I'm going for an interview soon with Pilatus in Stans and need some advice on salaries. They asked me in advance what my salary expectations were. I did a little bit of research but given that cost of living and salaries are much different than in the UK I didn't really know my market worth, I stated 80,000+ CHF subject to negotiations based on experience, qualifications and age. I'm going for an interview as an aeronautocal engineer (aircraft design, development, R&D). I have 10 years experience in this field, 2 masters degrees and an honours degree. I would be grateful if someone could tell me what would be an appropriate salary expectation to negotiate for. I don't want outprice myself. Equally I dont want to undersell myself. Any other things I should negotiate for would be helpful (insurance, schooling for kids etc) - what is possible and what isn't ? What would be a comfortable single salary to live off with a wife and two kids. Thanks.

Just as a comparison, mechanical engineers in a well known Swiss engineering group who join straight from university can earn about CHF 90'000 a year. I think you went in somewhat low, but I guess it also depends on the competition for jobs....

Have you done a search for threads on the forum? There are many such threads (believe me you are not the first to ask this question)...

Snoopy thanks. I sort of expected I had went in low afterl looking round the forum. Fortunately I've stated 80,000+ subject to negotiations So it would be intersting to hear from other post to get an average but if I aimed for 100,000 to 120,000 would that be excessive ?

80k with a wife and kids will be very low. Taking into account 10 years of expirience and some certifications you can ask 95-100k IMO ...

WIth your experience I think you would be right on the target, SNoopy do you agree? I am not very familiar with engineering

Depeding on the canton, you will realize that if you have family, the costs will increase quite a lot. Insurance, those dental treatments, and food, and so on. These are the basic things, which costs here quite a lot

without knowing the company based purely on your experience and industry I would say 120 + at least.

Project Managers earn easily that plus more with less experience.

Another company that might be of interest to you is Vibro-meter, in Fribourg.

With the OP's qualifications (and I assume that they are job-related and not in theology or the like ) and work experience I would think that between 110K and 120K would be around the right level. (Remark to OP: In Switzerland you get 13 salaries, so divide your annual salary by 13. You generally get a double salary in December. You would also be entitled to child benefits monthly for both children which could also be a few hundred monthly depending on the canton).

Thank you all ver much. Your advice has been very helpful and will assist in my negotiations

I think CHF 100,000+ for 10 years of relevant experience.
I never tried to take advantage of people who were not informed of the local rates. My main concern was not to overpay a new hire vis a vis my current staff. Fairness is the rule. Eventually people talk (after a beer) and they get demoralized if they hear about a new hire making much more than them. I would hope Pilatus is the same.

Have you checked out www.monster.ch? (Sorry, only German and French.) May be useful for comparisons, although yours is such a specialised field.

in many professional fields, 6-figure salaries are very common and I would be surprised if you could,'t get at least CHF 120k with your background, unless (as one poster mentioned) there's an oversupply of applicants.

I know of a UK company searching for people in CH (all regions -- not your field) and they've realised that they need to offer up to 50% more than they pay in the UK to attract good candidates.

i'd suggest that if you get stuck on the salary, try to load up the benefits to bring the package to a good total (or go for bonus).

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your time here!

I think from your experience and considering you have two kids and there are so many expenses to pay here which are not cheap you should ask minimum 100k+ ... some companies offer you 12, 13 and in the best cases 14 salaries plus extra bonus when you accomplish certain goals.... Good luck !

80K is way too low, well below market value (new grads in engineering make more). Settle for no less than 110K, shoot for 120K.

Hi!
I found weird those figures, unless if it means I have been "bad in negotiations".

I got offered a position of System Engineer for 83 000chf... I expected 90-95 minimum and I wanted 100 000chf.

Apparently, from the main HR manager of that big big company said they can not go more for this role!

I have international degree, honors degree, master degree and 3 years Experience in IT and Oil and Gas with big companies, and I speak 3 languages.

I told them clearly I expected/wanted more, and I felt under valuated but they did not move much!

At the end I don't know if the market values given here are rights, or if it's just me being undervaluated!

At the end of the day it is all about market forces and what the company has to pay to get what they need. Smaller companies tend to react much more to changes in the economy, larger companies tend to have pay grids which HR uses to determine salaries based on experience, education, etc. These ensure some consistency across the board which is important in a large organisation.

The figures I gave were based on what I know and relate to the industry that I am familiar with. Other industries may vary. I gave concrete examples of salaries for a particular position for school leavers (uni that is). It is doubtful that these figures apply everywhere. The market dictates....

120k +/- 10

You really should be aiming for 120k.

The whole question intrigued me a bit so I looked for some indications from "official" sources. I found the Swiss Unions website and they have a salary calculator on there which takes into account education, job, age, seniority, etc.
As best I could I put in the parameters of the OP (guessed the age ) and came up with a range between CHF 8200 to 9290 a month, based on information from 13 different companies in the area. So, that would put the salary at between 107 to 120K. So, all in all, we have been pretty accurate.

It's interesting to note that the calculator distinguishes between geographic areas and that Stans in NW is one of the lowest areas. In Zurich the range would be between CHF 9630 to CHF 11570...a considerable difference.

The website for anyone who is interested is:

http://www.lohnrechner.ch/usage/branche.php?l=D

Salary level: Could be related to your age, or could be related to the particular industry of that company.

The 120K plus/minus is accurate in normal times. Problem is now is not normal times. They probably have a stack of applicants they could fall back on if you ask for more. Too bad you aren't in this situation a year from now. It is probably the worst time now to negotiate conditions, companies have the upper hand right now, and they know it. If you accept under 100K, don't expect to be eating out (kebabs exlcuded).