I'm not sure how long I'm gonna stay in Zurich...renting short-term is not that easy.
If I sign a one-year contract, will I be able to leave before the end without paying, or will I have to find a new tenant? Will it be difficult?

I wouldn't be able to afford a rent in Zurich for months if I don't have a job in Zurich...

Your question were already answered in one of your previous threads.

https://www.englishforum.ch/housing-...ml#post3231689

As a principle I don't sign any contract which doesn't let me get out of it whenever I want, so at maximum with a three months notice.

TLDR; don't sign for it. It's definitely better to take any furnished apartment (or hotel, hostel, airbnb), come here, focus on your work and once all the dust settles start looking for a proper apartment with a friendly contract that suits you

PS. actually I know people living happily for a few years in furnished apartments, it all depends what suits you

Mare sure you understand the contract you are signing. There could be some surprises lurking in there. For example fixed moving dates where you can only give back the apartments on a few dates. If necessary pay for a translation or at least paste it into deepl.

And remember the first 3 months are trial period in the job.

A furnished room comes with two weeks notice period (for both contract parties, mind).

And consider joining Mieterverband, the renters association. They'll probably help you with your rental contract, and for a small fee you can have someone be present when you're moving in and help you with the inspection.

If you sign a one-year contract, there are only two correct ways to leave it.

1. You pay the rent for each of the 12 months (whether or not you live there).
2. You find a substitute tenant who brings no disadvantage to the landlord compared with you, and who is willing to take over the remaining part of your lease, at the same conditions, and you submit their full info to your landlord. If, for example, you sign for a year, live there for 5 months, and then want out, you'd need to find a substitute tenant who was willing to take over the remaining 7 months. Then, the landlord must release you from the contract and you will have no further obligation.

There is a third option, in case you cannot find a substitute tenant. You could continue to pay the rent (because you are contractually bound to do so) for the remaining months of the year, but sub-let all or part of the apartment to someone else, in that way recouping at least part of your rental, and thereby not being out of pocket, or not as much. To do this, you must first obtain the written permission of your landlord, who will not refuse if you submit the contract you intend to make with the sub-tenant, and that sub-tenant's details. Even if you take this route, you are still responsible to pay the landlord, and the sub-tenant must pay you, not the landlord.

Since you know, in advance, that you're uncertain how long you'll be in Zurich, I'd think it much better not to sign a year-long lease.

If you're single, or a young couple without children, you could try to rent a room in a flat-share. Have a look at wg-zimmer (wg stands for Wohngemeinschaft)
https://www.wgzimmer.ch/en/wgzimmer/...wc_language=en

For short-term rentals, have a look at ums, which specialises in sub-lets and short-term rentals.
https://www.ums.ch/furnished-apartments/zurich/

Also, wherever you search, be it homegate, flatfox, etc. look out for "befristet", which means of limited duration, typically buildings that are soon to be renovated or torn down.