I am new to the forum and I’d like to say hello to everyone
I have been living and working in Zürich for the past 10 years in the financial sector. To be blunt, I am sick and tired of increasing work loads, admin, office politics etc. I can’t imagine the situation would be much better back in the UK, so plan to stay in CH until retirement.
Since I am staring down the barrel of 60, retraining is not attractive. Rather, I am seriously looking into doing some sort of unskilled work. Language-wise, I am currently on a P/T German course - I am conscious of the fact that the more basic jobs need it. Having said that, I went to two bars over the weekend. In the first, the bar person only spoke English and, in the second, the (lone) bar person said she was learning German and ‘Could we please speak English’. This got me thinking as I have done bar work in the past.
Has anyone here had experience of ‘Downgrading’ or any advice that may help?
Interesting situation. I used to work in a restaurant and wouldn’t want to have those hours again. Having said that, there are some rather nice places to work that cater to locals and have decent working hours. The paycut will be harsh though.
Considering you are working in finance, I’m assuming that you’ve already researched your retirement payout and have considered retiring early.
Thanks for your response. Due to a number of factors, including having only worked in CH for a relatively short time span, early retirement is not my best option.
So really, I am trying to do a bit of a compromise - Carry on until 65 (I am fit and healthy) but, as you say, take a hit pay-wise.
Someone came for a job at a high-tech firm I worked for in the UK.
It was for a junior tech position and he had previously been a senior engineer but he said (in so many words) that was getting on a bit and wanted his last few years to be less stressful and a bit of an easy ride.
He didn’t get the job.
This won’t be a problem if you are going for something completely different though.
With all due respect, this sounds nuts to me. At close to 60 you consider quitting a finance job which may be 9 am to 6 pm to go work in a bar from 5 pm to 2 am? For presumably less than half the money, let alone pension etc.?
The romantic illusions about “simple and honest work” will never cease to amaze me. Every year on one of the first early summer hikes my wife has a moment where she lets out her frustrations about office work and thinks working on an alpine pasture would be much better.
I agree with komsomolez.
Not sure how this will function with the work permit either as there are enough “unskilled” people here. Depending on the bar, unskilled/inexperienced won’t do.
What’s a P/T German course? After 10 years you don’t speak the language?
Sounds like you’d just like to retire early but can’t afford it - you’re in for a surprise when working in a bar - or on an alpine pasture as in komsomolez’ example
It’s probably just a semblance of frustration, shake it off, get a new hobby, go on a vaccation, five years before pension work is about making a living not personal fulfilment. It’s too late for that - or five years too early.
I agree with the two posters above.
Sounds like you need a break, a long one. Would there be any possiblity to take a so-called “Sabatical”
Say take a year off, to go gallavanting then go back?
“Staring down the barrel of 60” means you still got a way to go and I would not want to let all that sweet, sweet monies from a financial job go to waste.
Neighbours of ours took a six month sabbatical from work with three young children and spent the time tending sheep on a high alpine pasture, living in a hut with no running water or electricity.
They loved it (for the experience). They are back at their office jobs of course.
If his current role is destroying his very soul and well being, then no price is too high to leave it. Money comes and goes, but you only have one heart and chronic stress has been categorically proven to degrade quality of life (e.g poorer mental health, metabolic syndrome etc.,) and ultimately shorten it (see the results of the Whitehall II study).
Are an extra few years of life worth a cut in pay? Absolutely in my opinion; So people who seek an out from the rat race should be supported not ridiculed.
Hmm! I see where you are coming from. On the otherhand struggling to make ends meet is no fun either. 60 ist such a crappy age to want such a drastic change as the OP would like. And don’t forget getting another job as a 60+ is challenging.
I do wish all the best for the OP so taking time out may be a compromise.
I read it as being fed up with his situation - that could be a short momentary phase or as you say a heavy discontentment leading to illness and/or depression.
Imo it doesn’t even have to be an extra few years of life but the present years of life which can be worth a pay cut. The point is to find out about that first as OP is just looking into doing some unskilled work, as if unskilled work were easier/simpler/less demanding. Belittling it almost. In case of this being the attitude they will very soon miss the pay, the status and the environment.
I have never stayed on a job when it lost it’s appeal, I’ve even changed professions completly a few times - and had to accept pay cuts at the beginning of course. Yes, every year is worth doing what one likes to do (if that is possible, it’s already kind of luxurious).
My point is to look at one’s skills and take it from there. Financial sector is a wide range, from banker to book-keeper or what ever.
Maybe working at a debtors’ advisory centre or for ProSenectute could be an idea. And boooom, it’s a whole different job, working with people yet using their skills.
Honest opinion, in switzerland to think about such change is a bit from fantasy world, here everything is regulated heavily and because of salaries big competition with local swiss/young people who need extra money, it is not like in other countries where you can hustle here and there, unless you are a direct friend of someone who needs some help, at such age nobody will even look at you. Honestly i don’t even see employed foreigners here after 40 unless they sit in corporate because of their degrees/skills, i would say you are lucky to still being employed and if you are fed up hopefully you made savings enough to pursue something else, but i think switzerland is not the country for this, here you can live normally if either you have a high paid job or you are a millionaire, all other niches are for swiss or at least germans with mother tongue
Totally agree with Castro’s comment. My husband was a company director who ran a metal finishing factory near Heathrow Airport in London for many years. The MD (and owner) put so much pressure on him he thought he was going to have a heart attack in his early 40s so he quit. Just emptied his desk one afternoon and walked out. It’s why we moved to Scotland in 2004. He was always on the fringe of IT work and retrained as a Web Developer whilst I was undergoing cancer treatment, eventually starting his own Software Development co at 46 (I took on all the stuff like the admin, accounts etc and retrained as a Copywriter which became another part of the business). His skills were what brought him to Switzerland in 2014. Prior to retraining we renovated a couple of flats using money from our house in London as we had no jobs. We sold the smallest one and rented out the other for 12 years.
It was hard at first as his earnings were about £95 a week when he was retraining, but it was better that than the prospect of me ending up with a husband having a breakdown or even worse ending up a widow in London I can tell you. Another director he worked with in London quit shortly after him and moved to Ireland after buying a B and B to run.
To me, this sounds like frustration with a corporate environment. Not a psychological health crisis. My advise to not so anything stupid was based on that assumption.
