Hey everyone!
I will be moving in Swiss next year (it's been a dream in the last 3 years), so I'd like to learn what your thoughts are about career development in Switzerland.

What do you think the most sought after jobs are - for english speakers, of course?

Welcome to the forum.

What other languages apart from Bulgarian and English do you speak?

If you add a bit more information, people can give you a better answer.

And the general comment: Switzerland (not Swiss)

Thanks, roegner.
I speak fluently only these two but as I plan to move to Zurich, I started some German classes last month. At the beginning until I learn German, I will be mainly looking for a job in English. In terms of jobs, I have been a Supply Chain Manager in Lidl for a few years but due to the nature of the job, German skills would be mandatory, so I think I will have to change my career in order to fins a job.
I was thinking about a Garden Designer as I have done it as a hobby, does anyone think that is a sought after job in Switzerland?

Unless you have a degree/certificate in that and speak one of the local languages?

Finding a job here is not easy. You can stay here for 3 months and then apply for a job seekers permit, but keep in mind that it is not cheap staying here without a job.


Have a look at the employment section, lots of questions asked and answered.

I would urge you to focus on other employement qualifications than your English skills.

The general level of English in Switzerland among the Swiss is high enough that speaking English alone will not qualify you for a job and there is practically no such thing as a job that you'll get primarily due to your English speaking ability (there are exceptions, but they are few and far between).

Depending on the job English might be essential, nice to have or completely unnecessary, but you will be hired for other skills.

Good Luck!

A garden designer needs to be fluent in the local language, needs to be well-versed in local property legalities, and in reality needs to be well-connected in the community.

Building a garden can mean wading through a morass of local regulations; from engineering studies to applying for permits to negotiating with neighbors to sourcing - you need fluency in the local language. More important, you need a lot of Vitamin B, connections.

Not to mention, a designer would likely have qualifications.

That's a pretty tough barrier to entry for someone new to the country without sufficient language skills.

Coming in from outside the traditional Swiss apprenticeship route, you'll likely need to first work with a gardening firm in an entry level capacity. It is often hard work that pays poorly.

Also be aware of the limits to this market. There are not many people who have property of a size that needs a garden designer - remember, this is a country where most people live in tiny flats, their only outside space a small balcony. Few people hire a garden designer to pot their geraniums.

Not to quash on your dreams, but you'll need to take a long and hard look at the market for this kind of service, look at the requirements and barriers to entry, and be realistic as to potential.

Nonetheless, I wish you all the best.

Come on, do you really expect us to find your perfect career just by listing the most desirable English-speaking jobs? Do your own research and identify what you are good at and what is relevant to your education and experience. Coming to Switzerland without any plan simply "because it's been your dream" is perhaps not so wise or practical.

If moving here really was your dream and you were serious about it then you would have started to learn German a LONG time ago and so made it so that you could far more easily move from Lidl UK to Lidl CH. In fact, that would have been an absolute no-brainer.

The smart thing to do now would be to stay working at Lidl UK, work on your German as fast as possible to get it to C1 level and then look at transferring in 2021/2022.

Nobody told this the Albanian crew a former boss of mine hired for his garden. Turned out they did not understand the difference between "zuschneiden" and "abschneiden"...

One must possess a high-level of broad skills, probably along with a documented education, ability to learn the local language at functional level and fit into character in Switzerland. All the while, willing to slave away for awhile with a Smile .

OR basically be nearly irreplaceable in some other sense that is 1:1,000,000 to come by.

Agree with the other posters, work on German for awhile and visit Zurich here as well to see if it's the right thing for you. GL

Quod erat demonstrandum

Just to build on this a little, in my German classes, there was a psychiatrist with 10yrs experience who was working as an office cleaner until she had learned enough German and got her professional qualifications approved, and an economist who was working as a waiter. Those are just two of the many examples I know personally. It's not easy to arrive in this country without a solid job offer or professional qualification with substantial savings to support yourself. Be pepared to take any job you can get and live frugally until you find your way.

Uhm. The fact you speak English is not a selling point in itself as roughly everyone speaks it to a level that is good enough and those who need to be perfect at it for their job usually are too. So I presume you have other qualifications, and without knowing what these are, answering your question is impossible.

You say you want to be a garden designer; assuming I understand what that means, English skills will be very secondary, whereas other skills - including the local language - as well as qualifications will become much more important. Note: just because most people here speak English to a decent degree doesn't mean they want to speak it outside work, so if you feel that you won't need German cause "everyone speaks some English and will understand you" if you design/construct their gardens, I'd recommend to think again.