne.

Happy to try to help answer questions....

Vicki

Thanks Vicki, I'm sure I'll have more questions the closer I get to moving over, how do you find Vevey? You must like it if you've been there for 18 months now. How does it compare to the Montreux and Lausanne? cost wise, shopping, cinema, and so on?

As I have a tendency to buy the odd classic car now and then so I might eventually have to find a place to live with a garage or covered parking, I don't know easy that is to find in Vevey or maybe I'll have to look somewhere nearby.

Cheers

Peter

Are you in Vevey yet? Are you children boys or girls. It will really depend on which school they will go to as to where you should choose to live. Switzerland is very spread out and 90% of the time you need a car to get from a to b.

Yes we have been here for 3 1/2 months now and have just moved into a house in Blonay - very high up but fantastic views. Not thinking about winter snow yet!

I have a girl (6) and a boy (almost 5) and they go to Haut Lac School in Vevey which is only 10-15 minutes drive away. They have settled in really well and love the school and their teachers who are very hands - on and have relatively small classes, compared to the UK anyway.

All in all things have gone well so far. I now have internet access and a landline and am in the process of sorting out satellite TV. What has made it much easier though is getting to know people who have been here for some time as they know what to do and where to go for everything. I don't think I could have got this far without that support. It has been fantastic.

Been in Vevey for two weeks, if your question was directed at me regarding kids...the answer is that I have no kids (well none that I know of) so don't have to worry about schools.

I'll look into getting a car to explore when I find a temporary place to live (after moving out of the hotel).

Hi Andrea - Read yout notes with interest. I live near Paris and have two English girls in French school. Due to husband's job move I have been looking specifically at Haut Lac starting September 2008 when girls will be 8 and 10 yrs. By this time they will have completed 4 years in French school so language is not major issue.

I have seen the school's website but wondered if you could answer a couple of questions;

i. What is the approximate nationality mix in bi-lingual class? (eg, 90% Swiss French, 90% English or 50/50 or other).
ii. Do you find the teachers are supportive and friendly? (we currently send girls to school which is quite strict and I am reluctant to go through the trauma again).

I may be back with more questions!

We didn't find HL to be that rigorous academically and ended up moving our kids. St. Georges is more "English". I'd rather have the discussion offline than publicly if you are interested.

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Is Vevey very family oriented ie. great for people with children ?

Veveuy is not bad for kids at all. It is not a big town so you have to drive to things but there is a lake (so water activities, Aqua Park nearby, sailing, boating) Zoos nearby, castles, moutains (wild strawberries in summer and skiing in winter) steam trains, labyrinthe adventure park, some kids movies in English, playgrounds, flat by lake so good for cycle riding...

Hi,
I am moving to Vevey soon and in the same phase of deciding between haut-lac and st-georges. Hence curious to know what you decided and for what reasons. Would be happy to pm you if you want to discuss in private.
I found st georges good, but accessability is a problem I found as I would not be getting a car soon and its a long trek to get to the school. There are no after-school clubs which I feel is a bit disappointing. The question I have with haut-lac is whether they are academically behind. Do these schools match English Private School system?
Sorry for asking too many questions..Really in a confused state now, so any input would be helpful!
Thanks

Hi there,

As it turned out we have landed near Geneva and for school we have finally opted for college du leman in Versoix. Vevey and Haut Lac were definately first choice. We visited the school and liked the way it smaller and more personal. We searched for property to purchase for 9 months but found the choice very limited (unless you pay over 1.5 million sfr. We visited Vevey this week and still think it's a great place. We have finally opted for a place near Divonne les Bains which is still expensive but there was more choice and variety of housing. We have lots of visitors so living near Geneva is proving to be a sound move but for schooling we can only hope college du leman is also a sound move! Sorry I couldn't help more... Vanessa

Dear Andrea,

Perhaps we should start an ex-Dubai club?

My family and I are moving to Lausanne in August. Would it be too much to ask for some advice? My son initially went to Jumeirah Primary School, but I found the standard too low so I moved him to The Westminster School where they follow the ICSE. He has just completed Grade 4 and hopefully he will join Grade 5 in Switzerland.

I plan to send him to a Public School in Lausanne. Do you have any recommendations? I hear that even though all public schools are well funded, there are some schools in which there is a lot of help for foreign students as those schools don't have many foreign students themselves.