Hi,
Being an IT guy, I've been offered a job in Nürnberg, Germany and we live in Lausanne area. We are a family with a 1,5 yearold daughter.
So the question is what would you do, given the inputs below?
Advantages:
1) They are offering more. Germany being less expensive in rent and in general costs, the gains are therefore more.
2) Nürnberg is a more crowded, more developed area than here
3) Job itself is more interesting.
4) I have yet to improve my French. But I'd prefer an opportunity work on my German which I believe is a more valid language than French.

Disadvantages
1) Company is much smaller than the one I currently work for.
2) They are setting up their related IT infrastructure newly so they don't have the organization, tools & processes as the current company. Both are internationals.
3) Relocation cost & effort.

I am German, so watch out, I am biased! Here's my 2 centimes anyway:

1. Childcare is A LOT cheaper in Germany (we used to pay 350 EUR for a full-day / every day bilingual English-German nursery, per month...) and also easier to come by.

2. Nurnberger Christkindlesmarkt (http://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/)

3. I see you are originally from Turkey: There is quite a big Turkish community in Germany, if that's important to you (it also means that important information, e.g. on child benefits etc. will sometimes be available in Turkish)

4. Although it's hard to beat our Lac Leman, the Nurnberg region isn't all that bad and crowded.

5. If the German pay is better you will be a lot better off than here.

On the downside: Make damn sure that the company you will be working for is healthy, the Nurnberg region has had its fair share of BIG bankruptcies recently. If you lose your job there I imagine it might be hard to find something new in the region.

And finally: Are you happy here? That should pretty much be the deciding factor.

Good luck,

swisskat

I'd maybe check out the tax situation too.
I worked in Germany a few years ago and the difference in tax between Germany and Switzerland was quite substantial.
May have changed in the meantime, but certainly look into it.

I would stay in Lausanne if your current job is safe and you are not miserable. A few years ago, I would have said go for it but now is not the time to rock the boat especially if you have a family.
A move is not cheap also especially when you have kids.
Also you have not been holding the current position for a long time. Jumping from one job to another never looks good on a resume.
It is also hard to beat the quality of life the lake Leman area has to offer.

Tax issue what I'm currently occupied with. Switzerland seems to be asking substantially lower taxes. Do you agree?

Of course Switzerland has lower taxes, but you have to calculate the whole package if you want to get a realistic picture.

This might give you an idea of you income after tax and health insurance, PM me if you need help with the German: http://www.nettolohn.de/

I can't quite remember how it works, but methinks your wife and kid's health insurance will cost you next to nothing in a Familienversicherung?

Hi there,
I was forced to move out from Germany to Switzerland because my former company branch was closed due to financial crisis.
I am regretting with all my soul this move to Switzerland and if i would have again opportunity to get back, i would move there stright forward!
Definetly, DE is cheaper than CH and the Cost of living is better there: for instance for a family with one small child(1year) i was able to save arround 1500Euro per month when i had a salary of 2700euro.
So, my opinion is go to Germany and dont look back.
Hope this help ya!
TS

The good:
The beer is better, the food comes in larger helpings and is cheaper.

The Bad:

Nürnberg is a provincial dump.
Nürnberg is full of Americans
Nürnberg was bombed to bits and the inner city has an empty feel to it
Germany is in the middle of a recession
Turks are treated as second-class non-citizens.
(Lots of Greeks, even more Kurds - if thats a problem for you)
The work atmosphere is considerably worse than anything you have ever been used to.
Germans have no sense of innovation or for the new, but they love over-engineering things
Instead of fixing things they find somebody to blame
Germans are pedantic to a fault
French is the language of love, but German is a better language to complain in.

Berlin yes, Munich, maybe but Nürnberg? Don't say I didn't warn you

The Ugly:

Oh Nürnberg is home to most of the Nazi monumental buildings, well worth a visit.

At least we did not make the ugly list

Taxes are way higher in Germany, but: I was there today and had fried noodles for lunch: 5 CHF! Afterwards, I went to the hairdresser, 4.99 Eur for men! A close friend just bought a single family house close to Frankfurt, which should be more expensive than Nürnberg: 250k EUR, add another 50k for repairs and you have a nice single standing house.

Just some real world examples, so you get the point: Salaries are on average way lower in DE than in CH, so if you get a really good offer there, your standard of living will be much better! With the rent I pay for my two bedroom apartment in Zurich, I could get a huge house in Nürnberg.

So I think the financials are pretty clear: You would be better off in Germany. If Nürnberg is right for you? Go there and have a look over some days?

Don't be fooled - his haircut makes a US marine look like a hippie

My advice:
Try to be careful not to be fired for X or Y during the "new" probation period, and make sure the new company is safe...

I had people I new from old company who finally found better, to get fired 1-2 months after because of the crisis... and they had to come back to the **** old company (which is not always possible)

I think if you're happy here and have a future in your job, maybe you should stay...

Or better if you are "safe" (like you can't be fired easily, etc...) talk to your manager and let him know you think it's time to get a raise, your family situation changed, your valuable, blablabla.

Thanks a lot for comments.
I should mention that I work as a contractor here in VD and the offered position in Germany is a contract one too. Therefore I think the figures given by www.nettolohn.de do not apply to my situtation.

The financials company that I'm in touch with about the German tax matters has managed to erode the default trust I had in them. So I am looking for a way to be calculate decisively the net amount I'd be making at the end of the month.
Any help/advise is welcome about this.