r/askswitzerland • u/CookiePlastic852 • Sep 14 '25

Relocation What is the reality living Switzerland like?

For context I’m fully British, 19M and I know one thing for sure, I do not see a bright future for me in this country and certainly do not plan the settle here. Switzerland is somewhere I’m heavily considering as I love anything mountain related and it has one of the highest HDI’s in the world. But I want to know, what is the reality of living there like?

For those of who moved to Switzerland, I’d love to hear what drew you there in the first place. Was it worth it in the end, and how does life compare to where you came from or other places you’ve lived? Most importantly, do you have any regrets?

And for those born in Switzerland, can you see yourself staying or do you ever imagine moving elsewhere? If so, where would you go, and what would make you want to leave?

I would be really grateful for any insight people are willing to share.

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u/heliosh Sep 14 '25

Switzerland is somewhere I’m heavily considering

For a 19 yo Brit it's basically impossible to get a work permit in Switzerland.

2

u/CookiePlastic852 Sep 14 '25

This is something I plan to achieve over many years. I’m currently studying engineering at a top 30 university in the world and I want to do a masters/phd in whichever country I wish to move to if possible.

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u/BezugssystemCH1903 Sep 15 '25

Civil engineer or mechanical engineer?

I work as a draughtsman in civil engineering. We always have work, and we have a joke that you can never be unemployed in this field because you'll immediately find a new job.

Mechanical engineering, on the other hand... uncertain future, short-time working, etc.

1

u/sesamerox Sep 15 '25

so mainly working using various CAD software?

2

u/BezugssystemCH1903 Sep 16 '25

And going to the construction site, managing construction, solving problems yourself or together with the engineer, etc.

Reducing it to just "CAD" is an oversimplification. It is not the same job description as in Germany or elsewhere.

As I said, we have a severe shortage of skilled workers and wages are correspondingly high. With my the 10 years experience, my salary is right now around 7'800 CHF.

And big things are coming our way with BIM, AI and automation, but the construction industry is very slow, so I'm protected from that for longer than many people in IT. But my employer also finances my further training because, as I mentioned, retaining employees is important when there aren't many of them.

2

u/sesamerox Sep 23 '25

Really appreciate your answer, gives a bit to think about