moving to Mumbai with wife and three kids

stephane.lamoureux · Nov 6th, 2008, 08:43

Hi all,

I am looking at moving to Mumbai with my wife and three kids (11, 8 and 5 months) I have a potential exec job for a large player. My question or questions are the following.

- where should I go for living with the family, I heard Powai is great for expats for a first place to live.
- how about schools, are there international schools or private expat schools
- are there outdoor play areas and parks.
- medical, here we have a private pediatricien and great hospitals for kids (I have to very active boys so we visit the hospital regularly)
- My wife does not work, are there a lot of expats to ease her way in Mumbai. I am not worried about me I will be working but she needs to be happy with the kids or, well, I won't be happy.
-We have a large house here in Canada and we are looking for at the very least 2500sq-ft but more like 3 to 4. With this in mind, am I better off getting the corporation to pay for the housing or better off getting them to vouch for a mortgage for me there.
- Am I allowed to buy real estate or is it like the islands where I was only allowed to rent.
- are there stores where you can get western food, I don't expect a large food store like at home of course but is there anything close to this to again reduce the major change of life

thanks
stephane

Mosi · Nov 6th, 2008, 16:19

Hello Stephane,

We will be moving ourselves Nov 22nd (myself, husband 2,5 yo daughter). From what I now know is:
- There are expats in Powai. However traffic is a problem so if you want to minimise commuting time you should consider looking for a home near the office. Bandra and Juhu are also popular.
- as far as other expats in Mumbai (for your wife to connect to) there are a couple of expatgroups which she could join: American Womens Club Bombay (awcbombay.com), Mumbai Connexions (mumbaiconnexions.com) and there is also a plagroup which gathers weekly the Hopping Bunnies. You can join these upon arrival.
- as far as outdoor playgrounds etc it differs from what you are used to in Europe or US, Canada and it is limited. There are some parks. There is quite some greenery/playgroud in powai around the apartment buildings. You could also join a club with pool and playgrounds (like the Club, Waterstones Club or JW Marriott). Membership is expensive though.
- There are hospitals in all neighboorhouds in Mumbai where expats live which are supposed to be very good.
- there are plenty of good supermarkets. If you really need your western products, it can be found but it is not cheap. You could also visit a hypermarket.
- the international schools that expat children attend (in the suburbs) are the American School of Bombay in Bandra Kurla or the Ecole Mondiale in Juhu; you should subscribe early as they have waitinglists.
- there is already a lot of info on this subject on this site which can be very helpful

Good luck!

Nov 6th, 2008, 08:43	#1
stephane.lamoureux Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: canada Posts: 1	moving to Mumbai with wife and three kids Hi all, I am looking at moving to Mumbai with my wife and three kids (11, 8 and 5 months) I have a potential exec job for a large player. My question or questions are the following. - where should I go for living with the family, I heard Powai is great for expats for a first place to live. - how about schools, are there international schools or private expat schools - are there outdoor play areas and parks. - medical, here we have a private pediatricien and great hospitals for kids (I have to very active boys so we visit the hospital regularly) - My wife does not work, are there a lot of expats to ease her way in Mumbai. I am not worried about me I will be working but she needs to be happy with the kids or, well, I won't be happy. -We have a large house here in Canada and we are looking for at the very least 2500sq-ft but more like 3 to 4. With this in mind, am I better off getting the corporation to pay for the housing or better off getting them to vouch for a mortgage for me there. - Am I allowed to buy real estate or is it like the islands where I was only allowed to rent. - are there stores where you can get western food, I don't expect a large food store like at home of course but is there anything close to this to again reduce the major change of life thanks stephane

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Nov 6th, 2008, 16:19	#2
Mosi Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 32	Hello Stephane, We will be moving ourselves Nov 22nd (myself, husband 2,5 yo daughter). From what I now know is: - There are expats in Powai. However traffic is a problem so if you want to minimise commuting time you should consider looking for a home near the office. Bandra and Juhu are also popular. - as far as other expats in Mumbai (for your wife to connect to) there are a couple of expatgroups which she could join: American Womens Club Bombay (awcbombay.com), Mumbai Connexions (mumbaiconnexions.com) and there is also a plagroup which gathers weekly the Hopping Bunnies. You can join these upon arrival. - as far as outdoor playgrounds etc it differs from what you are used to in Europe or US, Canada and it is limited. There are some parks. There is quite some greenery/playgroud in powai around the apartment buildings. You could also join a club with pool and playgrounds (like the Club, Waterstones Club or JW Marriott). Membership is expensive though. - There are hospitals in all neighboorhouds in Mumbai where expats live which are supposed to be very good. - there are plenty of good supermarkets. If you really need your western products, it can be found but it is not cheap. You could also visit a hypermarket. - the international schools that expat children attend (in the suburbs) are the American School of Bombay in Bandra Kurla or the Ecole Mondiale in Juhu; you should subscribe early as they have waitinglists. - there is already a lot of info on this subject on this site which can be very helpful Good luck!