Geneva is a great place to work. The atmosphere is reserved, conservative, but with a very sporty streak. The opportunities for sport are almost unlimited, but more on that later. I was lucky enough to find my job their through Valentin Grogol and his team at English Nanny.
Firstly, it’s beautiful. The whole country. Obviously it can be quite exclusive. It’s the kind of place where people smile to you when they say ‘hello’ and this for me is a huge positive when helping to bring up children. The family I worked for here was particularly pleased with the friendly nature of the area (Geneva and surroundings) which doesn’t have any of the latent aggression of big city environments. Here people generally seem more relaxed and friendly than Moscow or London. I particularly enjoy the multi-lingual aspect of life here- unlike Moscow or London where you might have one foreign language at school, here pupils regularly have education in two languages and know a third well enough to get by. The mentality that comes with that always seems very positive.
I was quite involved in family affairs in my position here. School, education and upbringing are more or less unlimited in opportunity and quality. The quality of life here is probably one of the highest I’ve ever encountered- largely due to the clean environment and wonderful natural surroundings. It just seems very, well, natural.
Schools classes and extra-curricular activities will probably be conducted in English or French. By no means everyone speaks English, although in my experience the majority does. I recommend having some French or German up your sleeve, or at least Google Translate on your phone. Some activities can be organised through other local schools, if your school doesn’t do it. We found karate classes this way. Usually the internet provides these kind of details.
Outside school, the environment seems very safe. You don’t leave the kids to wander around the town completely on their own, but you don’t have to watch them every second. I guess this is largely up to your judgement, but in general, unless you are near a busy road, you can be fairly relaxed. Curiously there is some homelessness around Geneva and there are one or two places you should probably avoid with children, but that’s easily done.
And so to free time and sport, where Switzerland generally excels. When you drive past the lake in the morning on your way to school you can see people water-skiing. Many cycle to work. Cars have ski-racks on the roof- many of the pointers to the broad range of sports facilities available within a couple of hours’ drive from Geneva. We even arranged classes in organ playing in a local church. I think more or less anything you want can be organised!
The best thing about being in Geneva, if you are from Europe, is that fact that you are in the centre of Europe. From Geneva airport, at least before the Virus, you could fly easily and cheaply to anywhere you want.
For your free time, Geneva has most of what you want! There are plenty of bars, restaurants and clubs, plus of course more cultural attractions. It’s great to explore the city, especially the old town, with no particular plan. You will find something great every time!
Overview:
+ clean, quiet
+ amazing landscapes
+ great schools and education
+ wonderful sports facilities
+ centre of Europe for travel
- some homelessness in the city can be worrying
- can be tricky without some French language
- can be expensive