Hi,
As I'm going through a rather frustrating experience at the moment, I thought I'd turn to EF for experiences, advice and opinions, hoping there might be someone out there whose been in a similar situation.
To be brief, I've been out of work (on a medical certificate) for almost 2 years. I've made a few tentative attempts to get back to work, without success (applications not even being responded to...).
I'm a qualified primary school teacher (in the UK), but current thinking is that it is probably inadvisable for me to return to that role at present. Neither do I feel competent to teach English as a foreign language (just adding that because if I had a franc for every time someone suggested that... well, I wouldn't be worrying about money quite so much).
My problem is, I'm receiving
very conflicting messages about where that actually leaves me in the Swiss job market.
At the moment, I'm in a programme run by 'integration pour tous', which aims to re-integrate people who have been off work through illness back into the work place. The message I am getting from them goes something like this:
Them: What do you want to do? (in terms of jobs)
Me: I don't know... what can I do? (i.e. what am I qualified to do?)
Them: Well, tell us what you want to do, find out about it, we'll organise work placements and then you'll know if you want to do it, and if you are capable of doing so!
As you can see, they don't really answer the question of qualifications. In their world, that doesn't seem to matter much.
This was frustrating me as I don't want to identify a 'professional project', do work placements and then start applying, only to be rejected over my lack of appropriate qualifications.
So today I went to the 'office de conseil d'orientation scolaire et professionnelle' (I guess careers advice...). I explained my situation, and the advisor asked me if I wanted advice on retraining. I explained no, I can't afford to retrain (and social services won't fund it). I specifically stated I wanted advice on careers that I could either apply to with my current qualifications, or careers that offered on-the-job training.
So he went to his computer, printed out a list of careers involving 'teaching'. He then went through the list and picked out the careers that he felt would suit me, and printed off the details. He then handed me eight or so sheets, and proceeded to point out that
every single one required a Swiss qualification, that I did not have. He also pointed out how they might not be suitable given my past history. He then told me that I
could apply for roles like this, but in all probability my application wouldn't get looked at because I didn't have the magic letters of CFC, HES, ES or whatever.
Now I'm feeling both frustrated and confused.
Frustrated because what I was expecting was a discussion on my strengths, weaknesses, abilities etc... and then an identification of possible careers not just a 'You are a teacher. Here are roles connected to teaching. But sadly you're not qualified to do any of them...'
Confused because if this counsellor is correct, why on earth are social services paying for me to go through this 6 month programme, and why are the people at integration pour tous encouraging me to identify potential careers? The two viewpoints seem widely diverging... one lot say 'You can do anything you want to do...' the other lot say 'You could do this... oh, sorry, no qualifications...'
So.... any experiences or advice? I'd really like a bit of encouragement before Monday, I start a month long training programme designed to help people who have to change their careers, and right now I don't feel like it's worth going.

But on the other hand, it would be a colossal waste of money, and that doesn't seem like the Swiss system I know and love. They're generous, but not profligate!