Hi all,
I was hoping you guys could help me. I currently work for Nestle as a permanent employee and and now thinking of leaving to explore the contract IT market in both CH and the EU. Before I leave my permanent job, I would liek your advice on the following (or anything else I may need to consider for yur own experience!)
* If I work in another EU country, for say six months, will I have to give up my B permit?
* If I leave switzerland totally for the UK (my origin) will I be able to access my pension funds? (e.g cash withdrawl) or do they have to stay here until I take retirement?
* If I leave work voluntarily will I be able to claim unemployment benefit if I cant find another job?
* Are there any other considerations that I need to make before I make the jump from permanent to contractor (in or out of switzerland)?
I understand I have asked a few questions above, so I thank you in for taking the time to give me some advice.
Many Thanks!

Hi,

I cannot help with the other questions but I have been contracting/consultancy for fifteen years, so I will try with the one I can.

Here is some of the questions you need to ask yourself.
[1] How good am I?
[2] What are my skills?
[3] Are my skills current?
[4] Why are you leaving, money or experience or satisfaction?
[5] Do you have enough money to get started?
[6] How are you going to be setup Company or ?
etc,

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself, in the UK it is become very competitive with people from virtually anywhere being able to go and work there in the IT industry.

Now because I am in my mid forties there are no offers of permanent jobs but I have earned enough to compensate. So if you are going down this route you need to keep an eye on your future options.

Strangely I have worked for 10 blue chip companies in 15 years, some were only 6 months, some went on for 3 years. Of those two were excellent, job satisfaction, good money etc, two were a nightmare and should have quit. The others were somewhere between.

Hope the above helps.

David

Many Thanks for the advice David

As I understand it, as an EU citizen moving to an EU country you cannot "cash out" your pension fund. But I believe that you can transfer it to another EU pension fund. As the NI is not a personal fund, but works some other weird way which means that my pension contributions for the short period when I was in the UK are completely lost to me (bastards ), you would want to talk to an accountant in the UK to determine if this is a worthwhile thing to do or not.

Hi,

Here is a link to a UK IT contracting website, it is very good.

http://www.contractoruk.com/

On the right hand side is a link for "First Timers", lot of articles and good advice. Obviously it is based around working in the UK but gives you the idea of what to do, consider etc.

Also you really need to think out the taxation side of things carefully otherwise you can lose out big time.

David

Waiting period for unemployment benefits, after registering at unemployment office:
* 5 workdays waiting, if employer sacked you and you could not (despite best efforts) find another job during the notice period.
* up to 60 workdays (i.e. 12 weeks) waiting, if you quit voluntarily, or otherwise to blame, e.g. you did not look determinedly for another job. Be prepared with proof of efforts.

Self-employed neither pay unemployment premiums nor can claim benefits.