Hi all - long time reader, first (well second) time poster!
My wife and I are considering moving to Switzerland early next year from Melbourne, Australia. One of the main 'speed bumps' in our decision is whether my wife will get a job as we want to ensure both of us can get a job whilst we are there (no kids).
Does anyone know what the retail industry is like in terms of:
a. employing English-only speaking people?
b. availability of jobs in this field (i.e. many international companies?)
c. salaries? (before getting 'blasted', I have tried searching, etc and could not find much in terms of salary surveys or any jobs with anything listed in them - this is not the main driver of moving though, so not fussed if this remains unresolved in the meantime)
I have been doing a fair bit of research, alot of reading of advertised jobs, websites, previous threads on
this forum, etc. and am starting to think that:
* There are not alot of Merchandise Planner / Retail Planner / etc. jobs out there, particularly those that are comfortable with English only employees.
* Although there are jobs which want English as a main language and the others are an 'advantage/asset' - I still have a feeling they
want German/Italian/French.
* Most of these jobs seem to be in Lugano/Ticino area - which is where I may be more limited in getting a job (Finance) but still willing to give it a go
* I have even had a look at employees in similar roles (using linkedin) at these companies, and particularly in Ticino ones, I'm pretty convinced they were all Italian (!)
The facts:
* I am an EU Citizen, my better half being a Non-EU wife
* Her current experience is in Merchandise Planning (4+ years) with 1.5 years in Finance before that
* Currently working for one of Australia's largest apparel retailers
* Willing to learn a language, but not enough time to learn enough before going there
I have managed to find a few 'English speaking' companies:
* Nuance Group (Zurich Area)
* Puma (Zurich Area)
* VF Corporation (Ticino) - includes. The North Face, etc.
However, their advertised jobs all prefer an additional language (I guess i'm not sure how much of 'an asset' this really is, or is it a 'nice to have')
Any other companies/people you may know/etc. will be extremely greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance for all your help - whether it works out or not. Plan B will just be taking a nice long holiday there...