Hi all,

Recently I married a French girl who moved to London for me but really doesn't enjoy being in such a big city away from a quieter and cleaner environment etc. Unfortunately, getting work where she is from is not an option, so we're considering Geneva (this is because of my wife being French and my French is a lot better than my German).

The very first thing of course is whether or not we'll be able to find work. I've done a lot of reading on this forum, but haven't seen my particular question answered, so please bear with me:

I relocated to the UK from South Africa with my family immediately after finishing my A-level equivalent in SA. When I arrived in the UK I was told that I would have to pay extortionate university fees as I was classed as an overseas student (c£15 000 pa). That simply wasn't an option so I went straight into work in IT. By the time I had completed my 3yr residency in order to pay the same fees as UK citizens, I was well-established in my job and decided not to go to uni after all. At the moment I'm in London, working as the Change and Problem Manager in an IT environment which is following ITIL principles; this is for a global media agency. I now have 8yrs experience in IT and have managed to work my way up to a fairly senior position without ever needing a degree.

However, now that we're contemplating a move to the Geneva region, I get the impression that Swiss employers place a far higher emphasis on a university degree than they do here in London. IT job ads in London will ask for a degree or equivalent experience and even if they ask for a degree I've found that they're willing to consider a candidate without one who can demonstrate experience and success in previous roles. The majority of the ads I've seen in my search so far (admittedly only over the last month or 2) insist on having a degree. So my question is, in your experience in IT, do employers in Suisse Romande insist on a degree purely because of the piece of paper or will they give you a chance without one?

Many thanks in advance to all those who are so active on this forum; it's much appreciated....

Cheers,
Graeme

I don't know about employers but back when I got my first B permit, a University Degree was mandatory to get it (I had to furnish the authorities with proof).

Nowadays, if you are from the EC you can get a B permit without one. I don't know about non-EC spouses of an EC person though. It may be that you'll need one if you want to get a B permit.


(I can say that every Swiss I worked with in Switzerland DIDN'T have a degree, whereas in the UK I would have expected them to have had one to be in those positions.)

Thanks Gav. I am a British citizen now, married to an EU (French) national, so I imagine that neither of us should need a degree to get a permit?

Hi,
Gav are you saying it was mandatory for the permit to have a degree. I had a permit B- quite a few years ago and altho I do have a degree none of my colleagues who came from the UK had one. altho` they did all have Nursing diplomas.

Jo
Ps I would have had a hard job producing it anyway as the dog had eaten it. My husband always said a degree in geography wasn`t worth the paper it was written on anyway!

I had all kinds of issues in the 90s with me not having a degree. Well, only permit-wise....employers who look at what I've done and speak to me know I know my stuff.

Alas now the problem is gone as I am doing a masters. OMG, he shouts out loud....why-oh-why...!???

It's fun, actually.

Hi,
I was there in the 80` and we had no probs, but must`ve been cos of our nursing qualifications and they were pretty desperate then, with major recruitment campaigns to attract foreign nurses.
jo

As posted above it used to be that a degree was required to get a permit, however that is no longer the case,
and to give you hope, I don't have a degree and have just been offered a high level position in Lausanne, and I don't even speak French

If you have good experience particularly in a international environment then you shouldm't have too many problems finding work,

You could also contact http://www.darwinrecruitment.com/ before you move over, they do quite a bit in Switzerland and would be able to give you an idea of your prospects. My contact there is a guy called Richard Jackson.

PM me if you need anything else.

Nope, no need for one now that the bilateral agreements are in place with the EU.

It used to be mandatory for the B permit but now, if you are from the EU you can get a B permit without one.

AFAIK it's still mandatory if you're not from the EU. Maybe they'll accept other third-level qualifications too.

Thanks to everyone who's responded. It's a relief to find out that the legal side of things is ok, and I just hope I'm fortunate enough to find an employer with a more liberal view on the necessity of a degree....

Cheers,
Graeme

I know people who work in IT (both foreign & domestic) in a large internationl company in Lausanne & none of them have a University degree. I think if you have good skills you will not have a problem.

I'm working towards a degree. understanding certain terms. What is AFIAK? put me out of me miserie cos me imagination is running riot

As far as I know, it stands for As Far As I Know.

So, what was your imagination coming up with then? Sounds more interesting IMHO.

Some old fashioned recruiters - and there are still many knocking around - can't read. I mean it: they can see the black squiggly things across the page, but don't understand what it means. Getting someone who can read is a godsend: they'll be able to look through your CV and understand your potential. Getting this far is something, in my experience.

Frankly, Bachelors degrees are becoming more and more irrelevent. Seeing as you have sound experience and knowledge in your industry, that should scream out to the recruiters that you're valuable. Emphasise your experiences: 'this is what I can do!' Perhaps ask the recruiter directly if they have objections to candidates without a Degree. Their answer should tell you a lot about how professional they are. Good luck!