this post was submitted on 21 May 2026
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23
Switzerland (anarchist.nexus)
submitted 2 days ago by Eternal192@anarchist.nexus to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
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Greetings, if any of you may divulge some information about moving to Switzerland from Germany?

What are some major and minor differences and how to best approach moving there?

As said above me and my wife got a recommendation to move to Switzerland as a better option to Germany, i'm from the Balkans and my wife is German.

The main reason i'm asking is because if i'm moving there then i'm moving with intent to be a permanent resident, i don't see a reason to make long term plans on a short term opportunity.

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[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I cannot say about moving from Germany to Swiss German Switzerland as I am a born and raised in the French speaking part.

I’ve lived a little in Zurich but I was more of a tourist there rather thanthan totally knowing "how it is", and I don’t speak German nor have any clue about their culture. I am friendly with my coworkers "from the other side" and they are friendly with us but we are different and I don’t know enough to judge them.

So just a few generalities:

  • Living in Switzerland is like being privileged. Everything works nicely, the country is based on respect and balance between ideals.
  • The country if always in some top 5 for stuff like security, quality of life, happiness or whatever.
  • When the world around us is getting more and more selfish and crazy, not being hidden in Switzerland is a bad move.
  • Switzerland is kinda the Japan of Europe, and a fucking postal card.
  • You can live without a car

Is it perfect? Of course not, we have dumb racists as well, we have some violence and people are getting more and more selfish like everywhere else in the world (it’s almost like there is some common influence, like internet and social medias?) Life is expensive, but good if you are not at the low income level, and it’s getting on par with our neighbors because prices went up for them but not for us.

It can be festive or quiet, depending on what you’re looking for and/or your age you’ll have a totally different experience (city center versus outskirts village versus country side).

Do I recommend it? Of course I do, this is my country and it’s wonderful. But I cannot say for your precise situation as I don’t know you nor your life.

Also, our flag is a big plus.

[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Everything you've said up to the end sounds great and makes me want to move there but the final sentence is where most of my worries are and you are exactly right you don't know me and have no way of knowing if i will fit in...

In Germany i have been thrown into workplaces that i'm not qualified for and not educated for, my first company was a decent start for minimum wage and after barely 2 years there i was already the unofficial shift manager and at that time i had barely the basic German speaking knowledge and that was primarily because 10 people weren't there (quit, vacation or sick) so i was just told "you can do it" and was left to somehow pull a miracle out of my ass and it didn't stop there, after a few months i was the unofficial shift manager whether the guy that was there 20 years was there or not, after 5 years i quit and went to Deutsche Post that was the worst 2 months of my life, 1.5 year at a groceries delivery company and now 2 years at a textile company as a crane operator (kinda), never been fired and my point is just because i'm good here doesn't mean i'll be good enough for the Swiss.

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Honestly I wouldn't think too much about fitting at work. It is somewhat the same as the rest of Europe. I cannot compare to Germany but as a comparison with France the job market is a bit more sane in Switzerland as the country does not push for long university studies and a shit ton of the work force comes from "apprentissage" (alternate between school and work). Whereas in France doing this type of school it is frowned upon and seen as "dumb people not capable of going to university" so you end up with stupid requirement like having a BAC+5 to work as a receptionist in an empty warehouse. Switzerland will put more emphasis on experience and capabilities (but as always, not everywhere, not all companies are the same).

Work is just work, work culture is probably similar to Germany so everything is squared out, mostly. As everywhere, you can find a job where the boss is lame and the management is a shit show. I've seen bosses that use company money for drugs and forgot to pay employees but I've also seen the opposite. Generally speaking in bigger companies everything is written and respected.

"fitting" and "job culture" is different between Zurich, Geneva or Lugano and I'd say it is more about fitting in life rather than at work.

If you go to Swiss-German, as you (probably) speak hochdeutsch you will have to quickly learn the local switzerdütsch. At first people will adapt to you and speak hochdeutsch, but after a while they will switch to switzerdütsch and assume it is your job to learn it (and yeah, it is). Whereas if you live in Romandie or Ticino, as you don't speak French or Italian everything will be in English until you are able to speak the local native language (but in the end, yeah you have to do the job of learning the local language same as with switzerdütsch)

Fitting in Switzerland is quite easy according to me, just do the same as the others. If they are quiet in the train, do the same. If they are laughing around a beer, do the same. But the general rules are quite easy; Don't put your feet on the seat in front of you in public transports, don't litter, don't be a dick. After all it's only about being respectful to people and stuff.

Now for the clichés. Sometimes you can hear about the Röstigraben which don't really exist but still exist in some ways. If you look at videos from Emily-National or Camille Federale you might often see us, Romands (french-speaking) describe the german-speaking with the word "square" and the hand movements that describe that (and honestly, it's not always a bad thing to be "squared", specially in a professional environment). The opposite is they say that we drink too much and like to party.

For example, there is a joke that a former federal counselor (aka, president) said about the French part while in fact he never said that, not publicly tho.

(to read with a strong German accent):

"Les Romands toujours rigoler, jamais travailler." Meaning: "The Romands always laughing, never working"

All of that are clichés and jokes, in reality we are different but friends. And same goes with foreigners, approx 40% of the total population is not Swiss, that is a huge number for any European country. If they were treated like shit and not accepted by others would they still live here? (and again, you will find some dumb racist fucks, like everywhere with human being. But this is not the norm).

PS: I cannot vouch for the Camille and Emily videos on Watson as I've only seen a few in French but the links I gave you are in German and I don't understand.

[–] reallyzen@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Disclaimer: I'm familiar with the French-speaking part, not the German one.

  1. Work: you can't live there long-term without a working contract, which comes with a residency permit if the employer goes the extra mile of justifying why they are hiring foreigners and certifying they can't find a Swiss candidate. Many foreigners work in Switzerland, but some employers won't bother with the extra paperwork (may not apply to every type of job but applies to me)

  2. Admin: Switzerland is a highly organised, highly functional country. When you are in, it's freaking good (I don't know Germany). The level of services, from public infrastructure to social support is excellent most everywhere.

  3. It's safe. May be "boring" but frak it, not having to worry about crime most everywhere is just cool.

It can be funny when you are in what Swiss people consider a "ghetto" or a "high crime area", you'll be like wtf, it's just some kids smoking weed is all. Our daughters going out at night in Geneva didn't have a curfew or any limitations.

  1. People. People may not be the warmest in big cities but privacy is highly respected - people won't bother you... as long as you follow the rules. Making friends may take time, but as everywhere else, insert yourself in like-minded communities and you'll meet excellent people.

And disclaimer again, I live in France right next to Geneva, I work there from time to time, I have friends there but I never lived in Switzerland.

[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I have already seen SO many times Switzerland's high ratings.

I'll try to get through all your points:

  1. Work is the main reason i'm going there, but this touches on the second point a little, "highly efficient country" is kinda where i'm a little worried.

  2. Just going to continue from the first point, Germany is kind of patchwork efficiency is how i would describe it and just because i have been able to do good here doesn't mean it will be good enough for Switzerland, i already made a very long comment on my work history so i won't bore you with it too much basically every job i had in Germany was different and i had no prior experience, even my current job, textile, sure i used a needle and thread a few times but i've never done anything remotely related to textile production and i'm still there 2 years later doing fine but again it might not be enough for Switzerland and i know it's excellent there i've watched a lot of videos about "dream countries".

  3. Boring? Yes please, i'm not a party animal or thrill junkie, i'm boring af, just chilling the wife, kid (teen), garden and PC i'm about as boring as it gets.

  4. As far as people are concerned i don't worry about it anymore because people that are on my weird wavelength tend to gravitate towards me after some time.

So yeah again my main concern is if i'll be efficient enough to be kept around.

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 1 points 1 hour ago

Oh don't worry about efficiency. ReallyZen is talking about the efficiency in the official administrations.

Like getting your driving licence converted to a Swiss one, renewing your passport and stuff like that.

The baseline is that you pay for it but it is done in a minute (driving licence you get it the same day you go to the automobile office, you just wait 30 minutes max and they give it to you. Passport is something like during the week. Not 2 month, one week.)

This kind of efficiency. And don't worry the workers in those administrations are not overworked at all^^

In the private sector it is somewhat the same, nobody is being pressured for efficiency, you just do you work professionally and that's enough. Some companies might pressure their staff (because the boss is dumb?) but then they will have a high turnover and might fail in the long run.

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Salut voisin

[–] reallyzen@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Hey Skunk, how's stuff flying? I was working in Grottes last March/April and gosh what's wrong with people... That's what they call a bad neighbourhood??? Lol (with a subtle hint of racism 🤢).

Come have a drink on me at "the office" this summer!

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Hey I'm fine and you?

Les Grottes is a bad neighbourhood??? lol that's the first time I hear that, for most I know it's a nice little alternative place, but never bad. Maybe the shooting place next to it but they are not bad people, just sad and sick.

I could try to come to the office yeah, never been there in my life even if I passed it some many times while living in the PDG. But nowadays it will be with Léman Express to the train station and then I'm fucked^^

I'm a con de citadin, I have no car :)

PS: Last time I went next to your office was to go flying at the airfield, there is a 100% french bakery next to it and I was having orgasms on just a baguette + beurre + saucisson sandwich. Almost stayed there eating instead of going to fly (priorities y'a know...). It's amazing how close France is but we cannot have good bread and stuff without crossing the border...

[–] aldhissla@piefed.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I'm a naturalised Swiss citizen from the German-speaking part, originally from Eastern Europe. I'll try to cover some of what other comments haven't:

  1. First thing: get employed. In fact, get a contract before even coming here. Life in Switzerland has serious recurring costs and safety nets are sparse. I'm not saying it's easy, it's the biggest challenge, but it only gets easier from there.
  2. Learn the language (Swiss German), keep practicing it, and mind that you'll never be 100% accent-free or accepted by everyone in society. Switzerland has a kind of baseline hostility towards everyone, and foreigners get some extra.
  3. Build up your own circle of friends, which is downright easy in most "cities". Pubs are ubiquitous and great for this. There is a sizeable Balkans minority, which might need some extra navigation, but you prolly know this better than I.
  4. If you're through with points 1.-3. though, let me tell you, this is hands-down the best country in the world. You'll love it here. You'll never feel as home anywhere else like you'll do here.
[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 1 points 1 day ago

  1. Is definitely going to be a priority before we commit fully to moving to Switzerland.

  2. The language is easy to understand if you are constantly using it, it's the ch and the shortened words that will most likely be a gut punch at first and i don't really care about the hostility, i mostly avoid those kinds of people even if they are the manager or owner, most hostile people i've encountered were ok after some time, but hopeless ones go on the naughty list and are ignored.

  3. Isn't something i care for, the people i know here from my country are morons that go for days drunk and drugged into the stratosphere (i'm very close to the border with holand).

  4. And that's good to know and the "i'm home feeling" will take some time, i've been in Germany 8 years now, not that easy to put roots down when you are constantly worried about being kicked out if you don't have a job.

[–] notsosure@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I have lived in Switzerland for several years, the reason why I left is that FOR ME it was too boring, too bourgeois, too dull. If you like rules, regulations, restrictions, critical neighbors and people that stick to one another (but that don’t like to mingle with non-Swiss), you can have a go at it.

[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Kinda sounds like my current life and i'm more of an introvert so pushy people are annoying to me.

[–] notsosure@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Then I’m guessing Switzerland is not for you. The Swiss have a way to push their opinions onto you, subtle yet stubborn. They can be belligerent, aloof and very unfriendly. Their main party SVP is very immigrant and EU unfriendly too, which says a lot. Unless you are a rich recluse, it can be a tough place to live in.

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

As a Swiss I disagree. It can be the case in some places lost in the German part, they are after all "our Texans".

But Switzerland is also French and Italian, cities are mostly leftists.

This is a country where a dude from Appenzel have nothing in common with a dude from La Chaux de Fond, not even the language nor the food. And yet it works greatly.

You can’t have an opinion on an entire country because you had shit neighbors in Wädenswill.

[–] Vinylraupe@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

You wont find a country with a higher percentage of immigrants in the world tho. Thats not even counting the people that got their Swiss membership in the first generation.

[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emWN2wLhU6Q

Viel Glück! 🤣🩵

[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 1 points 2 days ago

Wow, Ich hatte keine probleme mit dem deutschen teil, aber der schweizerische Teil war etwas schwer zu verstehen, obwohl ich wusste, was sie sagten.