Working in Switzerland - English speaker?

[torqueofthedevil]

Currently assessing my options re a new job.

I work In construction project management and would love an opportunity in Switzerland. I’m hoping there are some big projects which might use English speaking companies.

I can speak a little french but not much german and my french wouldn’t be good enough for working.

I know it’s a long shot but you do sometimes hear of people landing these sorts of jobs - just wondering if anyone here had any experience of it?

Thanks

[TheRainMaker]

I have a friend who worked there for a year and only speaks English, it was for a global confectionery company which he already worked for here in the UK.

Nearly everyone speaks “business English” might be different if you are on a building site though.

He loved it BTW.

[StevieBee]

Not directly involved in construction but I work around the world often on projects aligned with big build stuff (Energy from Waste, Material Processing Plants, etc). Teams are mostly international and English is the official contract language. 30 countries so far and and I've yet to encounter any hindrance in not being able to speak the local language. Though of course being able to does have advantage.

[Gargamel]

I worked 3 years in Switzerland, and whilst `I speak schoolboy German, all business was in `English. But it was a global `FMCG. In the large global companies, its fine. Everyone can speak good ‘ great English.

That said, the locals can be quite insular with ex pats, so expect to make only ex pat friends.

Well worth it though, I loved it, and I loved the tax rate too. Everything works and every view is a postcard. This was the view from my balcony…

Edited by Gargamel on Saturday 29th May 09:34

[ClaphamGT3]

My experience is that, on major projects, the project language will be English and you should be fine.

Of all the countries I have lived in as a child and as an adult, I have to say that Switzerland was probably one of my least favourite places to live - very sterile and people not friendly

[mikef]

I speak fluent (High) German, went to university there, worked in Germany for several years. I did a couple of jobs in Switzerland and after one my company had a complaint that I didn’t speak in the local dialect.

Edited to add: that was a consulting/training assignment with local government in Baselland. The response from our local head office in Dietikon was - stuff them, they are all in-bred there

Edited by mikef on Monday 31st May 15:08

[DeejRC]

Ppl have largely nailed it.
Hoch isn’t Swiss and frankly they get more pissed at that than they do English. Zuri-D is different to Bern-D and nobody else understands Barn-D anyway. Swiss french is almost similar but I found the Vaud accent just completely alien for me, I could never pick it properly.

Mr Pickwicks and Paddys in Zurich. Er, nowhere in Bern, it’s not that kind of place. Basel…well, just no. Imagine a “cultural” town by ppl who think art is a serious business and think Roger Federa is a comic genius.

Geneve is for ppl the rest of Switzerland doesn’t like.

They will tolerate you, but they don’t like you. And if you aren’t white they won’t even pretend to tolerate you.

[hyphen]

https://www.englishforum.ch/forum.php

[vaud]

DeejRC said:

Swiss french is almost similar but I found the Vaud accent just completely alien for me, I could never pick it properly.

[eyebeebe]

Forgetting the language for a moment…

As the UK is no longer in the EU, Brits are at the back of the queue for permits and the company would have to sponsor you and prove that they couldn’t find someone already in Switzerland or an EU passport holder to do the role.

Edited by eyebeebe on Monday 31st May 16:01

[vaud]

eyebeebe said:

Forgetting the language for a moment…

As the UK is no longer in the UK, Brits are at the back of the queue for permits and the company would have to sponsor you and prove that they couldn’t find someone already in Switzerland or an EU passport holder to do the role.

The UK is no longer in the UK?

[eyebeebe]

vaud said:

The UK is no longer in the UK?

Edited thanks.

[StescoG66]

Switzerland isn’t in the EU either as far as I recall

[vaud]

StescoG66 said:

Switzerland isn’t in the EU either as far as I recall

No but it is in Shengen and there is a Swiss-EU agreement:

"Most EU citizens don't need a permit to work in Switzerland. Restrictions apply to nationals of Croatia who still need a work permit. Under the EU-Switzerland agreement on the free movement of persons, Swiss nationals are free to live and work in the EU."

[hyphen]

StescoG66 said:

Switzerland isn’t in the EU either as far as I recall

They have had a major fall out the other week. The EU want too replace the 100+ individual deals they have with Switzerland with a general one (I.e. pseudo member state) but Switzerland walked away from the table as didn't want to conform.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/swit...

Edited by hyphen on Saturday 5th June 10:48

[Whitean3]

torqueofthedevil said:

Currently assessing my options re a new job.

I work In construction project management and would love an opportunity in Switzerland. I’m hoping there are some big projects which might use English speaking companies.

I can speak a little french but not much german and my french wouldn’t be good enough for working.

I know it’s a long shot but you do sometimes hear of people landing these sorts of jobs - just wondering if anyone here had any experience of it?

Thanks

First thing you need to find is a job vacancy that you could reasonably apply for- presume multinational company- where English is specified as the language (i.e. the advert is posted in English!). No job = no residence permit. If you get the job, the company would take care of the permit- BUT- as mentioned above- the company would have to somehow show that they were not able to find a suitable candidate from Switzerland. As Eyebeebe (hi Ian!) said above- since Brexit, you'd be lower down the list.

I think such opportunities would be few and far between- plenty of large construction companies here (especially if you love concrete) but there is also a large talent pool. I'm sure that when working in construction, you'd need to be able to communicate with the workers- who won't be English speakers (many will be Italian). It's a different matter for financial services/insurance/pharmaceuticals where the market is effectively global and business language is English. Maybe a globally renowned Swiss company (like Herzog & DeMeuron architects) would have a need for English speaking PMs, but the posting would likely not be in Switzerland!