My wife is getting transferred to Switzerland in March and we're looking forward to the big move. Unfortunately, jobs have not been as easy to come by on my end.

I currently work in public affairs/communications consulting in the DC area. I previously worked on the Hill, primarily focused on transportation policy, and political campaigns back in Texas. I graduated in '18 with a BA in Communication.

If you know of any opportunities or have any advice for an American working in Europe, I would love to connect!

-Clinton Friedrichs
Class of 18

Check out usajobs.gov. Even though there are no U.S. military bases in Switzerland, you never know.
Also, eat at Wystube Isebhnli in Zurich. It was the best meal of my life.

Appreciate this! We've added that to our list. I'll take a look at USA Jobs as well. Thanks for taking the time to share.

You should do quarterly posts about the move.

We had close friends who's brother and partner were transferred to Zuryk. They loved the city, loved all the easy traveling they could do, but hated how expensive it was. And they were from San Francisco!

Obviously the work visa situation is the first question.

I've got a buddy who works in the American Embassy School system in a major European city. Maybe you could find something like that.

From when I was a kid in Saudi Arabia, I recall that there were a lot of English language boarding schools in Switzerland most notably TASIS.

We've heard about cost of living. The advice we got was don't buy red meat (beef in Switzerland is apparently the most expensive in the world) and eat out sparingly. Love the idea of posting her quarterly!

We're definitely excited about being able to take some trips via train.

I know I'll have an L visa. We were initially lead to believe that I'd also have the right to work upon arrival through the spousal visa, but it sounds like there may be a waiting period. Trying to nail down exactly how long that might take.

The other option would obviously be to have an employer sponsor me.

Where in Switzerland are you moving to? I don't know about the French speaking part, but if you're moving to the German speaking part, there's a high chance you'll need to learn German if you're going to find a job there. Their German is…special, too.

Zurich. It's my understanding that I have to pass a German speaking test one year in. I've started Duolingo for vocab and will take a class once we're in the country.

That should help your chances.I live in Germany and have been learning German since May. It's a challenging but gratifying task. Your German will be the same written language as in Germany/Austria, but the Swiss dialect is wildly different. My girlfriend is a native speaker and struggles understanding people from Switzerland.

I've got a Swiss friend and he tells me that they'll speak Swiss German when they don't want regular Germans to understand what they're saying.

I work for a transit software company looking for a BDR in Europe. Fluency in English and Spanish is needed, I think we have some level of focus in Spain. Would be remote, based anywhere in Europe.

Thank you so much for sharing this. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I don't think I would qualify as fluent in Spanish.

I'd look for something at a ski resort and let the wife make the big $$$.

NoahAg said:

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I'd look for something at a ski resort and let the wife make the big $$$.

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I like where your head is.

Tour guide
Switzerland travel bureau
YouTube remodeler or comparing the USA to Switzerland or food critic
US Embassy