I am a UK expat based in Dubai but with a job offer for Zug. I have a few questions in terms and I am seeking some advice.
I want to know about the requirements for address registration if I am in temporary accommodation.
My wife (also a UK national ) is currently teaching and would look to join me next July but I am unsure of the requirements for her to join me as a spouse(does she need to know a local language? She only speaks English).
Any advice on how she would go about finding a job in a local private school/college?
I am happy to try and learn German but how vital is it?
Also are any other recent English nationals happy/sad about life in Switzerland?
After 15 years in the Middle East I am expecting it is very different!
Thanks in advance
Zug is a very nice place to live. Congratulations on your job offer! German is not necessary for everyday life in Zug.
Finding a job in teaching speaking on ly English is feasible but very difficult as their are a lot of people looking for same thing. One advantage you have is your wife is at least qualified !
Learning the local language is more a question of how much do you want to intergrate and what do you want out of Switzerland. If you want to live in a little expat bubble, then it's not essential, if you want to discover the real Switzerland then it is imperitive !
Swaping the sand for snow, sure it's going to be differnet !
Re: Your wife finding a teaching job.
Without local languages she is limited to the private sector. What age/subjects does she teach?
Be aware that there will likely be tough competition for relatively few openings. It will help, though, if she has a solid record in a niche subject. Also be aware that private schools tend to pay less than public schools, so set your expectations accordingly.
But what if your wife cannot find work in her field?
My 2P: Make sure you and your wife are prepared for her not finding work immediately, perhaps not even for quite some time. She might have to re-invent herself, look at other career possibilities. If she is up for that challenge, you both will be fine.
I know many couples, though, who have hit a brick wall because the trailing spouse can't reconstruct his or her career once here. You both need to be prepared for that possibility, with all it's consequences to your relationship, finances, emotional well-being.
Some of those eventually found work in their field, some sucessfully re-invented themselves in other activities. Others did not have a happy ending.
Hopefully your wife will find something meaningful and personally enriching and you can laugh at this comment. But better prepared, individually and as a couple, than blindsided.
Wishing you both all the best.
Yes, German might not be necessary but definitely try to learn (as you will need it at least in basic level) for your permit renewal. Also it will help you a lot with the locals/getting about.
If your wife is not employed in Switzerland, she will need to meet certain language requirements in order to renew her residence permit. But I believe the level required is very low (A1 spoken German).
Depends what kind of temporary accommodation. I had issues with registering while I was in AirBnB. Got sorted thanks to my company having a quiet word, and I found an apartment very soon after. Be aware that right now the rental market is very tight, so that isn't so easy. You should probably go for a more official sort of temporary accommodation.
What kind of teacher? If teaching English should be no problem. Otherwise might be more difficult. Can't really comment as our kid goes to Swiss public school; don't know if private hire without German.
Re learning German, you'll get along just fine without it. One issue for the longer term is that you would need German to get a C permit (permanent residence). But actually everyone here is at least as willing to speak English as German, perhaps more so.
This is because Swiss German and High German are essentially two separate languages. There's also just a tiny bit of a beef between Swiss and Germans. Think of the language difference as like that between 17th century Scots and standard English. So Swiss Germans here speak Swiss German with each other. They never speak High German unless speaking with an actual German who doesn't understand them. Some Swiss Germans can't even really speak High German. It's only written and some spoken media, school lessons and official communications that are in High German.
Re happy/sad ... been here 3 years and love it. Love the natural beauty and quality of life. Of a weekend you can go hiking in the mountains, paddle-boarding, skiing, get on a fast train to Italy or explore local medieval towns. Lots of other Brits here, so you won't be lonely either.
She might be able to find work as a teacher at one of the private bilingual or international schools. But to teach in any of the local Swiss schools (i.e. public schools), she would need Swiss qualifications and, therefore, German proficiency. This means that, anyone teaching English at a Swiss school would also need to know German.
Maybe they will change this at some point because I hear that it is sometimes tricky to find Swiss teachers who have English proficiency.
Yeah, quite amusingly our kiddo is taught English by a Swiss teacher. We quite often correct the teacher's homework.
I had a parent-teacher meeting with our son's English teacher, and he asked to have the conversation in German!
I would take that as a compliment that he thought your German was up to it!
The language situation in Zug is fascinating (some out-of-towners, say from Geneva, might not appreciate).
There are five main languages spoken:
- Swiss Geman dialect (similar to Zurich)
- High German (by Germans)
- English
- Russian
- Serb/Croat/Bosnian (although are those three different languages or one?)
Rest of Swiss look at the Zug entrepôt with certain reserve.
Thank you for the comment.
Thanks. It should be interesting at least!
Obviously English is not an official language and that was an official situation.
Have you already got confirmation that you have been issued a permit? Don’t make any irreversible decisions until you do.
Worth noting that Zug is extraordinarily accommodative of foreign arrivals (they have to be given the high number). If the parents don't speak any German they're not going to conduct the meeting without a word being understood.
Ah, so it is up to the school or teacher to speak with the parents in the language of the parents.......
Zug does accommodate foreigners, but in the same respect, shouldn't foreigners respect Zug and learn at least some of the local language rather than relying on everybody else ?
Well, it's always good to learn languages. I speak German (and Russian and a smattering of Serbo-Croat) and am learning Swiss German atm, for example.
But as stated above (which somehow elicited a groan), many Swiss Germans actually prefer speaking English to High German. And a new arrival will get on perfectly fine with just English. No need to be so Calvinist about it!
You are missing the point, when conduction official business it must be conducted in one of the languages of the country and specifically in the language of the Kanton. If there is a dispute later it will a problem for the official if they did not follow the procedures. If for instance you were unable with the outcome of the meeting you could make a complaint the meeting was conducted properly since it was not delivered in the language of the Kanton.
Over the past 30 years I had officials switch from dialect to High German when they needed to deliver official statements.
And it is your responsibility to bring a translator if you don't speak the language....