Job Discussion Forums

tara_lee_anne · Joined: 11 Feb 2004 Posts: 22

Just curious.....

A girl my mother worked with in Mexico for a year has now taken off to work for a private school in Switzerland. She isn't of european decent at all so would she be working illegally? Or is Switzerland one of the areas that accept non-european citizens? Anyone have any insights on this?

schminken · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 6:41 am Post subject:

Switzerland is one of the HARDEST countries in Europe to get a job. The other countries are merely almost impossible. Switzerland is almost ironclad. Maybe your mother's coworker just really lucked out somehow. I don't know. I wish it were me.

I have worked in Switzerland as an American but it was through a special coop program ran by a Swiss person with lots of connections. And I wasn't teaching- I worked as a cashier in the Migros. I had an interview 2 years ago at the University of Z�rich for teaching part-time at an officer training school but the interviewer couldn't meet me until after I already had the interview here in Austria. I decided to go for the Austria job and not wait around to see if Switzerland would take me!

dagi · Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 425

In Switzerland the employer has to prove to the authorities that they cannot find a Swiss person to do the job and then the employer has to go through all the paper work for you.
Another thing is, that Switzerland only issues a certain number of work-visas per year for foreigners. I think it were some 15'000 and once these 15'000 work-visas are issued there's no way to get in. As Switzerland has now signed bilateral contracts with the EU, EU nationals come before any other nationals. So Swiss first, than citizens of the EU and then the rest. Sounds tough, but if you find a position where they want you, you will get it. Although you will need good qualifications, not just some TEFL certificate.

ejw · Joined: 22 Jun 2004 Posts: 15

I am just curious. What is this girl of "non-European descent" doing at the school? Teaching Japanese or something? Wink

It could be she has some special qualifications that the school was searching for. Maybe she just lucked out. I live in Sweden and it is not particularly hard for qualified teachers to get jobs at international schools here, especially if they are in math/science. As for those who want to teach ESL, forget it.

EJW