Does anyone know how it works to leave for a brief period of time? I may go back to the states for a bit while my wife concentrates on finding something here. Do I need to deregister from town? Will I have trouble coming back? And will this effect my taxes, especially if I take some money with me?

A correct answer to your question will depend on:
1) what type of permit you currently hold
2) how long will you be gone
3) are you planning on keeping a place in Switzerland while you are gone
4) from what source are you withdrawing the money you are taking (regular bank account, pensionskasse, 3er Pillar)?

Generally speaking:
A) C permit holders are allowed to leave the country for up to two years without loosing their permit. They must inform the immigration authorities about their plans to return before this period of time expires.

B) B permit holders (EU and non-restricted non-EU) may leave the country for up to 6 consecutive months. They too must contact the local immigration authorities to let them know they plan on being gone for 6 months. In principal, the process of notifying the authorities is only needed if you are de-registering from the town where you live. Otherwise, it is not common to keep a record of the migrant movements of permit holders mentioned in this paragraph.

C) In both A and B cases, restrictions apply regarding the withdrawal of 2nd Pillar (pensionskasse) and 3rd Pillar withdrawal of money as authorities do not see the departure of the applicant as permanent.

Well I have a B permit, but my wife would stay here and look for work here, while I look for work in the states. And it is a post account I would be taking about 5k swiss francs with me and probably be gone about 3-4 monthes unless I find something good and may not come back.

Well then I suggest you go for 2 months 29 days unless you find something good as you say. Switzerland has a very liberal policy about taking or bringing money across its borders so all you need to do is check what the US restrictions are. Taking money from a PC account is not a problem, you can take as much as you have and this will not worry the Swiss authorities. With a "US" B permit you are given 3 months without problem. Unfortunately the Swiss do record movements of US citizens when they leave via air which I guess you will be doing. So either plan to leave over Stuttgart/Frankfurt or get back in time. If you do not then dependent on your wife's permit type she could also have some problems...

There are some additional issues with your situation though. Such as are you unemployed? By the sound of it yes. In this case you need to be aware that as a non-EU permit holder your permit **CAN** (must not) be immediately withdrawn if you leave the country and stop claiming benefit. The situation is not black and white and maybe you want to post either via PM or this thread your full details regarding permit and employment situation and I will provide an answer.

Well my wife is Swiss, so I don't see as how my situation can effect her at all. And yes I am unemployed, we both are. This is why am I contemplating moving back, as nothing seems to work here. She went to a social office that helps unemployed find work and they told us we aren't specialized enough and that we need to seek more schooling/training, so it doesn't appear as if the situation here will improve. She doesn't want to leave though, unless I find something that pays about 40k us dollars, so that is why I will go alone to see what I can find.

5K will not be a problem. You can bring up to 10K US dollars without having to declare it to US Customs.

Swiss authorities may or may not record your movement. I have arrived and departed many times in the last couple of years with family and friends holding US passports. Sometimes they are checked and sometimes they are just waved by. Actually, one of my friends who was simply waved through wanted his pass stamped because he collects the immigration stamps from all the countries he visits and the Swiss customs official just looked at him with that look saying - "silly American, you are wasting my time..."

BTW, have you tried using www.monster.com to test the waters and see if there is anything worth pursuing before you arrive in the US, or are you planning on "knocking" on doors and see who offers you the minimum you desire?

What ever you decide to do, good luck.

They may track it through the airlines, though.

The last time I flew into Switzerland (Basel, on easyJet from London), they didn't even have anyone open their passport - or even show it! We all just walked by the passport control officer in his booth, most people didn't even have their passport or ID out to show him. Quite a difference from the anal Americans who nearly searched our rental car inside and out because we drove in from Canada, were of different nationalities (my husband's Swiss) and I live in Switzerland. I had to repeat and explain myself at least three times to the guard - he kept asking me where I lived and I kept saying Basel, Switzerland. He'd say "no, where do you live?" and I'd say....

You could be right but I do know Americans with B permits that have stayed out longer then the 3 months... sometimes up to a year and returned with no problem. Of course, they never reported to the authorities either that they were gone.

As far as American customs, it has always been bad and since Sept 11 it has gotten worse. It is no wonder that in a recent tourism poll, most Europeans polled said that the USA was one of their least favorite places to visit due to the unfriendliness of US customs officials. I personally try to avoid going there like the plague.

Not only may they, they do. The US and Switzerland and EU insist on full passenger lists and these are logged. The Swiss will check return ticketed flights meaning if you book a return with a gap of 4 months "back home" you will have a problem when you return. They might be nice about it but generally they are at least inquisitive.

One thing that has become very clear to me over the years though, is the differences on the pieces of paper and on what you are doing. If you declare your purpose to be business then generally they tend to be much more lenient on inspections than if you say pleasure. Clearly though the US are the exception where each person is treated as an alien until your passport is in their system which takes about a month. I know someone who was asked by work to travel three times to the US with flights within the US within a month and he had a $$ on his ticket each time. When he complained they said it was entirely random and that he had a "greater" than one in ten chance of being checked. When he pointed out that he had been stopped 12 times in a row there was no reply...

In this case you have no problem and can do whatever you want really. You have a right to a permit although you need to be careful that they don't look at it as a marriage of convenience ie you are just waiting to get your Swiss nationality. I think that given you are from the US they might take the view that this is unlikely/unnecessary (no offence intended to anyone).

Well ultimately we tend to stay whereever we find the best opportunity. Right now we are both unemployed and I speak very little German, so have little liklihood of finding a job. I am CELTA qualified, but it seems no matter how many language schools I turn in a CV too none of them have any openings and we are running out of cash, so I want to try to find something there and she is looking here and when one of us finds something we can survive on we will bring the other to that place.

I was brought up in CH and lived there for 40 years. Two years ago, I moved to Belize and went through the entire procedure of handing over my permit c (Niederlassung C) to the migration office.

I was told that under NO CIRCUMSTANCE will they retain my permit C if I was not going abroad to either study, nor if I didnt have a work contract from the other country, which I would have had to prove.

Hi again. Rozz here. Just to let you know that it was my daughter who replied to the Posts regarding Permit C holders in Switzerland. I just joined this forum today and the two of us were reading all about Permit Holders in Switzerland. Just wanted to straighten out the matter. thanks.