Hi all, Would really appreciate some pointers as i am not sure of what to do and a little lost
At the moment im 25 and have no qualifications (except GCSES) and am in a dead end job with literaly no idea of what to do in life other than that i would love to live in Switzerland. Living with parents at the moment so thankfully my expenses arent too high so can save a fair ammount of my wage .
Im half tempted to save up enough money (and once my German is very good) to support myself for 3 months and try and find a shared flat and job over there. I know it would be possible and eventually im sure would get a job that pays enough to have a happy life and small place of my own. When i was living there for 2 months i had 2 interviews, one with a golf course and one with a landscaping company and both jobs were for someone with no qualifications, and the jobs would have offered complete training in that career, i guess like an apprenticeship but with much better pay.Didnt get the jobs because my German was not good enough. I probably will never be lucky to get such chances again.
So im becoming more aware that i should try and get trained up in something so if ever find a girl and start a family can support them better. I had a look at Biosciences and id have to do a couple of years of courses before i could even try and get a degree in it. I know i'll never suddenly realise what career i want, so with Switzerland as the goal, i would do any job that would work toward that dream.
Can anyone recommend some good solid careers that are easily transferable from the Uk to CH (with good German of course), and that do not need a degree or very expensive courses. I was thinking a Plumber? or maybe Elderly carehome worker, or landscape gardener. I know IT and biochemisty, banking is big big in Swtizerland, but what other careers (low to medium salary range)are valued/needed there?
I don't know if this helps and don't want to discourage you, but
- careers such as plumbers, carpenters etc require an apprenticeship in CH. At 25 you're probably too old to be accepted into one as they normally take school leavers. I'm not sure to what extent a UK training is compatible, but I do know of several German people who do such work here so there is a way.
- this may be a bit off topic but companies such as VBZ are often looking for bus and tram drivers and mabe that might be an option. They train you so you wouldn't need any previous experience although of course having some might help you get hired. Of course German would be necessary. And don't expect you'll ever get rich in that job.
- bioscience jobs generally pay well (relatively speaking), but there is also a lot of competition and without the right qualifications it's not going to be easy.
Hochbauzeichner (technical drawers(?) for construction) are very demanded atm. There are even little fights between offices over just out of the oven guys/gals. They get paid a medium+ salary, need a professional course, but no University. Age is not a matter (and 25 is still young enough <.<''').
Our head greenkeeper is from a landscaping background. And we are always on the look out for ball collectors for the range, and general tidy uppers (strimming, hedge trimming, pool cleaning etc...)
If you like I can PM you where I work and you can have a look at their website.
Thank you very much for the replies everyone !. A Swiss bus driver, id fancy that!. A die post driver would be even more amazing . Apparently the apprentice age limit in the Uk has been lifted but there are very few companies offering it to above 25 year olds due to funding. However have seen some interesting gardening courses that can be done part time from the Royal Horticultural society so that could be something to consider. Will have a look into what technical drawer courses are available and what it involves. Though i fear that is a bit too professional for me.
Switzerland is a very attractive country, which is why many, many, people around the world are trying to work here: even with good qualifications and 3 languages it is not at all easy to find a job here.
My advice is to get a proper job in Britain, stick it out for 3 years, learn German or French, and then think about moving here.
They always seem to be looking for bus drivers in London. I know they will train you and they pay reasonably well, but you have to sign up for at least 6 months. Are you prepared for a long term commitment?
That is so true and is getting harder. Switzerland attracks a lot of people and having in mind the situation in all the EU countries at the momen CH seems to turn even more in a better alternative. It took me one year before we ( with the hubby) can settle here with the full time jobs. It's not easy but doable. You will need to be very persistent in looking for jobs Good luck
If you have a skilled trade or profession investigate anything that has a certification and acts as a barrier to keep out new entrants. Especially where the certification is a swiss national one. If you don't already have a trade then consider how long it would take to develop one.
Many customers both trade and public will only deal with "professionals" as they are risk averse. There is very strong demarcation too, so narrow certified specialism is probably better than wide experience without.
Talk to UK trade institutions that may have reciprocal recognition, or contact the British Chamber of commerce who may have some resource that could help you to identify the appropriate trade bodies in Switzerland that you could approach for help with such certification.
Therefore I suggest doing an appraisal of areas in which you have skills and assessing whether you can obtain recognition or accreditation in Switzerland .
Thanks all . Okay im going to have to really start to think hard about this now. Bus drivers are always needed in my home city and good pay too. The more i think of it the more i really like the idea of gardening, and i could perhaps convince my current workplace to let me look after there grounds whilst i do the courses (they always want to save money).
Is it possible to get into IT in Switzerland without going to Uni? There are plenty of courses around. Im looking at some general ones now, and then perhaps could try and specialise with something like microsoft certification.
depends how brainy you are. a lot of the top jobs in banking/pharma etc will require qualifications and studying. if you want to earn money quickly and are not afraid of hard work, then basic manual work such as cleaning can even pay very well.