Hello all,

Each day is a torture for me...i hate what i am doing, and how things are in my place of work. The only reason why I am still here is because I do not have other job. I guess that If I leave I will not get unemployed benefit (5months working in Switzerland) but what if they fire me?? Has anybody idea of a god job for an Spanish girl with a phd (and very bad german...)?

It is very hard to be unemployed (i was last year) but is even harder to be in a place you hate for so many hours a day...

The only advice from me, which it might sound painful, is to stick to the current job up until you'll find the new one and only then change on condition that you signed the contract. Under no circumstances resign without so called plan "B" at hand, unless they let you go which will be a subject to claim unemployment benefits.

it would depend on what your phd is in as to which job it is suitable for but i think you'll find it hard to get much more than a lesser paid job like factory work if your german is really so bad i agree that you should stick it out until you find another job and have signed that dotted line

I also would suggest finding a new job first.

Go to jobs.ch and look for Chemical/Pharmacy companies on the search. There are 112 companies listed and start looking for a new job

http://www.jobs.ch/en/sucheFirmen.php

Also on the main page you will find open Job positions for Chemical and Pharmacy

I get the impression there is rampant job dissatisfaction in this day and age. There are lots of pressure with cost cutting, and it's very difficult to plan anything beyond 6 months. Or even 3 months, for that matter. So people aren't very optimistic and are stressed out.

The reason I mention this is that whatever alternate job you might end up with, if you even do in the short term, may have the same conditions as your current.

Just something for consideration.

I know it's really hard to be in a job with people that are really rotten...

But, in the meantime, do you have things that you enjoy outside of work?

Do you have any areas of you work that you do enjoy ?

Have you taken up any new hobbies, done a course at the weekend, even considered trying to find some volunteer work on the side, or maybe do some little projects, something to make life 'worth living' ?

Sometimes we can't change the people around us, but we can change how we *feel* about the people around us - it's easier said than done, that is for sure...but if you do move on, if it's anything like my *crap* jobs in the past, you might find you need some 'job therapy' to get over whatever it is that is happening right now.

I worked for a rotten boss for 6 months, and I promised myself I would never do that again...it took me about 2 years to get my confidence back, and to feel 'worthwhile' again...and that was also sort-of luck, I found fun things to do and they built up into a work-project that was bigger than I'd ever imagined I was able to do...

Hmmm...I don't know - but are you depressed ? - that can make a big difference to how you feel about things too...

I cannot add much more to what Swisspea said.... maybe i can say it louder but not clearer.

About 6 months ago, I would have advised you to jump out the boat and find a new job. Right now, and given the circumstances, I can only urge you to keep the job you already have and try to change your personal life. At the moment, the market is so bad that it would be jumping from the pan into the fire... I have been several times in between jobs, and there is nothing i can remember as being as bad as this period (and i survived the 1992 crisis in Spain... ). I understand more than you can imagine your feelings about being in a rotten job with an obnoxious boss, but at this point it would be probably be worthwhile to hang in there a little more until the financial crisis starts to be sorted out. Or at least until you are eligible for unemployment.

Please feel free to PM me at any time.....

In general I would always council against leaving a job if you don't have anything else to go to (another job, study, own start-up, etc), with the caveat that sometimes it is better to leave a job you really hate than the inevitable subconscious self-destruct syndrome, where you will get yourself fired and thus leave of far worse terms than would would have otherwise.

Having said this, with five months working at, presumably, 100%, you are not eligible for unemployment insurance in Switzerland - for this you need 12 months (I think over the last 24, but someone else will need to confirm this) and you will still not get it if you leave work voluntarily.

There are two exceptions (again someone else will need to confirm this) to the 12 month rule for eligibility for unemployment insurance; the first is if your company goes bust and the second is that you may carry over employment 'credit' from an EU country (to do this you will need to apply in the EU country, giving them your Swiss address, with an E301 form).

Nonetheless, getting a new job is the best option. Revise your CV, send it out on mass to both recruitment companies and firms in your sector and make phone calls. The Swiss employment marked is quite fluid in comparison to the rest to Europe (as it is easy to hire or fire) and unemployment is still ridiculously low by European standards, so you should be able to get something before long as long as you set yourself targets.

You all are so good!! Thank you for your understanding and pieces of advice.

I know I know, I have to find somethingelse before leaving...
At least, tell you how I feel make me relax a bit and relieve the pressure. Really, speaking about my problem make me feel better. Thank you!!

I will inform you if I get a new job.

Seyon

Good luck and know that the grass is not always greener on the other side but... yet the spring is coming (bringing a new grass)... and surely new opportunities might pan out

Hi Seyon,

You've had great advice here and I can't really add much just to say I know how awful it is to be in a job you hate. Every day feels like an eternity and then ironically, you come home and bore your partner/friends witless with endless stories about what happened during the day and the latest exploits of your idiot boss. Everyone suffers

If it makes you feel any better, a few years back I worked for a well known womens fashion magazine. If you've seen "The Devil Wears Prada" then you will have seen the type of work environment I WISH I had worked in. Meryl Streep looked like the boss of your dreams compared to the woman I actually worked for. She was vain, shallow and worst of all stupid (she would write proposals for staging events and would describe them as sheik rather than chic). The whole environment was so artificial and soul destroying that I signed up to sponsor a child in Africa just so I could live with myself working in that place. When I mentioned to my boss I'd received my sponsor child's details in the post she told me she had 9(!) sponsor children but that I "shouldn't expect any of them to say thank you and don't expect them to ever come visit you".

At least twice a day I would hunker down at my desk, call my husband and whisper urgently into the phone "I can't take it any more, I am resigning this instant". And bless him he would tell me to just do it. However, I knew it would be so much easier for me to find a new job to go to rather than have to make up excuses of why I only lasted 6 months at such a prestigious magazine.

I was actually offered a couple of other jobs and it would have gotten me out of there sooner but I could see that while they would have been somewhat better jobs, I still would not have been completely happy there. Eventually, I found a fantastic job with some amazing, inspiring people. Probably one of the best jobs I ever had and I only left it to come work overseas with my husband.

I can't tell you how satisfying it was to give my resignation to that awful woman. And the final, sweet victory was that she had never got around to giving me a proper contract so I didn't even have to give her a month's notice. I left within a week. This seriously messed with her planned trip to Paris for the shows as I was the only one who could run the office in her absence. It felt good to look her in the eye and say "You know, I would love to help you out but I just can't do it"

Hope things work out as well for you.

Mel

Hello I was in a very similar situation to you myself so I know how difficult to hang in there. For my job I was being criticised practically non stop...given poor or no instructions for tasks...cramped and noisy work environment. In short one of the worst jobs I had. Try to hang in there as long as possible. I was getting depressed and very irritable outside of work hours,so don't try to take the problems home with you. I had decided to quit and take my chances but ironically was given notice due to economic reasons before I could jump.

I am sure you have done this but weigh up how much the money is important to you, remember money you can always get...time cannot be replaced. Have you got any savings or enough to survive say 6 months with nothing coming in? Are you single with no dependants? If your answer is Yes to both then definitely quit. Life is too short to waste being ground down. Check your contract for notice period to terminate the contract. Work out a date to hand in your notice. Doing that can cheer you up. Bear in mind that giving your notice may create a bad atmosphere for your notice period.Try to figure if you can cope with that. Most of all try to remain professional at all times as employers, like everywhere, have a lot of power.

By the way even though you may not be entitled unemployment benefit you may be entitled to other financial help through the equivalent of social security.

Also really think about taking a break to sort out yourself, get over the bad job and start afresh. Whatever you choose to do good luck

Regarding the fluidity in jobs I think you are wrong. Just because Switzerland has a low unemployment rate doesn't mean it's fluid. I think a lot of people simple stick at their jobs much longer due to higher/better wages, fear of change and the fact the market is so un-fluid. I would say the market is stagnant compared to the UK.

Very good point about the unconscious self destruct thing.Mine started to come into the conscious

just my opinion/s.

Depends on your Permit too. If you have an "L" Permit, you can not get a Rappen. not even the minimum social security. If you have a "B" you can get benefits if you loose your job.

regarding work in other EU Countries Switzerland is equal to EU Countries, but there is an exception for switzerland only that runs until 31 may 2009.
Some EF members got benefits anyway, but I had no income at all for 3 months because my RAV knew of that exception

Have to go, will post a link to that law when i am back tonight.

Doc