Moving to Locarno/Bellinzona in October

Welcome and Introductions
1
Hello All,

I will be moving to Ticino in October as my partner has accepted a job in the Locarno area. We have been using this site for reference for the past month or so, I figured I should introduce myself.

I am an accountant who works in practice at the moment and I am hoping to find a job over here although I know it will be hard as I speak little German or Italian. I also have very little knowledge of the Swiss tax system! I thought the UK was coomplicated, but it seems the Swiss dont make things easy either!

We are really looking forward to the move and we know it is going to be a massive cultural shock, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

2
Welcome to the forum - there are a number of multi-nationals in Ticino - found this list by the American-Swiss Chamber of Commerce a while back

CHIMICA E FARMACEUTICA

Abraxis Bioscience Switzerland GMBH

Alpex Pharma SA

APR Applied Pharma Research SA

ATR Chemicals SA

Chemo Lugano Branch

Ginsana SA (Boehringer Ingelheim)

Gnosis Bioresearch SA

IBSA (Institut Biochimique SA)

KerrHawe SA (Sybron Dental Specialities)

Medacta International SA

NAIE SA

Rivopharm

Zambon

METALLURGIA E METALMECCANICA

Ambrosetti Ruote SA (BBV)

Delta Stahlroehre BV Amsterdam

Elti Suisse SA

Fedegari Autoklaven AG

Gruppo Fabbri (Svizzera) SA

Precicast SA

Riri SA (Sofipa)

Rolla SP Propellers SA (Twin Disc Inc)

Turbomach SA (Caterpillar)

Valois Dispray SA

TESSILE E ABBIGLIAMENTO

Abercrombie & Fitch Europe SA

ALSCO Swiss Sagl (Steiner Corporation)

Bally Schuhfabriken SA (Texas Pacific Group)

Consitex SA (Gruppo Zegna)

Filofibra SA

Guess Europe Sagl

Hugo Boss Ticino SA

Luxury Goods International SA (Gruppo Gucci)

Verim SA

Veze SA (JV Versace & Zegna Groups)

VF International Sagl

SERVIZI, AZ. FINANZIARIE & TRADING

B-Source SA (BSI)

Carbofer General Trading SA

Cessna (Textron)

CNH Global (Fiat S.p.A.)

Duferco SA

Fiat Group International

Luxury Goods Logistics SA (Gruppo Gucci)

Serin (Fincons Group)

Würth Financial Services AG

Zeco Trading SA (Gruppo Zegna)

MECCANICA E ELETTRONICA

GF AgieCharmilles (Georg Fischer)

GE Consumer Industrial SA (ex Invertomatic)

Minimotor SA (Faulhaber Group)

Termogamma SA (Gruppo Merloni)

Trasfor SA

Tri-Star Electronics Europe SA

Tyco Electronics Logistics AG ALTRO

AGB Nielsen Media ResearchMS SA

Argor-Heraeus SA

ChorusCall SA

Ecotechnology & Financing B.V.

ND Logistics Switzerland

Pamp SA (MKS Group of Companies)

Pioneer Hi-Bred Switzerland (DuPont)

Pramac SA

Valcambi SA (Newmont Mining Corporation)

3
Welcome to the forum. I think that Italian will be far more use than German in Ticino

4

Thanks for this post, it was very helpful, I have been working at one of these companies for the past couple of months, I was very lucky as my employers were looking specifically for an english speaker to improve my colleagues english language skills.

5
Hi TweetiePie,

How was your move? We are planning to to move to Ticino sometime this year but I need to get an occupation there first. I have accounting background. How did your job search go so far?

6
Hey Tweetie pie,

I lived in bellinzona for almost a year, didnt know any italian but tried to learn some opening phrases to break the ice. Unlike zurich, or any german speaking part, if you just open in italian and explain you dont speak italian, even if they dont speak any english they will try to explain in body language. they are very friendly there.

if you are looking for a job, I worked as a phd student in the IOSI/IRB the institute of biochemical science in bellinzona. They like having english speaking people to increase the diversity.

Overall the weather is amazing down there as well as the food. try to find your way to a little family owned restaurant called "emerenzia" near pedivilla street. Amazing food, cheap prices and good service, its really more of a secret of the locals.

Hope you enjoy your stay there, and let me know if there is anything else I could help with.

/Sara

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Hi Sara,

Do you know if IOSI/IRB is looking for anyone with business background? Please let me know! I have a passion to relocate to Ticino. Yes, Ticino has amazing weather and it is such an ideal place to live.

Thank you,

8
Hi

Welcome to the EF!

Hope you will enjoy the move to Ticino. I am living in Mendrisio, close to Lugano, so see you around after you settle down

cheers

Gabe

9
Hey sunny, I honestly donno as I relocated to Bern since august. but you could check out their website and see

http://iosilab.ti-edu.ch/site/index.php

http://www.irb.ch/

Best of luck and dont forget to try the icecream at the gelataria in town. if you walk in the opposite direction from the castle on the same side as migros there is a big gelataria around the corner there,,, very nice icecream,, highly recommended.

Best of luck

10
Hi Everyone,

We have been here 6 months now and we have settled in well. I was lucky to find work straight away. It is not the same type of work as I was doing in England but I had to be flexible. I found my job through an agency, the position was advertised on tio.ch.

We are still struggling with the social side, because even though we are learning italian and we have made some friends here who speak english very well, I miss the english humour & banter.

11
> I miss the english humour & banter

Dear Tweetie-Pie,

I know the feeling... they just don't get English humour here... but don't know what they are missing. After all, laughter is better than any medicine!!! Thank god for UK television channels and side-splitting stand-up comedy!

Tanya Harvey Ciampi

Near Locarno

P.S. Whereabouts in the UK R U from?

12
I had a couple English friends here, but they moved back over the years.

My girlfriend can say about ten words in English.

Valle Maggia is nice, my daughter moved to Cevio last month (though officially she still lives here) after dumping her boyfriend and buying a car.

Tom

13
Hi Everyone,

For the past few years prior to moving here, i lived in Lincoln. I grew up in North Lincolnshire, so living here is the very different.

I have gone for a couple of long walks around valle maggia, it is beautiful.

One good thing about living here is that some of the people take themselves really seriously, and that alone is enough to make me laugh to myself. The prosegurs always make me smile.

The weather has been very warm so far this week.

14
On Sunday, daughter #2 (who left for ten days in the US today) and I took a motorcycle ride through the Malcantone and Gambarogno to visit daughter#2 in Valle Maggia.

Nice ride, except for some rain when we got back to Lugano.

Tom

15
OK.... so now it's my turn to move to Locarno and.... CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!

I've lived in Australia for the past 23 years but I am originally from Chile. My fiance is from Zürich but we are going to live in The Ticino for my sake (fat chance of me learning German at this stage of my life). Neither of us speak Italian but we are trusting my son who is 12 and is enrolled to start school at Papio in Ascona to learn quick!!

For now, we are looking at renting a nice and central place to live. Not so easy in the Locarno area

We are so excited with the move... and are really looking forward to the move, new life and new friends!!

16
Cecy,

Try www.homegate.ch . good luck!

17
How nice to hear that people are moving to the beautiful Locarno area

I grew up there, but moved away nearly 20 years ago - I spent many years in the german speaking part and in Asia. I have now decided to move back.... hence my nickname

Although I love this area, I sometimes wish it was bit more international.... who knows, we might be able to meet up for a drink somewhere! I am always open to meet new interesting people.

If you need any advice, feel free to ask - I will try to help if I can!

Cheers

18
Hey, BackToTheRoots,

For you will be like moving to a new place if you've been away the past 20 years, won't it? I am sure The Ticino has changed heaps since. I've been there twice this past year and reckon that it is pretty international already :-) . We are there as from end of May, so.... anyone for coffee???

19
Actually, it hasn't changed much at all in the past 20 years!

Tom

20
Tom you are right - it has not changed that much in the past 20 years...

I have been back "home" on a regular basis, so I don't feel like going to a new place... I guess it's more like going back home!

I'll be moving back at the beginning of April - any time after that will be fine for me for a drink or coffee!

Cecy, are you still down under or are you already living in Switzerland? Isn't it funny, I have always been a HUGE Aussie fan... I have been there 4 times and just love it - wish it was closer to Europe

I wish you good luck with house-hunting, prices are on the higher side especially in Ascona, Locarno is a bit cheaper.