Mike and Jiahong's Switzerland Photos

Living and working in Switzerland

Some practical advice

If you are looking for the the book "Living and Working in Switzerland : A Survival Handbook" then click here, but before that please scroll down to find the views of those who have moved over to Switzerland. See my pics of Baden here.

New 22 page booklet in PDF format from the Swiss Embassy.
This is excellent, download it now. Living and working in Switzerland

Just added a Swiss - English menu dictionary (print it now) , understanding the menu is all part of the fun of travelling, unless you are in Thailand, S Korea, Israel or China, better ask for the English menu then. Don't forget, if it tastes good, spit it out, it's bad for you.

I prepared this page because a few work colleagues of mine in the UK were thinking of relocating to our Swiss head office (ABB) in Baden. A few are now there. Here are a few points to consider:

Initial thoughts on moving to Switzerland:

1. While the initial bureaucracy may frustrate you, most of my colleagues have adjusted well to Switzerland and like it. Compared to the UK it is not that expensive although Americans will find it much more expensive.
2. Make sure that you know what documentation you need and have all the documentation that you require before arriving in Switzerland.
3. Switzerland is tightly regulated. It has numerous petty laws - such as cannot wash the car on a Sunday. If you live in a flat there are set times when you can use the washing machine. Must get permission to install an electric socket on the wall. Do not flush loo after 10 pm. You must not put batteries in the rubbish. This is probably the greatest culture shock. However once you get used to this there are only a few rules that you need to know for day to day living.
4. It is not part of the European Union, this may mean that you can work but not your wife, check it out. The Swiss voted against joining the EU which was probably very wise but it has implications for those in the EU moving to Switzerland.
5. Assuming that the husband will transfer jobs to Switzerland much of the burden will fall on the wife, since hubby will be at work all day. Since the learning curve is steep the wife should get as much help from the company and other expats as possible. Starting a Swiss-German language course will be a good way to meet other expats in a similar position.
6. While the Swiss are quite insular the cities are fairly cosmopolitan - in practise there are plenty of expats in Switzerland in a similar position to you (19.4% foreign ~1,375,000 people).
7. People use trains and buses much more than in USA, they even walk or cycle to work. A number of my colleagues do not bother to own a car in Switzerland.
8. Cars are quite cheap (second hand), gas is expensive but not the most expensive in Europe.
9. TV is crap (mostly foreign language), buy some good books and board games for the family, take it as an excuse to know your kids better.
10. Beef is expensive, pork and veal are cheaper. Switzerland is not carnivore friendly, if you like your 32 oz steak, forget it, you are more likely to get a six ounce (150 g) steak at a restaurant. One of my colleagues commented that you had better start liking pasta. I would suggest you get used to Pork in its various forms.
11. While Switzerland is expensive, the Swiss Franc (CHF) has devalued over the past few years. Also taxes are low. Compared to the UK salaries are higher, less so for the USA.
12. There are certain Cantons where Foreigners cannot buy property. Property is very expensive to buy. So you will live in a rented apartment. If you stay in a hotel the room will be very small and probably has no aircon.
13. You need to live in Switzerland for twelve years to get Swiss nationality.
14. You should try to learn the language(s) - Swiss German (maybe French or Italian), at ABB English is spoken at work. In some cantons English is spoken quite widely. People at the railway ticket office and hotel receptionists need to speak English, in Baden English was no problem, in Chur it was not spoken much at all. See my Swiss - English menu dictionary
15. There is no evening or Sunday shopping.
16. Cars stop for you at pedestrian crossings.
17. With flats you get what you pay for, do not bother trying to shop around for a bargain. A decent family 4.5 room apartment near Baden cost CHF 1,900 per month, a flat for singles is about 1,200 CHF per month. If you rent a CHF 1,000 flat you get a CHF 1,000 flat if you rent a CHF 2,000 flat that is what you get. You do not get ripped off, if you go out to buy something you can buy the best or the second best and you get what you pay for.
18. It is a beautiful, clean, safe country and the trains run on time, everything works like clockwork.
19. Health: There are more doctors (3.2) and more hospital beds (20.8) per 1,000 than in the USA (doctors 2.6/beds 4.0)
20. Not much air-conditioning in summer.

Andy's experience: Here is another opinion from Andy who moved to Switzerland from England four years ago:

Since I have been here in Switzerland over four years I suppose I should have a reasonably balanced opinion to give so here goes.

• For people from most countries coming to Switzerland will be a culture shock. Even moving within Europe it is better to be prepared for hassle rather than to just ignore it.
• When you arrive you first of all get your work permit from your employer that means that you can work in Switzerland. Within a given period of time you then have to register with the local town hall so that you get your 'Auslanderausweis' ID Card that you must keep with you at all times.
• There will be a whole raft of bureaucracy that will have to be dealt with in the first few months in Switzerland. It pissed me off big time at first, but most of it is one time only so you can survive.
• Switzerland is clean safe and very expensive although I suppose it is stating the obvious there. You generally get what you pay for although do not expect things to be done too quickly.
• Do not expect to be able to rent a penthouse apartment in the centre of Zürich. Prices are akin to those in central London and only drop of slightly as you move out of town.
• The Swiss are what I would consider quite conservative and generally keep themselves to themselves. If you are expecting to party every weekend don't expect it at the local Swiss 'Kneibe'. However with an official foreign population of 20% there are a multitude of places to go and meet other foreigners in the same position who are out to enjoy themselves.
• Minority sports such as cricket and for our American friends baseball are catered for in Switzerland. The clubs may be hard to find, but they are out there.
• From a standard of living point of view expect it to increase compared to most places in Europe. Although prices are high most remuneration packages are such that you should be better off.
• Things run on time in Switzerland! I have now become as bad as the locals complaining if a train is two minutes late. It only takes a quick trip back to the UK and the disaster that is British Rail to put everything in perspective.
• I personally expected to be here only three years. I have been here four and counting. I suppose that Switzerland grows on you and its central position within Europe makes it a wonderful base for visiting the rest of the continent.

Andy is a tall, and well spoken, black guy, he is now married to a "Snow White" girl from Finland, they met in Switzerland. What more can I say? He has been in Switzerland for more than six years and counting.

Greg's experience:

Greg came over from England, with his wife, who had a baby in Switzerland. They stayed for over two years but moved back to England because his wife found it lonely. But he liked it in Baden.

An American womans experience.

She worked for a Swiss multinational country in the US. She wanted to get ahead and a part of that is to go to to the Swiss headquarters for two years, she has a US boyfriend, she marries him so she can get the necessary visas so that they both can come to Switzerland to live. They arrive in Switzerland, she has a job, he does not. The Swiss company pay for him to learn Swiss German, after a week he quits. He throws the rattle out of the pram. The language barrier is too great, he comes from Texas. The result is he goes back to Texas, his wife still works in Switzerland. What can I say, his wife is a young and beautiful American girl, she married in order to go up the corporate ladder. Her boss insists in speaking German during his meetings. Welcome to Europe. The culture shock for Americans will be much greater than for Europeans. Get as much information as you can before you go, speak to your HR dept and to others who have been to Switzerland, prepare for the worst and you may be pleasantly surprised.

My own experience is that my bosses all speak good English. My boss is an Irish lady, she looks after us great. My big big boss is Finish, and my big big big boss is from S Africa. Our annual briefing is in English, not Swiss German. Most emails are in Swiss and English. That is just my experience folks, please learn to enjoy your time in Switzerland. If you adapt, then you will have a great time, if you are stubborn and insist that your culture is better, well you are pretty stupid aren't you? Well, OK, I have worked in 21 countries.

Books: (linked to Amazon)

1. Living and Working in Switzerland : A Survival Handbook - order online from Amazon.com - My expat colleagues working in Switzerland comment that living in Switzerland is not as bad as this book portrays, the actual number of rules you need to know on a day to day basis is actually quite few. See also Survival Books website.
2. The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss (Xenophobe's Guide) - order online from Amazon.com
3. Why Switzerland? by Jonathan Steinberg
4. The German Way : Aspects of Behavior, Attitudes, and Customs in the German-Speaking World - order online from Amazon.com
5. Living and working in Switzerland - New 22 page booklet on PDF format from the Swiss Embassy.
6. Survival Kit for Overseas Living: For Americans Planning to Live and Work Abroad by L. Robert Kohls
7. So You're Going Overseas by J. Stewart Black, Hal B. Gregersen (for Americans)
8. Switzerland. Published by the Federal office for Industry, Crafts and Labour, Manpower and Emigration division, Bundesgasse 8, CH 3003 Berne.
9. Prices and Salaries around the World. Published by the Union Bank of Switzerland.

If you are are going to work in Switzerland you need to get out at the weekend and enjoy it. I well remember driving up a mountain pass on June 22 to find it snowing. Here are some guides.

1. Fodor's Switzerland (Fodor's Switzerland)
2. Michelin Green Guide : Switzerland (Michelin Green Guide : Switzerland. English Edition, 4th Ed)
3. Baedeker's Switzerland by Fodor's (Editor)
4. Lonely Planet Switzerland (Lonely Planet Switzerland, 3rd Ed) by Mark Honan
5. Lonely Planet Walking in Switzerland (Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit) by Clem Lindenmayer
6. Swiss Bernese Oberland : A Summer Guide With Specific Trips to the Mountains, Lakes and Villages by Philip Alspach, Loretta Alspach
7. Switzerland: Rail, Road, Lake the Bradt Travel Guide by Anthony Lambert. Train passes can be bought that give half price rail travel (monthly/annual).
8. The Alps : Euro-Country Map 1:800,000
9. Nicolas Faure : Autoland - Pictures from Switzerland by Nicolas Faure, Nicholas Faure

Language Courses (from Amazon):

1. German (Swiss): Pimsleur Language Program by Lieselotte Anderson, Elisabeth Heinrich

Exchange rate calculator:

1. Exchange rate calculator

Prices:

Here are some prices from a business trip to Baden (Sep 2000), 2003 prices about the same.

Notes: prices in supermarket for beer and wine are much cheaper (one supermarket had 10x0.5 litre bottles of beer for 5 CHF and wine for 3 CHF). You can buy a monthly (90 CHF) or annual (150 CHF) train pass which gives you half price travel (SSB). Veal and pork are common in restaurants, beef is expensive. In Baden I found an Italian restaurant doing an excellent Antipasto Misto for 26 CHF and I found a good curry for 20 CHF. In September deer was available and reasonably priced (32 CHF). Most prices include service even the taxi. More prices can be found in Living and working in Switzerland

Weather (Bern):

The weather in Switzerland depends on altitude. It can be raining in the towns but snowing in the mountains. Skiing is big in winter. The chart below shows the weather for Bern. Zurich and Geneva are similar. (deg F)

See USA Today weather for more details

Food in Switzerland.

If you live in America and need your 32oz steak and ice cold Budweiser beer then you will find Switzerland rather difficult, the beef is expensive and the beer is warm. However, if you will adjust your taste to include a large plate of dried smoked meats with bread and cheese for only $11.50, washed down with half a litre of red wine for $8 then there is hope for you, and the beer is good, but not as cold as American beer. Pork (Schwein) is much cheaper than beef (Rindfleisch). Common words are:- ham (Schinken), cheese (Käse), chicken (Huhn), bread (brot), sausage (Wurst), Tuna (Thon). The first thing to do is to learn to read a menu, I found this to be fun, see my Swiss - English menu dictionary.

The following is a menu from one of the smaller cafes in the back streets of Baden, which the locals frequent, everything under Fr 20 ($12). In summer you can eat outside. Most meals will be served with brown bread. The bread in Switzerland is very good. Some of the dishes are a bit high in calories, but these are winter dishes using local ingredients (but Baden rarely get below 32 deg F in winter). Baden has plenty of more upmarket restaurants, but if you live here, this is typical fare for locals and is good value for money. What’s more, there is no service charge on top. Makes the USA look expensive!

Some of the staff speak a little English and I got quite friendly with the locals. You can also hang out at the Pickwick (English) pub in Baden, but the beer is more expensive. Baden is a fairly cosmopolitan city. ABB is the main employer here and at ABB in Dättwil most people speak English.

Restaurant: Träffpunkt, Appezöllerstübli, Zürcherstrausse 25, 5400 Baden, tel 222 78 32.
A typical small bar/restaurant where the locals eat, the people are friendly and you get good value for your money - there are plenty of more upmarket restaurants in Baden, but you pay more.

Speisekarte (hot food menu)

Kaltes & Salate (cold plates and salads)

The salad, garniert, is quite large, is served with bread and is a main course.

Large beer Fr. 5.00 ($2.80)

0.5 l red wine Fr.13.00 ($7.20)

cigarettes Fr. 4.70 ($2.60)

May 2001 prices based on 1.8 USD=1 CHF

With the local or regional Swiss food, you have to remember that with a rural community that lives halfway up a mountain, it gets very cold in winter. They use local ingredients: milk, cheese, butter, potato, pork etc. So you get some very high calorie winter dishes such as Huusrösti (sliced and fried potato, ham, cheese, tomato, egg ) and cheese Fondue, because when it is cold you need all these calories. Also when you think about it, water fowl such as ducks and geese are high in fat because they need the fat to insulate them from the cold water. And what else do you do during those cold winter days, you make cuckoo clocks (well OK, it actually comes from the Black Forest).

The restaurant I hang out in Baden is the restaurant Eintracht Pur in Baden, opposite the hotel Linde. They serve Swiss and Thai food and the owner and his Thai wife speak English. I always get a good welcome there. I usually eat the Hauss Plattli along with a half bottle of wine.

I usually stay in the hotel La Cappella when in Baden, the rooms are the same as the hotel Linde, but much cheaper (115 CHF compared to 170 CHF). It also has an excellent Italian restaurant. It is only 6 minutes from Baden train station by bus.

Links:

Embassies:

1. Swiss Embassy London
2. Living and working in Switzerland - New 22 page booklet on PDF format from the Swiss Embassy.
3. Swiss Embassy USA

Other links:

1. vci-Switzerland.com Virtual Countries, Inc. Your window on Switzerland
2. Moving to Switzerland?...We're here to help!
3. The Guide for Living in Switzerland!
4. Information about Switzerland
5. Welcome to Switzerland
6. About: Living and working in Switzerland
7. Switzerland tourism - is the official national marketing organisation providing information, offers and packages.
8. Tourism Switzerland
9. Switzerland is yours - very useful site - We offer the most complete range of high-end services required by foreign visitors to Switzerland in a one stop shop, Swiss apartments start at CHF 250,000 - 7 common myths
10. "EXpat.ch" - English speaking Clubs and Organisations in Switzerland
11. Zurich internation womans association - for expats
12. The German way - home page
13. Switzerland - the German way - useful site and links
14. An American in Switzerland Interview with Geri Spang
15. The Expat page - Information and links of interest to Anglophone expats living in German-speaking Europe. From the German way
16. «Switzerland» at your fingertips! ®
17. Geneva
18. InfoNet brings you the information you need to live well in the international environment!
19. PeoplePlan
20. A LAWYER'S GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND
21. The Swiss FAQ
22. Expat forum - Switzerland - homepage
23. Cost of living Indices from Expat forum
24. Salary calculator - all cities in USA and Geneva Switzerland (+other major cities worldwide).
25. Lonely Planet online guide to Switzerland
26. Travelling with Ed and Julie - tourist view but excellent resources
27. How to survive in Switzerland - very useful resource although dated
28. Transitions Abroad Online - lots of resources to search through
29. AngloPhone on the web - for information on anything available in Switzerland. Services to the English-speaking population residing in Switzerland or those travelling to this most beautiful country:
30. MySwitzerland - Switzerland's National Tourist Office
31. CIA World Factbook - Switzerland
32. Maps of Switzerland
33. Swiss Federal Railways online (SSB) - Railway timetable etc
34. Bernese Oberland
35. Switzerland The people, lifestyle, culture, infrastructure, pictures.

Housing links:

1. Short term rented apartments in Zurich Switzerland - CHF 2,400-3,900 per month (£1000-1600 pm)
2. Geneva estate
3. CERN private market accommodation (French houses at top Swiss at bottom)
4. Gérald Rosset real estate agency offers a wide selection of apartments and office spaces for rent in Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg, Sion and Neuchâtel.

Baden

1. Baden official site (even English site is in German)
2. Hotel Linde
3. Baden - Switzerland from Baden site in English
4. ABB's site

Salaries:

1. Average Annual Remuneration

An engineer on 90,000 CHF/year would take home 5,000 CHF/month and there are 12 + 1 monthly salary payments (28% deductions).

Misc: as suggested by a Swiss

1. http://www.baden.ch - for the town
2. http://www.spieglein.boll.ch - for the Nightlife and culture
3. http://www.zuerionline.ch - in Baden is a train to Zurich (all 15 minutes, 20 kilometers only). For Zurich use:

Photos:

1. Images of Baden - my pics of Baden, Switzerland
2. Switzerland Tourist Attraction
3. Mike and Jiahong's Switzerland Photos 12 Great mountain photos,
4. Europe Switzerland (Fabulous mountain photos)
5. FreePhoto.com
6. Switzerland from Space
7. Here are some of my favorite slides of Switzerland

email: rossuk12@hotmail.com

When I first prepared this page in 1998 there was little info on living and working in Switzerland, the situation is better now, but still more info is required. If you have experience of working in Switzerland and want to contribute let me know. If any info is out of date or you have new info let me know.