 | | | 
02.12.2020, 20:35
| Newbie | | Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Zürich
Posts: 5
Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german?
Yes, it's obviously possible to get a job in Zurich without German.
Big banks like Credit Suisse, UBS or Julius Baer don't require German (in IT) and there're many other companies where you can get by in English.
The problem's that you'll be applying for positions where the competition's fierce.
You can try your luck as well with start-ups (angel.co).
Good luck!
| 
02.12.2020, 20:54
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Lummerland
Posts: 5,245
Groaned at 137 Times in 96 Posts
Thanked 9,059 Times in 3,428 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german?
Just landed a IT job and I turned... ***Drum roll!** 60 a few days ago.
At the moment it would seem that anybodywho can tell the difference between a telephone number and a IP-Adresse can find a job. Ok, so it´s a driving all over Bavaria, giving a world class butt-crack show from under the table while juggling a screw driver, a hammer and a roll of ducttape. But it pays the bills, keeps me in beer and my motorbike on the road.
What more do you want?
| The following 3 users would like to thank slammer for this useful post: | | 
02.12.2020, 21:00
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Basel
Posts: 2,061
Groaned at 50 Times in 41 Posts
Thanked 1,254 Times in 749 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german?
But do/did you have to speak German, or not?
| 
02.12.2020, 21:34
| Member | | Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Vaud
Posts: 106
Groaned at 4 Times in 4 Posts
Thanked 55 Times in 37 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german?
I also have "problems" with the Swiss reality. I'm a software engineer, more on the side of algorithms and low level in general but my skills are wide. Unfortunately I'm constantly bombarded with JavaScript offers, or Mobile apps development, but I can't find a serious job as a back-end or embedded developer. Sure if I'd lowered my expectations to an absolute minimum I would land such job at some startup or an old factory.
| 
02.12.2020, 21:41
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Lummerland
Posts: 5,245
Groaned at 137 Times in 96 Posts
Thanked 9,059 Times in 3,428 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german? | Quote: | |  | | | But do/did you have to speak German, or not? | | | | | Well I do sprech the Deutsch, it makes things easier, but actually Englisch was a requirement.
| 
02.12.2020, 21:54
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Basel
Posts: 2,061
Groaned at 50 Times in 41 Posts
Thanked 1,254 Times in 749 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german? | Quote: | |  | | | Well I do sprech the Deutsch, it makes things easier, but actually Englisch was a requirement. | | | | |
That doesn't answer the question. | 
23.01.2021, 22:16
|  | Member | | Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Wangen Bei Olten, Solothurn
Posts: 181
Groaned at 5 Times in 5 Posts
Thanked 232 Times in 97 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german? | Quote: | |  | | | - Things are definitely slower than normally.
- Why do you even mention your age in your CV?
- May I ask - what is your tech stack? If you work with enterprise related technologies then landing a job generally should not be a problem.
- There's tons of people in Zurich who do not speak any German and are working in IT for large multinationals.
| | | | |
In certain areas of IT it isn't too hard to get a job without speaking German. Even those that require German in their CV (often written by HR folk off a template), will often consider an IT person regardless, so long as you aren't applying for a help-desk position. System Engineering, Admin, Network - anything to do with the infrastructure and not with assisting employees. Most folks in that area speak predominantly English. You sort of have too.
I was a System Admin until my company went bankrupt recently. Didn't take me too long (couple of months), my German is only A-2. I had a few offers, and eh..Well, another story, for another time.
Edit: I just realized I necroed an old thread, sorry.
Last edited by Wisescarab; 23.01.2021 at 22:18.
Reason: Oops
| This user would like to thank Wisescarab for this useful post: | | 
24.01.2021, 10:16
| Newbie 1st class | | Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Düsseldorf
Posts: 19
Groaned at 2 Times in 2 Posts
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german? | Quote: | |  | | | In certain areas of IT it isn't too hard to get a job without speaking German. Even those that require German in their CV (often written by HR folk off a template), will often consider an IT person regardless, so long as you aren't applying for a help-desk position. System Engineering, Admin, Network - anything to do with the infrastructure and not with assisting employees. Most folks in that area speak predominantly English. You sort of have too.
I was a System Admin until my company went bankrupt recently. Didn't take me too long (couple of months), my German is only A-2. I had a few offers, and eh..Well, another story, for another time.
Edit: I just realized I necroed an old thread, sorry. | | | | | Good luck with the Job search ! I am in the QA Field, also got sucked a Month ago due to the Corona time (in Germany), hoping will be able to find quickly a new once once we move to CH in a few Months.
| This user would like to thank TomLis for this useful post: | | 
24.01.2021, 12:18
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: basel
Posts: 1,030
Groaned at 21 Times in 14 Posts
Thanked 1,011 Times in 416 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german?
Really doubt lacking German is a big issue. Mostly it's about skill set. For us the big demand is around cloud-based platforms (in our case AWS). Days of the on prem DB are numbered. My tech tips are Alteryx, Talend, Snowflake, Reltio, Tableau, Thoughtspot and the dozens of ML/Ops 'Data Science' tools....
| The following 2 users would like to thank ipoddle for this useful post: | | 
24.01.2021, 19:18
|  | Member | | Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Wangen Bei Olten, Solothurn
Posts: 181
Groaned at 5 Times in 5 Posts
Thanked 232 Times in 97 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german? | Quote: | |  | | | Good luck with the Job search ! I am in the QA Field, also got sucked a Month ago due to the Corona time (in Germany), hoping will be able to find quickly a new once once we move to CH in a few Months. | | | | |
Oh I found a job. I had a couple of offers before the end of the year. I am just not sure about how I feel about the place I chose, yet.
QA is a little bit trickier, normally. But I have seen several pop up here and there. Check Siegfried, in Zofingen. Though...From what I hear, that place needs nerves of steel though.
| 
24.01.2021, 19:41
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Emmenbruecke
Posts: 2,906
Groaned at 37 Times in 34 Posts
Thanked 3,471 Times in 1,513 Posts
| | Re: Reality check: find an IT job in Zurich/Basel without speaking german?
There are jobs, if you want an international app, ypu‘ll want a universal language.
Saying that though, if you were to learn a local language and competent, you couöd prob find a wealth of jobs available
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Thread Tools | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT +2. The time now is 12:47. | |