Which part on Switzerland would be more likely to get a job. I am aware of the fact it is not easy anywhere but maybe therefore I am planning to take a challenge...
I have economic/accounting background and education and have studied 7 years German but basically never had a chance to use language. That ́s why I think German part of the country would be best option if I decide to move to the country. Of course the best option is that I ́ll find the job before I move.
Comments?
yes
difficult?
extremely.
i have done it...and it took me about a month to settle in (figure out public transport, get my l permit, get internet in a small apartment etc)
for the job search, took me 2.5 weeks...however i was extremely lucky. my rough budget was about 3 months of job searching and if nothing comes of it go to UK and get a job there (EU passport).
rough budget is about 1000CHF per month to live on, plus give or take 1500CHF for apartment plus say 500CHF for incidental expenses (internet, going out, gym etc).
Zurich is the job market central.
Good luck, and remember not to give up...there are people out there that have been job hunting for years and still dont have anything definite on the table.
What do you think about the German language? Is it mandatory or "mandatory" to have fluent German to get a job? Or are there employers who could not care less of the German language? I am considering to go to the language course in the beginning to improve my German and get better possibilities to get a job. How expensive are the language courses (few weeks intensive course)?
Regarding costs to live here while looking, you should be able to piece together the basics from previous posts and some internet searches. For example, the keyword to find a shared flat is "WG", short for "Wohngemeinschaft". Most people find it fairly expensive.
Regarding language courses, I've heard very good things about EB-Zurich , but haven't tried them yet. Depending on how much you will focus on language learning, you might also look at courses in Germany as both housing and the courses themselves are likely to be cheaper there.
How different is spoken German in Zurich (Switzerland) and in south Germany?
Is it btw possible to commute in a reasonable time from German to Zurich while hunting? For example from Konstanz or Singen? How long does the train takes and how often they are going? Are the commuter trains expensive? I do not know if there is possible to learn German in those cities but I am not familiar with other cities close to Swiss border. I have been visited only in those cities. If some other place is better, all kind of advises are more than welcome...
commute by car is about 30-40 minutes during the week (weekend much longer). trains from swiss side never stop running...the german ones are known to strike. jestetten is in germany, yet has swiss trains coming to it...shafhausen and konstanz too (excuse my spelling).
First of all, don't refer to the country as 'Swiss', this is a major pet peeve of many.
Those living costs posted are a bit on the lower side--and expect student lifestyle. You will find it difficult to get your own flat for that price and it will be tiny. Health insurance is quite the cost as well (a few thousand a year). Budget about 1000 francs a year for travel within the city.
How long the train takes, schedules and prices are pretty standard to find posted on the internet: try the sbb site. This shouldn't be this hard, you will encounter tougher challenges when you get here.
I think I need continue doing my homework and will google everything which will come to my mind (housing, transportation, job markets, social insurance, language courses etc etc.)
I apologize if I have asked "stupid" question where the answers are quite easy to find in the net. I found this forum when searching and therefore registered to this forum and ask if somebody has got experience of arriving the country without job already.
I am definitely going to follow this useful forum, too.
Re: Job -
yes, with German, qualifications and experience (and you're English doesn't seem so bad either - which is also a selling point) it is very possible.
Check out the Manpower.ch website as to how to present your CV/resumé, as every country is different.
Welcome to the Forum.
The process is slow here, companies are slow to get back to you, interviews are slow, everything is really, really slow and conservative. If you don't fit exactly into a square, it's difficult to make your case.
Plan for at least 6-12 months living expenses.
Two suggestions:
Get hold of a copy of “Living and Working in Switzerland” by David Hampshire. It’s full of useful info for both before and after you move here. You can order it from your local bookshop or via the Internet.
Keep an eye on what’s happening here regarding the vote in Feb 2014 to curb immigration from the EU. The referendum declared that the government must act by February 2017 on this so you only have around 16-17 months before something has to happen. The Swiss are trying to negotiate with the EU on this, but if it comes to naught then Switzerland will have to withdraw from the Free Movement Agreement. All being well, it won’t come to that, but another possibility is quotas for EU nationals which would mean you’d have to have a pre-approved job offer first and couldn’t just turn up as you’re planning to do at the moment. I don’t know how soon you’re thinking of moving, but bear this in mind.
General daily figure to work with is CHF100 per person and the cantonal authorities will want proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself while job hunting before they register you as a job seeker. You will have an initial 3 months to look for work, if you can’t get a job in that time you can ask for an L permit for another 3 months, funds permitting, and could theoretically extend this in 3 monthly intervals for up to a year.
www.comparis.ch is useful for price comparison for insurances, etc (health insurance cover is mandatory)
www.jobs.ch
www.jobup.ch
www.monster.co.uk (change the location setting to Switzerland - it can be stubborn about changing sometimes, but it can be done)
Accommodation:
www.immoscout24.ch
www.immostreet.ch
www.homegate.ch
www.home.ch
www.wgzimmer.ch (flat share, rooms to rent)
And also check down in the Market Place section of the forum under Property Offered too.
Food:
www.migros.ch
www.coop.ch
www.denner.ch
www.aldi-suisse.ch
www.lidl.ch
I can't think of any practical advantage it would give you.
Practical advantages - a wonderful new life, a new start, a new situation - what could be more practical than that?!
You can avoid this hassle by postponing your registration (and declared date of arrival) until you actually find work, if your contract is permanent or for at least 1 year you can bypass the tiresome temporary L-permit altogether and be awarded a B-permit. You don't need any permit to stay at someone's place, to stay in a hotel, to rent an apartment, to look for a job etc.!!
The official figure to live off may be something like Fr.100.-- per day, but you can get by on much less if you are careful.
I moved here alone (initially to Ticino) and with no permit, no employment (in Switzerland), I lived off savings and a part time job in a bordering country (Italy). My living costs were lower than those mentioned by others, rented flat Fr.750.-- per month (including heating etc.) in a town close to the border.
For as long as you have no permit you don't need to pay health insurance here. The insurance company will start it off for you from the date of entry marked on your permit (not before, whilst you are still job-hunting and haven't registered, - I only registered well over a year after being here to save (a lot of) money and hassle).
When I did register, I no longer worked in the bordering country and was simply living off savings. To gain a B-permit I declared myself as self-employed and taught English part time privately (with fluent Italian which is a must) whilst looking for a job. When I found a job my permit category was changed from self-employed to employed and because the contract was permanent it was also converted to a 5-year one!
I was let go by the employer during the trail period (4 weeks), literally the day before the permit actually arrived, nevertheless that 5-year B-permit remained valid as reported the correct circumstances at the time of application thus enabling me to remain in Switzerland permanently and nobody ever queried what I was doing here! A permit for employment also allows self-employment, so I continued teaching privately, living off savings and even found out I was eligible for monthly unemployment benefits by exporting the unemployment contributions from the previous country - a fairly simple procedure.
I haven't looked back since and after just 5 years converted to a C-permit as by then I was employed again, plus I had saved enough money to buy a flat which I have since moved into. Although now I no longer work.
Without languages in Switzerland, it would have been a completely different story for me, probably near-impossible (although it depends on what jobs you are prepared to take up). Languages here are a must at least at an upper-intermediate level if you are coming without any real job prospects/solid career background/connections here already (I had none of these).
Coming here (even as a runaway) with nothing, including no family and no friends, is a huge risk, but even coming here with a bit of money saved up is also a risk, as you might run out spending it all simply on living in one of the most expensive countries in the world, in my case though it was a big risk that most certainly paid off. This was my experience. I say go for it, whilst you still can!
I can understand coming over here for a while as a tourist, getting to know the areas, being around for some interviews etc. But actually "moving" here, which I consider to mean; renting an apartment, getting a permit and health insurance, bringing your belongings over, quitting any job you may have elsewhere etc. That is a lot of financial pressure should you not find a job here.
How is trying to make a life for oneself breaking the law? Staying in a hotel, staying at friend's, renting a flat, - none of those things are breaking any laws. Many people do this. It makes sense to. Why waste money on expensive health insurance you don't need by registering early? One is covered by the home country insurance or travel insurance in most cases. The Swiss health insurance need only take over at the declared date of entry (marked on your permit) at the very earliest and never before!
Moreover, you can certainly live here without being resident, you simply need to cross the border and start living here! There are at least an estimated 90'000 unregistered (no permit) individuals living in Switzerland, and in reality the figure could be a lot higher, possibly well over 100'000 I've read. These people are not tourists and never have been, and they certainly do live here, many of them even work here, - most are 'sans papiers' - and also often defined as 'illegal immigrants'. I lived here for more than a year before I had a permit and I find it quite normal.