Hello friends of the Forum.

I would like to know if here in Zürich it is possible to obtain employment speaking few german.

I am Italian, 28, I hold a degree as Economist (in Spain) and another as Lawyer (in Italy). I have an MBA completed and the certificates of these degrees. I also speak English and Spanish well, but my German is very plain (B1 in Goethe Institut). However, I would like to stay here and make my way.

Are there employment agencies that match these particular criteria? Are there possibilities in other jobs, until I learn good German?

Thank you in advance for your ideas: they are all welcome. Italy is very near Switzerland, but it is very different and I find myself lost. Martin.

you should not have too much of a problem. In fact you should have no problem at all with either the bigger domestic banks or foreign branches such as Citibank, Merrills, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs.

Hello Martin!
Why don't you go to one of these agencies where you can bring your Diploma and Certificates and let them find the jof for you. Or you can look in the Internet. I think the addresses are. treffpunkt-arbeit.ch and the other one is jobsearch.ch This last one Im not very sure about it but just try and see. Good luck!!

alternatively try this recruitment sticky, which I found by typing "recruitment" into the search function .... the interweb is amazing isn't it ?

My working environment is totally english (documentation, meetings etc) so it is entirely possible, however that doesn't stop your co-workers chatting away merrily amongst themselves all day in German / Swiss German which I would imagine to be quite depressing if you didn't understand it. Something to bear in mind?

Your question "are there oppotunities in other jobs?" seems a bit lazy.
I would have thought someone as highly qualified as you would be a bit more proactive. What is "particular criteria" ? MBA-Lawyers ? Talk to some agencies.

dave

Martin79, have you tried ask the swiss guy yet?

Why don't you try to find something in Lugano? I think you might do quite well there. You can also take German classes and eventually more further north.

this question has been asked so many times and the answer is Yes. And a national language like Italian or French is good.

Only certain fields will present problems to you where the regional language is essential.

You don't say what you want to do. That might help.

What ultimately is it that you want to practice: your economics or legal background?

I'm an economist myself and am lucky that my position does not require the use of the German language.

Hence, opportunities exist which do not necessarily call for flair in German, but it depends on which area or segment that you're in.

Sorry, LordMonkey..can't help there. That thread is for only culture/communication-related questions. I have no idea about job market-related questions.

Not even in Japan? Can't you find me a job there?

You are right Lob, I would like to work in economy, because in the legal field, not speaking good german is a serious drawback. Thank you for your reply.

Thank you Brownie, and good question. I suppose, economics. In the legal background, good german is needed. Martin

... then trust me, it shouldn't be a problem especially if you have strong emerging markets background. It helps to have very good knowledge of a region in the world.

Remember, many of the large financial institutions have periodic economic reports/reviews for their clients, and in most cases these are published in English.

This job search page is in german, but I wish it can be helpful for everybody.

http://www.randstad.ch/rch/mitarbeit...bote/index.xml

They might have jobs in English. Try sending them

The best advice for someone who does not speak german is: invest time to learn it.

Ciao Martin,

spero tanto che tu abbia risolto ogni problema legato al tuo lavoro.. Trovato qualcosa? Sicuramente, con il CV che possiedi.. Comunque sia, piacere Ilenia, italiana, laureata in lingue (inglese, spagnolo) emigrata qui da poco e quindi mi trovo esattamente nella tua situazione di Ottobre (?).
Sto studiando tedesco, ovviamente, ma se per caso tu avessi qualche buon consiglio su come/dove trovare un lavoro (tipo siti internet, agenzie, etc) te ne sarei infinitamente grata..

Grazie comunque.
Ilenia

PS: ehm, I am sorry.. I realize right now that I was writing in Italian in an ENGLISH forum.. I am sorry!!

I have moved to Zurich from Lausanne. My CV is great for the work that I do. But time after time I got knocked back because I don't speak German. In Geneva or elsewhere I would have picked up a suitable job without too much fuss but not up here.

I procrastinated for a long time assuming that my CV would cover it in the end but it didn't happen and the months went by. Months when I could have been learning German.

My advice to you is do it now - enrol on a course with Migros or any other language provider.

...and you took three months to reply....