Ask HN: Zürich – Salary, Life and Things Worth Knowing?

2 points by JacKTrocinskI 6y ago ↗ HN

I have recently been considering trying to find a job in Zürich. I have visited the city a few times on business trips in the past but not enough to really get to know it. For those of you that have lived in Zürich what is it like? What is a good daily rate for a contractor? What is a good salary for a permanent employee position? I have heard that the local Swiss people are hard to befriend, how do you go about finding new friends? I am a U.S. and Polish citizen, what types of work permits should I be looking at? What are good areas to live in and what does the rent look like? What are good job hunting websites? What has your experience been like with job agencies? I am a data warehouse contractor at the moment and would like to continue in this role. If there is anything else you think I should know please mention it.

3 comments

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mytailorisrich 6y ago ↗

As an EU citizen you enjoy freedom of movement with Switzerland so you would only need to register to get a residence permit [1]

I believe the nicest part of the cities are on the East of Lake Zurich.

[1] https://www.ch.ch/en/working-switzerland-eu-efta/

DyslexicAtheist 6y ago ↗

there is no contracting as you might be used to from other jurisdictions such as Germany. All invoices run through umbrella companies of which you'll be a permanent employee. you can set up your own Ltd (GmbH) however I'm not familiar with any freelancer that goes that route. I own a "sarl" set up in Geneve and I live in Zug (whenever I'm there) but since we have employees it is a different use-case and taxes are very low in Zug. I urge you to talk to an accountant in case you do anything other than become an employee (regardless of that read up on the tax burden before settling for a flat).

the rent is high all over the cities but salaries usually reflect high cost of living.

you might be working with people in the banking sector or even get a gig in a bank yourself. In that case you should read "Treasure Island" to understand some of the conservative mindsets (and ethical dilemmas) of the region. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Islands:_Tax_Havens_a...

JacKTrocinskI 6y ago ↗

Thanks, I will take a look into the book. Yes, in the past I worked for Credit Suisse and I aim to continue to work in the banking/financial industry.