Expat Advice: Relationships in Geneva, Switzerland

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Geneva

What is your current status? Are you single, dating, in a long-term relationship, married or divorced?

Long term relationship

What is it like in your country of residence for someone with your relationship status (married/divorced/dating)? If you're single, how do you meet other people? Do English-speaking people tend to gravitate to certain parts of your city?

I know from talking to single friends that it is very difficult to meet new people. Invites to social occasions usually extend to only couples and furthermore if you have children you will find more open doors as the life in Switzerland is extremely family orientated. English people are distributed pretty evenly throughout the city and can usually be found in most of the bars throughout the old town. For meeting people try www.sindy.ch, set up to try to make Geneva friendlier for expats of all parts!

If you have children, what advice would you give to others making a similar transition to your country of residence?

The schools are pretty good, if English is your mother tongue there are plenty of International schools that offer the UK/American systems, there are even schools that offer bilingual programmes. The Swiss schools are also excellent and probably better for integration, it's amazing how many expats children have reached their teens without any kind of ability in French! There are plenty of family days out and childrens groups. You probably won't feel at all isolated if you join in with these as they are a hub for families to meet.

If you do not have children, do you generally spend your social time with other expat couples? If not, what else do you like to do as a couple?

Most friends are either Swiss or French with many amicable UK acquaintances. Best places to meet new people are in the bars in the old town. There are plenty of activities to engage in, not just drinking! Many days out are spent skiing or cycling with friends. In addition to copius amounts of barbeques by the lake in Summer.

If you are married or in a relationship with a person of another nationality, how has this experience enriched you as a person. What kind of challenges do you face?

Being with a French partner has made a huge difference in terms of integration. Unlike many of my other expat counterparts, my French has come along no end and we socialise with mainly French and Swiss. The UK/US expat scene is very insular and whilst extremely welcoming, probably not particularly enriching. It has also helped with all the paperwork one has to do here and has thus eased the stress of moving here. Being with a native certainly makes locals warm to you, but as Geneva is so international, expats are never made to feel unwelcome.

What would be the best advice you could give someone with your relationship status that lives in your country of residence? Any other thoughts?

Probably to leave off coming to Geneva until you are married and/or with children. It is an exceptional place to bring up a family but probably a touch too quiet and calm for a long-term couple in their twenties. You might feel you are getting old before your time and you will certainly feel the pressure of starting a family as a means to integrate!