Hello,

This morning my husband was offered a position in an active substance manufacture close to Basel. The salary on offer is 170,000ch. Is this a fair salary for this type of position? I have searched using this position but found no hits on this site so I'm hoping someone can shed some light? We have a few days to make a decision.

My husband and I have a 7 month old son. We are eu passport holders but have been living in New Jersey, usa for 2 years. Previously we lived in the UK.

I am assuming based on 3 hours of reading previous threads on this site that this will give us a decent life. I would prefer to live in a house rather than apartment and I am aware that I should look at living in France. Is Germany not a decent opinion, see I haven't seen many replies recommending Germany? I will also look at basel land. we would like to spend no more than 3000ch/month on rent.

Can anyone shed some light on how the standard of living in Basel area compares to UK or USA? I understand meat is expense, eating out/cinema is more expensive...is anything cheaper?

Thanks in advance for any help, suggestions, or insights

I suspect on that level of salary you tax bill in France or Germany will be very high. Tax in Basel will be far more than Zurich which is 1 reason why some people commute.

Health insurance will be way cheaper than the USA, with tiny deductibles.

at that salary, it wouldn't make sense to live in France or Germany. the tax bill would outweigh other financial considerations such as rent, food prices etc..

depending on how demanding the job is, it may not be realistic to live far from basel, unless you never want to see your husband and want to have no nearby support for your young child.

The salary is good for the role (starting salary for a Dir level position in RA is ~160k), as to where to live I would strongly suggest staying in Switzerland and trying to base yourself in Basel Land. That way you should be able to afford a duplex or small house and as long as you're near a station the commute into the city shouldn't be more than 10-15 minutes. Look at Muttenz, Liestal, Sissach, Pratteln etc..

The border towns of Rheinfelden, Weil Am Rhein, Lorrach, Saint Louis etc.. offer ample shopping, eating out and entertainment opportunities so you should be able to keep costs down by mixing it up between CH and DE/FR

"starting salary for a Dir level position is ~160k"
If that is the salary for an EF forum moderator, I would like the job please.

Really? Wow, I knew that current salary levels were lower than they used to be, but didn't realise just how low...

A quick thing to consider: if you any of you hold a green card, or a US passport, you are going to have a bad time with getting a bank account.

Furthermore, green card/US passport holders have to file tax returns and pay taxes in the US. What you already paid in Switzerland is deducted, but trying to save money on taxes is not going to work in this case unfortunately.

We do not have usa passports or green cards. We have eu passports and are living in the states on a work visa for a work assignment.

Good - then I'd heed the good advice of the others in this thread and consider living in Switzerland as you'll be able to save considerable amounts on the taxes.

Thank you all for your replies and insights. I will focus our search on basel land instead of France/Germany. Would this money be ok for us to survive and live decently but not extravagantly? Once I start working, I can earn around 100,000 ch but for the time being I would like to stay at home with our son.

So let me get this right.

You are wondering if you'll live ok on your husbands Chf 170k, plus eventually your Chf 100k ?

A lot of people manage on a whole let less than your salary alone (Chf 100k) and for families of 4. I guess it is all about what you are use too really.

Somehow you'll survive on 170k. You may need to have cornflakes instead of frosties for breakfast but you'll manage.

(Seriously Amanda - 3 hours of research and you need to ask this question? Are you sure you're going to be able to earn 100k?)

Thanks for your reply. For the time being I will not be working or looking for work so it will be my husband's salary only. I just wanted to understand if that salary was fair in terms of current market and wanted to make sure we would have a decent life. Thank you all once again!

Its the going rate, why do you think companies are having to recruit from abroad e.g. like the OP's husband?

How does 170k compare in raw terms to what you were on in the USA? Has it stayed relatively static or have you received a payrise (not taking cost of living differences into account yet)?

From my position outside pharma, but inside the fine chemicals industry, 170kCHF/yr looks not overwhelming for the key post of regulatory director. But it's hard to know in Switzerland where talking about salaries is more or less verboten.

I don't really know the structure of big pharma companies. to me, director and team lead are two very different positions at two very different levels.

Also from outside the industry, I would think
For a director, the salary seems low.
For a team lead, it sounds about right.

A team lead would be equivalent to a Senior Manager, a Director is a level above that. Typically a Director will have a number of line reports and take care of a portfolio of products.

Yes, I'm assuming that "director" would be at least what our company would call a vice-director, with a minimum "functional Level" 18 giving something not far off 200k. A non-managerial team leader could easily be a level 15, which in most roles would be "senior" X, with a minimum af, oh, I dunno, something closer to 130k.

All figures very approximate, but you get the idea.

Deary me. Is level 18 comparable to an Operating Thetan VII? Also, do they barcode people upon joining or does that happen only once they have enough XP for level 10?