Hello EF members,

I am writing everyone for advice/opinions/job leads/words of hope/etc with regards to working in Switzerland. I am American, living in Chicago, and need some help.

I have been actively looking for a job in Switzerland, specifically in/around Zurich, for about one month now. By actively I mean I am applying to positions, scouring job forums and databases, networking, and researching embassy/government websites all of the different ways to move there. I am doing this most nights and on the weekends as I have a current job I work at during the day.

There is more to the story as well - my girlfriend received the opportunity of a lifetime to move to Zurich a couple of months ago and work for a large accounting firm there. I am obviously trying my very hardest to move there too and be with her again. It is something I am putting my ALL into at the moment. I have visited and spent time there and from the limitless outdoor activities to the quality of life, I just know it is where I am supposed to be.

By now, I believe I have a pretty good sense of the 'legal' ways to work and live in Switzerland. Really, there's only one and that's finding a company/school/family to sponsor you to move over there. As I have heard and seen numerous times when this topic is brought up either on EF or in other conversations, finding a job in Switzerland for an American is beyond difficult.

With this said, I wanted to see if there was ANYTHING that I should be doing that I'm not at the moment to make this a reality for me. I can move either to Geneva or Zurich (or any place in between) and have great work experience in everything but the financial world. But even in that, I would be willing start at the bottom just to have a company sponsor me.

So please, if anyone out there has any advice, words of wisdom, job openings, I am all ears. Please send me a PM if you would like to see where my work experience lies or would like to speak further.

I truly appreciate this and hope to meet you all one day soon when I find a job in Switzerland.

Thank you!

Hey there

Always happy to help a fellow Chicagoan. ;-)

You didn't mention the sort of job you're looking for, so it's hard to be precise with the advice, but I can tell you that generally speaking, yes it's hard to find work here. I never thought it was quite *as* hard as people on these forums make it out to be, but keep in mind that you tend to hear the worst experiences in any online forum.

Still, having said that, the world economy as a whole is in recession right now, and while it's not affecting Switzerland as strongly as, say, the US, it will still be tougher than normal right now to get a job. Don't worry too much about the sector; I've always found that the functional experience was more important than the industry. Then again, I worked in IT and IT-related areas, so it might have been different for me.

The best advice I got 2 years ago when I was searching was to get out here. Employers like to be able to interview you face to face, so come out on your tourist visa, stay for 3 months, and actively apply to jobs at jobs.ch, topjobs.ch, etc. Tell the employers that while there are forms to be filled out and processes that must be followed, it's not a terribly difficult chore for them to get a work permit for Americans. Start learning German (or French, depending where you want to be) and make a point of demonstrating that to the employer; no offense to the good Brits on this forum, but I've always found that Swiss have a particular affinity towards Americans, and showing some effort in the language department really wins them over.

Also, don't be discourage by the many rejection letters you'll get. Swiss employers tend to be very precise in screening, whereas Americans will take the time to interview a broader pool; that means that when you do get an interview, you're very close to having the actual job.

Finally, be careful about advertising that "I'm moving here for love" bit. While romantic, it can have the appearance of impermanence; what are you going to do if you break up (I know, you don't see it happening - but the employer will ask him/herself that)? Hop out of the country? And the implied 2-year limit on your stay will further reduce some of your job potential; if that's not what you meant, then be careful about saying it, as that's the way it came across to me.

I hope some of that helps; I can't really help you directly in the job department unless you've got auditing/consulting experience and can speak proficient German/French/Italian. Good luck in your search; if you stick with it long enough, you'll eventually make it!

Lance

You could always get married...