Moving to Copenhagen with my family. (First Post)

[Kerry_Anne]

Hi there,

Please be patient as this is my first post.
Myself and my husband and my 3 girls are wanting to move to Copenhagen before Xmas ideally October time.
I am hoping to rack your brains please on a few questions?

. Where is the best place to live with young children age 5 month, 2 & 7?
. How do you go about looking at schools Kindergarten etc?
. Is it possible to go there with out a job?
. How much can I organise before we move, we are planning a trip in July?
. Has anybody driven there instead of flying when it comes to moving day?

TIA

Kerry

[scot47]

Do you have plans to work there ? Scandinavia is nice but I am not so sure about getting a job there !

[Pythagoras]

Its certainly different to visit Scandinavia for a holiday - as opposed to living there.

I live in Sweden and can't help much with any of your questions: theres a UK government website here with some useful Danish links. I've heard that the Danes expect you to be proficient in their language - but from my experience of occasional shopping trips to Copenhagen, they are a lot more cheerful and friendly than the Swedes are

A ferry from UK to Denmark would be the best option - however DFDS ended their ferry services (Harwich-Esbjerg) last year. Another Danish company called regina line did hold out the possibility of commencing a service, but it seems you had to email them to express an interest. Last time I tried to find them on the internet, I got '404 Error - site not found'.

Good luck!

[scot47]

No car ferries go direct from British ports to Denmark.. You would have to go to Amsterdam and then travel through the Netherlands and Germany.

[Kerry_Anne]

Thank you all for your replies.
Looking for work before you go is a nightmare!! Anyone worked in childcare?
Looks like we are going to travel by car/ferry to Copenhagen & hire a van etc hopefully as we are getting rid of most of our furniture & only bring essentials etc.
Found a fab company Berlitz i dag, verden i morgen! - Berlitz.DK for my oldest to learn Danish & she will attend a local school, please correct me if I am wrong but I go through the Kommune to get a place?

[Gordon Barlow]

Originally Posted by Kerry_Anne

Found a fab company Berlitz i dag, verden i morgen! - Berlitz.DK for my oldest to learn Danish & she will attend a local school, please correct me if I am wrong but I go through the Kommune to get a place?

Be careful with Berlitz. I wasted my money in Oslo taking a one-week or two-week course so that I could communicate with my Norwegian grandchildren. The whole course (one-on-one) was geared to businessmen - how to order in restaurants, how to book in at hotels, that sort of thing.

[scot47]

Berlitz is not the way to go. Get some proper materials and a competent teacher. Immerse yourself in the language - 24/7. Watch TV, read newspapers. Even something simple like looking at timetables for TV or similar can be a great help.

It is usually easier if you have already learned another foreign language. Sadly this happens less frequently with those going through the State school system. in Scotland or England.

[Pythagoras]

Originally Posted by Kerry_Anne

please correct me if I am wrong but I go through the Kommune to get a place?

Once the children have got their ID (CPR) number, and are on the population register, then the muncipality you are living in send details of schools you can enrol them at (Think that by law they must start some kind of schooling at age 6, with more formal education beginning at 7)

Berlitz seems to be controversial with some here, but municipalities offer language courses - similar to what they do in Sweden where I am living

[Scots in Treignac]

Have you tried this site ?

You may get schools and nurseries asking for the child's baptismal certificate.

You will need to explain that in the Uk Birth Cirtificates are issued by the state and not by the church (as is still the case in Denmark)

[Zoey]

Since you're moving with children, you might want to consider moving to a smaller town, rather than going to Copenhagen, as it will be easier for you to get them to school, to find a house with a nice garden, etc.

When it comes to moving without having a job first, it would be better to find a job and then move, but you can manage moving without the job as well, if you have some savings you could depend on during the period where you would be looking for a job. Knowing the language is always a plus when looking for a job.