Dottie
Hi - I am new to the forum and just wanted to get feedback from Americans living in Switzerland...I am married to a Swiss native from Lausanne and recently we have started to think about moving there with our two children ages 3 and 5. I don't speak French and I am wondering how hard it is to find a job there if you don't speak French? My husband worries that I "can't live" in Switzerland since the culture is so different. We visit every year and I love it but I do like my home here and we would not be able to afford a buy a house there. I have been an executive assistant at a company for 22 years now and I am ready for a change. My husband has his masters degree in education...any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks!
In my experience your husband is correct. The culture is very different and you may feel stifled by it and by having to live in an apartment, the majority of which do not have their own laundry facilities.
papillonsparkle - are you living in Switzerland now and if so how do you like it? Where are you from? I understand about the laundry and the apartment deal - but sometimes it gets overwhelming here in the states with keeping up with all our "stuff"...not to mention the education here is not so great - we are sending our children to a private school next year. The economy is terrible right now too...life here is just go go go all the time - to this birthday party - or to this wedding - seems like we never stop - every weekend we have a ton of plans! I think if I could find a job it would be better to live there than here for the children...thanks for your reply!
I would not pay too much attention to Ms Sparkle at the moment going by some of her other posts. Instead have a look around the forum, there are lots of posts discussing your dilema. The Family Matters section would probably be a good place to start. Personally I really like living here & find it a great place to raise kids.
Thanks Lou! I will check out some other areas - I know it's better for the children but if mommy isn't happy nobody will be happy If I spoke fluent French I wouldn't hesitate. I am just not a language person - my husband only speaks French to our boys and I still can't speak it after listening to it for 5 years now...! Do you know if American companies hire people that don't speak French, for example, Phillip Morris?
If you move to Lausanne there are quite a few big Swiss companies that hire English speakers. IIRC Nestle have recently moved there. Maybe some of the locals can help out on this one, also check the employment section it has advice on companies for English only speakers.
I would say that living in Switzerland will be definitely different
than living in Tennessee. You have to keep an open mind about
things for sure.
You also HAVE to learn the language to get respect, in my
opinion. Probably get a few groans here, but oh well...
Negatives
1. You will have to get used to living in a small apartment.
2. You will drive small cars.
3. People are not so friendly.
4. Things are expensive.
Positives
1. You are in the middle of four interesting countries.
2. Lake Geneva is beautiful with all of its vineyards.
3. You get used to living in a small apartment
4. You get used to having a small car
5. You discover some of the simple things in life like nature.
Cheers,
Grant
Tnlausanne,
I'm an American, hailing from midwest suburbia. Sure, I had a nice comfortable life in Stepford-ville ... but moving on to pastures new was perhaps the best thing I ever did.
Pack up the family, and come on over!
Yes, it will be different. And that's the point.
It's an adventure, an opportunity to experience a new culture, see new sights, expand your horizons. How many people are given a chance to see the world through a different lens? Do it!
Come over with an open mind. Don't try to recreate your life in the US. Many of the people I know who are unhappy here are trying to do that - and you just can't. Rather, settle into the flow here, live as the Swiss do. Yes, you'll have less 'stuff' - but you'll have all that you need. And you just might find that you are happier when less weighted down by 'stuff'.
Swiss culture, history, Europe on your doorstep, and of course the glorious mountains - you'll have opportunities to try so many things that simply aren't available back home.
You children are young - what a fantastic opportunity for them! They are the perfect age to adjust and learn the language.
And you will adjust too. Living in a new language may seem daunting at first, but you'll cope. Yes, it's hard to learn another language if you live in an English-only society. But you will likely find that once in Lausanne - hearing French everyday, listening to the radio, TV, reading the newspapers - you absorb so much unconsciously than learning becomes easier that you expect.
Worst case - if you find that life in Switzerland isn't for you, you can always go back. And you'll be a more well-rounded, open-minded person for having had the experience.
No, Switzerland isn't perfect - I've lived in enough countries and cultures to know that no place is. Yes, there will be things here that drive you mad. As is true anywhere. But on the whole Switzerland is a wonderful country - and I count myself lucky to be here.
Best of luck to you.
tnlausanne; it depends what you want if you do choose to move out here...
my partner and I moved out here from the hustle and bustle of central london 6 momths ago and how thrilled we are that we moved. As much as we love London, for this time in our lives, we wanted to take a step back and indulge in what Switzerland has to offer; many outdoor activies and a more relaxed way of life.
Although we are not in Lausanne (we are just down the road in Montreux) , we didnt compromise on a small apartment, nor did we compromise on a small car. Everything works; trains run on time (something I am not used to coming from London!) and I have found everyone to be really friendly, and I am making the effort to learn French.
From what I see, there are lots of groups around for mothers and kids, so this shouldnt be an issue for you.
I suspect that the culture difference will be something to get used to, but will you have regrets if you dont at least try it??
good luck!
Hi again...thank you all for your encouraging comments! I guess why I am so hesitant to move is because if we do move we will not come back. My husband already gave up his life there and moved to the US for us to get married (I met him there 12 years ago while on vacation). If we move back it will be for good. My main concern is finding jobs - he is 36 now and I am 41. He was a police officer before he left Lausanne but now is too old to get back on the force. He teaches French in a private high school here in Nashville but we don't know if there are any opportunities for him to do anything there. He has his masters in Education from a University here, but we're not sure if they even recognize that over there. We will be going this summer and maybe we can check some things out. I worry about being able to afford to fly back to the US every year with my boys to visit as well. Just a lot of things to consider - I wish I could take a leave from my job here but we're a privately owned company and they would not be able to do that. If I give up my job here (which is the main income in our family now) I won't be able to get it back and probably not be able to find something comparable in salary if we need to come back to the US since I've been here for 22 years. Thanks for letting me vent on this website I appreciate all the emails!!!
A feedback from the company I work for. The average age is about 40. A company, in the 'states, in the same line of business would have the average age of about 30. So employability may be assessed differently. But of course, it's probably on a case by case basis. But I suggest getting a job offer before you get here.
If your husband is a Swiss citizen he actually should qualify to receive unemployment benefits straight after moving here (can be a substantial amount, my girlfriend did the same when we moved). Only downside is that he will be "forced" to accept another job offer after some time - not sure if he would find something appropriate. Personally, I rather would look for a job before moving.
Language should not be a complete show stopper for you. There are many international organizations (like WHO) or global companies (Nestle, P&G EU HQ, Yahoo EU HQ) in the Geneva region.
Overall, I assume you would need to cut back on your lifestyle a bit. Not that salaries are low, but cost of living is definitely higher than TN. Think more of Chicago or the Bay Area - imagine living there on the same monthly salary that you have now.
Just one general comment to some of the other posters - I frequently read that CH is soooo expensive that everyone has to live in a tiny apartment and drive a ****ty car. I don't quite buy into that - CH has the highest number of luxury cars per capita in the world (most Ferraris, most Porsches, Audi sold more RS/4 here than in all of Germany....) and the highest average disposable income of any country (even in REAL terms). Housing is expensive, but again not more than a large US city, and definitely much cheaper than London. Plus, you must not forget that CHF interest rates are only half of what you pay in USD - i.e., even if a house costs twice as much as in the US, the monthly mortgage payment is roughly the same.
a couple of threads you might find interesting:
That is a GREAT thread!
Where else but on EF? Better than TV.
I am not so sure that Swiss citizenship is sufficient to claim unemployment benefits . Usually benefits are based on prior contributions within the preceding 12 or 18 months. Please check that before you budget.
Strongly recommend that both of you carefully explore employment opportunities before deciding to relocate.
The linguistic, cultural and lifestyle barriers are surmountable, particularly as you half have roots here.
Just know that it worked in my girlfriend's case - she studied abroad and returned afterwards to look for a job. In the end she received unemp. benefits for around 3 or 4 months while searching for a job (around 2500 p.m. without ever having worked in CH before). Still, I agree its not a good idea to base the decision to move to another continent on unemployment benefits....
am not sure why someone has to move to another country to change their life - I generally find that as a bad excuse for moving. If you really really wanted to, you can change your life where you are - it is hard and takes a firm committment to do it knowlingly but it can certainly be done. So please consider why exactly you want to move before making the big move because it is not like you will move and suddenly have an idyllic life in Switzerland. It may allow you to see things differently and adapt more easy but moving itself is not the solution.
Now saying, as American, I think Switzerland a great place to live, for a number of reasons but it is different and you have to adapt which I am 100% sure you can with the right attitude.
Welcome, fellow American!
For starters, coming here to live, even if you have been here many times for vacation and loved it, will still be a shock. When you're on holiday, it's easy to focus on the positives and ignore the negatives, but when you have to live here from day to day, the negative aspects will be just as annoying as they are anywhere else. Then there will be bouts of homesickeness and aspects of US life you'll invariably miss and that can be tough to deal with. Yes, the culture is different, but it's not impossible to adapt with the right outlook and attitude.
If you're used to living in a big home in the US, you will miss that when you move here since most people live in flats that measure around 1000 square feet, give or take. You may have more room if you rent a house, but that can get quite expensive (in fact, you'll experience a lot of sticker shock here). If you want a job similar to what you do now, you could find something as an English speaker, but you absolutely need to speak French as well. Friends of mine living in the Lausanne/Geneva area tell me that jobs are harder to find, plus they have to compete with workers from France since they're so close to the French border.
Is your husband hesitant to move back because he worries that you will have trouble adjusting or is it because he doesn't want to come back to Switzerland? Maybe he feels that it will be tough to live here on one income (which is likely how it will be if you can't find work), and you know this is an expensive country. So it would involve more than changing continents, countries and cultures. There would be life-style changes and adjustments that may not be welcome ;(
Best of luck to you, whatever you decide
Most Financial Services companies have English as their official language, by this I mean Swiss Re, Swiss Life, Credit Suisse, UBS and Zurich FS. In fact, unless it is a particularly inbred business - like Raiffeison bank (bad spelling) it will probably have English as the official language. Ditto most airline and transportation companies and I suspect the chemicals industry though somebody else will have to confirm that.
Language will be a barrier for making friends but shouldn't be for getting a job - though your choice of employer may have to be more focused.
Bon chance.
G
Students are a special case.