 Poster: A snowHead
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The kids and I are currently living in Switzerland whilst MrI works in London, we need to leave here by the 31/6. I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old.
I know that the UK is a wonderful place, full of wonderful people and things and stuff but I'm a NZer originally and have no particular tie to the place, anyway, long story short we're considering the kids & I going to the PdS and MrI living within walking distance of work during the week and coming back on the weekends, would probably take about 7 hours off his weekly commute..... He's a very keen mountain biker and we both love skiing.
I'm used to small village living surrounded by a language I don't know, at least French is written down so I may get better at it than I am after three years of Schweizerdeutsch. Can and have survived without British groceries and conveniences.
After 6 weeks this season the 2 year old says 'Merci' but that is the combined limit of their French however they have both grown up bilingual, although I imagine they'll lose that about 2 seconds after we cross the Röstigraben for the last time.
So, any cautionary tales, tips on schooling in France?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 17-05-13 12:27; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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MeMyselfandI, have you actually checked that there are any facilities for children at all where you are planning to stay? Might sound like a strange question, but my wife grew up in a valley in Austria where they had no kindergarten and nothing at all beyond primary school! She ended up bussing to the Gymnasium in Oberstdorf every day, something she still says messed up her teenage years considerably! Personally I would not want to be living somewhere with small children that does not have the necessary facilities right there in the village!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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No, it's a really good point, there are two primary schools and a nursery in the village.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
I know that the UK is a wonderful place, full of wonderful people and things and stuff
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Hmmm - come and visit first then see whether you still say that!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Boris, been there, done that, slagged it off, learned to be more circumspect with my opinions 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sent you a pm.
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Call me a hopeless romantic, but I'd do that in a heartbeat!
I don't know PdS is the best choice in terms of being practical, but certainly there are larger villages that offer enough services...I can think of about a dozen at the mo-
On the other hand, my kids would be gutted to not see their father every night.
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HeidiAmsterdam, I'm looking at Les Gets as it's about 1 1/4 hours from Geneva, we know it and love it, it's got year round appeal and.....we know it.
MrI has never seen the kids at night when working unfortunately and only for 1/2 an hour or so in the mornings so it won't be that much of a change. It's a bummer but that's the career that keeps me in skiing so I can't complain too much. I'm thinking the main benefit of this option is that it will allow us to continue the outdoors focused lifestyle we've had here which makes family time seem more enjoyable. Or maybe it's just that the kids screaming doesn't seem as loud when they're outside 
Now I've just got to convince him 100%.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pam w,
Let me know when you need a roomie! LOL. Living below sea level is tiring me... even if living on a canal in the center of Amsterdam is spectacular!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, I meant more along the lines of having the MB set up in the summer and skiing in the winter. I live in a Swiss German village of 2000 people, there are few places on earth that would seem dead to me. No matter where we go I have to start life over again anyway in terms of knowing the area, people etc, this would just make it more interesting with the language as well.
I did have a look at Evian and Thonon but with MrI having to commute from London on the weekends it would be better to be in resort rather than him coming in late on Friday night then having to drive back and forth to ski etc. If we do it we'll just rent somewhere for the summer to start with, if it's crap I zip up my man suit and move to England but if the summer is survivable, winter will be even better.
I suppose the crux of the matter at the moment is as I said above, the kids and I have to start over and we are pretty well along Monday-Friday no matter what, so why not do it in a place that allows us to have a bit of adventure and let MrI feel he's having a holiday on the weekends. The main problem at the moment is I can't think of any major problems I'm going to have that 1) I wouldn't be facing anyway or 2) I haven't faced already and discovered them to be not so big. It always makes me feel nervous when one of my ideas seems really good....
ETA - please don't stop pointing out all the issues and problems though as I'm sure my current enthusiasm is just due to not having thought of everything.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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MeMyselfandI,
I think your reasoning is solid. I completely see your point. I'd be looking at Megeve, a long standing village, and not purpose built, or St. Gervais next to it, or Combloux, or if necessary go down the mountain to Sallanches. And all within a nice reach of Geneva.
I just hate that road going over to Morzine, and the Megeve direction, have some alternative roads to take in traffic, or snow, or whatever... and Megeve is hopping in the summer... I think it beats Morzine hands down with charm, and I think it's bigger, and with villages in the area, you're going to have more and better schools, I would have thought.
Although Evian seems like a great place as well... but still I'd go Megeve and a radius of 12 km or so.
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pam w,
Your second reference should be :-
http://www.conseil-general.com/en/town-hall/town-hall-morzine-74110.htm
At 3,000 plus residents it presumably has at least schools up to 11 or whatever the French equivalent is ?
I know Alpe d'Huez, with a permanent population of about 1700 has a junior school, but with 32,000 holiday "beds" it can feel distinctly deserted sometimes out of season. The plus point is that the swimming pool and sports centre, which would do credit to a town with 30,000 permanent residents, stays open, albeit at reduced hours.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
I live in a Swiss German village of 2000 people, there are few places on earth that would seem dead to me.
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I think the problem with places like Les Gets, and other similar resorts, is that the winter is full and bustling, and the summer season too, but together they only constitute half the year. It's very different living in a place that has 2000 residents all year round and one that has hugely more for part of the time, then acres of empty, shuttered, apartments and closed shops for half the year.
Les Saisies is like that - my apartment is out in a satellite hamlet and just looks out over mountains, so it's like living in the country and I am very content to be here when it's dead quiet, from when lifts close (19 April this year) till the 6 weeks summer holidays, then from end August till just before Christmas. But I would HATE to be in the middle of Les Saisies, surrounded by empty blocks and closed shops.
If you live in Switzerland you're pretty close - I'd suggest you visit Les Gets for a couple of days, mid-week in, say, May, when the kids will be in school, maybe visit local schools, get a feel for the place.
Unless you live very close to the lifts then you'd need to stick the kids in the car to get to the slopes anyway.
Would your OH leave a car somewhere near Geneva airport? There have been some threads with people looking for some way to do so cheaply - though I don't recall any convincing solutions!
With the new motorway Annecy is 35 minutes from Gva. You've got loads of skiing, walking, MTB and watersports activities within easy reach.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Yeah, I was thinking Annecy.
On another note, there is a fine International School in Geneva, which happens to be oh so very near the border, direction Annemasse....the kids would learn French and English there, as first languages...
So, you are in France, close to Geneva, and less than an hour to the slopes...
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Poster: A snowHead
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MeMyselfandI, another point to consider is the issue of integration. Mountain village people tend to be quite insular, and you would be deluding yourself if you think that they will welcome you and your children with open arms. You may find it difficult to connect with other mothers in the village and you may find that your children are excluded from village social life. For my part I would always go for somewhere that is maybe not quite so directly in the mountains, but is a small town with a cosmopolitan population mix and all requisite facilities. Annecy springs to mind, if it has to be France.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Steilhang, MeMyselfandI,
which is why I suggested just over the border direction Annemasse, close to the International School, and then you are in a social setting of it's own, everyone is from somewhere else, international crowd, interesting people to socialize with.
My kids are in an international school... they love it! and they won't have such a culture shock, or be in school on Saturday mornings when Papa is home, sheeeeeeeeez that would suck.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Quote: |
there is a fine International School in Geneva
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My neighbours (French mother, Canadian father) live in Geneva and their 3 girls to to the international school. They certainly get a fine education (though their mother is perturbed by the standard of their French!) But they are loaded - I suspect it would be beyond the means of many families.
The OP's kids are little and will soon speak fluent French, in a local maternelle and primaire. Go-ahead schools might also help with language for non-francophone parents!
And there's no way I would, personally, drive kids from Annemasse to Geneva to school!!
To me, it's very important that children go to a school where the friends they make will be local, to play with after school and at weekends. We had a small boy near us in the UK who has been sent to a private school in Portsmouth - no doubt a very good school, but he was noticeably "left out" and we felt rather sorry for him. It was a major goal, when we moved house, to be somewhere where the kids did NOT have to be driven to school.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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No idea about France, but FWIW, I've met several Brits/Americans this winter who've moved themselves + kids to Innsbruck (fulltime/forever) in Austria. Real city/real jobs/real mountains/real skiing (October-June minimum) all literally right here. I have ski lifts five minutes away in one direction, a proper city centre fifteen mins away in the other. Locals have been nothing but welcoming - and I think Steilhang makes quite a pertinent point there.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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pam w,
The prices of the school are a bit more reasonable than you would think, and some governments subsidize the international schools to attract international companies...
and I said DIRECTION Annemasse, not Annemasse...and I meant DIRECTION Annemasse, lots of little hamlets there. And they are close enough they immerse in that community. I'd venture to say they wouldn't be the only ones living in France and crossing the border for school...
The kids there really do have their own community. My kids do, as so my friends kids in their Int'l school in Hannover, and my sister's kids in their Int'l school in Norway... it is quite a vibrant community to be a part of.
And yeah, the local language can suffer. Next to the Int'l school, I have my kids in private Dutch lessons, just for the reason that you cited... that is par.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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my daughter went to the International School in Suva, Fiji, so I appreciate some of the advantages - she still has happy memories of going to celebrate Diwali with the family of one of her close friends.
There are loads of frontaliers who cross the borders into Gva every day, but there's no way I'd do it on a more frequent basis than I have to do picking up folk from Gva airport. 
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pam w, HeidiAmsterdam, Steilhang, all good points. I was referring as much to the Swiss German nature than the size of the population of the place I currently live in. The Swiss on this side are not known for their openness towards Ausländer but I have honed an only slightly annoying persistence that has allowed me a reasonable degree of acceptance and/or tolerance.
Annency is a good bet. I'll go have a May recce and try to make sure the weather is as grim as possible when I do so.
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MeMyselfandI, I have sent you a pm as your kids are almost the same age as ours were when we moved to France 13 years ago.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
The Swiss on this side are not known for their openness towards Ausländer but I have honed an only slightly annoying persistence that has allowed me a reasonable degree of acceptance and/or tolerance.
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well done; I can imagine that was quite challenging! You could ask paulio about Annecy - he's been living there for a while, though he's leaving shortly I think. He fitted in a lot of skiing. And he has a small boy. I was down there cycling (on the flat, round the lake!) on Tuesday; it was stunning, though it gets very crowded in summer and it's an expensive spot to live.
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| steph wrote: |
| MeMyselfandI, I have sent you a pm as your kids are almost the same age as ours were when we moved to France 13 years ago. |
Oh don't tease... share the benefits of experience (or at least a few snippets) with us all please!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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MeMyselfandI,
| Quote: |
| The Swiss on this side are not known for their openness towards Ausländer |
Having once spent the best part of a year working in Neuchatel I can assure you that the French Swiss are even less welcoming! Especially if they notice that you are a German speaker / don't really speak much French.
In fact they are so unwelcoming that some of the other Brits & Irish working at the place I was at had their work permits cancelled when they were coming up for their ten year renewal! After ten years you have an automatic right of residence. Strange huh? These were VLSI engineers designing chips for a Swiss company, not exactly easy for the company to replace! That was when I figured Switzerland just wasn't the place for me.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| MeMyselfandI wrote: |
| Annency is a good bet. I'll go have a May recce and try to make sure the weather is as grim as possible when I do so. |
Annecy is stunning - and I'm sure it still will be in bad weather.
Question is: can you stand it in good weather when the place is heaving?
Also bear in mind that, unless Mr I finds somewhere to park, you'll have to go and fetch him each w/e. Trains to that part of France run out of Geneva Eaux Vives. They seem infrequent, are often replaced by busses and it's awkward getting there from the airport.
Gex? Easy from the airport and handy for the small resort around the Col de la Faucille in the Jura.
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Just another thought....
the Geneva airport is nearly in France, and there is some skiing just near the airport, you can see the pistes from the tarmack. In terms of your husband, this would make his commute e-z p-z, so much, that were one of the children have something important on a week night, in principle, he could fly home for the night...
or some variation thereof...
From Annecy, within 30 minutes your in La Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, and just stunning in the summer.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I think you're all overlooking the fact that there are LOADS of Brits in Les Gets and Morzine YEAR ROUND, I think it would be one of the easiest places to 'bed in', especially as there aren't really any language barriers that you can't overcome (good language schools there too).
Morzine and Les Gets both have primary schools and yes it is very quiet in the Interseason but not like other resorts.
If I was going to be on my own with the kids i'd rather be in the mountains that in a town looking at the sodding mountains.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
| i'd rather be in the mountains that in a town looking at the sodding mountains. |
This sums things up quite nicely
MrI would drive himself too and from the airport, parking isn't cheap but it's doable.
One thing I do need to give serious consideration to is dealing with going from 250sqm in a very nice house with all my lovely things around me to probably closer to 70sqm in a furnished apartment. Where will I keep my shooooooeeeeeees!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
I think you're all overlooking the fact that there are LOADS of Brits in Les Gets and Morzine YEAR ROUND, I think it would be one of the easiest places to 'bed in', especially as there aren't really any language barriers that you can't overcome (good language schools there too).
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I'd have thought this would be the main advantage of Morzine or Chamonix etc. There is already a year round international community.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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MeMyselfandI My husband and I were investigating moving out there and I would have been commuting back and forth to the UK - lots of people in the Morzine/ Les Gets/ St J valley do it and quite alot car pool or use the transfer companies in winter to save on parking etc etc.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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MeMyselfandI
I'm pretty sure you can manage something bigger than that for a very nice price, as long as you don't require doorstep skiing...
But you have a couple of interesting alternatives, and it's fun to think along with you. My husband was head hunted for a project in Geneva a couple months back, just before ski season kicked into high gear... Unfortunately, he was over qualified for the position (read it didn't pay enough). It be would nice if an appropriate position came along. I wouldn't mind a few years in the Alps.
For us, I'd position myself near the international school, and get involved in that community, it's just so easy to slip in. My kids have struggled enough with language, a French immersion would be untimely at this point. At some point you just have to choose a language to learn in, and get on with it. We choose English, mostly because I, as mother was in a better position to help with homework and English as a first language isn't a bad thing, globally speaking. Having said that, they continue private lessons in Dutch, and already their level is good enough to do a Gymnasium level of high school in Dutch, should we choose to change direction.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 19-04-13 11:37; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Nadenoodlee, I know this is horribly cheeky but do you think any of the people you know who do it would be happy to speak to us about the reality of it? I'm more concerned about how MrI will find it than the kids & I so to speak to people who live with the reality would be really useful.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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That solution is just too practical! I reckon the Queen should make herself a little colony there altis!
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altis, that area is lovely, the MIL of some friends lives around there and we've spent a few long weekends visiting. Thanks for the suggestion.
HeidiAmsterdam, taking into account the ages and personalities of my two I think complete immersion is probably a better bet than the international schools, this may change in the future but it's likely we'll be going to Asia at some point anyway so will cross that bridge when/if we get to it.
This is such a useful thread, thanks to all who have replied.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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MeMyselfandI, I'm sure they won't mind - send me a PM with your email address and I will send it over - i'll send you more details on what we found when we were looking too.
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| HeidiAmsterdam wrote: |
Just another thought....
the Geneva airport is nearly in France, and there is some skiing just near the airport, you can see the pistes from the tarmack. In terms of your husband, this would make his commute e-z p-z, so much, that were one of the children have something important on a week night, in principle, he could fly home for the night...
or some variation thereof...
From Annecy, within 30 minutes your in La Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, and just stunning in the summer. |
Just on the commute side of it, I was in a transfer bus from Morzine to Geneva the other week and the driver mentioned having regular clients who they take to the airport every Monday at 5am and pick up again every Friday evening. So there is already an infrastructure catering to this sort of need.
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