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New to Switzerland// Arriving in two days// please help!

May 21, 2014 @ 09:29

Hi all!

So I got selected at short notice for an internship with the UN and I said I'd get out to Geneva ASAP without knowing how much prep I needed to do beforehand..

Today I'm having a medical exam and hoping to get international health insurance before my booked flight out on Friday.. I am seriously in panic mode right now. I haven't even looked at accommodation.

I think I will have a general scan of accommodation, jot down some numbers and so on and hopefully find a place whilst out there in a hostel for a few days, is this a good move?

I am also panicing thinking how do people such as me who are going out there for a short period (6 months) do banking? Paying monthly bills from a UK account would be extra pricey, no?

I would also be hugely grateful if somebody would be able to show me the ropes to general life in Geneva this weekend. Any other info/advice I would also appreciate.

Thanks all, Julian

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Hi all!

I think I will have a general scan of accommodation, jot down some numbers and so on and hopefully find a place whilst out there in a hostel for a few days, is this a good move?

I am also panicing thinking how do people such as me who are going out there for a short period (6 months) do banking? Paying monthly bills from a UK account would be extra pricey, no?

I would also be hugely grateful if somebody would be able to show me the ropes to general life in Geneva this weekend. Any other info/advice I would also appreciate.

Thanks all, Julian

Julian TMay 21, 2014 @ 09:29

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Re: New to Switzerland// Arriving in two days// please help!

Post 1

May 21, 2014 @ 09:43

Congratulations on your internship!

Regarding accommodation, well, you can start looking at the classified here at glocals. :-) you can also check this out http://www.cagi.ch/en/logement.php

But given the short notice, I guess staying temporarily at a hostel will have to do. Anyway, there's a network of UN interns that could help you too. You can ask around when you get here.

Regarding banking, I think it's easy to get a bank account here. When I opened my account at UBS, I just showed my contract with UN. And when I recently opened my account at La Poste, they just needed my permit or ID.

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Congratulations on your internship!

Regarding accommodation, well, you can start looking at the classified here at glocals. :-) you can also check this out http://www.cagi.ch/en/logement.php

But given the short notice, I guess staying temporarily at a hostel will have to do. Anyway, there's a network of UN interns that could help you too. You can ask around when you get here.

Anni Vi T, May 21, 2014 @ 09:43

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Re: New to Switzerland// Arriving in two days// please help!

Post 2

May 21, 2014 @ 14:24

Thanks Anni :)

I have another query regarding health insurance (urgh).. basically I need to show the UN I have health insurance. This is becoming ridiculously problematic because the big companies want details such as the specific canton health requirements in that particular area otherwise their insurance maybe invalid. When I go to just get swiss insurance by swisscare they want a Swiss address. So I need to find accommodation first then get insurance? It's becoming a bit of a nightmare at such short notice..

Can I ask what other internationals did about health insurance - if they happened to be in the same situation as me - no accommodation as of yet etc. Do we know the specific health insurance requirements for the big international companies for it to comply with local canton reqs?

thanks again all in anticipation for you time and response

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Thanks Anni :)

thanks again all in anticipation for you time and response

Julian T, May 21, 2014 @ 14:24

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Post 3

May 21, 2014 @ 14:48

hmmm. i do not know anything about the canton requirements.

but first, what you can do is tell your contact (probably the HR person assigned to you) about this situation. because in my experience, when I interned at ILO, they waited for me to give them a copy of my insurance, and then, I gave them a copy when I signed my contract. (that means they did prepare my contract even if I didn't show them my insurance yet).

second, do you already have insurance there at the UK? maybe you can ask if it covers you internationally.

third, I have a list of insurance companies that the Service de l'assurance-maladie (SAM) gave me to choose from. would it help if I shared them to you?

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hmmm. i do not know anything about the canton requirements.

second, do you already have insurance there at the UK? maybe you can ask if it covers you internationally.

third, I have a list of insurance companies that the Service de l'assurance-maladie (SAM) gave me to choose from. would it help if I shared them to you?

Anni Vi T, May 21, 2014 @ 14:48

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Re: New to Switzerland// Arriving in two days// please help!

Post 4

May 21, 2014 @ 20:10

For accommodation, there are some room rentals on this site. I've also seen some reasonable monthly rates on Airbnb.

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For accommodation, there are some room rentals on this site. I've also seen some reasonable monthly rates on Airbnb.

richardm, May 21, 2014 @ 20:10

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