Does anyone here have any experience on how these Marie Curie fellowships are taxed and how they compare to the usual (ETH) PhD salaries in Switzerland?
Thanks.
There are some Marie Curie ITN positions available in Switzerland, which I'm considering. Marie Curie living allowance is 38k€, from which all the taxes need to be deduced and there is also a correction coefficient applied, which is for Switzerland 109.9. Because living costs are so high I am wondering how much is there left after taxation (which is very country specific and it is also usually not taxed as a fellowship).
The Marie Curie position in Switzerland ...... Isn't that a bit like the Missionary position in Africa?
The Marie Curie salaries are more or less the same as standard ETH PhD salaries - ~4000 CHF per month after all deductions. In my group the Marie Curie students receive a bit more than the ETH-funded students. The tax is applied as for any other salaries, but if you receive extra payments for travel home etc. this is tax free. I can highly recommend a Marie Curie ITN position, lots of chances for travel to workshops/conferences/meetings and collaborations with other institutes in Europe. Despite the high cost of living in Switzerland, I think we're much better off in the ratio of salary to expenses than students in most other parts of Europe, as the correction co-efficients don't take into account the huge differences in taxation between countries.
@yowie: thanks for sharing a first hand experience!
This is a PhD scholarship, right?
I don't have experience with Marie Curie PhD salaries, but be sure to do your math carefully (as you seem to be doing anyway). I know for a fact that Marie Curie fellows (i.e. postdocs) are significantly underpaid compared to their Swiss-funded colleagues.
Yes, ITN is for postgraduates.
For Experienced Researchers (postdocs), MC living allowances are 58.5k€ gross.
Exactly. Which compares poorly with the CHF 80k+ that a SNF-funded postdoc gets.
Is your 38k EUR before or after the 109 multiplier?
Both, 38 and 58.5 are before 109 multiplier. But there are also some additional resources available for mobility and trainings. You can find the details at the end of this document: http://www.fp7.org.tr/tubitak_conten...orkProgram.pdf
SNF funded phds receive 60kCHF?
That sounds a bit high to me. I would *guess* more like CHF 50k gross. In fact, at least some universities publish these figures; here's the relevant page for the University of Neuchâtel: http://www2.unine.ch/srh/page-20961.html (It is likely that SNF publishes scales on their website too.) But beware of direct comparisons with Zurich. Cost of living, taxes, and the salary scales themselves will differ.
The bottom line is that, assuming you're single, you will be perfectly fine with your MC salary. And it is higher than most PhD scholarships anyway.
Well, if both MC and SNF funds are quite close, then there are more interesting positions and better chances to get one.
You should definitely go for the more interesting position. PhD is not the time to worry about your salary, you're getting screwed anyway.