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Comment by sawmurai | Hacker News Reader

1. Zurich city

2. English is enough for working in IT. Live gets a lot easier if you know German in German-speaking Switzerland, French in western Switzerland or Italian in Tessin (southern Switzerland)

3. I searched online and was approached by Hays. Then I had three interviews with three offers and took the best fit.

4. I moved alone but my girlfriend already lived here which made it easier of course

5. 10 years in total, 1.5 years as project manager in an agency, 8 years in a big utilities company. Had a side business for web development since 2009.

Looking back I would say getting that job was even easier than finding a new job in Germany. Developers are searched for so you can easily apply to open vacancies even if they do not explicitly search for foreigners. I can recommend jobs.ch as a source for jobs.

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Thanks for your answer, @sawmurai. For me, the western part would be a better fit since I already have some working experience with french language. I would have to move with my girlfriend who is in the insurance business, so I guess Geneva would be a good fit for her as well

Apparently the costs are very, very high, though, and renting a flat is really hard (owners want your bank balance/history). At least that's what some friends who moved to Geneva told me.

You don't have to move into Geneva, of course. The train system is wonderful, as much as I've heard, and the cities are not bloated like in European countries in general. You can find work in cantonal capitals and in their vicinity, even remote/partial remote.

True, the net rent is higher. But look at it this way: in Germany rent was 30% of my net income, in Zurich it is less than 20% (though it would be closer to 30% if I lived by myself)

I live in the western part of Switzerland, not far from Geneva.

I think you've possibly misunderstood what you have been told by your friends - you don't need to show your bank balance to a landlord. However, it is true that you have to apply with a dossier of files as specified by the agency or landlord and you can expect these to contain a copy of your contract (and so your salary) and also a statement from the local debt/claims agency (best English approximation I can think of for "office de poursuites/Betreibungs- und Konkursämtern") attesting to the fact you do not have any outstanding claims against you. It is unlikely as a foreigner that you will.

However the essence of what you were told is correct - there is a lot of demand for apartments in Geneva and Zürich. The occupancy rate is well over 99%. It is less a case of searching for the flat you like and applying than applying for many apartments and hoping you are chosen by the landlord.

As a foreigner on a work visa, is it possible to operate a side business in Switzerland? I would be very grateful if you could explain how to make it work from a visa / taxes perspective. Did you incorporate your side business, and if yes, where?

oh sorry, I meant I had the side business back in Germany. I terminated it when I emigrated because none of my German customers would be willing to pay Swiss rates ^^. But I think it should be no problem to have one as long as your employer is fine with it and you work less than 45h per week (your normal job will probably be 42h/week).

The easiest way is to run your side business as a sole proprietorship company. You only will need to get a AHV number [1]. To get this number you have to prove the AHV that you are not fictitiously self-employed [2]. This will require invoices from at three (or more of course) different customers. A recurring payment like eg. from an Adsense account should be sufficient also. If you have this number you can fill out your tax formulas and conduct all expenses of your side business [3].

[1] If you have a work visa you already should have a AHV number. [2] If you would work as a "freelancer" for only one customer it will look like your "employer" just want to avoid to pay into the social system. [3] Your sole proprietorship company should be profitable after about 5 years.

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