Zurich Switzerland - Are the States better than Europe heres the European Scoop. (best city, apartment)

[Paul74]

Switzerland....whoa...

Some of the nice things about Switzerland. Its really safe, it borders france, italy, austria and germany. The country is broken up into lots of cantons all of which have various traditions and lifestyles, from total alpine, regions, to lake side retreats similar from the sound of music in saltzberg, super modern parts all glass and concrete, and some very old traditional buildings.

There is one place called pilatus mountain ,google the image pilatus, on a clear day where you can see the whole border, which is amazing I have been a few times.

When you take off in an aeroplane from Zurich the plane breaks the clouds, its like breaking out of a 80% circle of unbelievable mountain peaks, its breathtaking, when you arrive at the airport you know that you are lets say somewhere very expensive zurich airport. The investment there is unbelievable.

There is a large italian speaking part of the country called ticino which has a micro climate, its also very close to lake como on the italian border, but the swiss lakes are very numerous, the water is so clean you can swim in it and see to the bottom. The trains really are amazing I have been here 2 years and one was 5 minutes late once, the swiss thought that was outrageous. Everything runs on time. I went on a train which is like the polar express the film, without the dramatics obviously but the trip is amazing lots of firn trees covered in snow moutain passes, bridges lakes it goes also to zermat. Its called the apline express.

If you like scenic photography switzerland is the place for you. you can take a train and just go, and get out where you feel like and take amazing photos.

Dont do anything wrong in switzerland, I was behind an old lady who was in a buble car and I decided to nip around her after following her for 5 miles with a queue of traffic behind beeping, there was a single white line centrally which 2 of my wheels went over as I nipped around her quickly. I got followed and pulled over by the police who were watching on a camera, cameras are everywhere, and given a fine eq. of 5,000usd, yes five thousand us dollars for 3 seconds work. I thought they were joking but not at all very serious. The fines are unbelievable, one guy a senior banker challenged his fine of 5,000 us and in the end got a fine for 50,000usd because the judge checked his earnings and thought the guy should have known better....Dont even jay walk or all your papers will be checked, you get fined for anything. The job of a swiss policeman is to prosecute.....there is not really any other punishment they do want your money though.

Lake Luzern is absolutley breath taking, so much going on there, climbing, hiking, water sports, I saw a zeppelin go over head, there is a huge amount of people here with harley davidsons, they go mad for that here. Its a nice place for a holiday if you are american and want to see something different. People will speak english so its not such a shock you can navigate here.

Nightlife, this is party central here in zurich where I live, really it is absolutley rocking. I mean picture apres ski meets new york new years eve, thats what its like on the weekends. Women are really interested to meet you and talk to you and find out more about you, it helps if you speak to them in there own language german or swiss german, which I do which is a major positive, they all speak english though, if you talk to them they will talk to you.

The food here is great, you get a lot of stuff you would not get in the states and uk, but they do have some funny treats, I got taken out with work on a skiing weekend, they took us to this restaraunt where they just have cheese fondue after watching all of the brits and americans eyes glaze over in a carb coma...lol... I decided that was not for me. The swiss love that though. A bit of bread on a stick dipping it in a pot of melted cheese is not for me though.

Switzerland is a great place for a child to grow up. I have american friends here and they have said that there kids can remain kids much much longer that they could in the states, here they will grow up be very well educated, definatley speak a min of 3 languages. you can see the school busses stop and the kids literally one walk up one slope to a house and another to another. The job market is very good and college students get amazing work experience opportunities.

oh one experience I did was night sledging with lanterns in a place called berguen which is awesome a rickerty old train takes you all up into the moutains the scenery is amazing, you sledge down,crash a lot, the rate of speed pickup is incredible. At the bottom you can have lots of drinking shots at ice bars, these are like a table bar made of ice because its cold, and then go and party and have snowball fights on the way.

In short switzerland has a high quality of life, the people are not as friendly and as in the states it takes a long time to get to know swiss people, but when you do know them they are very nice and friendly. There are tonnes of expats here, from all over, a lot of italians, americans and brits. I hope that was a nice insite into switzerland, its not just cows and ski-lifts. I have lived in or have experience of living in the following places, france nice and paris, germany munich and bonn and muenster, UK, bristol, and london. Switzerland neu chatel and zurich and geneva. If anyone wants advice on these places I would be happy to help. You can see a city tour of Zurich on youtube. Oh paris london and italy and the french riviera are just over an hours flight away.

Would Americans Trade for Zurich or other places in Europe or are the States better for living families and is life less stressful, here things are not so stressful.

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1. Salaries are very high deductions are low taxes etc.
2. If you loose your job you get 80% of your salary for 2 years you can
cross train into other professions get language courses free.
3. The scenery is awesome
4. Dentists here are amazing
5. Public transport is really good
6. Traffic jams occur but only last 15 mins max.
7. You can get anywhere else fast
8. Health care is great.
9. Employers have to pay contributions to your pension and social costs.
10. hot chicks I mean hot.
11. swiss can be a bit jellous
12. Lots of holidays.
13. eating out is expensive.
14. Cost of living is expensive.
15. Its hard to own a home in Zurich forget 200usd homes does not exist.
16. Great place for kids
17. Lots of popping out down the pups lots of expats.
18. Zurich is a little big city, its small but absolutley everything is here.
19. Summers have hit 90/100 degrees for several weeks in summer for a
few years or more now.
20. Four seasons.
21. There are always major artists and shows in town, opera.
22. the worst thing they stop every film at the cinema half way through for
10 mins to get food and drinks and go back in its a rule cinema costs 15
usd.
23. you can go to any european city at the drop of the hat cheaply for the
weekend.
24. On paper switzerland is the best, not everyone really likes it but a high proportion do.
25. When you see the money it will crack you up. its like lots of different colours blue, red, and green notes, its like from an umpa lumpa or something.

[swisser]

Paul you took the words "right out of my mouth", I could not have said it any better.

I loved living in Zurich, it was safe, fun, great food and so close to bordering countries.

Swisser

[rainrock]

No offense paul 74 but is it a rational concept to compare Switzerland to the United States? Absolutely not. Switzerland is more comparable to Colorado than the entire USA. You can find the same quality of life in Colorado/Utah/Wyoming/Idaho/Washington/Oregon/Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine/Mass/ than you can in Switzerland. You are comparing aardvarks to pomegranites here. Pretty shortsigted in my honest opinion.

For every negative outcome the USA gets when compared to Switzerland you can spindoctor 20 positive aspects that would make Switzerland look like a section of Disneyland in the overall comparison to the USA.

I'll take a guess and say a fraction of a morsel of the usa, lets say metro Chicago, would have a larger economy than the entire country of Switzerland.

Not saying Switzerland isn't a great place, simply saying its a misguided argument.

[Paul74]

Message to Rainrock my studious friend. Hi - haha mmm yes my post...well I had been playing ice hockey, we won, I scored a really ace shot, and I had downed a flaggon of beer after haha, propably helped with the short sitedness of my post. lol.

I was quite chipper when I got home did a bit of web forum surfing before turning in, I have some friends and family in the states and wanted to make my own post. My job at a major bank in Zurich may move to the states, but anywhere over there.

The actual point of my post in a friendly way which maybe you have misunderstood, or maybe I have not got across properly, give you the benefit of the doubt as I am nice, was or is that I was hoping for insight from various places in america, my post is not europe VS america. It was intended as a perspective of life and living conditions and living experience from central europe - switzerland, specifically Zurich where I am living currently.

I was hoping for feedback from various states and cities and perspectives from all over.

You may already know that Zurich has the best quality of living index almost every year for quality of life on which also american cities are also measured. I am sure you have seen the news headlines, media etc Zurich Geneva or Vancourver world best city year on year. Which places in the states can compare, or to be specific are highly rated as an overall great place to live. I understand that it is so very diverse over there.

I thought that the forum was open and maybe people from various places states and cities could respond with their various perspecitives as i doubt people have lived everywhere.

Examples> possible replies.
ie. I am tammy from ohio I work at home depot and am a choice specialist......well here in ohio its hot, we all have swiming pools, nice cars, job market is good, there is one neighbourhood where there are a lot of europeans and great homes, safe place medium sized community, great great shopping and key lime pie. Zurich sounds nice... bye.

Or

ie. I am chuck from philidelphia thanks for your post I am moving to Zurich. I am a news sports radio caster, I dont speak american but I make lots of american sounds /// baseballll....top of the fith and aaaa farrrr un a haaaarrr errr farrr ana harrrrr.

so come on stop putting your less educate glib european kissing cousins down.

[OREGONRAIN]

Its a shame you have to explain your point so much, it was perfectly clear, I thought your post was very enjoyable to read, and I understood it perfectly. I loved to visit Switzerland when I spent 2 years in Germany. I would go there as often as I could, it was only a few hours away by car.

[swisser]

Wow, did not realize this was going to be a controversy. I love reading all of Paul74 Posts. Living in Zurich for 3 years as an IT consultant I understood everything he said. It is a great place to live! To compare it to America or a State in America why would you? It is Switzerland! Expensive, Safe, Easy to get around, great food, loved the intermission at the cinema, love choosing my own seat in the cinema, love the fact that I worked late into the night and walked home at 2am to my apartment and no one bothered me, I love the trams, train system, paying my bills at the Postfach, amazing beauty, skiing, Alps, jazz festival,beer, weekend trips to Italy, Germany, Spain, France and much more! Living there I did not compare it to the U.S because it is not the U.S. I wanted to enjoy for what it was. A great place to live. Switzerland has it problems also, people suffer from depression due to the weather there is also drug problems. No place is perfect. But it was a great place to live and I miss it! As a consultant my next job was in England for 2 years- I enjoyed it but not as much as Switzerland - I then went on to Amsterdam - also a great place to live! All where different! Is Europe better than American? No, it is just different. Is it safer? Yes, in my opinion. I was never afraid of getting shot with a gun, but I was robbed - in Italy and Paris. I loved many places also that I lived in America - Seattle, NYC, San Fran, San Diego, Hawaii etc. All where different. To choose a favorite in America - Seattle - this was before the housing boom. I felt pretty safe, great food, beautiful city, beautiful mountains also liked the people. Also Loved visiting Canada while living there - it is a beautiful country! Paul74 point I believe was to "talk" about Switzerland etc not compare it to America. America is great! So is Switzerland, Europe, Canada all have amazing beauty and many good qualities. I also understand what he said about Nice - the French Riveria was one of my Favorite weekend trips, loved it there! It was fun! To walk with the friends that I made there - who where from England, France, Sweden, Amsterdam, Spain, Africa and many more places - that is what it was about to me, discovering "their" culture. We had the best time together, - everyone was different - but we respected each others difference.

[Kid Rasta]

How easy/difficult is it for an American to get 'residence' and 'work' permits there??? How easy/difficult to secure employment there???

I realize that many, many expats don't have to worry about the above cause they got cushy jobs in companies that send them to Switzerland to work, but it ain't like that for me. I also don't have any 'connects' in the Swiss govt to smooth my way in.

[Paul74]

Thanks to Swizzer:

(I am an I.T Contractor also).

KD:

This link for european jobs.
www.jobserve.com

I.T jobs in Zurich
www.swisslinx.com - great agency.
www.elanit.com

I can mostly help you regards I.T consultancy work and also internal positons. If you contact swiss linx and send them your CV, normally what would happen is that the agency will register you for a permit if you get an interview and a job, its no big deal.

Then you work as a contractor normally for 3-12 month contracts and then you can go internal.

It is a big deal to get a permit you apply directly to a company here as they have to prove that no swiss person can do the job etc etc. Exactly like the america imigration.

So there you go ---> you have you side door to Switzerland.

Hope this helps.

[swisser]

Great info - I used jobserve - now can you get me to Ireland I loved visiting there when I was working in England - great culture !

Cheers!
Swisser

[rugnot]

have spent a considerable amount of time in Zurich over the years due to business, always enjoyed it (and Geneva, too)
if your bank relocates you to the USA, it will probably be to NYC or Chicago;
many Swiss in both places (working for banks!)
often, quality of life depends upon how interested a person is in their surroundings, education & income; too often, education & income are directly affected by gov't policies (e.g., in the USA, we must pay for our own healthcare and educations which take money away from other pursuits)
anyway, I love Switzerland, but if it were as large as the USA is, or as large as France, then our conversation would be very different...