Anyone know anything about moving to Switzerland?

[rubies]

We have a friend who lives in Switzerland. His wife and children stayed in Ireland. He flies back home every Thursday night and back to Switzerland on Sunday afternoon. One thing he would always say is that the cost of living in Switzerland is horrendous!

[adm]

Adm I don't suppose you know their approx. income?

My job won't be here if we return and I would come back to 60% of my current salary less benefits such as family health insurance etc.

My DH would easily get a job with the same money or more.

Being financially dependent scares me. I value my independence but have to think where is best for the children.

I am not sure but they both have high paid jobs she is on maternity leave at the moment , going back soon part time companies seem very supportive of women at work and they seem to understand family needs she is allowed to do how ever many hours she likes , crèche is very expensive 2 k a month for one child! I think the Swiss government like to encourage one parent to be at home though her comany are flexible though. Finding accommodation can be tough seems hard to find a suitable place to live lots of competition as everyone rents... Could ur husband job help u find somewhere ? My bil is living there 15 years his parents are both Swiss, and my sister is there around 6/7 now, I try get over at least twice every year

I don't think u should worry about not having ur own income, ur a family so what ur husband earns is family income for u all, you will be doing ur share raising the kids

[Unnamed]

I am thinking of my children's future and hoping for a better life for them.

But you can't consider that in a vacuum to your own future and happiness.

[Grotbag]

[quote="LucyS"][quote="Guest"]I am thinking of my children's future and hoping for a better life for them.[/quote]

There is also the added complication that non-Swiss can sometimes be considered second-class citizens there.[/quote]

I live in Switzerland 14 years and have never had this experience. Non-Swiss in skilled jobs are considered as 'Elite Migrants' (there was an article in a Swiss paper a few years ago about this).
OP, please feel free to pm me for any information as as I said I live here a long time and have children.

[Grotbags]

I am thinking of my children's future and hoping for a better life for them.

I'm sure your kids would have a good life in Switzerland but I'm not quite sure I understand why you believe your children will have a much better life in Switzerland. In indexes where Switzerland does very well, Ireland also does very well. There is also the added complication that non-Swiss can sometimes be considered second-class citizens there.

Ehm I have never experienced being considered as a second-class citizen and I live in Switz 14 years. To the contrary there have been articles in local papers here about expats in high skilled jobs being classed as 'elite migrants'. However, I do agree they are intolerant of migrants who they perceive to be adding nothing to society. But from that perspective you dont need to worry.
OP please feel free to PM me as as I said I live here years and have a kid.

[salsa]

Ok I feel I know enough about Zurich to say 120 pa is not a lot over there. Salaries are typically far higher than Ireland and so you can't think 120 k Swiss terms is similar or anything near similar to 120k Irish terms. Unless your dh is promised a step up in 2 years or an ex pat package covering at least rent and international fees for your kids schooling I really wouldn't do it. Throw in the fact that you are leaving your job too and all that does for you, it would be a definite no for me. Do remember also that even if your kids go to the local school, they will be immersed in Swiss German, with mainly Swiss children and Swiss German as a language isn't worth having half as much as German or French are. So the international school would be a minimum requirement if it were me thinking of doing it for the kids.
The more I think about it, the more I'd say no...

[feebiefoo]

D

[LucyS]

I am thinking of my children's future and hoping for a better life for them.

I'm sure your kids would have a good life in Switzerland but I'm not quite sure I understand why you believe your children will have a much better life in Switzerland. In indexes where Switzerland does very well, Ireland also does very well. There is also the added complication that non-Swiss can sometimes be considered second-class citizens there.

Ehm I have never experienced being considered as a second-class citizen and I live in Switz 14 years. To the contrary there have been articles in local papers here about expats in high skilled jobs being classed as 'elite migrants'. However, I do agree they are intolerant of migrants who they perceive to be adding nothing to society. But from that perspective you dont need to worry.
OP please feel free to PM me as as I said I live here years and have a kid.

I only lived briefly in Switzerland and it was back in the nineties. Prior to that I was based in Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. It was certainly my impression that the Swiss were not anywhere near as friendly, open or welcoming as the Dutch, the Belgians or the Germans. Also, there was a general view among expats that if a company were retrenching, non-Swiss were made redundant before Swiss.

It could be that I formed a very incorrect impression.

However, was there not a recent referendum which drastically limited the number of people allowed into Switz through quotas? This referendum was carried even though most business and industry groups were opposed to the initiative.

[Grotbags]

Yes you are correct Lucy about the referendum. At the same time almost one quarter of the population are non Swiss which in fairness is probably not as high as Ireland. There is strong right wing here but I have never encountered anything negative. I did live in a bubble in a city but the last 2.5 years I have lived in a village in the mountains in a right wing area. I was bit nervous moving here but actually the Swiss neighbours are much more welcoming than my fellow non nationals.
That's my personal experience but maybe it hasn't been the same for everyone but 14 years and no negativity is good going in my book.
Anyway bit off topic.
To the OP 120K euro (do you have the figure in CHF) would be right enough in Zurich for a family of four.

[Grotbags]

Sorry that should be 120K euro wouldn't be easy for a family of four to live on. Particularly in Zurich.

[LucyS]

Yes you are correct Lucy about the referendum. At the same time almost one quarter of the population are non Swiss which in fairness is probably not as high as Ireland. There is strong right wing here but I have never encountered anything negative. I did live in a bubble in a city but the last 2.5 years I have lived in a village in the mountains in a right wing area. I was bit nervous moving here but actually the Swiss neighbours are much more welcoming than my fellow non nationals.
That's my personal experience but maybe it hasn't been the same for everyone but 14 years and no negativity is good going in my book.
Anyway bit off topic.
To the OP 120K euro (do you have the figure in CHF) would be right enough in Zurich for a family of four.

Grotbag, very interesting post. When you live somewhere with a child, you get a far deeper insight into society as a whole.

[Grotbags]

Yeah absolutely. The neighbours beside us in traditional old house (Heinz and Heidi I shit you not!) are particularly fantastic. I was really scared when I seen Heinz as he was in dungarees, with a big beard, smoking a pipe and chopping wood with a big axe! Thought he is going to hate me. I work 4 days a week and am often to be found in having a coffee with Heinz on my day off! I guess I had a more prejudice opinion of him than he had of me.
Def negatives in Switzerland but I think the people get a bad rap. They are hard to get to know and come off as closed but once you get a foot in they are extremely loyal and some surprisingly fun (some also stereotypical auld dry sh*tes!)

[DazedandConfused]

Yes you are correct Lucy about the referendum. At the same time almost one quarter of the population are non Swiss which in fairness is probably not as high as Ireland.

Way higher than Ireland. I think Switzerland has the largest immigrant population in Europe.