Hello,

I am considering a contract job in Zurich for a rate of 370 CHF /day gross. I think it is not a lot of money for the cost of living. Can somebody help me whether it is worth it?

I work on the Telecommunications sector and I like the new role , better than what I do currently in Athens.

It is reasonable pay. The national average pay here in Switzerland is around Fr 240 per day gross.

Thank you

Is there a tool for calculating the net salary for such a contract role? I am told it is a 3 months rolling contract, which I presume will have lesser taxes?

I am grateful !

CHF370 x 20 days = CHF 7400 in a month. That's pretty decent I think. But then again, it depends on your lifestyle, whether you are used to go out to eat / drink alot. Certainly, you need to adjust a bit as everything is more expensive here.

Thank you ,

Any estimate of how much that would be in net?

Regards

www.comparis.ch will help you. It depends on a couple of factors and the website calculates it for you.

This Forum has a lot of information with links to official sites. If you search EF with "Google-Powered" you will find the information you look for.

http://www.englishforum.ch/search2.php?q=living

http://www.englishforum.ch/daily-lif...f-library.html

Make sure you understand exactly what the contract is and what will be deducted e.g. agency fees, employER contributions (as well as employEE contributions), insurances etc.

Probably no holiday pay, sickness pay or Statuary holidays, so you can deduct 15-20%. Assuming employer deductions are taken thats about another 15%
Normally short term contract are at a far higher day rate so I think this is the same as a 4k a month job so roughly a supermarket check out person.
Salary is too low unless it's for 6 months plus.

Edit
If you rent an apartment you can't just leave, possibly only 2 leaving days a year which require 3 months notice , so if rent is 1500 a month your maximium at risk is 9 months so 13,500 CHF. If you can find someone to take over then you are off the hook, however thats a huge potential liability for 370 a day.

What exactly do you do in the telecoms sector?

Assuming the rate is gross, then it is way too low for a contractor, realistically you'd want to be on about 500 plus per day! From you rate, the agent will deduct double social security payments, double pension payments, income tax and their fee.

Ask the agent to provide you with a worked example of your take home pay, not the daily fee and see what they come up with.

Hello Michalis,

Try to clarify the net payment you are going to receive. There are some threads in here that might help. Whatever figure the agent gives you, double-check and then triple-check.
I don't have personal experience with contracting, the rate seems too low for me. You should only accept if you are up for an adventure, want to network and move to another employer or want to "upgrade" your CV.
You might also want to consider subletting or sharing a place to live while you are here, so that you are not committed to a long-term rental contract. Have a look at wg-zimmer.ch to get an idea.

Best of luck.

Some more thoughts: You say that it is a three month contract on a rolling basis. So, assuming it is legitimate, my understanding is that all you can really count on is the income for three months and the hope for more.

Have you considered the cost for coming over, temporary accommodation, etc.? Will they be getting your work permit and paying for it, or will they expect you to get that?

Do any of the contractors here have experience with these questions? I may be too negative, here...

Good luck, Michalis!

He is Greek, so no work permit is required for him. He just needs to register at the Gemeinde and give them a copy of his contract.

However, given how expensive life in Switzerland is, it is best to consider all the worst-case possibilities now, because surprises cost a lot!

It all depends on what you actually do, how senior you are, etc. It's hard to say if this is a good salary without any kind of benchmark. Swiss salaries are calculated based on a "compa ratio" that sums up the job type, skill and seniority, industry (and the variations are huge between industries for the same job), etc.

for a contract, that to me is low. my guys are on 890 a day and we struggle to get good people on that rate.

remember contracting comes with considerable risks so the rates should be higher.

- no sick pay
- no holiday pay
- no pension
- no employee contributions to health or pension
- risk of being told the budget has dried up and next week is your last week.

unless its a low skilled job, i would not accept it.

thank you , no it is not a low skilled job at all. It is on the telecoms business



Thank you all, you are so kind to reply. Yes I am greek

i.e I would need an L permit or a Short Permit.

Thank you so much for your time ! Yes I have talked to contractors who have been through this role previously and they say although the rate is low , it is enough to spare some money as well on the side, if you spend per month around 3000 CHF.

Michalis, the way I see it, it is worth the risk if your plan is the following: Come for three months, work hard and prove your value, try to network-network-network (cannot emphasize this enough) and get the next contract at a better rate. Underselling yourself for three months (think of it as a test period) is ok. Also, there is point in trying to save money for three months. Just invest your money on networking (drinking beer with colleagues in order to exchange information on your line of business is a very good way of networking)!

And an advice of global value, do not burn any bridges. Try to leave your current employer on good terms (just in case you need to return there)!