Expat Talk - Finding a job in Zurich, Switzerland without speaking German
Disclaimer: I am NOT a migration agent, or an expert in matters of how to find a job in Switzerland. This article is just about my own experiences and what I have discovered. Leaving comments asking me to find you a job and/or asking me whether with your experience/situation you will be able to find a job will not be published. What is included in this article is what I know, and like all things is subject to change.
I am extremely lucky. I’ve been in Switzerland for 10 months and I work about 7 hours a week. What do I do? I am an English teacher in a little (mostly German) language school, and while I have a B.A. and a Master in English, the fact that I don’t have a CELTA has prevented me from being employed by the larger schools which provide more work. Doing the CELTA would mean investing 4000 CHF which I don’t have and putting my life (and my little work) to a stop for one month, since CELTA lessons run from morning until around 8 pm. I cannot speak a word of German and therefore cannot get any other form of employment. I am not an IT geek or a banker either. So how, do you ask, am I still in Switzerland? I am lucky enough to have a supportive (both emotionally and financially) Swiss partner who told me from the start he’d help me out. In other words, I took a calculated risk. I had a home to come to and plenty of help should I not succeed in finding a job. I am still somehow managing, and above all, I am happy. If you dream of moving to Switzerland as many people do, you might benefit from reading the following article about what to take into consideration before moving to Zurich and looking for a job, as well as the most common work that foreigners tend to be employed in. Life without money in Zurich is complicated, so if I were you I’d pay attention…
Finding a job in Zurich, Switzerland
Probably the most important thing when considering working in Switzerland is your nationality. If your country is a member of the EU, then you are automatically entitled to an initial three months during which you can be employed in Switzerland without a working permit, but should you wish to continue working, you will need to acquire one after the end of this period, and most companies will be able to help you do so.
If you are of non-Swiss and non-EU nationality, getting a work permit becomes altogether trickier, since a company can only sponsor you if it can prove that the job you are applying for cannot be done by Swiss or EU nationals. Most of the people from non-EU countries which do get employed seem to be able to land a job in Switzerland through contacts back home or overseas opportunities which arise within their own company.
The following is a list, though by no means comprehensive, or types of work foreigners usually engage in in and around Zurich.
Without speaking German
IT, Computing, Engineering and Banking
These industries are quite English-friendly, and vacancies advertised rarely require the applicant to speak German unless some level of customer service is involved. Google has a large office in Zurich which routinely sponsors and employs foreigners, and major banks like UBS, often have vacancies for English-speaking professionals. One of the best sites which advertises plenty of vacancies for jobs where only English is required (by selecting the appropriate key words) is jobs.ch. Local recruiting centres will tend to dismiss you when you say you don’t speak German.
English Teaching
If you would like to teach English in private language schools you will need a minimum of a CELTA certificate and usually also a degree, preferably in English. Very few schools will take you into consideration if you don’t have the former, including the largest language centres, which are your best possibility of getting enough work to earn a proper salary. You’ll also be expected to have a few years experience in teaching exam and business courses. Even if you do have the appropriate qualifications, know that vacancies are few and far between and competition is fierce due to a surplus of language teachers and the high rate/hour offered as compensation. Added to this, full-time contracts are almost unheard of and to make ends meet you will usually have to get lessons from a number of different schools. Seeking private students independently is also an option, although then you will have to go through a rather complicated application and registration process for the status of ‘self-employed/freelancer’.
Alternatively, you could also try to teach English in standard schools, but for this you will need a formal degree in Education. A CELTA or a Master in English is not deemed as an equivalent. Despite their sometimes questionable English competence, it seems that Swiss are often preferred for this kind of post, as it offers full-time employment with excellent salary and benefits. For job opportunities check out the English Teachers Association of Switzerland (http://www.e-tas.ch/), but most schools advertise on their website instead, so a good internet search should come up with a few more vacancies.
Nannies, au pairs and maids for private residences of foreigners, specifically aimed at English speakers
These kind of jobs are usually advertised in the classified sections of newspapers and expat websites by the individuals involved, so you’ll have to keep an eye for them in the appropriate places. One such website is http://zurich.angloinfo.com/ but there are many more. In this case, remember that you will have to take care of your own work permit application, which can be a pain since surprisingly, documents are not usually available in English.
August 2010 Update - After following the activity on sites like www.englishforum.ch, I’ve noticed that experienced English-speaking nannies are in high demand wherever expats tend to live and after posting on the above mentioned website usually get lots of offers.
-Need German fluency
The Service industry and customer service
Any form of assistant, worker in the service industry or customer service representative will be required to speak German, if not also French and Italian, or any other specific language. The principle behind this is that these sort of workers will come in contact with both foreigners and locals and it makes little sense for a company to employ someone who can only speak English when there are plenty of Swiss whose English is of a very high standard. Even an English language bookshop and a call centre will require its staff to be proficient in German so as to be able to help both foreigners and locals alike.
Remember that…
The cost of living in and around Zurich is very high, so even if you have a bit of funds you’ll find that they will quickly run out if you don’t have a source of income. When you keep in mind that renting a property also needs a considerable financial and time commitment, the wisest thing to do is to try and secure a job prior to arriving in Switzerland, especially if you are limited by the fact that you don’t speak German fluently. When you’re successful, remember that Swiss value punctuality and quality of work, but also that seen from the point of view of the more direct and to the point business style typical of some nationalities, the Swiss tend to beat a bit around the bush in matters of negotiation and decision making. Finally, it is true that life in Zurich is expensive, but if you are an educated and experienced professional, you can wind up earning an extremely high salary, even when compared to the cost of living.
Related Posts:
-Finding a Job in Zurich without speaking German: My experience
-Working as a nanny in the German-speaking part of Switzerland
-Working in Zurich without speaking German: How I did it
- Text and Photography by Denise Pulis @www.theartofslowtravel.com
64 Comments → “Expat Talk – Finding a job in Zurich, Switzerland without speaking German”
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Thanks so much for this post! I’m German, my boyfriend is Italian, and we live in the US… for now. Ideally I want to head back to Europe one day and it’s encouraging to read that there are job opportunities in Switzerland even for non-German speaking people
Hi Sabrina,
I’m glad that you found my post useful. If you ever do decide to come to Switzerland, a good browse around my blog will reveal plenty more information about expat life here.
Cheers
Denise
Great posting, It helped me lot to know about switzerland since i am planning to be there.
Thanks! I’ll keep that in mind and have already subcribed for more
You’re welcome. And of course, drop me a message anytime you need any questions answered. I love helping out people, especially since info about Switzerland tends to be a little bit vague and hard to find. It’s definitely great that one of you can speak German (I assume you speak German cos you’re from Germany, correct me if I’m mistaken)
Thanks for that offer! I might take you up on it next year when we are (hopefully) looking for new jobs and a new country
And yes, I speak German, so that will be helpful. It’s such a difficult language to learn though. Especially if you want to work in that language… Luckily, English is acceptable and welcome in more and more job environments.
In Zurich there’s a large community of Italians/Germans/English-speakers so you should have no problem with language! I myself have kinda given up on learning German or Swiss-German, because I realised I’d never be able to learn it fast enough. But for me it’s ok, as my partner and I do not plan on staying here in Switzerland all our lives
. We’d also like to move sometime next year. Good luck with everything! Great blog btw 
Thank you
I just started it and am pretty new to this. I saw that you are hoping for something in Australia to work out. I’ve never been, but it’s on my list of “to be visited some day” 
Good luck!!
Hi all,
My name is Melanie. I’m 21 years old, and currently reside in New Zealand. I was born in Switzerland, but came to New Zealand when I was still a baby. On the 7th of September 2010 I’ll be coming to Switzerland for a 6week holiday. It is my hope to be able to find a job before I get there so as I can stay there. I am currently trying to learn a little bit of German, however am not sure how far I will get in the matter of weeks I have left before I leave.
It would be much appreciated if you could either supply me with some details of jobs that are available at the moment or point me in the right direction of finding one.
I will be applying for my Swiss passport etc, so working rights will not be a problem. I am willing to work in any area, whether it be sales, farming, cleaning, kitchen hand etc.
Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Melanie
Hi Melanie,
This is Denise, the author of this website. May I know what sort of work experience/qualifications you’ve got?
It is possible to find work in Switzerland, but if you’re planning on doing any form of customer service, I’d say it’s impossible to get a job without speaking Fluent German.
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could help us in finding an English trainer for Biel in Switzerland.
Hi Matthew,
Are you looking for a private instructor for yourself? I am an English teacher, but unfortunately I live in Zurich, and I know no teachers from your part of Switzerland.
Hi tigris… I live in dubai and planning to move to zurich. My partner is moving by the end of the year. He doesn’t have any problem of moving cauz already he has a job and he is german ( so no problem for him). But my situation is hard. I do speak english french and arabic but no german and i am a european citizen but i cannot find any job in my domain which is customer service. I need help and i am not sure where to start searching for a job. If u could guide me initially, i would appreciate it.
Hi Ziad,
The problem you have explained to me is something I have experienced personally, and I’m afraid I have to give you some bad news. I have been here for over a year and have only managed to get a job as an English teacher teaching very few hours. Why is this? Because customer service jobs, the kind which I’d be able to do, ALWAYS require German. Why? Companies work with both foreigners and locals, and they can find hundreds of native Swiss/German workers who speak English fluently. For this reason, for them it is not cost-effective to employ an English speaker who does not speak German.
Some work areas, like IT, Banking and finance, and other examples which you can find on http://www.jobs.ch, have opportinities for non-German speakers. But all in all, that is the rule – if there is any form of customer service involved, companies will need you to speak flawless German.
As I said before, I can say all this because I’ve gone through it myself. I have no IT or banking skills and I’ve been searching high and low for a permanent job for the past 12 months…but with no success.
Good luck with everything, and let me know if you find something.
Denise
Hi there!
I am so glad i came accross ur blog..hope you can help me..
I am from Namibia.. and thinking of moving to Bern in 2011..my boyfriend is Swiss and he is also very supportive.. a visa wont be a problem for me because if i move we will get married before hand.. but i cant speak much german and i dont hav a degree… only work experience… i am currently a sales manager for Elizabeth Arden and worked as a hairstylist for many years.. was wonder what the hell i am gona do in Bern for work!!! was thinking maybe i could study.. but what do i study if all the courses are in German!!??
Regards
Waleska
Hi Waleska,
Thanks for contacting me! So, let’s start from the basics. Finding a job in Switzerland if you don’t speak German is very difficult. I’m telling you this 1) because I have been living here for over a year, still can’t speak German and still don’t have a full time job and 2) I’ve come across tens of people like you and me posting on forums such as that one on http://www.englishforum.ch speaking about their problem of not being able to find a job.
First of all, the first problem I forsee is the fact that you will be moving to Bern, which is a very Swiss city. The most cosmopolitan city in the German part of Switzerland is Zurich, so your chances of finding something would increase much more if you live there. As I see it, you can do a few things to try and get a job. First check http://www.jobs.ch and see if there is any job there which does not require German and fits your experience. You might find that most jobs connected to sales will require you to speak German, and here is why. Since it is easy for companies to find Swiss who are bi, tri or even quadri lingual, it makes no sense for them to employ someone who can only speak English. If your ‘hypothetical’ job search yields nothing , PLEASE START LEARNING GERMAN NOW! I am telling you this if you really want to settle in Switzerland. Since you told me that you’re a hairstylist, you could also try and set up your own salon from home/go to people’s houses. Advertise yourself to the English-speaking expat community on English forums (for me the best is http://www.englishforum.ch) and build a reputation like this. In the meantime, if you really want to work in Sales, continue to study German in Switzerland. Check this forum post (http://www.englishforum.ch/jobs-wanted/100146-looking-job.html) for an idea of what other people are going through when looking for a job here.
I wish I could tell you that it is easy to find a job in Switzerland in your situation, but I’m being completely honest here and telling you that it’s not. So the key is definitely learning German. Once you can speak German fluently you’ll be able to do all sorts of jobs as well as study.
I really hope this is of help to you! I wish someone had told me how hard it would be, and that is why now I do my best to help those who are about to move to Switzerland.
What I’ve written here is the condensed version of a post I will be publishing soon on my blog. If you want to read the entire post without waiting, sending me your email through the ‘contact’ page, and I’ll send you the entire article with more detail.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you!
Good luck with everything and let me know how it goes.
Hi
I am lebanese man working in Dubai speaking very good english and arabic is my native language, My girl friend is froms switzerland and she is asking me to come and work and live in swtizlerand , Will i be able to find a job in Zurich area ?
Thank you in advance
Regards
Samer
Hi Samer,
Can you refer to the answer I gave to Waleska (here on the same page)? She asked me a similar question so the answer I wrote her should apply to you too.
Let me know if you have further questions.
Den Den.
Hi Ms. Denise,
I’m reading your blog since a week now, I just want to ask your opinion. I have Aunties who are living now in Zug, Geneva and Bern for quiet sometime. They are living on their own houses, and they asked me if I want to come over. I’m NON-EU and I’m working now here in Abu Dhabi (UAE). I’m not sure if it’s worth to try for a better opportunity there. Me and my husband are planning to visit around next year (maybe last quarter of 2012), so we still have time to prepare. I’m also planning to learn/study Swiss German so at least we have advantage over some NON-EU who are also looking for a job. Also, I’m starting to bookmark all job vacancies posted online..My aunt told us not to worry about accommodation since we can stay to their home. What would you suggest? Go or Not?
Hi there,
I cannot give you a definite answer to your question, but I can give you some advice. Would you be able to get a work and residence permit through your aunties? That’s the first question. If you can’t, then I believe it would be very difficult for you to find someone to sponsor you. Secondly, in order to work, you would have to have a very high level of German (not Swiss German, which is more the conversational language, unless you go to Geneva, where you’ll need French) If you’re happy doing simple service jobs, then an intermediate knowledge of the language would be ok, but for better paid and better quality jobs your German or French needs to be advanced. To sum up, in order to be able to work here in Switzerland you need to be able to obtain a work and residence permit and to speak the local language at a high level.
Hope this helps,
Denise
Thanks for the advice.
I’ll enroll to Goethe Institut some time this year. Regarding visa, we will apply for visit visa only,then try our luck to look for a job. But as a starter, jobs in hotel, resto or coffee shops will do. :s
You’re welcome.
Just remember that the problem with visa is that Swiss employers cannot sponsor someone from non-EU countries unless they can show that that job cannot be done by Swiss or non EU members, so I forsee a problem in getting a job in the areas you mentioned. This could be a problem, so be sure to research all possibilities.
Thanks for commenting.
Denise
Hello Denise,i am now reading all that you have wrote here,i have few questions,i hope you can help me,its exactly about job finding,my email is doktor_mihajlovic86@yahoo.com,please send me email,so we can comunicate.thanks a lot.
Hi there, please use the contact form on this page if you wish to ask me any questions. I’ll do my best to help.
Hi Denise,
I wanted to see your opinion on getting a job for a Non-EU. I was looking for something in the financing/banking industry. I have a bachelor’s in accounting and a financial management diploma. Also about 5 years work experience in the financial services industry.
I know the whole rule about proving they couldn’t find someone else for the job. Overall do you think I have a chance or?
Thanks in advance!
Hi there,
That’s impossible for me to say, I’m sorry. I am not in that business nor am I a recruiter. What I have provided here are simply my observations. Start by trying to get a job in your country with a company that has a base in Switzerland and then work on getting a transfer. That’s one of the ways many non-EU do it.
Denise
Hi, My Name is Manjar David Shakya from Nepal. In this life circle i must have a job in zurich.Its my personal problem that i have to go and find out job there.I am not well educated, but my problem, i must have to be there.I don’t know how to do and what to do. plz someone help me and give me right way.I’ll be pleasure.
Hi Manjar,
Unfortunately, I am just a blog writer, and I can’t really help you…good luck with everything.
Thanks a lot. this is a very informative blog.
babatunde
Hi Denise,
Firstly, Thank u very much for starting this Blog, I am sure this has helped many people.
I am a Non-EU in love with a Swiss Girl working for the same company (Swiss Air). We have been having a Long distance for more than a year and We have now decided to Tie a knot. I guess thats the only option if we want to stay together.
I realize that I would have to learn German and for that I have already started taking German Lessons (I’m in B1 now). In future, I would also like to learn another language.
What do you think, French or Italian which one would be helpful ? (for my career in tourism & hospitality industry)
I really love the Italian language and their culture.
Thank you for your help in advance
Regards
Hi,
I am really glad that you found this post helpful.
Without any doubt, if you are going to live in the german-part of Switzerland, French will be much more useful than Italian. In fact, most jobs in that industry will ask for a minimum of French, German and English.
Hope this helps!
Denise
good afternoon
I really liked this site and thank the support given.
I speak Spanish, Portuguese, English and some German.
do any type of computer work and any other logistics services
best regards
hellow denise..my name is ravi and i am from india and i fall inlove with a switzerland girl and she want me to come there and live with her but the problem is i am not educated..
So if i go there it would be hard to find a job like u were saying to othere people in swtizerland.
I have experience working in my own shop as saler and manager and i would like to ask u do u think i have a chance to find a job…???to stay with her
help me out.
From ravi
Hi Ravi,
I cannot answer your question, as I can’t give you more information than what you have already read in this article
is there any company are hiring workers from abraod im asian from the philippines?! what are the usaul requirements of those companies?! i am willing to work as a hotel assistence, factory worker or in coffee shop as well, so please help me thanks
Hi,
Unfortunately, all I have written in the article is all I know.
Dear Denise, This is good information. God Bless you.
I live in Zug and have been job hunting for quite awhile. I just finished A2 German, but they want that B2 for any office or assistant job. Someone suggested that I look into English teaching. I looked at the price for the CELTA course and about died. The whole reason I need a job is because I am broke!
Hi Brittany,
Hope you are well. Yep, that’s pretty much why I never did my CELTA in Switzerland. What I ended up doing was doing my CELTA in Vietnam after I left Switzerland, and it ended up costing me way less than if I had done it in Zurich, even when I took into consideration my hotel and living expenses. Maybe that would be an adventure for you if you went on holiday for a month and did your CELTA in a place like Thailand and Vietnam.
Hi,
do you know where i could find a decent paid nanny job in zurich? i have a couple of years experience but all i can find are au pair jobs that pay really low
Thank you
Hi Brooke,
It depends. Do you have a valid working visa to work in Switzerland?
Hi,
I have just moved to baar without speaking the language. I am taking
a German class, but it is still very hard.
I am a bartender by trade. And I was employed in the Entertainment business for 20 years. So I thought I would try the
British pubs to look for employment. I would also try any other type of labor employment.. At this point, I am not picky!!!!
I am also a Swiss Citizen, but have never
lived here before.
Any Suggestions
Hi Denise,
I’ve been in Switzerland for several months now and also have a supportive Swiss partner, but have not been able to find anything on my own. I’ve just moved from a smaller Swiss city to Zurich and am wondering what your thoughts are on going to employment agencies? Is this a viable option and have you ever tried this? I have a degree in Business Administration from a top university in the U.S., but only have internship experience as a recent graduate. Thanks in advance! -Andrea
Hi Andrea,
I personally didn’t have good experiences with agencies, as whenever I went to local ones, they told me they couldn’t do anything for me because I didn’t speak German. Check out the employment section of englishforum.ch. There are some good posts over there with some online agencies which were of help to some people on the forum. There’s also one where everyone shared their stories about how they had found a job. I personally never managed to find a full time job, so I can’t share my sucess story with you
I hope this helps.
Denise
Hi Denise,
Thanks for your reply! I just read your about me section and so wait, are you in australia right now? and still helping out people asking questions about finding jobs in switzerland? That’s very cool. Did you also go to Kelly Services? I’ve been told to go there, but am still reluctant. The past 6 months have been difficult where I keep asking myself was it worth it to give up my life in Los Angeles to come here, but I came here b/c I love my now husband very much. I also that it was really interesting you liked South Korea a lot. My mother is South Korean, but I have never been there myself, though I am curious.
-Andrea
Hi Andrea,
Yep..I am in Australia now, and I left because I ws just unhappy in Switzerland. That’s only my story though, and there are plenty of very happy expats in Switzerland. I also love my partner very much and that’s why I moved to Switzerland in the first place, but there was just no point in being miserable there (though I gave it a good long try – 2 and a half years!), and then my partner followed me somewhere else (Australia) where I can be happy, and he can find his own happiness outside of Switzerland.
Hi Denise,
I found your blog very helpful and would like to ask you a question or two. I am moving to Basel in September / October 2012, so I can stay close to close friends and family. I do not speak German, Italian or French but I have an EU passport and I have started learning German. I am in my thirties and have recently completed a UK law degree but, I have little or no work experience within the legal sector. I am mainly experienced in private security as I worked in this sector throughout the time I was studying. While I love to pursue a professional career especially within the legal sector), I am quite happy to do any job at all (be it factory, warehouse, guarding etc) until I find my feet. Do you think that I will struggle in finding any time of job.
Thank you in advance.
Gab
Hi Gab…as you can guess from the contents of my articles…yes you will struggle. In fact, it will be very difficult. I just want you to brace yourself for the worse. People in this country don’t have luck finding casual work unless they have at least intermediate German/Italian/French, and even then it’s a struggle, as there are plenty of locals who they can employ and not have any issues with language.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Denise
Hi,
I too am a recent arrival from the states. I am actually a Swiss citizen
Because my parents were Swiss. But I have no German either.
I am in an intensive course, but it is a struggle. I am in my late
4o’s and wanted to try something new.
I am not giving up!
Somewhere there is a job for me! I have a diversified background
and I will not let my very limited German stop me.
(I am trying to be positive here!) lol
Hi Gab,
Never give up, but I can only be honest about my experiences. Many expats are successful in Switzerland, usually as follows:
-They have excellent German and can do any job they qualify for.
-Don’t speak German but have something to offer to English expats and they monetise this – for example, English-speaking hairdressers marketing to expats, a cleaning company for expats etc…
-Have a very specific skill and find a job in Switzerland from overseas (there are for example lots of expats working for google in Zurich, and therefore come to Switzerland with a job.
Hi,
It’s so nice that you help so many people, I like the blog.
I need some information too about working in Switzerland. I have some friends living in Biel and I would like to find a job close by. Is not easy without speaking german, but I am on it.
Do you think you could help me with some companies which use foreign woman factory workers (manufacturing, warehouse)? Without the language it’s a start.
Thanks a lot.
Hi Eve,
As I keep saying…all jobs need German, so there aren’t jobs for foreign people who don’t speak German unless there is absolutely no Swiss (or German) who can do them. And there usually is. If there had been such jobs I would have done them instead of complaining that I couldn’t get a full time job
Put up an ad and flyers for english lessons. That’s what I did and now
I have more students than I can handle.
Hi Gary,
That was never a very stable source of income for me. I got a lot of students who said they wanted to have lessons for a certain period of time and dropped out after a couple of weeks, and others who kept cancelling lessons whenever they didn’t feel like it.
As a freelancer, I was just never taken as seriously as I was as a teacher in a language school. Plus, even as a freelance the time issue remains…many people can only have lessons early in the morning or in the evening, or are students and want lessons and very very low rates.
Hi, im a south african that has been working part time in a hotel for 2 years while iv been compleating my high school education. I have learnd some very basic german and i am determand 2 become fluent. In november i wil get my high school diploma and am curently doing trainig at work (service and bar) im curently a barman bt have experence as a waiter nd have been in functions, confrencing and the restrant. I want 2 work in switzerland next year. I have a swiss girlfrend and have been there 2ce. Her family is wiling to help me. Id be wiling to b the help in her house if that is posible. What advice could you give me? Thank you …nicholas crouse
Hi Nicholas,
Many of your questions have been answered in previous comments…have a look.
Hi, great post, I arrived to Switzerland 3 months ago, I started working ona temporary contract in a company, my native language is Spanish, so I created a forum with the purpose of join all Spanish speakers so we can learn and exchange information and experiences. There are already published a lot of websites where to search for a job and a lot of great tips. What I would suggest to anyone coming to Switzerland, is to learn the language, I am on the German region too and so I am learning it in the Migro Klubschule. Locals will really appreciate your efforts of learning the language and you can add on your CV that you are learning it, Even if it on a starting level.
Hi Denise,
I am from Singapore and my boyfriend who is a swiss wants me to move to Zurich. We have been in long distance relationship for quite some time and I really miss him and like to spend the days with him. But the problem is I want to at least have a job over there. No matter that is a temp or just able to work few hours a day I am fine, so long as there is income. I have a bachelor degree in marketing and hospitality management, and also a diploma in IT. I think since I do not know how to speak german, I dont think I can enter into marketing jobs. I also have a year experience in social media marketing and before this job I am in banking for 3 years.
The question is can I still work in banking in zurich since i have the experience but no degree or diploma in banking? Or should I focus on IT sector? But for IT I do not have much experience. When applying jobs, are the employers in zurich okay to interview through video skype or phone? Or should I plan a date to go there for interview? Before going over there, what are the permits I should have and where should I acquire those permit?
Hi Denise,
I am from India and have considerable experience in providing support assistance (Executive Assistant / Executive Secretary) to the Top Management in a few Companies in India. I am also unable to speak a word of German, but want to work in Switzerland. Is there any positive possibility of doing so?
Your thoughts please.
Hi Muralidhar,
I have explained everything in the post you’ve commented on. The answer is there and you seem to be looking for a different one.
Hi,
i find your blog very interesting,i am italian and i am planning to move to the basel area.I can speak german fluently and i am good at french,do you think i have any chances to get a job? any type of job.
i have seen a lot of job ads where swiss german was required and it scarred me..
Hi Ross,
There are lots of Germans working in Switzerland. If you’re after ‘any’ kind of job, you’ll be fine.
Hi, I’m Ken. I’m living in Switzerland and been living here for 7 yrs and still going. I speak english and german. I was born in Japan, lived 2 or 3 yrs. and lived in USA for 15 yrs. And other yrs, been traveling alot with my parents and sister when I was a kid. I’ve been searching for job as Transporting Kat. B/BE. I have no job for 2 yrs and I’ve been looking and looking. Is there some1 that can help me finding a transport job.
Hi Denise,
Thank you for the helpful post
The company that I’m currently working for, proposed me a job in Zurich, so far they didn’t make the offer. I’m moving with my wife but she doesn’t know german…so it means that only one income(maybe after some time she will be lucky and find a job). But till then what will be a reasonably salary, to live both of us? Please advice…I don’t want to end up by being sorry that we accepted this offer…I’m looking for normal/standard life, not a luxurious one
Thank you in adavance, John