Hi John

I can recommend Basel as it is safe, it is not as expensive as Geneva and Zurich. Despite not a big city, it is still international.
France and Germany are just across the border which add additionnal opportunities for shopping, social life ..
There is very near to Basel an international school (less then 10 miles).
It used to offer a quite good choice of companies to get jobs, but here I have to admit that the times are over when it was so easy to get a job. But well, still possible.
Geneva and Zürich are very nice places too, but there accomodation is very expensive, more to be recommended to young people who prefere an intense social life to some comfort and enough space.

Good luck for your plans,
cheers
Cynthia

Hi Cynthia

Thanks for the info and i love the advice.I love staying a little out of the city just like you suggested especially with a family as big as mine and also because we love the feel of it too.Age wise i am young but a lot older at heart i am 30 got married a lot earlier than usual but loving every bit of it my wife and i have been married 10 years now.I will read about Basel i like that part of the country too.I would not consider living in Geneva i would love to visit often but won't want to resided there i prefer Zurich more to Geneva for some reason.I have never been to Basel when next i visit i will make it a point to go there.

Thanks a million

As a great many of the population of Switzerland are at least tri-lingual, then you should put as much emphasis upon learning French and German as you can. Having said that, Swiss-German is totally different from High German so you may well have difficulties understanding the dialect from the various Kantons when and if you arrive here. The difference could, perhaps, be compared to French spoken in France, and French spoken in Quebec. However, we found that the more of an effort you make, the more readily you will be accepted.

Thanks for this info - this would help many people in this forum who is new and need this type of information

Definitely get a signed job contract before moving to CH.

Thanks a lot for letting me know i will secure employment before i move.

John - if you are planning for your wife to work, you might want to look into whether or not her degree and licenses are recognized. As a general rule, Registered Nurses licensed in the USA (irregardless of the state) are not recognized in CH.

Best of luck - KEN/// 

Hi John,

I am Swiss myself but with ex-pat parents so if you do deceide to live in Switzerland permanently your children would have similar experiences as I did growing up with English speaking parents in a Swiss enviroment. Generally, Switzerland is very safe, especially when you live more outside cities. Its very normal for kids to walk to school by themselves when they are 6-7 years old. I can only whole heartedly recommend Swiss public schools as I have observed many people sending their kids to international schools over the years. I understand the objective if you are staying in CH for a short while or your children have nearly finished their schooling, but for young children I believe it is only beneficial to going to a Swiss public school, learning the Swiss language and culture. I have met too many expat children who have been here 10-15 years and are still "foreigners" in the country they have spent so much of their life. I am very grateful that my parents sent me to Swiss school as I had the opportunity to really learn the Swiss language and culture and am now able to switch between English and Swiss culture and language with ease. This has been great for work opportunities! Furthermore, having your children in Swiss schools allows you to have more contact with your neighbours, people from the same area you live in. In Switzerland it is difficult to meet people and make friends, but once you have broken through that first "wall of ice" they are very loyal and most Swiss friends have known each other and been friends for years (since school in many cases).

My parents came to Switzerland with the intention of staying 1-2 years but love dit so much that they have never left.

Let me know if you have any questions and best of luck,

Ursula