Hello everyone, I am new to the Glocals. My husband and I will be moving to GVA later this year from The Hague. We have two children, 7 and 4 years old. We’ve spent two full days last week driving around the city and its neighbourhood trying to discover the best place to live. We have been warned about the housing situation in the city, so we are sort of prepared for that. However, it’s the schools that worry me the most. As our children speak neither English nor French (they speak Dutch), we are not pressured into putting them to international schools. Can anyone recommend any decent public school and which schools are to be to avoided? For all I saw were big concrete buildings with lots of graffiti and suspiciously looking teenagers hanging around them (and we’ve seen a lot). My children now go to a very charming public school with only about 240 pupils and I was hoping to find something similar (anywhere in the city or boarder area). Any information would be useful. Also if there are people who lived in the Hague before, could you compare the lifestyles?Many thanks, Tamara
Hello everyone, I am new to the Glocals. My husband and I will be moving to GVA later this year from The Hague. We have two children, 7 and 4 years old. We’ve spent two full days last week driving around the city and its neighbourhood trying to discover the best place to live. We have been warned about the housing situation in the city, so we are sort of prepared for that. However, it’s the schools that worry me the most. As our children speak neither English nor French (they speak Dutch), we are not pressured into putting them to international schools. Can anyone recommend any decent public school and which schools are to be to avoided? For all I saw were big concrete buildings with lots of graffiti and suspiciously looking teenagers hanging around them (and we’ve seen a lot). My children now go to a very charming public school with only about 240 pupils and I was hoping to find something similar (anywhere in the city or boarder area). Any information would be useful. Also if there are people who lived in the Hague before, could you compare the lifestyles?Many thanks, Tamara
Tamara SimidrijevicSep 14, 2010 @ 14:15
Hi tamara! School depends on the location of your house/apartment. Public schools are okay actually my son goes to a local school and in 1 week time he learned a lot of french already (mother tongue is english) unlike in private schools according to some friends. If you are looking for a good neighborhood for me gardiol and petit lancy are good! I like the local school POMMIER, the huge new buildings. There's also some more other schools there like Ecole de BUDE. I believe that these areas are mostly expats. We tried to look for an apartment there but no luck!
when you have decide where to live just call and go to
Formation Primaire
Bureau d’accueil
58, rue de Lyon
Centre de Geisendorf
022 / 546 75 22
They will be the one who will tell you where to enroll your kids.
hope it helps.
lota
Hi tamara! School depends on the location of your house/apartment. Public schools are okay actually my son goes to a local school and in 1 week time he learned a lot of french already (mother tongue is english) unlike in private schools according to some friends. If you are looking for a good neighborhood for me gardiol and petit lancy are good! I like the local school POMMIER, the huge new buildings. There's also some more other schools there like Ecole de BUDE. I believe that these areas are mostly expats. We tried to look for an apartment there but no luck!
when you have decide where to live just call and go to
Formation Primaire
Bureau d’accueil
58, rue de Lyon
Centre de Geisendorf
022 / 546 75 22
They will be the one who will tell you where to enroll your kids.
hope it helps.
lota
talo v v, Sep 14, 2010 @ 14:20
Hi Lota, Thank you for your response. Is Gardiol in Grand-Saconnex? Is it noisy from the airport being so close by? Where to look for the apartments (except homegate)? Sorry to bomb you with so many questions.Tamara
Hi Lota, Thank you for your response. Is Gardiol in Grand-Saconnex? Is it noisy from the airport being so close by? Where to look for the apartments (except homegate)? Sorry to bomb you with so many questions.Tamara
Tamara Simidrijevic, Sep 14, 2010 @ 16:12
yes it is part of grand saconnex. I dont think it's noisy there. my son used to go to Gymboree near Ecole Pommier and I did not noticed any noise from planes. and a friend of mine lives somewhere near also the airport and she said that the houses on that area has a provision for the noise that the airplanes will make. I guess that they have soundproofing. Apartments search is really hard. it took us 2months! you can try here at the classified ads of glocals, or search google home sweet home, nettilac but these are furnished apartments. try Naef but they are mostly a contract of 1 year. Oh well why not give it a try.
Just be careful searching online at any rate do not transfer money just to reserve an apartment. It is bogus!
happy house hunting!
yes it is part of grand saconnex. I dont think it's noisy there. my son used to go to Gymboree near Ecole Pommier and I did not noticed any noise from planes. and a friend of mine lives somewhere near also the airport and she said that the houses on that area has a provision for the noise that the airplanes will make. I guess that they have soundproofing. Apartments search is really hard. it took us 2months! you can try here at the classified ads of glocals, or search google home sweet home, nettilac but these are furnished apartments. try Naef but they are mostly a contract of 1 year. Oh well why not give it a try.
Just be careful searching online at any rate do not transfer money just to reserve an apartment. It is bogus!
happy house hunting!
talo v v, Sep 14, 2010 @ 20:29
