Hi everyone.
Well, we will be moving from London to Zürich (actually it is Männedorf) Mid of January and I will be working in Uster. We are a family with two little ones and it would be great to get to know a few people beforehand.
I am a working mum and my husband is a full-time dad.
Looking forward to hearing from everyone soon.

Hello and Welome!

We moved to Adliswil, Zurich late Novemeber, from Scotland. I am a full time mum and my hubby works in Zurich. We have two children aged 5 and 8 years. We are still finding our feet out here!

If you fancy meeting up or would like to know anything, them please PM me.

Happy New Year!

C

Welcome! Uster is pretty cool and I'm sure you will enjoy working there.

Welcome to you too. Earlier this evening a Swiss friend told me that there are so many English speaking people in Adliswil now that it's been dubbed "Atlas Hill" .

Thank for your reply. How can I get in touch with you guys. Shall I sent a pm? I am so glad that there are more English speaking people around. Makes me feel a little bit homey

Hi, welcome to Switzerland.

There are many English speakers living up and down this side of the lake (I live in Meilen). Depending on the age of your kids, there are also playgroups for English speakers.

And in Uster, there is a wonderful school/club called the WAC (Women's Activity Centre). My daughter went to preschool there for a while, but I also did German classes there, and, there are also lots of social activities organised for members. It also has a nice library of English books for kids and adults. (www.wac.ch) Even though you won't be living in Uster it might still be worth joining. Also, despite the name it's not just for women.

You might also like to check out the yahoo groups for parents in Switzerland ('families-in-zurich' and 'expat-moms-in-switzerland'). Because they are family focused they are a fantastic resource for finding out what is happening where and when, finding out about playgroups, schools etc.

There are also some wonderful playgroups near Stadelhofen (very easy with the train from Männedorf) for parents and kids. I took my daughter to some of these regularly when I arrived, and we both made friends. There were also quite a few dads going, too, so your husband would be most welcome. You can find out details through the yahoo groups.

And finally, there is a regular fortnightly coffee morning for international women in Meilen who are happy to speak English. This might be an option when you first arrive and before you start work. There are quite a few women from Männedorf and Stäfa who come to this, so this could be a way to meet a few at once. PM me if you want more info on that (I don't organise it but I do go regularly).

Good luck settling in.

Kate

__________________
Music lessons in English: www.discovering-music.com

Writing and Research Skills Zürich: www.writingandresearchskills.com

Good morning!

Meant to say that I have bought a brilliant book called In and Around Zurich With Kids. You can buy it from the english book shop in Zurich and I must say that it has been a great source of information for us.

Bye C

Hi Peronei and welcome to the forum.

We moved here last summer and we are enjoying every bit of it. I too, like you am a working mother and my husband is a stay-at-home dad. We have one daughter aged just under 2. If you fancy meeting up, or even getting the boys to meet up as there are less resources for stay-at-home dads, send me a pm. I work in Zurich and we live in Birmensdorf which is 15 mins away from the Main Station (on the train).

Good luck with the move and all the best.

M..

Just realised your kids are too old for the playgroups. But just wanted to say that there are plenty of English speakers along the lake (and everywhere else in Zurich and surrounding areas!) with kids in either the local school (like my daughter) or various international or bilingual schools, so plenty of people in similar situations.

Kate

A) Be clear that in Zurich and its outer suburbs, less than 20% are of Zurich origin farther back than 130 years, be their real origins inside or outside Switzerland
B) the children of virtually all (domestic or international) immigrants, within not too many years will become Zürcher/Zürcherinnen, even if not de-jure so at least de-facto

what does this mean in practice ? It means that the "EF-Secondos" have or will have at least two if not three pianos to play ! They will be equally at home among "ZH-ers" as well as people of their various origins. And just a piece of warning for the "antiques" of children growing up here : Your children will learn to speak the local dialect faster than you can even "say PAP"

Hi there,

we live close to you and have a 2 year old boy

would love to meet new people and organize several get togethers'

lets pm to each other