Switzerland, anyone worked there?

[Harvey2018]

Hi All,

hope everyone had a good Christmas.

 

After being unable to move to the USA to work there my second choice has always been Switzerland as my favourite country.  Has anyone ever moved there and lived there for Arb climbing work? What’s the quality of pay vs rent etc and good areas to live. Iv spent a lot of time around Bern and the lakes and villages around there and fell in love with it.

The pay seems to be pretty good from what I can see, living costs are high though. 

Mad always, another mans wisdom on subjects are always appropriated.

many thanks

[trigger_andy]

On 28/12/2018 at 18:40, Harvey2018 said:

Hi All,

hope everyone had a good Christmas.

 

After being unable to move to the USA to work there my second choice has always been Switzerland as my favourite country.  Has anyone ever moved there and lived there for Arb climbing work? What’s the quality of pay vs rent etc and good areas to live. Iv spent a lot of time around Bern and the lakes and villages around there and fell in love with it.

The pay seems to be pretty good from what I can see, living costs are high though. 

Mad always, another mans wisdom on subjects are always appropriated.

many thanks

Cant help with Switzerland but Ive worked in Norway for 10 years now. As you rightly pointed out the pay is high but cost of living is higher. You'd really need to spend a lot of time weighing up what this supposedly good wage will actually earn you in Switzerland. You'll also need to factor in moving expenses and potentially moving over with very little and having to buy everything over there. Is the rent high? Remember you'll need at least the same again in a deposit etc etc. 

 

When I moved to Norway for what was classed as a Workshop Technicians position at £36,000 a year plus kids in a private School I thought I was made. In reality this was a fairly low wage and impossible to live on without my Wife also working full time. This was 10 years ago as I mentioned. 

 

There is a number of ex-pat websites, might be worth joining up and either asking a few questions there or having a snoop around? 

[Craig Johnson]

work in switzerland but live in france, much cheaper

[Ty Korrigan]

To rent in France can be a shit.

You need a French bank account to be able to take out a rental contract.

To get a bank account you need a French address and so the paperwork chase goes round and round...

Almost always unfurnished too which is another expense and encumbrance.

I rarely see 'Rooms to let' although climbers who came and worked for us, I found a local mature lady who rented a room and provided an evening meal.

There are also workers 'hostels' which are good, clean, basic places.

Our local one is around €25 per room per night.

 Best of luck 'n' all

   Stuart

[Rich Rule]

I would first check if you are eligible to work there.

 

i am guessing it isn’t that easy otherwise every one would be doing it.  

[trigger_andy]

1 minute ago, Rich Rule said:

I would first check if you are eligible to work there.

 

i am guessing it isn’t that easy otherwise every one would be doing it.  

You could say the same for Norway but not many bother.

[Harvey2018]

Hi Guys, 

thanks for the info, I’m going over there in the summer for a couple of weeks so hoping to chat to a few tree guys out there. 

Aparently anyone from the Europe can work there for upto 3months without needing a visa. And it shouldn’t be that hard as far as work visas go. 

Im hoping to be out there in a year, when I was out there last year it did seem like central London prices but the average wage out there for an Arb guy is very high. 

If anyone else has any info or experiences working out there I would love to hear them. What the work is like etc.

all the best

[Wolf]

I worked there a lot and still work there regulary. Its not easy as a sub contractor due a lot of bureaucarcy. Its a nightmare. Not worth to get into trouble. That you dont need a visa is just half-right. Better to get employed. Its easyer and more safe when you look at the fees you have to pay if you miss some paperwork. iam german so i understand there language. Still hard to communicate with the offices. Work is nice - different then in the uk. Quality of work is nice. Climbing standard is high. Paymant is all right. Food is nice. Costs of living are a nightmare. Give me a private msg if you need a nice company. I know a few around there. cheers!

Otherwise if you are interested to work in germany (southern germany near munich area ) you are very welcome. nearly same stuff as in switzerland but cost of living way cheaper.

[Harvey2018]

@Wolfthanks for the info, I will pm you know

cheers