I have been terminated from my Swiss job in Zurich and my last payment date is in September

I am on a permit b and have been here for four years and half

I had planned to sign the rav and take my time to find a new job in Switzerland but a job has suddenly been offered in the Uk through a friend and the salary after tax is 5kgbp which is 6k chf

I’m in two minds whether to prefer the job in the Uk or take the rav. I feel like the Uk job will give up my right to permit c and have my dreams of living in Switzerland in the future dashed. I won’t be able to get another b permit if I leave now we have brexit

And the rav salary after tax is equal to the Uk salary after tax from working.

Finally because of my age and health I won’t be working after this job so I don’t actually need the money. I sold my Uk house a year and had inheritance which will last me a life time and I don’t have any kids

What would you do?

1) Take the Uk Jon and give up your permit and take home the same as the rav would pay
2£ be unemployed with the rav and try and find a job in Switzerland on your terms whilst enjoying the time off

Just read your own post attentively and you got your answer!

In my role as ALV contributor, I would recommend to take the job in the UK.

As a person who has a very poor opinion of people who use social services when they have other options open to them, I second this. There are people who would do anything for a job or who deserve to get support but don't because they aren't "street smart". Even worse, you say you don't really need the money - then why not use your savings like many Swiss people I know have done because they didn't want to burden the system without truly needing to.

Also bear in mind that life has a way of throwing spanners in your smooth planning. You may suddenly find yourself in a situation where having an income without having to fight to get it every month and other advantages of being employed comes in useful. RAV may also not mean having time off. If they get the impression you're not really trying, they will keep you busy. Think doing menial tasks that require you to rock up somewhere at 7.30 am, this is what they did to an acquaintance of mine.

And again: ALV is not social services. It is an insurance.

It is not honourable not to claim it when you need it (and wanting to stay in a country one had a "life-long dream" to live in is a good enough reason). It is about as stupid as paying for a bag of food at Migros but leave it behind.

RAV isn’t fun/time off – can become very frustrating. Depending upon the situation, you might have to jump through a few hoops but I don’t see “menial tasks at 07:30” unless that’s what you did until now anyway. You imply a certain age – could well mean going through the motions for benefits and all your applications are rejected one after the other.

Actually, if that's the case I'd do neither.

Twice in my life I did not claim ALV although totally entitled to. I just couldn't be bother with the limitations they would put on me. So when ever I was able to finance those breaks myself I did.
But that's me, not many people have this urge for freedom, at any cost.

If you want to stay in Switzerland you need to stay here until you get citizenship. If that’s not so important, take the U.K. job.

Another alternative, if you're as rich as you think you are, is to try for a non-work B permit.

"Retirees
Retirees wishing to settle down in Switzerland must also provide proof that they have sufficient financial means ensuring that they do not become dependent on the Swiss social security benefits (welfare). They must also have adequate health insurance coverage. Generally speaking, financial means are deemed adequate if the amount exceeds the threshold whereby a Swiss national would be entitled to claim supplementary benefits."

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home...actsheets.html

The person who ended up doing that has a degree and worked a relatively complex office job before. They ended up getting a job pretty quickly after the start of the "reintegration measures".

And I am aware that RAV is not the same as social services, however, it belongs in the same category: not paying your own way but using the money of others to fund your expenses. That definitely should be available to those in genuine need, but the wording of the OP is essentially "should I continue to work for my own upkeep or intentionally become burden on the support system of the state?".

I agree that plowing into your savings when you are not to blame for becoming unemployed is daft. It is merely an example of just how unwilling some people in this country are to be a financial burden. In some cases it was also because being on the RAV payroll is a monumental PITA.

Not really, insurance is a pooling of risk, the insurance is even compulsory in CH, so to be in the position to claim you need to have paid a premium in the first place.
How do you feel about Pillar 1 OAP, where you get money back based on how many years insurance you have paid against living past the age of 64/65.

Oh come on. One isn't obliged to move countries. This person obviously isn't taking the Michael and would gladly take a Swiss offer.

If you wouldn't expect a Swiss person to move to Britain to avoid RAV then you shouldn't expect a Brit too.

RAV/ALV is an insurance – nothing else. As a typical Swiss, you’ll have the payslip deduction from day one. However, all that counts are the last 24 calendar months. I don’t begrudge an expat “cashing in” after just 4 ½ years – it’s the way the system is set up. I guess, earlier on, it was unlikely you’d not find another job here. Times change….

Depending upon your narrative, the Brit would be moving home and taking back control – the unfortunate Swiss, well, an appreciation of Cadbury’s chocolate might be a start...

If you want to stay in Switzerland and have a hope of regaining some free movement in the future through naturalisation, then without a doubt go RAV; it's not "zumutbar" to expect you to take a job abroad if the centre of your life is here.

If you are certain now that you will want to retire in the UK and not live abroad again, take the UK job. But, as you say, it's a one-way irreversible decision.

Just to add to your considerations: if you're 6 months off C now, you'll be 3 months off in September and can probably apply almost straight away. Once you have your C, you can be out of CH for up to 4 years without losing your C permit (you have to actively request it and can't just up and leave, but under the CRA it's not as restrictive as the reasons EU citizens have to give to do the same).

Me? I'd absolutely go on the RAV route

__________________
Charter our yacht in Greece

Now that you don't *have* to get a job to survive, I bet you can get something here really interesting and meaningful, as you don't have the stress or pressure of a normal jobseeker.

OP, your profile says that you are French, which leaves you free to return to live in Switzerland, later, should you wish to, whether to work or to retire, so leaving Switzerland would not, in fact, be burning a bridge.

Having said that, in your position I'd also be wanting to get that C-permit, because it would give you so much more security.

Since, as you say, you don't need the money, why bother registering with the RAV? They require a great deal of effort from you, in proving all the efforts you're making to find work, and they may send you on assessments and courses and the so-called "integration" programmes.

I'm with Curley on this, and would choose the freedom from all that, especially as you could just support yourself. And as p42 says, you could then choose to do something else that is interesting and meaningful, perhaps by helping someone else with something.

Maybe it was the thread title that rubbed me the wrong way, making me dive in pretty harshly; I obviously don't expect someone to move countries for a job (although that was apparently fine when they wanted to come here and there are cases where I still feel like going back home is probably the best move), nor do I begrudge people getting pensions, I'm not a savage. And yet, if all of us cashed in on the various insurances that we pay into, there wouldn't be much money left, would there? So I stand by the view that you should do your utmost to avoid making use of the insurance.

Signing up with the RAV comes with meaningful obligations, like writing x number of applications per month and potentially joining courses, not being able to travel abroad freely, etc. It’s all ok and reasonable, but isn’t just signing up for a paycheck.
If you don’t need the money, I would prefer not to do it.
But also if you want to stay in CH mid- and long term, giving up your permit would be stupid.
Maybe I would do a serious attempt to find a job here in CH, rather than taking the hassle to move to UK.

Option 2. How is that even a question?