Hi everyone!

I’m a 22-year-old Japanese woman living in Japan. I have a high school diploma, my English is at a beginner level (currently learning with Duolingo), and I don’t speak German yet.

Last month, I finally visited Switzerland, a country I’d dreamed of visiting for years, and absolutely loved it!

I especially loved the beautiful nature, mountains, excellent public transportation, food, and high quality of life.

I’ve been concerned about Japan’s future, particularly its politics, economy, taxes, and living conditions, which has made me consider moving abroad.

I understand that Switzerland has its own challenges and that visiting as a tourist is very different from living there.

My dream is to meet a Swiss partner, get married, and build a family in Switzerland.

Ideally, I’d love to be a stay-at-home wife or mother, but I’m open to working if necessary.
As a non-EU/EFTA citizen with limited language skills and education, I know this won’t be easy.

I’d love to ask a few questions:
Is moving to Switzerland realistic for someone like me? What options do I have?

Where can I naturally meet Swiss men interested in serious relationships? How did you meet your partner?

Is being a stay-at-home wife or mother common in Switzerland, or do most couples both work?

Are there any language schools or universities you’d recommend for someone with a Japanese high school diploma?

What are the biggest downsides of living in Switzerland, especially during winter? Is public transportation reliable?

I’m only 22, so I’m willing to spend the next few years learning languages and preparing for the future.

I know my dream might sound unrealistic, but I’d really appreciate any honest advice or personal experiences!
Thank you! 🇨🇭

Hi everyone,

Is it just me, or has the IT job market in Switzerland come to a complete standstill?

I've been applying for various positions for about a year now, including IT support roles, and I either get ghosted or receive a rejection. Out of roughly 80-90 applications in the Schaffhausen/Winterthur area, I've only managed to get a single initial interview, which unfortunately also ended in a rejection.

A bit about my background:

I'm a Software Developer (Fachinformatiker für Anwendungsentwicklung) and completed my apprenticeship in January 2024.

I'm currently working as a Production Software Engineer in the industrial sector at a large German corporation, focusing on the development and maintenance of production systems and machinery.

I'm comfortable working independently with C++ and common development tools, and I'm also experienced with version control systems such as SVN and Git. My work also involves functional safety. I have also done several program enhancements on SIMATIC-controlled machinery.

Additionally, I have hands on experience with industrial communication protocols such as PROFINET, PROFIBUS, and OPC UA.

On top of that, I have around 13 years of personal programming experience across various fields, including automotive, industrial automation, and databases.

So, what's going on? Is the Swiss IT job market really that bad at the moment, or am I missing something?

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experiences, especially in the Schaffhausen/Winterthur region.

Why do all the good selling platforms have to become greedy and ruin it all at some point?! (Vinted & Etsy I'm looking at you)

I moved to Switzerland a year ago and because I used to be a vintage shop owner before, I started to use both Marko and Ricardo for selling my vintage collection. I'm not going to talk about Ricardo here, because we all know it sucks in so many ways. But Marko I really used to like- lower fees, more intuitive and pretty similar to the famous Vinted. I liked it until today, when I received an email from them informing me about their fees increase. They went from 1 CHF+ 1,9% of the selling price to 1.50 CHF+ 2,9% or 3,9% if you're not one of their super sellers. It's a smart move for them to split the fee into a fixed amount plus a small percentage of the price, like this the final fee seems smaller. But if you do the math, they'll take circa 10% of an item priced 20. And that's only from the seller, but there's a 5% fee for the buyer as well. Which makes it more expensive than Ricardo, in the end (at least for lower price items)...

Why @Marko , why?

Is 6000 chf i good salary in vaud?

Bonjour,

Après des études de Master à l'Université de Genève, j'ai à présent une (peut-être) opportunité de commencer un doctorat à la faculté des lettres de l'Université de Neuchâtel.

Je préfère rester large dans ma description et ma question, mais pour les personnes qui y ont effectué/qui effectuent un doctorat dans cette institution, comment le vivez-vous/l'avez-vous vécu ? Qu'en est-il de l'encadrement des doctorant-es (je ne parle pas de l'encadrement direct du directeur-ice, mais bien des programmes/services proposés par l'uni) ?

Et est-ce que c'est faisable de continuer d'habiter à Genève tout en faisant un doctorat à Neuchâtel ? Je ne suis allé que deux fois là-bas.

Merci beaucoup d'avance !

In my local store I have found a couple of interesting Swiss chocolate spreads, which I haven't had before. Which one of these would you recommend?

- Ovomaltine crunchy cream: I know Ovomaltine and I already had their chocolate bar, Ovo rocks as well as müsli...those malt pieces are quite tasty!

- Caotina creme: I've heard of their chocolate powder but I have never tried any of their products...

- Lindt Fondente spread: I love Lindt dark chocolate bars! The 85% is on my regular grocery list :)

Hi all,

I am taking my family and parents to Switzerland and we are trying to nail down an itinerary that makes everyone happy. We are flying into Zurich and flying out of Rome. A large portion of the trip will be spent in Italy, but I am looking for experts and help in nailing down the Switzerland portion of the trip. Half the family is desperate to see the Matterhorn, the other wants to go on the Bernina Express line. As a result, I've come up with a few different itineraries but am looking for real experiences to help make a decision. Options below, but Really the big decision is: Zermatt vs Bernina Express!

Option 1: Bernina Express & Lake Como

Focus: Scenic train into Italy + Lake Como, skips Zermatt.

• Day 1: Land in Zurich, train to Chur (1.5 hrs)
• Day 2: Day in Chur
• Day 3: Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano (4 hrs), then regional train to Varenna / Lake Como (1.5 hrs)
• Day 4: Day in Lake Como (ferry to Bellagio)
• Day 5: Train to Milan (1 hr)

Option 2: Zermatt & Bernina Express

Focus: Tries to hit everything (Matterhorn, Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Lake Como).

• Day 1: Land in Zurich, train to Zermatt (3.5 hrs)
• Day 2: Day in Zermatt (Gornergrat train for Matterhorn)
• Day 3: Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz (8 hrs)
• Day 4: Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Tirano (2.5 hrs), regional train to Varenna / Lake Como (1.5 hrs)
• Day 5: Day in Lake Como (ferry to Bellagio)
• Day 6: Train to Milan (1 hr),

Option 3: Andermatt Base (Split Glacier Express)

Focus: Matterhorn + Bernina, but splits the long 8-hour train ride.

• Day 1: Land in Zurich, train to Andermatt (2.5 hrs)
• Day 2: Day trip: train to Zermatt (3 hrs each way) for Matterhorn, return to Andermatt
• Day 3: Day in Andermatt
• Day 4: Glacier Express from Andermatt to St. Moritz (4.5 hrs)
• Day 5: Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Tirano (2.5 hrs), regional train to Varenna / Lake Como (1.5 hrs)
• Day 6: Day in Lake Como (ferry to Bellagio)
• Day 7: Train to Milan (1 hr)

Option 4: Zermatt Only

Focus: Direct route, lowest transit fatigue.

• Day 1: Land in Zurich, train to Zermatt (3.5 hrs)
• Day 2: Day in Zermatt (Gornergrat train for Matterhorn)
• Day 3: Day in Zermatt
• Day 4: Day in Zermatt
• Day 5: Train via Brig & Milan

Greetings. This will likely be my first of many posts over the next several months. I will be visiting next March/April. The trip is focused on a concert in Basel on April 1. I will be flying into Geneva, arriving in the evening on March 30. I'll be taking the train to Basel on the 31st. Starting on April 2 (the day after the concert), I'll be heading to Luzern and eventually will end up in Vienna, AT to fly home on April 9. I'm still filling in the gaps for that week.

All that being said, my first question is what train pass I should be looking to buy. I'll be there for 10 days. I'll have 4-5 inter-city travel days but will be using trains/buses within cities as well. And, of course, I'll be in both Switzerland and Austria, so hopefully I can buy just a single pass.

Thanks for any suggestions you can give!

hello,

I am applying for a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship

The application asks for reference professors. Is someone whose academic title is “Lecturer and Researcher” eligible, or must a referee hold a professorial title?

Thank you.

I’m from Turkey, and I’d love to study at a university in Switzerland. If anyone has moved from Turkey to Switzerland to study, I’d be really happy to hear about your experience and any advice you could share.
Thank you! 😊

Hey ich plane eine Reise nach Mailand und habe gesehen, dass dieser Weg vignettenfrei ist. Ist das tatsächlich so? Weil wer kauft dann wegen 45min eine Jahresvignette?

Edit: Leute mir gehts nicht ums Geld sparen, habs nur zufällig entdeckt haha bzw hab ich nachschauen müssen was der Unterschied zwischen Maut und Vignette ist, fahre nicht so oft zwischen den Ländern sooooorrryyyyy

Hi everyone!
I’m from Turkey, and my dream is to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Switzerland.
I graduated from an Anatolian Imam Hatip High School in Turkey. I’m currently learning English and plan to learn German as well.
I’d love to hear from Turkish students who moved to Switzerland for their undergraduate studies.
I have a few questions:
Is it possible to get admitted to a Swiss university with a Turkish high school diploma?
Do I need to be admitted to a university in Turkey first?
What documents or exams are required?
What level of German or English do I need?
Which universities would you recommend looking into?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who completed high school in Turkey and started their Bachelor’s degree in Switzerland.
Any advice or personal experiences would mean a lot to me. Thank you! ❤️🇨🇭

I’m collecting real experiences from people who moved out of Switzerland and had to deal with their 2nd pillar: what you could withdraw, how much tax you paid, whether you got some back through a tax treaty, and what you wish you had known earlier.

Disclosure: I’m in Basel and looking into building a free guide/tool for this, so no selling here, just trying to understand the real problems.

If you’ve been through it, which country did you move to and what surprised you?

I am so confused. I sent a registered letter as recommended to exit the church which got returned because nobody picked it up so I sent it again but not as a registered letter. tell me HOW is it possible that the letter got returned again because nobody picked it up? I sent it as a normal A-letter. I've never ever had this happen before with regular letters? Guess I have to go to the church and hand it over in person. I've originally sent the letter TWO months ago and I refuse to pay for 2 additional months (since we're already well into October). Has anyone else had such huge problems with the Kirchenaustritt or am I just cursed edit: 2 additional months and not 3 like I wrote

There's a small footpath connecting our village to the next one. I've used it to walk to the train station for years.

It's not some unofficial shortcut through someone's garden. There are yellow hiking signs at both ends, and the path is still marked on the swisstopo map.

About two weeks ago, a metal gate appeared across it with a sign saying "Privatweg – Kein Durchgang."

No construction work, no diversion signs, nothing explaining why it's closed.

The alternative is a fairly long detour along a road with no proper pavement for part of the way. What used to be a pleasant 12-minute walk is now closer to half an hour.

I initially assumed it was temporary, but the gate now has a proper lock and the old path markings are still there.

What bothers me is that quite a few people used this route to get to the station, including schoolchildren. I've already seen people walking around the gate through the grass, which obviously isn't a good solution either.

I'm not claiming the landowner has done something illegal. Maybe there's a perfectly legitimate reason, and I just don't understand how these things work.

But I thought Switzerland had a fairly well-regulated network of public footpaths and hiking routes.

Can a private landowner simply close a path that's officially signposted? Is there a way to check whether it has a registered right of way, or whether the route has been officially changed?

And who would you contact first about something like this: the Gemeinde, the cantonal hiking association, or someone else?

I'd rather find out what's actually going on than start an argument with whoever owns the land.

Hi everyone! We’re visiting Zurich from November 27–30 to experience the Christmas markets, but we’d also love to explore some of Switzerland’s beautiful scenery. We’re interested in taking a panoramic train, seeing stunning landscapes, trying authentic Swiss fondue, and discovering good local restaurants and other must-do experiences. We’re happy to travel outside Zurich, but since we only have 3 days, we’d prefer places that are relatively easy to reach. What would you recommend, especially at that time of year? Any local tips or hidden gems would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance🫶

Hi all, seeking any advice for how to best approach a leisure trip to Switzerland next July. We will be a party of 8: family with 2 grade school kids + 4 grandparents (70+ years old). Some of the grandparents struggle a bit with too many stairs, and the others can only walk 5-10 minutes before needing a rest.

Let's say we have two weeks, how would you best advise us to get some great countryside vistas without struggling too much to get around. Should we base somewhere in the countryside? Rent a car (is this possible for 8 pax?) Are we better off in the urban centers and then taking tours with transportation provided? The only certain thing is we'd like to visit CERN in Geneva.

Any suggestions are welcome, thank you for your help!!

I hate to sound like an old man, but I've noticed that trade schools (Berufsschule) have almost done away with books and have replaced them with digital/online programs and nowadays it seems the apprentices (even in blue collar jobs where you work with your hands) need laptops with specs that can run the newest video games these days.

What are y'all's opinions on this switch?

I personally find it a shame because computers get slower with age and you could lose the license or any number of cloud/account problems that could make the information unaccessible. It also contributes to more E-waste

Personally, I miss having books that you can take home and keep so you can always get the information you need whenever you want without being watched or deal with updates and loading times.

Excited for a summer trip to Switzerland! Will be the first time for our family of four. Right now we plan to fly into Zürich and out of Geneva, or vice versa. We’re adventurous, love to hike, take in festivals and immerse into local culture. Would love to hear any insights about spending time in that incredible part of the world.

I got a one-month internship at CERN in Geneva in the office and administration. Since it is one of the most important organizations in switzerland, how could I take advantage of this experience to maximize future job opportunities in the canton geneva area?
I’m looking for advice

Hi everyone im planning to come to zurich for a day or two and wanted to stay in a budget hotel. Im thinking of staying in the green marmot capsule hotel is it any good? Or should i look for other options? Thank you

Hello!

I'm an expat from another EU country working in Switzerland (Zürich). I was raised in a family and a society where mental health problems aren't really treated as an issue, but rather as a weakness. Unfortunately, I don't speak German, but I've started taking classes. Because of that, I rarely go out. I don't take sick leave because I don't go to the doctor, as I'm too anxious to do so. I mostly spend time at home. Just to clarify, I live here because my job requires it, not because I wanted to move here. I think that's important.

This year, there's been a lot of pressure building up: an excessive workload, poor management, and, as a result, I was recently thrown under the bus as well. It has gotten to the point where I now need to go to the restroom almost daily to shed a few tears or just have a small mental breakdown before heading back to my desk.

We've had a lot of people at the company take sick leave for mental health breaks (even for months). I always thought people who take these kinds of breaks are just leeching off society's support. On top of that, the ausländer hate in sentiment in politics just makes it even harder for me to consider taking sick leave like this.

The question is: What do you people think about taking this kind of leave? I don't want to be the person who's flagged as another foreign citizen who just came here and took 'free money'.

For me, it’s PIC-NIC eggs 🪺 I know I could easily boil eggs myself, but they’re so convenient and cute lol. I just can’t resist it.
What’s yours?

Sorry kleiner rant den wir leider alle jährlich teilen.

Ich habe CHF 2'500 Franchise, wähle immer das billigeste Prämienmodell, gehe nie zum Arzt und falls doch zahle ich trotzdem alles selbst.

Die Politik soll gefälligst mal nachaltige Lösungen bringen, das geht so nicht mehr auf. Gehaltserhöhung habe ich seit 2022 keine bekommen.

Hier eine Übersicht wie sich meine Jahresprämien seit 2022 entwickelt haben:

2022: CHF 2'662.-

2023: CHF 2'909.-

2024: CHF 3'284.-

2025: CHF 3'489.-

2026: CHF 3'789.-

2027: CHF 4'063--

Gemäss KI wird es sich konservativ gerechnet so weiterentickeln:

2028: CHF 4'234.-

2029: CHF 4'411.-

2030: CHF 4'597.-

2031: CHF 4'790.-

2032: CHF 4'991.-

2033: CHF 5'201.-

2034: CHF 5'419.-

2035: CHF 5'647.-

2036: CHF 5'884.-

2037: CHF 6'131.-

Habt ihr eine Idee wie wir dieses Problem nachhaltig lösen können?