Can anyone give me any insight on what the career paths are in psychology here? What kind of work people go into with a Masters and research experience (in health psychology/ageing research)? Any advice would help! Thank you!
Hey all, I'm not sure if this is the right place to be posting this but if anyone can help please get in touch I'm going mental here! So I've been in Switzerland for 5 months now and I'm not much further along now than I was then trying to figure out what the opportunities are for psychologists! As far as I can see students with psychology degrees/Masters either go into business/organisations/HR work or go the whole counselling/psychotherapy route (neither of which I'm qualified for or would want to do). Or there's the clinical and health route... which would be my background but it's slightly different here compared to the career path I was set up for in Ireland/UK (research). Basically I was working as a researcher in Ireland/UK in health and ageing but I can't seem to find work in that area in Switzerland (without a PhD in ageing research which I'm finding hard to come by).
Hi there.
Welcome to the forum.
As Psychologist with limited German, you could check out the banks in the HR department?
I did a quick check through the UBS careers site. They currently have these openings:
I assume you have contacted the university already?
@Shauna13
yes, I agree with Rangatiranui... perhaps, perhaps the HR department of a large company, but even then, I'd think they would prefer employees who could deal with the organisation/administration in German (or French or Italian, depending where in Switzerland you are).
Seems to me that professions in psychology are per se all about listening and talking, and so I'd think your paramount step, if you wish to work in this field, is to develop your linguistic competence in the local language(s).
Just about everything high-powered is likely to need some sort of registration, which is unlikely to be granted without command of a Swiss language.
Some of the possibilities are explained in the following links (in German).
http://www.berufsberatung.ch/dyn/601...?id_branch=288 (including a list of possible professions)
http://www.berufsberatung.ch/dyn/31035.aspx
http://www.ausbildung-weiterbildung....udium-info.asp (including a list of possible qualifications)
Perhaps if you run them through Google translate, you'll get a better feeling of how much of it moves your soul, and how motivated you would be, to put in the hard work.
I wish you well!
This is Switzerland so psychologists must have an association and it appears that there are 48 organized under a federation. If you haven't already reviewed the website of "Die Föderation der Schweizer Psychologinnen und Psychologen (FSP)", it might be worthwhile to do so. A search for psychologists who speak English on this website showed 977 results:
I am also a psychologist looking for work in Switzerland. I came here as a "trailing spouse" of tax lawyer. It took me two years to get a proper B work permit. Now, I have to get all my paperwork in order. I have a doctorate in clinical psychology which leaves me open to the most possibilities. Here is what I have learned:
First, you have to send all your paperwork to Bern, the capital to get registered as a psychologist in Switzerland.
Second, you have to go to your local Kantonal authority, for me, that's Zurich and then register there.
You have to bring with you a plethora of information including (but don't quote me here) but perhaps not limited to: your transcripts, your diploma, any previous licenses you have held, the fee, any proof of pre or post doctoral hours accumulated, and any special training you may have.
Zurich, I've noticed, is mostly an academic, business, and technology oriented city. Basel, a nearby city, has some businesses geared towards research and development. Psychologists are a dime a dozen. The market for psychology is a tough and competitive field. No matter where you go, it may be difficult to find work. Good luck! Please let me know if you are successful and if you (or any one else here) has any tips! thanks.
in the meanwhile, go to paradeplatz or zurich HB to practice...plenty of odd folk there to keep brushing up your skills with while you deal with paperwork
Hehehe....yeah, I think a lot of Americans live around Lake Zurich. I wonder how many Americans are living in Zurich now?
Friend of mine (American) got his degree from the CG Jung Institute in Zurich, and still had problems finding work as a psychologist in Zurich, so ended up moving to Amsterdam, where he found plenty of work.
Tom
Since you were wondering, 2,157 Americans lived in Zurich at year-end 2014. Of these, 292 were in Kreis 8. Details at this link (see Excel spreadsheet "Bevölkerung der Stadt Zürich nach Nationalität Stadtkreis und Stadtquartier seit 2012"):
I thought that's the job of your clients?
Possibly a more interesting figure is that 106 Americans were living in Kreis 4 (Werd, Langstrasse, Hard). This suggests that some Americans may not be drinking champagne for breakfast and eating caviar for lunch, an image of Americans abroad promoted by some US politicians:
Vis-a-vi the whole counselling/psychotherapy route. To begin with being limited to English will be a seriously limiting issue, although there's certainly a market for counselling/psychotherapy in English.
Having dated and gone out with more than one psychologist (maybe I invoke some form of Florence Nightingale reaction in them) and a good friend who's one, it appears that networking is central to their profession here.
Many work in practices, on contract, earning only for what hours they do and getting patients from the practice principle (who'll have the connections to get patents who are paid for by their Gemeinde), after which billing might be done by the practice or left to you.
Consider doing something with the Freud or Jung Institutes, as this is where they seem to find all the jobs and opportunities. The courses are quite expensive, but also a rich vein of incestuous jobs for the boys/girls if you get known, volunteer to write papers and generally kiss copious amounts of ass.
You also need to get your degree recognised.
The Psychology Professions Commission (PsyCo) is responsible for recognition of foreign higher education qualifications as well as continuing education and training qualifications in areas falling within the scope of the Psychology Professions Act (PsyPA, SR 935.81).
Contact :
Psychology Professions Commission (PsyCo)
Secretariat
T +41 31 324 38 18
[email protected]
Best name of an organization since the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Yeah, I think the PsyCo name is a funny one too. Without getting approved by PsyCO, a psychologist can't work in Zurich. It seems there is not much of a market for an english speaking therapist here, even one with a doctorate in clinical psychology. I'm looking into ETH (the university here) as they offer a lot of useful info concerning insurance. Unfortunately, being called a psychologist in Zurich doesn't mean much as it is not a protected title the way it is in the States. Psychologists, even doctors, still are only paid by supplemental insurance, not the compulsory insurance that everyone has here. So, I'm thinking that no matter what job I get here, it's only a "supplementary" kind of job. Nice!
It used to be the case that "Psychologist" was not a protected title and that anyone could so designate themselves.
However, this changed with the "Bundesgesetz über die Psychologieberufe (PsyG)" (Swiss Federal Law on Psychology Professions) which came into effect on 1. April 2013.
It regulates which standards a psychologist must fulfil.
Here is info about the effects of that law (in German only): http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/beruf...x.html?lang=de
That's not completely true though,is it.
Really? Am I wrong? Please advise.
I still think you only need a Master's degree or perhaps even just a Bachelor's Degree to call yourself a psychologist in Switzerland. In the USA, you need a doctorate to call yourself a psychologist. Am I wrong? If I am, please let me know.
A bachelor is not sufficient. To my knowledge you need to be Diplompsychologe or Msc (google it if you want more info).
A bachelor ́s degree is not so highly accepted here as it is in some other countries, at least to my experience,
It's funny, this is a 1979 dated article, but not much of this has changed. 'Cause 'Merica.