This is probably asked a lot, but I can't find relevant topics. If you have some, please link them.
Hello,
I got a job offer in Zurich and will be moving to Switzerland mid-summer. My kids will be 7 and 9 at the time and they don't speak any German. We will be sending them to the public schools because we are planning to stay in Switzerland long term.
I read a lot that "all public schools are good". But I suspect that some schools might have more experience dealing with integrating students coming from abroad. And possibly different schools have different approaches.
Do you have any recommendations which schools/areas to look into? How do I approach it? Should I check individual school webpages? My job will be in Zurich, but I'll have some flexibility in terms of where to live - as long as it's up to 30m public transit commute to Zurich HB.
They are really all fine. In Zurich City there is a lot of foreign kids or children from dual language household and the schools all follow an integration program. So don't worry too much and pick an area to live that you like.
The websites of the local schools are not like the International School ones aimed at selling so you should not draw any conclusions from them.
There are a few threads on how to choose areas of living, different people have different tastes and budgets and requirements.
So basically picking up any apartment that's a good fit would work well (in Zurich proximity) and no need to look at any special locations?
In terms of budget, I would imagine that we could pay 3500-4000 CHF for a 100m^2+, 4rm apartment. Possibly up to 4500 CHF if it's a great place in a great location.
Please note that right now you will find very few flats as its not moving season as many rental contracts do not allow for cancellations at Dec 31st. More flats will come on the market in the months after.
That said, you may find situations where the renter is trying to get out of their contract and looking for someone to take it over. Phrase for this is 'Nachmieter gesucht'.
If I were moving to Zurich, I'd look around the lake on either side. Bear in mind that your permit may restrict to the Zurich canton, and if so there's only so far down the lake you can go.
Otherwise I'd decide whether you're country mouse or city mouse before searching for areas. I wouldn't let school selection bother me (it's not the UK).
At that age they'll become totally fluent in Swiss German and German over a number of years, with the younger likely making easier progress than the older. The integration process is good.
With your requirement of being no more than 30 minutes to Zurich HB, you could also look at Zug. You will pay much less tax and because of the very large expat community the schools have really had to bolster their support activities for non German speakers.
Zug is small though and many people (Mainly people from Zurich! ) feel that it is too small, but we love it.