hello everyone! i just want to ask about the possibility of getting a job in lausanne, having a EU passport or citizen and only speak english and spanish. we're thinking of trying our luck in lausanne. what are our chances? thank you so much!

Well, might help if we knew what your occupation is.

thanks for asking dmarkd. my husband has a restaurant experience in spain. he became manager there but he's open to any job that may suits his qualification like helping in kitchen, cook, or even waiter just to get us started. on the other hand, i'm architect in my country but willing to try any jobs while learning french. i can do leave out housekeeping and any odd jobs that may not require me to speak the language. part of us moving is to also learn the language there since we're currently staying in german side of swiss. we thought that city may offer us a lot more opportunities. thanks!

You might be able to get into an architect's office, either as an architect (depending on your level of diploma from Spain??, and your experience). Otherwise potentially being a "dessinature".

Check the SIA website for job openings. Perhaps call the Rodolfe Luscher office on Blvd Grancy in Lausanne for some ideas, and maybe they have an opening? This seems to be a somewhat semi-robust period for Suisse Romande architects. There are several offices I like to stick my nose in here around the Lausanne gare for a radius of about 500m.

Your husband can probably slot right in the restauration field.

There's a good article on Swissinfo about the Spanish, Portuguese, Italians piling into Switzerland in the past 12 months - to escape their crappy economies.

I have no affiliation with Swissinfo by the way - the key point of the article is that Switzerland is NOT a place to "try your luck" - if you don't speak the lingo or have no money. You'll be in deep doodah in less than a month.

Good luck though.

For a decent job in Switzerland you need good Swiss qualifications, and a good command of the local language.

For all the other jobs, you could join the queue along with the rest of the world. It is extremely hard to find a job here! apply for jobs online, and don't waste your money travelling here until you have been accepted for an interview.

thanks for your insights. my plan was actually to try going to lausanne, apply walk-in or go to an employment agency there to submit our CV or resume. we're currently living outside the city and my inlaws are helping us until either of us both have work. we can take a train going lausanne, go back home and then wait for a scheduled interview. it's like we're expanding our search to have more chances of us both getting a job.

it's actually my idea to move in to lausanne or montreux so we can both learn french language while having any kind of job. here in where we are living, most establishments requires french and german. it will be twice as difficult to learn both so i'm thinking of moving to a city and learn a single language.

my goal actually is widening our search in finding job here in swiss. i know i can't convince my husband to go back in spain because of the economy. do you know any agencies we can also go to? wish us luck thank you guys!

Try La Chaux-de-Fonds, it's the 3º biggest city in the french part. There are hundreds of factories there, some jobs don't require any specific qualification. Thousands of Portuguese and Spanish found their "luck" their. I'm one of those. In the factory where I work we are 300 workers, 40% Portuguese, 20% Spanish, 30% French, 5% Swiss, 5% others.

Good Luck

Here is some unemployment info, figures from August 2011.

Some info on unemployment:
1. The swiss overall unemployment rate is 2.8%. Only 1 canton is under this value; Fribourg, with 2.4%. Geneva has 5.5%, Vaud 4.7%, Neuchatel 4.5%.
2. The unemployment rate for Swiss citizens is 2.1%, for non-Swiss 5.3%.
3. Unemployment has gone down for the watch industry, informatics and insurance, up for teaching and commerce in general.

I would suppose your chances for finding a job are bigger in a canton with a low unemployment rate. As for Fribourg, the building sector isn't bad either, all architect offices seem to have a lot to do. If you were a registered architect in Spain with a solid diploma, I would try Fribourg to find a first job, especially as this would pay better than the hotel/restaurant branch. Managing Archicad (widely used in FR) or Autocad would be a necessity.

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There are days you are successful in all you do... Don't worry, it doesn't last!!!

It's very expensive to live here and you can run out of money very quickly. Accommodation is also very difficult to find and very expensive. I wouldn't come here without having a job first.

My math is not very good, but how can this be possible? If the national average is really 2.8%, and only Fribourg is under while the other Cantons are significantly over, it suggests that the large majority of Swiss population lives in Fribourg. I learn something new every day...

Only 1 French speaking canton is under the average. The majority of the Swiss population lives in German speaking cantons.

Bananfisch,
As the OP was referring to the french speaking part already, I was referring to the French speaking cantons only.

thanks guys.i'm learning more things from you. i appreciate all the help.

yes, i know moving in lausanne might be too expensive for us without the job offer. that's why we're thinking of spending a day or two submitting our resumes until we got a reply for interview. we will only move once either of us got hired. would you think it's okay even if we live outside the city and no residence address in lausanne?

@metallising - how we can go on applying to factories in La Chaux-de-Fonds? I googled and it's near neuchatel? right now, i'm working part time as housekeeper-babysitter (jobs that don't require me to speak german or french). working in factories would be okay since it's an everyday job and i get the chance to learn french.

i guess i'll also take fribourg as another option. there are lot of jobs here in where i'm living but it's more of seasonal jobs. we need to make a big move when winter season is over as there will be lesser or no work. we don't have kids yet so we will just mind ourselves. thank you so much! keep coming your suggestions.