Moving to Zürich in January- I'd like ideas on gyms, german classes etc..?

Welcome and Introductions
1
Hello, I'm 23 years old and live in South Florida. I'm moving January 4th to go be with live with my husband. I recently came back from there a few weeks ago and I'd like to know of good but affordable german classes I can take in Zürich as well as gyms with lots of weight equipment and again affordable, nothing like 1200 a year (I'm on a budget until I can find work). I also would love advice about english speaking jobs or places that may hire with little german spoken (until I'm more fluent). Thank you in advance!

2
Take intensive German courses right now in the states I has my German courses paid for by the RAV which is supposed to be the most affordable school...Migros Klubschule and the RAV paid almost 7000 per course. So...heads up.

3
Welcome to EF The Migros Clubschule is one of the better (and cheaper) ones. For gym, I'm at Silhouette and am very happy. They offer different classes and have new equipment as well. You can use the search function to look up other language schools and gyms.

4
Since I've recently been in your shoes, your best bet is to try to take a class while still home. But with the holidays coming up and getting ready to move, might be tough.

Try watching this series: Really helped me a lot. It's totally corny but entertaining. About an American who moves to Germany. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lWQW5_CPGQ

As far as classes go. Even though I used another location of this school, I still can not say enough about them. Their teachers were wonderful and I was enrolled in the intesive courses for 3 months. It was 580CHF/beginner level.(A1.1-A1.3) Books included. Which is a great price and works out to 14.50/hr.

http://www.alemania.ch/index_en.html

For free learning try: http://sprach-tandem.ch/de/home

Gyms.....I heard David's gym is supposed to be great If you have any other questions feel free to PM me

Wish you all the best!

5
Evening All!

Firstly excuse my terrible userID name.... I am new to this site as I am looking to move to Zurich early next year to live with my partner. Career wise I am looking to train as a solicitor... whether or not I can do this in Switzerland as a UK law grad I do not know.

Really want some hints/tips re: english ex-pats living the Swiss life! I've fallen in love with the quality of life and will certainly be looking to attend German school like the above.

Look forward to responses....

R.

6
thank you all so much for the heads up! I'm looking forward with extreme excitement to be coming there and embracing everything Zurich has to offer! Thanks for the advice guys

7

Welcome to the forum Hobbit. You’ll need to get your qualifications recognised and you should contact the judicial authorities in Zurich to found out how to get this done. And of course, you’ll need to speak/write German to a high level as all contracts, agreements, etc, will be in that language.

dkvansc, welcome to you too. Regarding work that’s going to depend on what nationality your husband is and what type of Swiss permit he has. If he’s an EU national then it shouldn’t be a problem. If he’s a non-EU national and has a B permit then again it shouldn’t be a problem. But if he has an L permit then I’m afraid you won’t be able to work here. L dependent permit holders have no automatic right to work in Switzerland and must have professional qualifications. If you’re still at college you won’t meet that requirement.

8
The cheapest courses are often organised and run by your Geminder. Also it is a good way to meet others in a similar situation in your area.

9
My husband is Swiss and from there, once I'm there will it be possible for work companies to help me find work? I'm currently studying online through my American college until Spring 2016 is over.. will I be able to work and study at the same time once I transfer to UZH?

10

As a student here you can work a maximum of 15 hours a week on a student permit. I doubt you’ll get any help in finding a job, it’s up to you to find work.

www.jobs.ch
www.jobup.ch

These may help.

11
Hi there! Im 25 years old and I'm from Texas I'm staying in Switzerland to be with my boyfriend. I have been in Switzerland for about 3 years now, but it feels like yesterday when I moved here. I don't have advice on gyms since I do my work outs at home. German classes are expensive! I currently go to Alemania and I pay 336ish a month for semi-intensive(twice a week, and intensive is Monday-Friday). I heard Bellinqua is the best, it does not have the best prices though. You get what you pay for.

Regarding jobs.....I have a lot to say on that issue. I am currently working in a job that I am overqualified for, it's a sales associate in a major, low end, department store, and I am not happy with it. My certificates and experience are not valid in the eyes of the Swiss and no matter what you did no matter how small, you need diplomas to prove it. If you wanted to pick up trash from the streets they would ask you if you have any experience picking up trash and whether you have a school/diploma for it! There are English speaking jobs but in my opinion, they are difficult to obtain since everyone wants them and the competition is high. If you want to work in a full German environment, good luck. Your German must be advanced and even then, there is always a reason why they won't take you, jealousy, they found a Swiss person, you don't speak or understand Swiss German, or they don't trust/like you for whatever reason, etc. I don't know what type of experience or degrees you have, so I cannot say too much about your chances here.

I wish you good luck and all the best here! I hope I could help and if you want, you can PM me anytime