Good day everyone,

I have looked through the various posts on the topic and would like your opinion on this package offered for a sales position in Zurich.

Responsibilities mannage the sales of a startup internet company based in Zurich.

Base salary 150K CHF + various benefits, train tickets, insurance, plus an additional 10K in allowances for mobile phone usage and sandwiches :O).

On top a commission structure based on revenue. This is a new business intitial revenue grown will be slow for the first months but due to the unique nature of the service/product offered is expected to increase very fast.

OTE earning are expected for year 1 to be around 200K - 250K CHF

1. Is this a competitive package for Zurich?
1a. It does not include a company car is this normal in CH?
2. How much does a nice furnished appt. cost? I have looked at the various website and was a little shocked :O( roughly 2500 CHF+
3. off topic: what is a nice gym and where is a 50m pool in Zurich

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

TFD

It's crap. Ask for more. This is Switzerland after all.

I find your sandwich allowance and Gym requests incompatible.

Ignore him, his pride hurts this morning......

Welcome to the forum.

Considering you'll be earning more than 90% of the forum members, be prepared for a lot of criticism.

And please use the search function to find typical living costs in Switzerland.

Nice first post. Thanks for contributing to this forum in such a constructive way. I hope we can all learn something from the excellent information you've shared with us.

The real question is how did anyone ever negotiate a salary package before the internet?

Here's Zurich's open-air pool (it's much longer than 50m though)

Your package is quite large. You may need to invest in some new underwear into which to put it.

Thanks for sharing.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to Switzerland. Here are a few posts to get you started.

Is your offer competitive? Read this post: FAQ: A brief guide to salaries in Switzerland

What does it cost to live in Switzerland? Read this post: FAQ: Is CHF100'000 a good salary?

To answer your questions specifically:

1. Yes, it's a competitive salary, particularly if your incentive pay is realistically achievable.
2. Company cars are not normally provided unless you need them to do your job. It sounds as if they're giving you a General Abonnement, so you're expected to use the train to visit customers/contacts.
3. For gyms, try these threads:

Gyms in Zurich
Gyms in Zurich

And the pool:

Reopening of Zurich City indoor swimming pool?

You'll also find a search button at the top right-hand corner of the page. Most questions have been asked on here before -- that's the best starting point for your research.

Well, I've learned that he's earning enough that the first round of drinks is on him when he arrives in Switzerland.

I find the flouting of your salary to be common and offensive. A peasant family of four would live happily on CHF 4'000 here.

Are you married? Any chance you want to marry me, without a prenup? I promise I won't divorce you and take half your money

Your base package is in the range of a skilled, experienced and in-demand IT pro (probably leading a small team) in a well paying company.
No idea for your ranks, Sir - so thanks for sharing some insight :-)

"Start-up internet company."

Forget about researching the whereabouts of olympic size pools or the cost of sandwiches.

Check out out the company's balance sheet and projected cash burn. That will tell you how long they can afford to pay you 250k/yr... probably not very long I suspect.

However, good luck

Hello veryone,

First of all thank you for the swift replies. I like the Zurichersee as a 50m pool idea. I was recently in Zurich and suggest to wait for a swim until spring time.

As with regard to some of the more immature mails with regards to the contents of the offered package....

“The envious man thinks that if his neighbor breaks a leg, he will be able to walk better himself”

But seriously I have searched the forum, found the various calculators and thank you for sharing the average income of a Swiss peasant family of 4000 CHF does that include the cheap milk and cheese benefits they enjoy? Not forgetting the daily Alphorn concert in the Alps. Holy Emmerthaler I like the sound of that!

I like to enjoy a good life style. I do not want to get trapped by a potential high income and spend 80% on living expenses. I know in Zurich a lot of people earn a lot more and saw that a haircut costs 70 CHF! It made my re evaluate the other living expenses.

Thank you in advance for your answers. And yes I am happy to buy a round of drinks if I decide to accept the offer.

and just to get the fire going :O)

“In life there are no winners, only assholes with Swiss Bank Accounts.”

TFD

PS: Have not got that bank account yet.

So is that a no to my proposal then
Ah, well, we'll see you for drinks soon.

I have to evaluate your proposal :O) What do you bring to the table?

If you are projected to earn 200 to 250k a year then rent of 2500 is a drop in the ocean surely? many people pay that for rent here without that salary

You may think the responses are immature and you say you have searched but clearly you haven't searched as this is what comes up when I type in salary

http://www.englishforum.ch/search2.php?q=salary

Many of these responses discuss cost of living (and if you had searched you'd also have seen many caustic responses to their questions as you have received for yours)

With your projected salary I believe you will have a better standard of living than many people on this forum and many locals

The company is financially sound. The business is very well funded for the next 36 - 48 months. Backed by a bigger organisation completely privately financed. I have no worries there.

As most of you live in Zurich I really want to know your insights and certainly what is a good salary? I know the statistics... If I decide to start this new business venture I want to be well informed.

What is happing on the sporty side of things besides skiing and winter sports. is anybody a member of a sailing club in Zurich? any recommendations?

As a sporty individual fitness is a very important part of my business and private life. I do not like being a couch potato.

Money is one thing but good sporting facilities like in most German cities are key to my decision to move to Zurich as money only get you so far and nothing beats a good morning swim or run.

In all honesty, FDM, your salary is very high, as others have clearly stated. Continuing on within the employment forum about other subjects like sailing clubs will likely get you a virtual flogging.

If you type "sailing" into the search bar at the top right, you will get more than 40 resulting threads with details regarding sailing.

I am not trying to be critical, just trying to steer you toward a good start on this forum, with no negative rep or groans.

Good luck as you evaluate your options.