Hey There -

Next week I'm being flown to Geneva for an interview with an international NGO. They're paying plane fare and all expenses and have set up a 2.5 hour meeting between myself and the relocation department - so I think I have a good shot at the position (although nothing is written in stone).

I'm in Communications/PR - but my position is specialized.

I've been told the salary is in the range of 80,000CHF. I'm not sure if "in the range of 80,000CHF" means that's what it pays - no more - no less - or is negotiable (the person I'm doing the majority of correspondence with speaks broken English).

Just in case it's not negotiable - is that a reasonable wage to live off of?

I am married and still need to find out if my husband would qualify for a work permit.

Thanks!

I'd say it's a little low for a specialized position.
You can live of it with 2 ppl, but there won't be much left at the end of the month, if you desire a nice apartment, decent food, car and daytrips (skiing for example). Also, you'd have to pay insurance for 2 ppl, and you'd also want to put some money into a savings account - I really think that's essential in Switzerland.

Let's put it this way: I have no problems spending 80.000 CHF/year all by myself

Good luck!

Don't know what 'specialized' for Comms/PR pays but 80k would be minimum for two. Apartment hunting in Geneva can be frustrating and you'll find anything decent costs an arm and a leg. You may need to depend on husband getting that work permit!

Geneva is quite expensive. Living costs are high and the situation of availability for decent appartments in payable ranges is -simply said- c'est une catastophe!

I don't know what the wages in your field are, but unless it's a UN organisation where you wouldn't have to pay taxes, the salery is not much to provide enough for two people in a longer run, unless you restrict yourself a lot.

You will be most probably be source taxed, which is about 15 - 20% straight away from your salery, if I remember right. For a decent 2-3 room (Bedrooms+living room in CH!) appartment you will have to calculate CHF 2200..3000 per month near the city.

If you take 20% off the salery for taxes, devide by twelve and then you have what you have left to pay per month:

• appartment: CHF 2300.- for a 2 rooms appartment (=1 bedroom + 1 living room) without car parking
• CHF 900.- (450 x 2) health insurance (it's expensive in Geneva)
• CHF ??? bus/tram tickets
• CHF ??? clothes
• CHF ??? food

That would be the fixed costs per month. Somebody who lives in Geneva might know the costs better. I've written what I know from my relatives who live there

But Geneva might be a good jump board to find something else...

I'm afraid you might be scaring her off a little bit with the health insurance. In Comparis you can check that for 2x28 year old people, with a CHF2500 deductible (the most reasonable option for normal, healthy folks) you're expected to pay CHF ~270 per person. That includes accident coverage for the non-working person.

Regarding housing Gooner has posted a looooong list of househunting websites and resources. There you can see that you should be able to get some decent places in and around Geneve for less than CHF2300 too. For a quick glance you can check comparis.ch, that would allow you to do a "disaster check". I would have to agree with Syshack though...rent is expensive, and paying more will get you a much better place. But don't dispair.

Finally, regarding food for 2: expect to spend some CHF1000/month if you like fine food. If you're not into Bio stuff, and willing to buy some Migros own label and are thrifty with your cheese, wine and deserts...you could expect to cut that to CHF700 or so.

This still leaves you with ~1500/2000 francs to cover electricity, telephone, internet, entertainment in general, clothing and so on. I would say it sounds a bit tight, but if don't plan on getting a car (or a small one that costs little to maintain+taxes+insurance), no kids and not too much travelling...you could get by.

My family and I (wife, 6 year-old and 3 year-old) get by on ~100K/yr plus bonus (generous one, which we gladly spend in travelling and other not-so-small pleasures) with no major trouble, so you can see that those extra 20k a year make a big difference. Maybe some benefits on the side could compensate for the average to rather low salary: car, partial housing, yearly performance bonus ?

I know of someone who was a departmental manager's assistant at one of the pharma concerns in Basel who got roughly that.

It's liveable but you will need to have a tight control on the purse strings. You can forget things like exotic holidays and a fancy car.

Cheers,
Nick

Don't forget the NGOs pay less than the corporate world. 80K seems about right to me. Of course, it's pretty good if you are not taxed.

you can get a decent 2 room for CHF 1400 to 1800

If you are a couple you want at least 3 rooms - you need to escape from each other now and again.

Cheers,
Nick

hello all,

I would like to know wht is the fair amount of the salary paid by a 4 star hotel for front desk office (reception)???
No previous experience in hotel but 9 years exp in customer service field

Thanks a lot
newinhere