I've read quite a few threads on here and have been crawling through the internet, but finding clear examples of salaries is proving to be difficult.
Does anyone have an idea of what salary an Aerospace engineer could earn in Lucerne. I have a Master's degree and 6+ years experience. I am currently thinking around 110,000 CHF?
I am currently living in California and have a couple of opportunities to move out to Lucerne. It would be myself and wife moving out, she wouldn't work to begin with. The salary in California is pretty great and is enough to look after both of us. We're not sure a single salary in Switzerland would be enough to get by on. Some things out there look incredibly expensive.
It's difficult because salaries in Switzerland have never been subjected to any sort of controls except for market forces, so it's not unusual that two employees with the same experience doing the same job could be on hugely different salaries.
Those forces have tended to drive pay rates consistently down over recent years, at least for anyone starting out here, while those already on higher rates tend to stay put, thank you very much.
As such it's both culturally and contractually forbidden to discuss salaries, so you'll never get an answer beyond what an employer is prepared to offer you.
There are significant fundamental differences between the US and Switzerland. Accurately attempting to compare quality of life gets much more involved than salaries and the cost of goods and services.
Unfortunately I can’t write much about this at the moment. Primarily though, you may be discouraged by the cost of replicating a particular US lifestyle here. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.
What kind of experience though, CAMO, design, maintenance, certification, quality? I know Aeros with about 5 years experience on 80-110k, the higher end with German and experience working under EASA regulations, or just shit hot.
I would say 110k is a bit high. 80-100K perhaps more realistically. And a bit higher as a contractor compared to being direct and permanent employee.
As an individual 80 or 110K a year is an ok salary, but if you bring a partner it would help a lot if the partner is working, if they are not you will feel the pinch a bit.
I’m a stress engineer, not sure I’m shit hot, but my current employer is rather fond of me. Looks like 110k is a bit high.
There’s a couple of potential jobs, neither at Pilatus.
I’m from the U.K. originally, so used to living more modestly than an American. Mostly like the idea of Switzerland for the mountains and to not have to drive. Having the wife makes me abit more cautious about upending my current life.
Is this classed as a good wage for Lucerne or not so much? We often go out for food and days out here in the UK so I was hoping this wage would see me live the same kind of life style over in Switzerland?
Also... do most people live in apartments over there as I can not seem to find many houses to rent?
Why you need 3 bedrooms it is you and your wife only !!
For a nice department, lake view etc, somewhere around Chf 8k/month probably, maybe a bit more/less.
As a rule of thumb, to pay more than 30% of your gross salary in rent is considered to be imprudent and it is unlikely a landlord will rent to you anyway: yes he do demand to see prove of salary and amount
Because that’s the amount of bedrooms I have in my house in the UK and so do not want to downgrade, also for people to come and visit or when we have another child. It is me my mrs and daughter at the moment.
8k a month wow that’s more than I would be getting paid
Have a look at this . You can find 3-bedroom apartments in Luzern (the German spelling, best to search for this) for under 1,600.- per month. But they'll be old, small, and in a not-so-great part of town.
Consider looking further out (away from the city), and definitely consider just a 2-bedroom place. If/when you have friends coming to stay, it will be far more economical for you to put them up in a hotel than to shell out every month for a room you're not using. Trust me; been there, done that. Moving from three bedrooms (one unused 99% of the time) to two is not downgrading, it's just common sense.
You have next to no chance of finding a house in or near Luzern that you could afford (in the opinion of the landlord) to rent. Most people in or near the cities live in apartments, it's totally normal here. There are usually plenty of parks and green spaces to take your child out for some fresh air.
Have a look at this . You can find 3-bedroom apartments in Luzern (the German spelling, best to search for this) for under 1,600.- per month. But they'll be old, small, and in a not-so-great part of town.
Consider looking further out (away from the city), and definitely consider just a 2-bedroom place. (Note, all rooms other than the kitchen, bathrooms and corridors are counted, and living/dining areas count as 1.5 rooms, so a 2-bedroom apartment would be advertised as a 3.5-room (3.5-Zimmer, 3.5-Z) apartment.) If/when you have friends coming to stay, it will be far more economical for you to put them up in a hotel than to shell out every month for a room you're not using. Trust me; been there, done that.
You have zero chance of finding a house in or near Luzern that you could afford (in the opinion of the landlord) to rent. Most people in or near the cities live in apartments, it's totally normal here. There are usually plenty of parks and green spaces to take your daughter out for a bit.
85k is not massive, but its doable. I assume you may get shift pay, over time and perhaps a bonus on top to boost this. Which I guess is the same as the UK job, you get to supplement the base salary. You would really need the Mrs to work as well, which then makes the joint salary very acceptable.
You talk of what you have in the UK as a comparison. OK you may have to downgrade the size of your pad. But probably your commute time will be much shorter, you may live in a much cleaner surroundings. Theres a lot of plus points for moving here.
Not knowing where you live, its hard to imagine your living standards and conditions currently are better than Luzern or Switzerland. Luzern is a stunning city.
What is worth checking out is how your colleagues will be, in an aerospace company in Luzern, they may be bumpkins so you may find your work comradery significantly different to a Brit company