hello,
I've been discussing with my husband the down sides of moving to CH from UK: the fact that we'll lose a salary (mine), child care for under 4s is just too expensive and we have 2 children, accommodation, insurances and regulations, how unhappy I'll be at home if I don't find a reasonable job, price of groceries, eating and socialising out, and other issues that I'm not aware of yet.
My husband wonders what makes you all stay in Switzerland compared to UK.
Thank you for your answers.

I can't afford to move back.

Gravity, friction, and inertia.

I am not from the UK. Having visited it, I personally always wondered what makes you all stay there... but I guess here it is the same for all expats: As soon as you get used to it, the life here is pretty good. And leaving again is as difficult as coming over for you: Imagine you found a nice job and everything worked out well. If one of you would get a great offer back home, the other would have to give up the job again... and that is never an easy decision.

I'm not from the UK (I'm American), but will be moving from Switzerland to the UK in the next couple of months. I think I'm most looking forward to being able to easily communicate in a language I'm comfortable with and being able to find bargains when shopping instead of just paying whatever the inflated prices are here. Oh, and taking a shower when it suits me, not just before 10pm as it is here.

In other words, we're not all British here - just people who speak English and have a connection to Switzerland, and it really is individual about what keeps you here or why you'd move elsewhere or back "home" (wherever and whatever home is to you).

My wife and her rolling pin.

this is something you should consider very carefully. it can be difficult for partners to a job in CH. maybe your husband can negotiate a position for you as part of the relocation package. this can be done. it should be a job, not help with finding one once you are here.
otherwise, ch is a beautiful country, clean, well organised, salaries are decent schools are good, central location in europe with easy access to long w/ends anywhere within europe

High salaries, very low tax (esp. in canton schwyz), high quality of living, clean and safe surroundings, BREATHTAKING views of the mountains, half an hour away from skiing, hiking....I'm 2 min. walk from the lake, beautiful views....close drive to Italy, France and Germany....I've made more friends here than back home in the States and have met some amazing people....

Because it's home and I have a mortgage.

I am not from the UK, but from Paris. My boyfriend has found a job here.
I am staying because I am looking for a job but if I can't, I will come back to France, or go to UK maybe.
It can be quite difficult to find a job here, and if you don't speak german it is even more difficult.
But, if I finally end up with a decent job offer, I would certainly love staying here

The work commute.

London:





Basel:

Lifestyle aside, I would say my job. I love working in such a multi-cultural enviroment where my colleagues are Swiss, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, French, German, British etc.. Sometimes its chaotic, but other times its a model of European integration. Back home in the UK, we were all Brits in my office with the same mentality and ways of working... very boring

don't know about the first but is the second REALLY Basel

For me mainly inertia

There are plenty of "what do you like about Switzerland" threads already on the forum, but in summary:

Positives:

• High quality of life
• Low crime
• Scenery
• Salary
• Job
• Less than 10 minute commute
• Geographic location, middle of Europe
• Skiing 1 hour from my door
• Stunning female population (probably not going to be a deciding factor for you though)
• Decent nightlife (in my opinion anyway)

Negatives:

• Limited supermarket and shopping choices
• Highly inflated costs for food, drink, clothes and rent
• Nightmare to find an apartment
• Everything costs money from an administration point of view, however minor
• Less easygoing atmosphere and environment than the UK, very strict in some cases
• VERY hard to save money without an uber salary

Probably missed a few, but that's the gist of it for me.

Heh, my experience with Basel commuting has been more like this:



No tumbleweeds!

Ich komme aus England nicht aber... I cherish the cherry in form of my better salary, peace and safety, gorgeous mountains in Switzerland. I try not to think about what I miss and what was the price to be paid moving here. There are always tradeoffs in different forms but embracing positive helps to overcome negative.

Very true!

I shall do the same:

It's nice to buy your train and bus ticket once a year without scrabbling for change in front of an impatient driver; it's nice to be brought to your door by bus at four in the morning after an evening in town, without having been mugged or stabbed on the way; it's nice to get a decent cup of coffee; it's nice to look at a lake and snow covered mountains on your way to work; it's nice to eat sausages; it's nice to see the pavements already cleared of snow before setting off for work at 6.45; it's nice to be so close to everywhere else; and, most importantly of all, it's nice to be reminded about what is so special about being English.

Maybe it's not such a bad place, after all!

the only thing that keeps me here is my husband. it can be very difficult when he is at work all day and you are at home esp if you dont/cant work for whatever reason. i constantly wish i was back in england with my friends, family and long for my old life back again. it has been much harder than i could possibily have imagined and put a strain on my relationship with my husband.

there are lots of nice things too like the scenery, european travel, higher wages, lower taxes etc but money is not everything.

i am sure many people will groan at me and disagree but remember whilst there are many people who love it here, there are many who hate it too and i am sure most of those are the partners/spouses of those with the jobs here.

just thought you should hear the other side of the story !!!¨

Certainly.