Hi all,

Thought of asking for your opinion, maybe you know more than me how it is best to deal with this situ here. I am working in Vaud but moving closer to Zurich this summer...for this reason, I am looking for jobs there either in the education sector or as a personal assistant in a company. The biggest problems I am encountering are the language (I dont speak German well enough and it seems that most companies require at least German working knowledge apart from English) and that I do not have a lot of experience as an assistant (although I did work as a team leader an other in the business sector before I came to Switz). A friend suggested that I do a personal assistant diploma. What do you guys think about it? And if it is worth doing, do you know of any short course maybe at Migros or something? (In english of course

Thank you all

Sell your French and English to a prospective employer. Even though the Swiss Germans are quite skilled linguistically, they do appreciate a native speaker.

As for the Personal Assistant diploma, why not ? But if you've already had experience as a Team Leader, you might find that your already very qualified. Migros School is quite good.

Good Luck !!

I did a PA diploma in the UK many years ago. On the one hand, much of what was covered is stuff you'd likely know - computer packages, touch typing, shorthand, audio typing, filing, diary management, telephone 'manners', etc. On the other hand, the course shows commitment to following something through, you will have a 'piece of paper' which could give you an edge over other candidates, you will build up some contacts through the course.

It's one of those where only you can decide. If you can afford the time and money and consider it would be of benefit, why not give it a go? Might it be possible to do a course in business German or even just German alongside the PA diploma? I'd do a pros and cons list, get bogged down in the 'what ifs' and waste months on the decision bit but I'm sure you'll know which choice is best for you.

Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

Thanks guys

I will ask at Migros to see if they have such a course. Unfortunately, even though I work in Vaud, I don't speak French as I work with English as a main language. I am attending to a German course in Migros but I feel that I am progressing so slow cos I dont really get to practice with anyone in this region. maybe it will be faster once I relocate

I think that if I find a short course, I wil do it as it is as you say, having in on paper helps

Thanks all

Well good luck, you'll see, you'll be fine. Have been there and done that (though not in the same profession). I left Suisse Romande for the Swiss German cantons with a linguistic bagage but no Swiss German at the time. I found an interesting employment and assisted many members of the company in English. Have fun, Zurich is great !

Hi, I would also check out all the job search sites (see other links here for a list) to get an idea of what is on offer and to also get an idea of what kind of qualifications/experience/skills might be required.

From my searches, I've seen that the majority of jobs in personnel require more than one language, even if the main language will be English. Of course, that doesn't mean that some won't but it does give you an idea of what you're up against. I've also noticed that the number of jobs advertised wanting English speakers has gone down in the last few months, not surprisingly.

But there is a whole world out there of jobs that aren't advertised, too, so I would lean on all your contact where you currently are to see if they have any contacts in this neck of the woods.

As for study, I agree that there's no harm in doing something, but make sure, if you do find a course, that it's something that you'd be interested in. You might be better off aiming a bit higher and doing a course in something else, that, even if it takes longer, is of more interest and has more potential for later on. Being able to say that you are in the process of doing a more indepth course could be just as good as saying you've completed a much smaller course.

Good luck!

Kate

Do I understand correct that by "personal assistant" you mean HR Assistant?

If so there is a course with a certification for that which is wide accepted for entry into the HR business.

http://www.hrpruefungen.ch/kv/juice?pageID=37338

This is a necessary certification to go on for the "Berufsprüfung" in HR Management. We as Lern-Center awewa are also listed with our preparation course on this internet site.

But the test will be in German or France.

I think Migros do offer a preparation course also for this. We at awewa do also offer a preparation course for it. We could also look that it is a combination for language course and preparation course. Means German with English support. If we find interested students for such a course