Hi, well your father is a wise man. I would not recommend doing such a move right now. Because the cost of life is going through the roof here and without a job offer from the start it's really playing with fire.

yes Switzerland is probably the best place in Europe for a safe and nice location and for someone highly educated getting a job is usually not a problem. But lately economy had a shift with the euro-crisis.

If you have a GOOD amount of cash to back-up your decision then try it!

Otherwise I would recommend to look for a job right now from the US instead, companies are definitely looking for people and you being abroad shouldn't be an issue for them.

Yo Tracey, 

You're right and your father in-law is also right. 

You're right that Switzerland's econony is doing far better than that of most other countries, unemployment is low (at least in most major citiies), personal safety is high. 

Your in law is right that cost of living is real high and that finding a job isn't easy (despite the low un-emoloyement). 

Moving here without any job in hand, only with an MBA, is a risky (and potentialy expensive) move. You can lower the risk by starting to look from abroad for work over here. If you get serious bites, progress the potnetial move more. 

Tracey,

I would say you are both right. However, take it from those who are here and understand that your father-in-law (though worded harshly) is correct.

You've put yourself in the difficult position where your recent acquisition of an MBA (Congratulations btw!) dictates that your compensation should be higher. So off the bat, yes you have an upper leg on others on paper; but according to hiring managers I've talked to, these days it's almost a detriment to have one. Most companies these days are trying to find reasons to pay their employees less.

You will also notice (in Geneva), that many people decide to get advanced degrees as a means to make their time useful while they wait for a job. The city is chock-full of incredibly well educated people from all over the world. What sucks is that the mere fact that you're American will put you 3rd on the pecking order of candidates. 1) Swiss 2) European 3) You.

In order for a company to hire you, they must prove to the local government that they weren't able to find a worthy applicant in the candidate pool I listed above. However, there is always a chance someone will find you to be a fit so don't be discouraged! I was a trailing spouse and was fortunate enough to find a job quite quickly. But I had a pretty specific career background that coincided with what was available at the time. I also had the peace of mind that at least one of us was able to support us at the time.

If your husband/or you had a job lined up, then I'd say go for it. But I can't stress how daunting it'd be for you both if the two of you are unemployed. I'd go as far as to say, that for the sake of your marriage - stay put for now. No amount of beautiful alps, and scenic bike rides can overcome the burden of looming financial problems.

What is often not mentioned to those looking to move here is that merely being able to "afford" living a few months unemployed is not the biggest concern. It's even being able to get started that is the most back breaking. 

Scour the site and you will find that it is extremely difficult to find a place to live here. We were rejected over and over and it didn't seem to matter that we still met the 3X rent for salary criteria. We even submitted bank statements showing that we had X amount of money in savings. It didn't matter to them. We were marginalized for my lack of employment.

One regie even shared their concerns, that even though yes we could afford to live there off of one income how could we guarantee that my wife wouldn't lose her job after her multi-year contract was over. Who can ever guarantee that they'll never lose their job?! Unless the Swiss can? (I honestly don't know)

10K CHF minimum to open a bank account- lest you're okay being nickle and dimed for every single transaction. Your status as an American (FACTA) will specially make that a headache. 3-6 months rent as a security deposit to get started. And the list goes on and on.

This country is stunningly beautiful. It's almost annoying how scenic it is. 

But in our short time here we've realized that the "price of admissio"n, in every sense of the word, whether financial, cultural, societal. Is not only steep, but almost soul sucking. 

And a site that's useful: 

Comparing cost of living between St. Louis and Geneva

CLICK

Although many of the people who live amongst us in the Haute Savoie are working on a daily basis travelling to and from Switzerland, as your husband is French and you are determined to make a life for yourselves in Europe, why not try to find something in this area, i.e.

Evian-les-Bains, Thonon-les-Bains, Annemasse, Annecy etc?

It may not be exactly the same in the remuneration category but we love it here and wouldn't be anywhere else.

hi there tracey, 

i understand completely your desire to cut your ties with the usa lifestyle and pick up here in europe. but if you have read the above, you will see that you may be setting yourself up for a hard fall. why not look for something in the beautiful new england area. the state of maine ( where they speak french!), new hampshire, vermont etc are very beautiful and quite safe. and, what's more, you have the right to have a job! you have to be aware, that as a USA  tourist ( 90 days visa ) you are not allowed to be perceived as looking for emplyment. please check with the swiss embassy to reassure yourselves about what you may and may not do. also, you are competing with 250 million europeans in the job market, and speaking french is "pas grandes choses" in this part of the world.

good luck in your search, and i hope you find what you are looking for.

Dear Tracey,

After a four year stay in the German part (canton Zurich) I am very happy to be home in Canada. I was already hired by a non-for profit international organisation before moving over but it was extremely difficult for me to adjust.

I would never even dream of expatriating myself without a job to go to in Switzerland. Say goodbye to any savings that you have just to get by there. It cost me over CHF 10,000.00 to come and go with a small amount of belongings.

The hidden requirements are so stressfulthat I cannot begin to tell you! Health care which you MUST have in place is expensive and food costs are outrageous! Forget about steak dinners!! The Sunday laws are particulary strict-no doing laundry or making any noise-it is a family day and everything is closed.

Stores and shops close early and I had to travel to the airport if I needed something where the only food stores remain open on Sundays.

Even garbage is so contolled with the recycling depots only open several hours per week. You must buy the garbage bags (10 for CHF 18.00) that correspond to your area. No bottles or paper allowed. You also must pay the Billag fee for any use of radio, computer or televsion you plan to use in your flat or car. The SwissCom for phone and Cablecom for tv are also very expensive.

Within a week of arrival you must present yourselves to the nearest city hall to apply for your B permit. This is also an annual fee. 

There will be no light fixtures in your flat as people take them all with them when they move. I was fortunate enough to have a flea market happen near me where I bought these things after living with only flourescent tubes in the kithchen and bathroom for a week!

Your rent for three months in advance is required. I had to pay CHF 1800.00 to have my flat cleaned before leaving because if you try to do this yourself, they will inspect it and find something which will require you to have it cleaned professionally anyway!

I am only speaking with experience in the German part of Switzerland but I know the same rules and regulations apply in every Canton.I am able to speak French but my German was nil. The job I performed required only English but dealing with everyday things such as food shopping etc.was difficult. One woman at the post office wouldn't deal with me because I spoke no German.

You are both in for a shock if you move there without steady employment! If a statutory holiday falls on a weekend-too bad-they don't give you the Monday off.Holiday length was based on age in Zurich-thirty years old-three weeks-fourty-four weeks etc.

Take a holiday to find out more before moving there!!! Oh, and if you plan on driving, you must get your Swiss license within a year. Otherwise you will pay through the nose to take their course!

Regards,

MJ Kelly

Wow thank you so much everyone for your feedback! 

A couple of comments:

Part of what I've learned in my research with the Swiss embassy is that as a US citizen married to an EU citizen, I have the right to whatever residence my spouse has. So part of the -packing up and moving- decision was so that we could obtain residency and apply for the family regroupment or reunification visa that would give me the right to work. At this moment a company has to prove that no one in Switzerland and the entire Europe can do the same job. That should eliminate that first obstacle.

French-English isn't a problem. For German: so far I can order sandwiches, but only 5 or less.

For resources, I've used Numbeo to compare some US cities in the west to Switzerland. The purchasing power and the average salary/rent is higher in la Suisse. Also the OECD better life index and Going Global country profiles have been helpful.

Has anyone heard of an American getting hired on an International Trainee agreement? I would qualify, but have no idea how to go about securing one.

That is a good suggestion to think about living in France, possibly even commuting at least for a time being. I know from experience job-searching in France that a company will offer far below what my salary expectations are. It wouldn't be a problem if education in the US wasn't so expensive!

Romain, Nir, CH Kim, Sheila, epicure, and those that private messaged me: you've given me a lot to think about! I appreciate your hard truths and constructive feedback. Thanks again!

Wow, sounds like a rough experience! They took the light fixtures?! 

I did visit Switzerland a couple of times, but only in the Geneva/Vaud area. I have a friend that works there that also talked about 10pm noise curfews and not being able to even flush the toilet at night! 

That surprises me the vacation though. I thought that Switzerland had a minimum of 4 weeks vacation? That was another important "pro" on my list. At my old corporate job I had zero days the first year, 2 weeks the second year. It was a nightmare and I swore to myself that I would never settle for so little again.

Just another little snippet to perhaps set you on the right path.

The French woman from whom we bought our house here in Evian was granted a G permit as a "Frontaliere" to travel and work on a daily basis at the CHUV Lausanne [boats at 07.00 or 08.20]. She was told by her employer there that her contract was for six months, only renewable three times - strictly no longer. However, 7 years later, and she is doing the same job [quite how she managed it we do not know but it seems that it is possible] so commuting cross-border is a definite option for you both, especially your husband who is a French citizen.Good luck.

Hello Tracey,

From an immigration law perspective:

A "B long term Swiss residence permit for family reunion" would allow you to take up employment in Switzerland without needing approval from the Swiss migration authorities. To qualify for such a permit, your husband would need to apply for a "B long term Swiss work and residence permit" - for a French citizen (so far) a formality provided that he has a Swiss employment contract with a minimum duration of 365 days.

If your husband finds a job in Switzerland, you will apply for a visa for family reunion with the Swiss consulate general / embassy abroad responsible for your current place of residence. As a US citizen, you may stay as a visitor in the Schengen area (incl. Switzerland) for up to 90 days within any 180 day period only. To relocate to Switzerland, you will however need to apply for a visa, it will need to be approved and you need to have it stamped in your passport before moving to Switzerland.

Taking up residence in France: As your husband is French, it surely should be possible for you to obtain a residence permit for France. However, this would not facilitate your access to the Swiss labour market. For this, you would need to have lived in the "border zone" of the proposed canton of work for at least 6 months based on a "stable" residence permit (e.g. for family reunion with a French citizen <> a student's permit would not count).

I hope this helps.

P.S.:

"Taking up residence in France: As your husband is French, it surely should be possible for you to obtain a residence permit for France. However, this would not facilitate your access to the Swiss labour market. For this, you would need to have lived in the "border zone" of the proposed canton of work for at least 6 months based on a "stable" residence permit (e.g. for family reunion with a French citizen <> a student's permit would not count)."

I may not have been precise enough here: After at least 6 months of residence in the "border zone" based on a "stable" residence permit of the neighbouring country, a Swiss employer may apply for a G permit for you.

Thanks Stephanie! Sounds like you really have some in depth knowledge of this stuff, I wasn't able to find much information on commuting France-Switzerland as a non-EU married to an EU.

This is very helpful, thank you so much!

Hello Tracey,

I am not an expert on expat's issues, but I can give you some insight on my experiences since December 2014 when I moved alone to Geneva to start a job and had to leave my boyfriend and 2 year-old son behind in Paris.

It is very difficult to find a job in Switzerland from far away. Some companies even state in the job offers that they will not consider applications if you do not already have a work permit. So I would not try to move here unless at least one of you has found a long-term position.

For the housing, some other people have already told stories and I can confirm, it is truly a nighmare and you have to be very patient. In the Geneva-Lausanne area everything is expensive and they want all guarantees that both people in the couple are working. I have a friend that moved here to follow her husband, employed at an IO, she has been out of work for more than 1 year and they have been trying to rent a place to live in the Swiss territory, but as she does not have a job, they always get refused. I would seriously consider living on the french side. I personnaly can not do it because I work in the banking industry and the law requires me to live in Swiss territory.

It is unrealistic to think in 2 months you will have a work permit without a job. It took the authorities 2 months to issue mine when I had a job, then I got laid off and had to start over (if your situation changes, your permit request has to change too). The gentleman told me, without a job it would be at least 2 months for them to get my file assigned to someone for evaluation and then I had to give proof that I had enough money to support my living expenses in Geneva without working. They have an official amount, if I am not mistaken is about 2.500CHF per month for one person.

You are right to look into Switzerland as a stable economy, safe and beautiful place to live. I totally agree with you. But be prepared and ready to be patient and do lots and lots of paperwork and research before you can have everything settled.

I have found another job but my family is still in Paris and I know it will be at least 2-3 months before I can find a place for us to live and move them here. It is though, it is not easy, but if you are determined to come, my advice would be to try to put some more savings in your bank account and at least one of you have a job here before moving.

There is a very good website in french from an experienced specialist in these issues, called "travailler et vivre en Suisse", google it up and take a look, I am sure many of your questions can be answered there.

I wish you good luck!

Absolute brilliant response Manuela

Couldn't have put this better myself.

Tracey:

So what's the current status with you guys? Moving to CH is still plan A?

Thanks Manuela!

Hey Nir,

I think everyone in the forums scared me off. haha! 

It was never Plan A, really Plan B if we didn't have anything out of state/country by my graduation. I still don't know for sure what the plan is, but things are looking up for us. My husband had an interview yesterday in his dream industry and we think it went really well. If it works out the position would the in the western US, in beautiful places to live, nice weather. It's also with a company that has most of its business in Europe, so it could be our ticket back in 2-3 years.

We'll see! I'll keep you friendly people updated.

Best,

Tracey

That's brilliant news Tracey

Super, and we are very happy for you. When something does not immediately work out, one often wonders why, but then something a whole lot better comes along and then you know for certain. Good luck and hopefully your dreams will all come true.

Wow. You really got the bad end of living in Switzerland.

Reka:

Then share a brighter story with Tracey...(-;