Hallo everybody,
I have just landed!! I work, but my wife stays at home for the moment!! I have a child which is exactly 4 years old . Do you know whether I can send it to the public kindergarten? If not... why? In Spain my child visited the kindergarten...
If we can not visit public kindergarten can you give me any tips for an affordable place in zurich? I checked a couple of them but they ask more than 50 CHF per day. And that's only from 8-12 am.........
What happens if my wife starts working??? She will have to give anything she earns to the kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And something last... do you know if companies in Zurich offer flexible working times, or home working for half of the working day time??
Hope that someone answers!!! Thanks in advance

As the school year just started,i guess its more easy to go and ask in your local Geminde...In my place the cutoff dates for birthdays is April 30th,so all kids who are 4 by end of April 30th 2011,is now going to the kindergarten....

So please check with the Geminde and they will tell you who to contact..
Hope that helps...

In general terms (I'm not in Kanton ZH), kindergarten is the first stage in the normal (state) school system. As written above, April 30 is the cut off for which year a child starts. The start age also varies from Gemeinde to Gemeinde. I've just moved - if I hadn't, my 4yr. old (5 in a couple of weeks), would have had to wait another year to start KG and do one year; but at our new location, has just started and will do two years (not ideal - all a bit late, here - but better than staying at home).
I would think (hope) that ZH is progressive enough to start the kids at the earlier age.

However it's not full time - half days only - a mix of mornings or afternoons.

I would think that it would be better that your wife wouldn't consider permanent/full-time work, until at least after the KG stage; and if you end up paying for some form of child care, it is unlikely to be cost effective - unless your wife is a real high-flyer (career wise).

I would think your best option is to speak with your Gemeinde, about the normal scheme of things.

And .... re. specific ZH.-related questions, hopefully someone else can help.

If your child is not yet able to enter Kindergarten (school) have you tried looking in your area for Spielgruppe (playgroups). These are local organisations and so are generally far more reasonable in cost than international private organisations. Your Gemeinde will give you the addresses of playgroups for your area.

But these will only be a couple of (short) mornings a week - but enough to give your wife a bit of a break and your child the chance to play with some little friends.

It might have something to do with the fact that you are not in Spain any more. I would try and get rid of the comparison between Spain and Switzerland as quickly as possible if I were you. You have to accept Switzerland and what it offers as it is.

That is how things are here. If your child is there for 4 hours, 12.50 CHF an hour for someone to look after your child is not too bad a price in my opinion.

You look surprised. Have you been out of Western Europe for the last decade or so?

You have to ask the company that on an individual basis. Some will, some will not.

Good luck.

Did you do any research at all before you decided to move your wife and child to another country?

Easy on the pitchforks. This is the kind of thing that even if you research, when it comes to the cold hard reality, it is often a shock since a lot of the unhappy truths either don't get shared or shunted as sour grapes.

Research didn't really give me the cold, hard truths about being a woman with children wanting to work in CH...not to mention that even if you're lucky enough to find a job in your field that pays as well as back home, that they'll tax you into the stone age on both sides leaving very little incentive to work.

If your wife wants to continue her career, it's going to be a lot of work just making that possible. Good luck.

If you wife starts working.. she will be lucky! and yes it will cost more money that for her to stay at home, and if it is like canton Bern, she will also pay more taxes than you just because she's a women. i did work a little while I was in Bern, but the kreppe and the tageschule for my kids were much much more expensive that what I was earning. But for me, having a kind of a job was more important that the money in the end. I just could not stay at home the whole day.. It's really a shame, because had I found a more permanent job in my field, my husband might not have taken a promotion back in Asia. Good luck!