Relocating to Pondicherry

Hello asunter44 and Welcome to Expat.com

I created a new thread thread with your comment here on the Pondicherry forum in order to give much more importance to your post.

Concerning accommodation, the Housing in Pondicherry section is at your disposal, but can we know your budget as well as the type of accommodation that you are searching for please?
This article too can give you some hints about accommodation in India : https://www.expat.com/en/guide/asia/ind … india.html

I also look for some job sites for you on the net and i found these three :
- http://www.pondicherryjobs.com/
- http://www.timesjobs.com/job-location/p … herry-jobs
- http://pondicherry.olx.in/job-offers-cat-822

Hope that i was able to help you here and best of luck for the future 

Priscilla

Hello asunter44, you can check in at Auroville once you land up in Pondicherry. you will have to communicate with them beforehand......it is a society mainly being run by some of the French citizens there.....I do not know about the cats !
you can also check various web sites like 99 acres.com for a rental accommodation, which in my estimation should be between 200 to 250 USD/per month.
Yes Pondicherry is a nice place and hospitable to foreign nationals....there are also plenty of activities you can indulge in while you are there.....

hope this helps !!

Hello,

Pondicherry is a nice place to visit & to live. One of my friend she had been there for two years to complete MSc. She enjoyed allot. Weather is good, but you have to cook yourself that is better option there. For jobs you apply through Naukari, Monster. Timesjobs etc. sites are there on online.

Thank you.

Pondy is a very nice little vacation resort town.  International maybe, cosmopolitan it's not.  Probably not too much ex-pat work but some.  Maybe shipping or something like.  Popular with European retirees and tourists.  It has a very nice French tone about it and I like it a lot for weekenders.  Do not confuse it with Quebec.  The languages are Tamil and English.

Cats will be up to the owner, just like anywhere else, but you should be able to find something.  Indian houses are all concrete and tile so they are pretty impervious to pets.

Auroville is definitely the land of the Lotus Eaters.  Very nice park but mostly about convincing foreigners to give up their worldly good to the gurus and find peace selling postcards in their gift shop.

Hello,
I am planning to relocate from the United States to Pondicherry.  Can anyone please tell me if schools (I have 11 year-old) and Hospitals are free. What are employment opportunities for women? I am multi-lingual, however I do not speak neither Hindi nor Tamil. Is that a hindrance in obtaining a job? How much would it cost to rent a small house?
How does Pondicherry compare to Chennai as far as safety concerned for women?
Any additional info would be greatly appreciated. 
Thank you,
Shalom

I would have a tough time recommending bringing an American 11 year old to India.  They are really going to struggle with the rigid discipline and insular society.  The boys and girls are strictly separated as well so they may find it difficult.

The school that you would find acceptable for your child will be expensive.  Look at the Catholic schools, they tend to be good, a little less expensive and in English.  Creativity is discouraged so be prepared for some student frustration.

Forget Hindi in Pondicherry or Chennai.  It is Tamil and English.

Safety is not that big of an issue in South India but you need to be alert.  Guys brushing against you on the street is the most you are likely to encounter.  Creepy, but not the assault dangers that you would face elsewhere.  There will be the usual construction worker type comments but nothing you have not heard before.  That said, you should still be careful about being out alone after dark.