I will be relocating to Switzerland in the near future in order to be closer to my family as they grow older as well as be closer to the mountains!
I am a Swiss citizen but have grown up abroad (Malaysia) and studied architecture in London. I have 0 ability to speak French or German.
I'm currently 1 year away from being a fully qualified architect and will have a few projects under my belt by the time I look to move. However, much of this experience would be doing smaller scale work and I have no desire to work for large-scale international practice that work in English.
I do expect to have some basic knowledge of German or French before I begin to start looking for work in the next 2 or 3 years, but there is only so much I can learn while living in an English speaking country.
As I foresee this as a long-term goal to relocate myself to Switzerland and start a career there, is there any advice for someone looking to move (move back?) to Switzerland? Also any advice specific to architecture and the construction industry would be greatly appreciated!
I understand this question is asked a lot, but in this case I would have a few years to prepare and shape my career and skills in order to make this dream possible!
- there are international, predominantly English speaking offices, mostly in Basel, Zurich, Geneve, but sooner or later you will have to learn the local languages
- the regulations are not relevant for employees in architectural offices, so don't be bothered with them, you do not have to contact anyone, you do not need any kind of recognition of your education, but of course, you are free do it if you wish
I won't need to register with SIA for the time being as I will be working for someone else, who is likely to be registered. It's more working about working on skills that would make me more employable for an architectural practice in Switzerland. Language for example
Would anyone know generally what language is spoken among contractors, suppliers, builders and local planners? Would it be dependant on the canton or would local council's offer documentation in any of the Swiss language of your choosing.
It’ll be dependent on the canton; each has its official language/s and that’s what documentation will be in. So if you plan to live/work in Zurich it would be German; Geneva would be French and just to make things fun if you decide on Fribourg canton it could be either/both depending on where you live in the canton since it’s officially bi-lingual.
Read the pdf from your link please. The only one who needs to be recognised (authorised) is the person who signs the projects for building permit. This is normaly the head of the office.
btw, I am architects, my educaiton is from University of Ljubljana (SI) and I work as an architect in Luzern. One of the 6 cantons were architecture is regulated. I have colleagues all around Switzerland from many different coutries. The authorisation is not needed to work here as an architect, but you may wish to have it at a certain point in your carrer.
In a case of german part of Switzerland the language spoken among contractors, suppliers, builders and local planners is dialect. Actually is a dialect of each contractor. Mixed together. With a lot of foreign influented language in between. If it wasn't so frustrating it would be funny.
Wow! Okay. This sounds quite complicated but I suppose I am not surprised. Would it be possible to get by as an architect in Switzerland with just English and German at B1/B2 level to start with?
most of the architects do not have contact with customers
I guess I already answer this, but I can repeat itagain, with a little bit more of explanation:
it is possible to get a job with English only, there are tons of architects like this in Switzerland. In general their position on market is much worse than of one who speaks local language. Why they are employed? Because they are paid less and they accept to work over-hours (often for free). The employers are happy and they often do not help employees to become more fluent, as than, they want more or they move to better paid jobs with better working conditions. It is up to you to chose what you wanna be and what you wanna do. At the end, every word you learn in local language will help you.
B2 in theory means you are able to communicate normally with people.
I think you didn't mentioned something very important. Do you want to work: i) independently, ii) within a small architecture company (5-10 people), or iii) within a huge multinational.
Without mastering at least on national language I think working independently is not possible.
With your citizenship and promising to learn the local cantonal language as quick as possible, you may have some luck with a small architecture office. Also, the group leader / manager is signing the projects. So don't worry about some cantons asking for license, someone else in the office will sign. This is normal considering you're straight out of school.
The easiest path would be a multinational architecture/engineering company where English is the working language. While working in there you gain experience, you learn local language and then you're better prepared to look for better opportunities.
To answer your question; I have no interest in working for a huge multi-national.
I will look to work at a small architectural practice (<10 or 15 people) but am just worried that I will be unable to participate with work outside the office.
I am a project architect at my current office and so I am worried I will need to downgrade when moving to Switzerland, however, there is more opportunity to grow long term in Switzerland, and will need to be there for my family as they grow older. This is 5-10 years down the line.
But its good to have your confidence that it is possible to find a job as a non-native speaker, I suppose all Swiss citizens go through this if they study in the French part but apply for jobs in the German part. So maybe this is not as abnormal as I believe.
I'd like to re-iterate that I will only be moving in 2-3 years so I have plenty of time to prepare for my move.
Hi, if you don't speak the language, yes you will have to downgrade. Architecture is very much done in the local language, especially if you don't want to work in the large international firms.
My partner is an American architect and when he moved here over a decade ago not speaking a word of German, he had to downgrade. But the moment he arrived, he went to intensive language classes - it simply is a must if you want to work as an architect here - and by now he is around C1 level and has no problem working in a German-only environment.
So I suggest you start working on your local language asap. It doesn't matter where you are currently, there are language schools if you are serious about it. I was living in Singapore prior to moving to Zurich and once I had decided I wanted to move to Zurich, I immediately signed up for German classes. The corporate language at my job is English, but I would never want to be that foreigner that keeps speaking English in daily life. I am now C1 level too.
I hope you enjoyed Singapore! I use to live there myself
I am definitely working on my German and will be taking classes at the Goethe institute in Dublin. Hopefully I can get a decent grasp of German by the time I move (2 to 3 years).
I'd be interested in what other hurdles he has experienced working in Architecture in Switzerland and what advice he would give himself if he could have prepared for his professional life in Switzerland, 2 to 3 years down the line, as in my case.
Even though he speaks German very well, and on a conversational level he is totally fluent, unless you are a native speaker he finds it hard to become a partner. He feels there will forever be that hurdle in terms of language and developing. Writing up contracts etc. is a whole other level. Also, you need to get used to different styles of architecture. In the US he worked on large scale hotels and office buildings, but in CH it is more high end residential projects, and smaller scale office buildings etc. Just to expect that is a difference in need.
(Before starting, I want to say that my case attributes to the architects in Canton Vaud.)
I finished my degrees in a non-EU country, and before coming to Vaud/Switzerland, I had barely worked.
When I applied to the Swiss offices as an architect or an intern, they had been rejecting me saying that:
"Acc. to the CCT (Convention Collective de Travail), we cannot employ you as an intern. At the same time, as you don't have any experience in Switzerland, we cannot employ you as an architect, either."
Then, I contacted the Centre Patronal (here is the link: https://www.centrepatronal.ch/ ), and asked for an attestation that would enable me to start my carrier here as an intern - in the framework of "professional adaptation."
The Centre Patronal provided me with that attestation by the decision of "la Commission paritaire professionnelle des bureaux d’architectes et ingénieurs vaudois (CPPAIVD)."
I had to search for an answer for a very long time, and no one seemed to be informed... Hope it helps someone.