Moving to Annecy

I've been told that most folks seem to use head hunters, although it sounds like you could work for yourself. 

Folks who can work in Geneva earn a whole lot more than people who work in/around Annecy. 

There are near-free places to learn some French....not real structured like a class, but for the price....

You'd be fine living anywhere in Annecy because really walking or biking from where we live (edge of Annecy near Seynod) to ALV is easy.  But it is a tight market and finding a place to live can be a challenge.  (The best site is leboncoin.fr)

I'm not eligible to work here so I can't really answer more there.

Hi there,

I have just come across your post and wondered how things are going for you after 12 months living in Annecy? We have been here 6 months and feel really at home, the summer has been amazing and I'm really looking forward to getting on the slopes in the next couple of weeks.

Hope all is good.
Andrea.

Hello:

My name is Gael (short for Gabriel). A recent graduate from Regent's University London, as a Motion Graphics Designer, Graphic Designer, Animator and Filmmaker.

I currently live in London but have always planned to settle down somewhere in Annecy, and recently I have had the opportunity to do so. However I lack knowledge of city in terms of accommodation, future job vacancies, and just basic living. Therefore when I saw a few posts here on Expat including this one, I was attracted to comment in order to see if anyone would answer a few of the questions that I have about Annecy.

Thank you in advance.

Gael.

Hi, we're an Aussie family moving to annecy next week. Would love to hear about the region.
We've also just bought a french car and must visit the prefecture to complete the registration process. Anyone had experience with doing that already in annecy?

How are things going?

Hi,  very well. Slowly driving our car around Provence. Ha! Heading to annecy this weekend. Really looking forward to settling there and making it home.
Are you in the area?

Hey,
Hope you had a nice drive round provence ! We're moving to Annecy next month so would love to hear about how you've got on with the move in the next few weeks. Have a 2.5 year old so realise need to register in an area for schools and wondering which are the better areas?
Please keep me posted with any tips

Hi thanks for your message. Annecy is stunning. It snowed 2 days ago and the kids had so much fun making snowmen,
Not sure I can tell you much about the  areas yet. Its only been a few days and our kids are yet to start school. Where we are near the old town feels very safe and the streets and canals are beautiful.
I did make contact with one parent at Vaugelas who said the school has a very good reputation. Beyond that I can't say too much.
Good luck and stay in touch. Very happy to catch up when you arrive. Good luck with the packing!
Kerrie

Hey Kerrie,
Just landed in the area and would love to hear how you've settled.  Drop me a message if you'd be up for meeting up sometime
Nat

Hi, welcome to France!
Sorry for my slow reply. We went skiing on the weekend and are going to Paris on Wednesday so its pretty busy at the moment! We're loving it here.
I'm very happy to catch up and could maybe do tomorrow afternoon or next week sometime?

Hi, We are currently living up in Tignes but think we will relocate in the summer to Annecy. Our eldest is moving up to college, our other daughter is 8 so still has a couple of years of primaire to go.

Any contacts, tips on good places to live  / schools really appreciated.  But of a change of plan as we thought we were moving to Barcelona but that doesn't seem likely and we are keen to settle somewhere lovely longer term.

I hope it's all going well for you.

Naomi

Yay - spent a fab weekend in Annecy. The kids were in love with it before we even got into town and were saying 'I want to live here'. The move is probably on... schools allowing (I will shortly be the expert on all things Annecy Schools!).  Still love to hear any recommendations for good neighbourhoods to live in.  THANKS

You should look for work in Geneva, you can commute and make a lot of money. Wages are far higher there. Loads of people commute from Annecy to Geneva. You should do well in your line of work.

Hi there,
Planning on moving to Annecy area with my almost 6 year old who doesn't speak French (native language is Dutch). The idea is for him to be in a French (private or public) school to really learn the language, so bilingual school is not an option. I see you have just gone through a massive search regarding schools. Can you share your findings? I will adapt our place to live to where his school will be, so am flexible.
Thanks a million!!! Carien

Hello,

I came across your post and wondered how it all went with the move? We are also an Aussie family (Girls 4 and 2) and looking at a house to buy in St Jorioz. I speak minimal french, the girls arent great and I'd really like to know some other Aussies in the area!

Did you move for work? Did you send your kids to the local school?

Thanks, Jacqui

Hello!

We're moving to annecy in April (kids aged 3&1) and would love to hear best places to live. Looking at an initial period of three months for a rental, is airbnb our best option?

If you're still in annecy in April, please get in touch, it would great to meet up!

Thanks
Prue

Hello!

We won't be there until around the same time! We chose St Jorioz as it's a gorgeous suburb with good schools and great views. 12 km on bike to Annecy Centre but has the best beach on the lake. Did not want to live in the Centre, can move to any city for that.

Get in contact if you decide to go ahead! We have found a place to buy

Thanks jacqui

Hi Jacqui,

Thanks!! I will check it out.

Where in aus are you? We're in Melbourne 😊 if you're local, let's meet up!

Hi, I posted this on a Lyon thread but this one looks more appropriate. My family and I will be moving to a town near Annecy (Menthon Saint Bernard) Mid-February through the end of March 2019. I would appreciate any local knowledge you can share to make the transition easier. We are also interested in making the most of the ski season and welcome any thoughts on the local mountain resorts, rental shops, etc.
My wife and I have three kids: two girls ages 15 and 13, and a boy who is 10. We're coming from the UK but are Americans traveling abroad for a year.
Thanks!

Hi Carien,

Did you move? How are you getting on?  We live just north of Annecy in a village called Saint Martin Bellevue. My daughter started there in Sept 2018.  It's a good school. Not too big, not too small.  I have friends in the village of Villy-le-Pelloux with children in the school there too - it's very little and they seem to be getting on well.

This area is super friendly, really well positioned and I absolutely love it. Rent is cheaper than in Annecy, it's the countryside and very pretty, but we are only a 15 minute drive to town and 30 minutes to Geneva airport & the city there.

I chose where we live based on the collège I wanted my older child to go to (she was 10 and just starting in 6eme - first year of collège) and also asked around about the reputation of the primary schools.  My girls are native English speakers and where thrown into French school first in March 2017. Now they are getting on fine. The primary school is supportive and my youngest has some extra help at the moment with reading and comprehension. My eldest also is getting some extra French and homework help through the colleège - though her language is amazing obviously it's still not 100%.

Wishing you well,

Naomi

If you need to buy anything second hand there's a good website everyone uses for everything called Leboncoin. I am English and teach piano if you are interested. I live in Seynod. Good luck

I am an American living in Irvine, California and planning to move to Annecy later this year. Can anyone give me any tips or have references for help in finding a rental property as well as opening up a French bank account? My French language skills are very poor at the moment. I think that finding a place to live will be my biggest challenge in getting a long stay visa. Thank you.

Kathleen

nimnom wrote:

Hi Carien,

Did you move? How are you getting on?  We live just north of Annecy in a village called Saint Martin Bellevue. My daughter started there in Sept 2018.  It's a good school. Not too big, not too small.  I have friends in the village of Villy-le-Pelloux with children in the school there too - it's very little and they seem to be getting on well.

This area is super friendly, really well positioned and I absolutely love it. Rent is cheaper than in Annecy, it's the countryside and very pretty, but we are only a 15 minute drive to town and 30 minutes to Geneva airport & the city there.

I chose where we live based on the collège I wanted my older child to go to (she was 10 and just starting in 6eme - first year of collège) and also asked around about the reputation of the primary schools.  My girls are native English speakers and where thrown into French school first in March 2017. Now they are getting on fine. The primary school is supportive and my youngest has some extra help at the moment with reading and comprehension. My eldest also is getting some extra French and homework help through the colleège - though her language is amazing obviously it's still not 100%.

Wishing you well,

Naomi

Hi Nomnom,

I read your notes on Annecy here on the site and was very interested. We are planning to move there in the next while. We're coming for another visit in June or July. Any chance I could take you for a coffee when there just to get any insights you might have about making this transition? 2 tiny boys, a dog and an errant husband will likely make it quite an adventure for me.
Thanks,
Justine

Hello , neither a school not work question , what are winters in Annency like , unbearably cold , just cold with blue sky , nice and frosty , sub zero ? just asking lol , im from Scotland its blooming freezing most of the time !

Hi Angie, we are trying to engineer a move to the Annecy area sometime in the 2019 - 2020 school year and have two boys who have each been taking piano lessons once per week since they were 5 yrs age.  They will be turning 11 and 14 in Sept.   I'd like to keep your info.  I'm new to this site.  Is there a PM function or something so I can look you up when the time comes?

wadams92101 wrote:

Hi Angie, we are trying to engineer a move to the Annecy area sometime in the 2019 - 2020 school year and have two boys who have each been taking piano lessons once per week since they were 5 yrs age.  They will be turning 11 and 14 in Sept.   I'd like to keep your info.  I'm new to this site.  Is there a PM function or something so I can look you up when the time comes?

Click on the members Icon, there you will see Add to Contacts & Send a Message

Hi Justine

Your post on the site caught my eye - I see you're from Cape Town. Have you moved to Annecy yet ? Our family made the move from Cape Town in March - if you're here, you're welcome to contact me and if you're still planning on moving here, feel free to ask me questions and I'll try to answer you as best I can.

Kind regards
Samantha

Hi Everyone,

My two dogs and I were supposed to move to Annecy from the US last weekend. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago my boy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I could not put him through the stress of taking such a long flight across the US and Atlantic and exposing him to a new environment. My girl and I plan to move when he passes on which unfortunately may not be too long.

Kathleen

Hi, I'm Nadine (French) and along with my husband Cameron (American) and our 10yr old twins we are exploring a move to the Annecy area in the summer of 2020 so the kids can start College in France. We currently live in California (Silicon Valley) and both work in hi-tech.

We are considering the Ecole Bilingue de Haute Savoie to ease the kids' transition: would love to hear feedback on pro/cons of this approach versus public college if anyone has explored it. We will likely rent at first then look to buy a home once we have a better sense of the area and our specific needs.

We will be coming over at Christmas to explore the area more and would love it if anyone was interested in a meet-up? We'd love to hear about your experiences.

Thank you!
Nadine

Hi,
After 15 years in Hong Kong, we are now living in Paris, we have visited Annecy region and we really loved it. We like hiking a lot and it seems to be a nice area. I am Belgian and my wife is from Brazil, our kids are studying in England and  Canada.
We are considering to move to Annecy region by the end of 2020, where I intend to set up my environmental consultancy work.
Our main concern by moving there is that we do not know anybody, so we are a bit scared that it may be difficult to socialize.
Is there any expat community? How would be the best way to socialize?
I appreciate any good advice from foreigners that settled there.
I am also looking to buy a house, maybe in veyrier du Lac, is it not too isolated there?
Thanks
Franklin & Silvana

Hi
We have 3 kids.. wondered what schools are like in St Jorioz?

Hello Nadine, I am French too - from Annecy originally actually - married to an American who is also in tech, and living in Virginia. We would like to move to Annecy with our two young children, but my husband is worried about the change. I registered the kids to the Bilingual school, and I was wondering what your experience was with it. How did it go for you and your husband? Does he like it? Any information would help. Thank you! Claire