I’ve been offered the chance to do my master’s thesis at a university in Switzerland. I’ve been working for the past 9 months in a non-EU country, and I’ve only managed to save around 6,000 CHF from my salary.
I wanted to ask if it would be possible to come to Switzerland as an au pair and help a family with housework and childcare, and use a letter from them for the embassy saying they would provide housing, food, and other expenses, while I cover the rest.
Or is there any other option I could consider? For example, helping someone with tasks or assisting elderly parents?
Would really appreciate any advice from people who have been in a similar situation.
Important Requirements:
• Non-EU/EFTA au pairs must go through a licensed Swiss au pair organization; families cannot apply directly
• EU au pairs don’t need an agency but still require a residence permit
• Many cantons (Geneva, Vaud, Zurich) no longer accept non-EU au pairs
• All au pairs must register at the municipality where the host family lives
Also not sure, but if you did get a place as an au pair that would be under a work permit which wouldn’t allow you to stury here. And vice versa; if you get a study permit then you’re only allowed to work a few hours a week during term time and that has to be related to your course iirc.
What Medea said, there are some restrictions to students that want to work:
Max 15 hours of work per week during the courses. The motivation here is that masters is a full time job with 40-50 hours/week. So, a job on top of that may interfere with the university.
EU citizens can start working right away, non-EU/EFTA citizens can only start to work on the 2nd semester of masters.
This is the guidance from EPFL in English. There should be a similar website for the university of your interest. Some universities even have job ads for students.
Thank you for your kindness in replying. Searching a little more, I found a website called [name removed] in which families advertise a room in their house for students to live in, in exchange for helping in the household, talking, cooking, or nothing, with a price much lower than usual studios. So, if I applied for such things, I wouldn’t be an au pair anymore, and I would also cut my prices, but I have a new question, which is: In that case, can I show a lower deposit of my bank account when I apply for a visa? I mean, when my rent is, for example, 130 each month and not 1000-1500 CHF, can I show 5000 CHF for 4 months and not 10000?
And also, what if I connect with the family and make them sure that I will help them with their child or other things, but I will be there with a student visa? Ask them to write a letter for the embassy that I will live with them? which means my housing is taken care of.
I only know that someone declares to take care of all of expenses of someone visiting Switzerland. It’s called Verpflichtungserklärung (German), Attestation de prise en charge financière (French). But this comprises food, housing, health insurance, etc.
I have no idea if there’s something like partial engagement that only covers housing and not the entire costs. I guess that’s a question for the population office of the specific canton. Questions like partial engagement or combining savings + work.
If you are coming to Switzerland just for your Master’s thesis (presumably your degree will be from your home university), then you are basically an exchange student..
If you plan to stay for 3 months or less, you need very little paperwork which could be a solution. You basically come with the same rules as tourists, your uni gives documentation necessary to register with the authorities (but you don’t get a residence permit - too short a stay - just a letter confirming your status.).
I would liaise with the Swiss university who is willing to accept you. They would know what to do, it is common. Often they provide university accommodation for such cases, since it’s impossible to find a place for such a short time from abroad.
Nope. That is not correct. You must prove you are an genuine tourist if you are coming from out side the Schengen Area… That includes, plans, accommodation books, travel etc…
It is not a solution and an excellent way to get a lengthy ban from the Schengen area.