jfox wrote:I would be coming over with my wife and by then, 3 year old son. How are the schools there and are they mostly English speaking? Wouldn't want to confuse a 3 year old who's just learning the E language with another!

I can't address the main question but you would be doing your son a major favor at that age. After 3-7 years he'd be fluent in the local language if not more than one. Now is the time for his brain to adapt to languages, not 9th grade. Good luck with the job! Cheers.

I am sorry to say that there is absolutely no climbing at all in Switzerland.

It is as flat as a pancake. For climbing, I'd take the job in Kansas.

Seriously, go for it. It will be a great experience for everyone, both personally and probably professionally.

Lucky you....do it! You could not be in a better place, for example, Chamonix is less than 60 minutes drive and it would take you years to cover all the routes/mountains there. I am so jealous.

No offense to any Swiss friends on this site, but I HIGHLY recommend that you spend considerable time in/around Geneva before moving there. While it is central to an awesome variety of adventures throughout Switzerland, France and other places, it isn't one of my favorite cities The rest of Switzerland is so ridiculously beautiful that Geneva's current state (lots of prostitution, lots of dirty streets & poor areas) is just puzzling.

It never seems to make any "top 100 cities" lists.

Currency is the Swiss Franc. And Geneva is fantastic, despite what some people have said. They got lots of prostitution in Berlin and Prague but that doesn't make them bad cities. I knew a guy who lived there for 5 yrs and loved it; better than Chamonix because you don't have to deal with the attitude plus you have all the amenities of a big city. In terms of proximity to climbing, there aren't many better places in the world. If I were you I'd jump on this in a heartbeat.

jfox wrote:I too think it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, but a little scary at the same time, leaving the U.S.

Having gone on some long term trips (China for 4 months), it's only scary until you get on the plane - then all the "should I do this" questions are moot, and there is only the handling of the here and now. After a month you will feel like you have always been there.

My brother lives in Lausanne and I am going there in July for three weeks, maybe knocking off a peak or two. Sure wish I could find something long-term like you did!

I've got a mate who lives in French Geneva. It's a bit out of town but it's a very nice area. I'm not a big fan of the city itself, but then I don't like cities in general. It certainly looks very nice, but it's a very busy hussle bussle place. As mentioned above there is a red light district, however I don't think I've seen prostitutes outside of this. Also other than pick pocketing I think the crime rate is quite low. My friend was very shocked a year or so ago that there was a murder in the city!

Switzerland has both French and German as official languages, but in Geneva it will be almost entirely french. However almost everybody seems to speak excellent English. I think there are plenty of international schools where lessons will be in English. I'm pretty sure my mate went to one. Currency is the Swiss franc (CHF) which whilst obviously not the Euro, will behave like it in comparison to the £ or $. Which could make moving there quite expensive. The £ has fallen almost 20% against CHF since last year. The $ may have done similar.

Geneva is "flat as a pancake" as described above. However it is only a short drive to Chamonix or any number of great places in Switzerland. The motorways always seem to be free flowing and the public transport is excellent which should all save time getting to mountains.

Basically, do it! I'm looking to move abroad when I graduate and Geneva is near the top of my list.

This one is obvious: GO!

This is a fantastic opportunity, DO NOT MISS IT!

You will get by with English, it is a very international city.
This is a fantastic opportunity for your child to learn additional languages (French, German, Italian, even Russian...) - which will be a major asset for him in the future. He will be able to handle the multiple languages simultaneously. There are bound to be many international schools there.
You could also learn some new languages.
I think the city is beautiful, I found the stress level to be very low compared to other places. One of the headlines in a local paper the other day for example was how politely police should address people (tutoyer/vouvoyer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-V_distinction#French)...
The cost of life is probably quite high due to the many international organisations localted there, plus, hey, it's Switzerland...
Re the mountains: come on, have a look at a map, it would be difficult to be in a better place.

GO!

Go for it!

However, you might end up close to Geneva as prices down there are ridiculous. I did stay at CERN several times during my years at the university and all CERN fellows had to stay on the French side of the border because they couldn't afford anything close to the city.

But beware of the traffic over there. Like a friend of mine who used to live in Geneva for two years said: the Swiss drive like the French - but with German arrogance, always pretending not to see you when you cross the street...

I would NOT pass up this opportunity. Your kid will be speaking good French within months-- 3yr olds learn languages FAST! Geneve is pretty-- the lake is beautiful, the views of the Alps staggering. Chamonix will be your local climbing area. Three years from now, you'll have a bilingual family, a child fluent in French and probably competent in German, three years of international experience, and three seasons in the French Alps.

Geneve may not be everyone's favorite cultural capitol-- it isn't Paris or Vienna. But it's way cleaner, safer, and more culturally wealthy than any comparable city in the U.S.

I don't know your line of work, but in an awful lot of careers, good international experience gets its own line on the cv. And it would be a major advantage for your kid. And dude-- Cham!

you should jump at the chance. living in europe is great. die schweiz is central to everything and very beautiful - yet not so cheap!

my family and i lived in germany for three and a half years - my daughter was born there - my son attended german schools, played on german soccer teams, etc. it was great experience and we hope to go back soon.

Go for it.

Lots of climbing - Switzerland is only 1/3 the size of the state of Washington. You can get to lots of neat places to climb and ski on the weekend.

Your child at 3 will learn English at home and French elsewhere. Geneva is the French part pf Switzerland. I grew up bilingual - it's not that hard.

First of all do it!

The schools are excellent and if your employer will pay for it, there are many English speaking schools with US and UK curricula.

Geneva is a very international city where you can get by in English but you'll want to work on your French.

The lake and surrounding mountains are simply breathtaking - you'll pinch yourself every day when you relaize you live there. The Swiss are some of the most polite people you'll ever meet and they place a high value on order, cleanliness, and most of all; peace and quiet. If your kids are load and boisterous, you'll want to train them well before heading to Geneva.

Chamonix is only one hour up the road - hard to beat that for weekend skiing/climbing. The area is expensive but you don't need to spend much money to enjoy yourself (the best stuff is free anyway).

I recommend you read:
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Working-Sw ... 551&sr=8-1

I've lived in Europe for 14 years, including nearly two in Switzerland.

Go for it! Geneva is the perfect location for catering to every mountain-related interest.

I lived in Mies (small village near Versoix just outside Geneva) for 3 years and loved it. Geneva has everything you'd want in a city, and overall is quite clean with negligable crime (as is the case almost everywhere in Switzerland). Swiss wages are quite good for almost any profession, and you can always take the 10 minute drive over the border to France to save money on groceries (the guards at the booths on the smaller roads don't care as long as you don't load up too much on meat and wine).

As far as nearby mountains go, there is rock-climbing in the Saleve and skiing in the Jura, and if you're more into the hard-core mountaineering then most of the 4000er's near Chamonix, Zermatt, and Interlaken are only a couple hours drive away.

I'd echo what other people have said and say don't worry about putting your kid in a local school, since it's a great opportunity to pick up French and the easiest time to do it (children pick up on new languages much quicker than adults). If you're adamant about staying with an English curriculum, there are several good international shcools within the area (Ecole Internationale, La Chataigneraie, & College du Leman), although they are quite pricey (luckily my dad's job paid for us to go to CDL).

The weather can be a bit depressing in the winter (climbing and skiing above the clouds is awesome, though), but other than that you can't go wrong with moving to Geneva. Enjoy every minute of it!