Hi, I would like to ask some questions about working as an electrician in Switzerland, but let me give some of my own background first, I am 27 years old and I am from Hong Kong, I happen to have a Portugal citizenship due to my family, I speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English, I am interested in electrician work so I took a two day course and I got a level 1 electrician certificate in Hong Kong, after the course I found myself passionate about electrical work, I have a Bachelor’s degree but it is not related to electrical work, I am still in Hong Kong currently and I would like to gather as much information as possible before I decide to come to Switzerland, I would like to look for entry level electrician related jobs or apprenticeship in Switzerland, I feel lost as I do not have a lot of knowledge about this industry in Switzerland, here are some questions of mine:
1. Based on the fact that I do not have any electrician work experience, is it very hard to find electrician jobs? Should I look for apprenticeships instead?
2. For apprenticeships, will I get paid? If I will, will it be enough to cover the living cost?
3. As I do not speak German, French or Italian, it is very hard to enter this industry in Switzerland? Are there any English-speaking company looking for English electrician? I do want to learn the language but I want to make sure I have enough financial support while I am working and learning the language at the same time.
without knowing a Swiss language or languages depending on what part of the country you plan to move to. All the exams will be in a Swiss language, not English. No company here would be able to hire you without Swiss electrician qualifications so an apprenticeship is a must. Electrician is a regulated profession here and qualifications have to be recognised before you could work here.
You’re more likely to have success with one of the remaining English speaking EU member states. Without a Swiss language you really will find it difficult.
In your other thread, you wrote that your wife would soon be able to acquire EU citizenship, too. Has this all gone ahead as you'd hoped? For you or for your wife (if she is already an EU citizen) a permit to live and work in Switzerland will be guaranteed automatically, as long as you can get any job with which you can support yourself, and the other spouse, too. If your wife is not an EU citizen, she cannot be the one to hold the main permit and to be supporting you. Therefore, as mentioned above, you would need to earn enough to support both of you.
An appreticeship (as an electrician, or in an other field) requires fluency in reading, writing and speaking, in the official language of the Canton in which you would be living. This is necessary to learn from the experienced staff, all day, at work, but also to attend the compulsory schooling for 2 days per week. Depending on the field, the apprenticeship lasts 3 or 4 years, during which exams must be passed, and a final, comprehensive set of written, oral and practical exams at the end.
Thereafter, one gets an official Swiss recognised qualification. This is a very good long-term plan to have, to be more or less sure of ongoing work in Switzerland.
However, an apprentice earns more or less CHF 900 per month, so this option is open to you only if your wife would earn enough to support you both.
The basic living costs for a single person living in one rented room in an apartment shared with several other people (sharing a bathroom and kitchen) are about CHF 2'000 per month, or for a couple about CHF 3'000. That's do-able only for people who know how to be very economical.
Economical as in no flights back home, no visits to the local Chinese restaurants, and no visits to the local Chinese superstore, which is expensive by Swiss standards even.
My husband works as an electrician. He has had assistants in the past who had no qualifications and didn't speak the local language. Maybe you could do that to start with until you have the language sorted? (I checked they still have these assistants).
The apprenticeship is 4 years, you need the language and it pays peanuts.
Yes, that's what I meant. No movies or shows, going to those museums that have free entrance. No eating out at all, only food to cook, at home. No buying anything new, only second hand (fortunately lots of good shops and online opportunities for this) or free from those giving it away. Taking good care of what one has and repairing it as needed. And so on.
About my wife acquiring EU citizenship, unfortunately, she has not got it yet, she applied for it and she is waiting for it to be approved, and it is going to take a while, like at least one year.
Thanks for the info! I am quite surprised that an apprentice earns that amount in Switzerland, which is way lower than I expected, I assume all apprentices will have a certain amount of savings to support the living cost in those 3 to 4 years, cox I think CHF 900 won't be enough to rent a shared room in anywhere in Switzerland. Based on the current replies, I now see the route of being an electrician in Switzerland as a foreigner, such a big investment of time and money.
Thanks for the info, it sounds like an option, I assume being an electrician assistant earns more than an apprentice, right? Do you know how much do they earn approximately? And what are the requirements of being an electrician assistant?
An apprentice is usually 16 years old and living with his/her parents so they earn a little while studying. So to say. And its a lot of money for a teenager.
My daughter and her friend rent a three room aprtment in lugano for CHF 900/month total (so 450/each)
She has been living there since the start of her third (and final) year as an apprentice, but she was getting 1600/month, and subsidized health insurance.
yeah it makes sense, unfortunately, it is hard for me to live a life of a 16 years old teenager I should have chosen the major in university that I am interested in and connects to a job that earns a decent amount, so I would not have to rethink my future career now.
Does Switzerland recognize foreign electrical qualifications? for example, if I become an apprentice and become qualified after that in Ireland (where I can walk the whole path in English which makes it easier for me), then I decide to work as an electrician in Switzerland, is there any way that I can transfer the Irish qualification to a Swiss one without going through the whole process again in Switzerland?
Having a family member who went through the 4 year apprenticeship to become a 'qualified' electrician, I can confidently say no one without extremely good local language skills to start with has any chance. Apart from anything else there are 1 or 2 days per week in college to attend. Also it's pretty tough course even with good skills. Also, being a 'local assistant' won't allow you to be 'an electrician', you have to go through the local training. There really aren't any other options because any property owner will need proper paperwork. So.. best to think in other directions. And, I'm not sure, but I think I heard in the unlikely case that someone presents with non-swiss 'qualifications', they still have to pass all (including the college) exams.. they just might get a pass at the education.
btw after qualification, they don't get paid peanuts
If I may ask, why are you so focused on Switzerland as a country to migrate to? Your chances of getting electrician work here, especially with no local language skills, are extremely limited.
Hi, I have worked as a ski instructor in Switzerland for 2 winters and I really like living in this country, but being a ski instructor only allows me to get an L work permit due to the job contract lasts only for around 4 months, in order to get the third country spouse to Switzerland through the family reunification program, I will have to have a B work permit, which means the job contract has to last for at least a year. My wife came to Switzerland to visit me before and she loves the country as well, so we would like to seek oppotunities to move to Switzerland now.