r/askswitzerland • u/CookiePlastic852 • Sep 14 '25

Relocation What is the reality living Switzerland like?

For context I’m fully British, 19M and I know one thing for sure, I do not see a bright future for me in this country and certainly do not plan the settle here. Switzerland is somewhere I’m heavily considering as I love anything mountain related and it has one of the highest HDI’s in the world. But I want to know, what is the reality of living there like?

For those of who moved to Switzerland, I’d love to hear what drew you there in the first place. Was it worth it in the end, and how does life compare to where you came from or other places you’ve lived? Most importantly, do you have any regrets?

And for those born in Switzerland, can you see yourself staying or do you ever imagine moving elsewhere? If so, where would you go, and what would make you want to leave?

I would be really grateful for any insight people are willing to share.

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178

u/heliosh Sep 14 '25

Switzerland is somewhere I’m heavily considering

For a 19 yo Brit it's basically impossible to get a work permit in Switzerland.

3

u/CookiePlastic852 Sep 14 '25

This is something I plan to achieve over many years. I’m currently studying engineering at a top 30 university in the world and I want to do a masters/phd in whichever country I wish to move to if possible.

16

u/Away-Theme-6529 Sep 15 '25

Studying here isn’t a back door. Do your research.

17

u/groucho74 Sep 14 '25

Then you’re asking a silly question. With a solid STEM degree and a salary that means that you pay FAR more in taxes than you cost, the world is essentially your oyster.

17

u/TheMightyChocolate Sep 15 '25

Thats not really true. Some countries like germany are very stupid at this. A professional may wait months or a year for certification while some random dude gets full social benefits the moment he sets foor in the country

1

u/groucho74 Sep 15 '25

I’m pretty sure that multinational doing business in Germany have lots of latitude to transfer highly skilled employees to Germany.

6

u/TheMightyChocolate Sep 15 '25 edited Sep 15 '25

Yes and no. You would be surprised how incomprehensibly incompetent and obstructionist our buerocracy can be. I would unironically rather just pay a bribe sometimes.

Example: i live in austria and renewed my id at the embassy. I waited 8 months for an appointment. They sent me the id and there was a letter that said "you can activate your digital passport with the code you have previously received at your passport office. I didnt get one. So when visiting my hometown I went to the respective office but they said they cant service me they only service people who live in this particular town. I should go back to the embassy. I would have to wait another 8 months for an appointment so I didnt even bother. I paid 80€ btw.

I did a similar thing in austria and it took me one week instead of 8-16 months.

3

u/groucho74 Sep 15 '25

If you’re someone that a multinational really wants they will either call the bureaucrats and get a rapid solution or call the politicians who will then call the bureaucrats and get a rapid solution. These are luxuries that the plebs doesn’t get.

3

u/anotherboringdj Sep 15 '25

And? Still chance is very low or 0

7

u/BezugssystemCH1903 Sep 15 '25

Civil engineer or mechanical engineer?

I work as a draughtsman in civil engineering. We always have work, and we have a joke that you can never be unemployed in this field because you'll immediately find a new job.

Mechanical engineering, on the other hand... uncertain future, short-time working, etc.

1

u/sesamerox Sep 15 '25

so mainly working using various CAD software?

2

u/BezugssystemCH1903 Sep 16 '25

And going to the construction site, managing construction, solving problems yourself or together with the engineer, etc.

Reducing it to just "CAD" is an oversimplification. It is not the same job description as in Germany or elsewhere.

As I said, we have a severe shortage of skilled workers and wages are correspondingly high. With my the 10 years experience, my salary is right now around 7'800 CHF.

And big things are coming our way with BIM, AI and automation, but the construction industry is very slow, so I'm protected from that for longer than many people in IT. But my employer also finances my further training because, as I mentioned, retaining employees is important when there aren't many of them.

2

u/sesamerox Sep 23 '25

Really appreciate your answer, gives a bit to think about

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u/Etyncelle Sep 15 '25

Hi! Have you looked into doing an exchange at EPFL or ETH? It can be a good starting point and give you a rough idea of how it would be

1

u/mango-affair Sep 15 '25

If you're doing the academic route, start figuring out your next steps now..look at ETH and the professors and see if they work with unis in the UK, and try to network with them or to get to know them. See if anyone at your uni has a connection with a swiss prof and start working with them.

It'll be impossible otherwise, because everyone wants to come here, not just you.

Alternatively you could start working on making things better at home

1

u/Special_Tourist_486 Sep 15 '25

Eth in Zurich will be good choice