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WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Where are the jobs in Switzerland for English speakers?

Switzerland seems to offer it all for the international worker - a very high standard of living, great pay, excellent infrastructure and stunning natural beauty in the heart of Europe. The question is, are they hiring? 

Published: 22 February 2024 15:38 CET
Trams in Zurich.
Trams in Zurich. The Greater Zurich area has a lot of potential for jobs. Image by Markus Krebs from Pixabay

We examine what you’re most likely to find a job doing as an English-speaker in Switzerland, and get an insight on the job market from one sector popular with new arrivals.

What and where – theoretically – are the jobs? 

Thanks to a combination of geography – being right in the middle of Europe – politics and history, Switzerland is a country where a number of large companies and research organisations are based. 

Banking, of course, is a Swiss strength. UBS and Raiffeisen are two local powerhouses, but there are also a significant number of private banks catering to an affluent clientele. 

Most global banks also have one or more offices – many of them in the nation’s financial capital, Zurich. 

Pharmaceuticals are another area in which Switzerland excels – it constitutes around five percent of the country’s gross domestic product. 

Swiss pharmaceutical giants include Roche and Novartis, with smaller, more specialised companies numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands.

READ ALSO: ‘10,000 job vacancies’: Where are workers in Switzerland most needed?

Many of these are based in or near the city of Basel, and as a consequence, many international pharmaceutical companies also have a presence there. 

The so-called ‘Health Valley’, stretching from Geneva eastwards towards Montreux is also home to over a thousand companies in the medical and life sciences field.  

Switzerland is also a leader in research and education, with several universities among the world’s top-ranked for research and innovation. 

Top employers in scientific research include the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, the University of Zurich, the University of Basel and the University of Bern.

Leading business schools such as the International Institute for Management Development, the University fo St Gallen and the Swiss Business School also employ a significant number of educators and international support staff. 

Signs of trouble? 

If you’re an IT worker, however, be wary. Despite the relative concentration of executive-level and research jobs within Switzerland, the events of the last few years have seen tech jobs take a beating. 

Greg Tomasik, founder of job board SwissDevJobs.ch told The Local: “The IT job market is currently much worse than in the beginning of 2023. 

“Starting in 2020 there was a big bull run in the job market, up until mid 2022. After that, the bubble started losing air. 

“Currently, there are around 30 percent less open roles compared to the beginning of 2023. On the other hand, the average number of candidates per job doubled, from 14 to 28.”

If you are seeking tech-related jobs, however, one area does stand out. 

Greg continues: “The Greater Zurich area remains the main economic hub in Switzerland. It is also where most of the tech roles are located. 

“We also see some rise in crypto-related roles in Zug area since most of the crypto companies are located there.”

Greg Tomasik, founder of SwissDevJobs.ch

With more candidates for fewer jobs, Greg has some focused advice for those looking for a Swiss tech job.

“Try to make sure that you fit the essential requirements. In the application, try to highlight that you meet the requirements and add a few sentences why you are applying specifically to this company,” he said. 

“Only a small fraction of candidates do it, and you will definitely stand out if you go to the effort. 

“One more thing, especially for junior candidates: learn the AI coding tools and stay on top of current trends. Tools like Copilot replace much of the work that was previously done by junior software engineers, and now they also need to adapt.”

READ ALSO: Why is Switzerland’s chronic labour shortage worsening?

Member comments

  1. It’s a good description of what is available. I would add that the UN agencies and NGOs around Geneva sometimes have jobs for English speakers, and also that there are a lot of international sports federations in Switzerland, many of which work mostly in English.

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For members

WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

How can a foreign teacher find work in a Swiss school or university?

More Swiss cantons are hiring teachers from abroad, but candidates must meet certain criteria.

Published: 7 May 2024 15:05 CEST
How can a foreign teacher find work in a Swiss school or university?

Too few teachers are being trained in Switzerland, which means that by the beginning of the new decade, between 43,000 and 47,000 new professionals would need to be recruited. 

To remedy this situation, various cantons are taking steps, or are planning to do so in the near future, to fill the gap with teachers trained abroad. 

READ ALSO: Swiss cantons move to hire more foreign teachers 

Does this mean that any foreign teacher can easily find work in Switzerland?

Let’s define ‘foreign’ first.

If you are a foreign national who has been entirely trained at one of Swiss Universities of Teacher Education (PH), and receive a corresponding diploma, then you are in the clear, and no further action is needed.

If, however, you studied abroad and obtained a foreign diploma, then you may have to be-retrained in Switzerland, and meet the local hiring criteria.

One thing to remember is that cantons are responsible for their own school system, so requirements (as well as opportunities) may be different from one region to another.

Teachers with foreign teaching diplomas can apply to the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Education (EDK) to have their credentials recognised in Switzerland.  

The EDK will decide what (if any) further training or certification you may need in order to work in a school in a given canton.

This is how it works

The EDK will compare your foreign training with the one provided in Swiss universities.

If it is found to be equivalent, you will receive an official certificate of recognition of your diploma in Switzerland, and can then look for a job.

If, however, there are significant differences in the level of education, the EDK will ask for so-called ‘compensatory measures’ — for instance, via a ‘Certificate of Advanced Studies’ (CAS) —  to be carried out in a Swiss PH before your diploma can be recognised.

The exact steps are described here.

Language proficiency

Obviously, if you come from Germany, France, Italy, Austria, or Liechtenstein, and intend to teach in the linguistically-appropriate canton, then this is one hurdle you don’t have to overcome.

For all the others, however, candidates must provide proof of sufficient language skills in one of the main Swiss national languages.

“As proof of such language skills in German, French or Italian, an internationally recognised language diploma at Level C2 of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CERF) the is required,” according to the EDK.

For those who only teach a language that is not a Swiss national language (such as English), a B2 CERF level in German, French, or Italian is sufficient.

READ ALSO: How can I have my foreign qualifications recognised in Switzerland? 

What about work permits?

If you come from an EU / EFTA state (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), then you will obtain a permit easily – if you haven’t gotten one yet.

For those from third countries, things are more complicated because you are subject to special quotas and will be admitted only if your presence in Switzerland is considered to be “in the general economic interest.”

This means that you must not only be a highly qualified professional in your field, but also that no Swiss or EU / EFTA national can be found for a given teaching position.

However, if you are a third-country national who already lives in Switzerland with a valid permit, then your candidacy will be considered.

All of the above applies to those looking for a job at primary and secondary schools, but what about universities?

Different procedure

The hiring system at Swiss universities is different.

While foreigners can, of course, apply for a teaching job, most universities recruit professors they need themselves.

Overall, foreigners constitute just over half of teaching staff at Swiss universities.

This is especially the case in the two federal polytechnic institutes — the ETH in Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne —  with 70 and 82 percent, respectively — of foreigners among their academic staff.

Typically, these institutions recruit staff from reputable universities abroad to fill specific  teaching positions — for instance in sciences.

These people are hired as visiting professors at the invitation of one of the faculties. Such appointments are made for a minimum of one month and a maximum of one year, though they can be extended.

In such cases, universities will apply for a visa and a work permit for visiting professors from outside the EU / EFTA.

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