A bit about myself: I am a 38 year old single female. I have qualifications in Metallurgy Engineering, Project Management and MBA(graduating September).
What are my chances of getting a job within 3 months of relocating?
I would like to find out what have the experiences been like for others in looking for a job in Switzerland. I have gone through the forums, however I have mixed feelings as I see that most who found jobs quicker, were those with connections. However its encouraging to see that I can get away with not being fluent in German. I am also discouraged that it seems Switzerland is very conservative. From what I have read, apparently there arent many women in the work place and those that are there are paid much less than their counterparts. How true is this?
Zero. You won't be granted a residency permit without securing a job first.
There are opportunities for English-speakers in Switzerland, but as a non-EU citizen, you don't have an automatic right to a work permit. These must be applied for by the employer.
I would start your search on one of the main Swiss employment boards, like www.jobs.ch
First question: what is your nationality? As you can read here, having a Swiss or EU passport is much easier in finding and getting a job compared to non EU persons, where the employer has to actively proof they cannot find anyone from Switzerland or the EU.
Engineers are loved and sought after here. Though there have been a bit of restructuring going on, making finding a job a little more difficult. But, you dont try, you dont win.
Alstom was recently bought by GE, in Baden Switzerland - try here :
or here
There is also Siemens, Holcim, the Paul-somethingorother institute. ...
Come for a visit and apply for a few jobs. They are less likely to give you an interview from down there.
Welcome to the forum.
I was worried about this too when I started looking, my partner relocated for work and I wanted to follow him but couldn't until I found a job. I think I was very lucky as I got a job within 3 months of looking, whilst still living in the UK. I had no contacts and I don't speak any German (not much better after 18 months out here).
I tried agencies but had no luck through them, I got my job by applying to the company through their website.
Good luck
IIRC, it's illegal for a non-EU to look for work while on a tourist visa.
Close to zero.
True.
Partly true, depends on the company, the industry, the job. And the woman.
As a non-EU citizen, you are not allowed to relocate "just like that". You have no right to residency without a job (or through marriage, family reunification etc.). To get here, you need a job offer. That won't happen fast, partly because Switzerland does not have a dynamic, fast-moving labor market, but quite a slow one, and partly because as a non-EU, you are last in line as far as preferred candidates go. As per federal regulation, it goes a) Swiss, b) EU/EFTA, c) non-EU. If you don't find a job that is a) highly specialized and/or b) quite senior, you stand no chance of getting a permit in the first place.
Engineers are sought after for sure. I don't know enough about the field or its peculiarities and specializations, but I understand it's mainly industrial and mechanical engineering where it's so difficult to fill vacancies, that companies need to look elsewhere rather than in CH/EU (note: I may be wrong). Not sure how your specific field is relevant here and how many jobs there are.
English-only jobs are available, though it goes something like "the more senior the position and the larger the company, the more you will be able to get by just on English". Again, to be clear, you are likely competing with Swiss and EU/EFTA who all speak the local language(s) AND English AND have the same or very comparable degrees as you do.
Expect to invest at least a year or more to find a job, and even then there's no guarantee you get a permit, see above.
As per usual, there are exceptions, but you should not focus on the 2 out of 100 cases where it was smooth sailing. The rule is the above, i.e. this will be extremely difficult.
This is all under the assumption that you are a South African citizen with no Swiss permit or usable connection to Switzerland whatsoever.
No, it’s not illegal to look for work while you’re here as a tourist. What you cannot do is take up any employment until you register as being a resident here.
CallMeDana, you’re not going to be able to move here and look for work, it’s not possible for a non-EU national. You’ll have to find a job first and your potential employer will have to prove they can’t find a Swiss/EU national who could do the job before they’d be allowed to hire you. The non-EU hiring criteria is outlined here:
You could come as a tourist and look for work, but if you find a position the non-EU hiring applies and you would have to return to your home country to wait for a decision as well as to apply for a Type D visa at the Swiss embassy/consulate in South Africa to allow you to enter Switzerland long term legally. If the permit is approved, then the visa would be issued and stamped in your passport so you could then make the move permanently.
I am a South African :-(
Thank you very much!
Now this gave me some hope.
Your honesty is HIGHLY appreciated. Being so far has been a big concern of mine.