Job Interview for a company in Bergdorf
Discussion
Hello all, I have an interview for a company based in Bergdorf, which if successful will mean me moving my family over. Pay is very good. We also have the added complication of my wife expecting another child, so the logistics will be strained for the 1st year. The plan is that she will look for part time work as a Nurse, or if we're comfortable enough, be a house wife.
She hasn't travelled at all aside from family holidays, she speaks no German (although expresses an interest in learning another language), our first child is due to start school, so there may be issues with his learning we would need to address. We will be renting our property out while living in CH, and i'm sure I've read you need to declare ALL income (guessing rent will be classed as income??) when doing your taxes. It's not impossible- i'm rather looking forward to the challenge if i'm lucky enough to land the role, but I need some advice on the cost of living out there.
Rent/Mortgage? How does it work over there? Do most people choose to rent?
Basic household bills- gas/water/elec?
Schooling costs?
Medical insurance?
Food?
Beer? I'm not a huge drinker to be honest, it'd be special occassions only so i'm not worried about that.
Any other household taxes/bills to be aware of?
One huge thing of importance to me is getting my 911T. This needs to happen. Would it be cheaper to source a LHD in UK and register it in CH? If so, are there any tax implications?
We'd also need some kind of family wagon, so any savings I can make here will obviously be of benefit- it'll only get destroyed, carrying the family around
Thanks in advance
She hasn't travelled at all aside from family holidays, she speaks no German (although expresses an interest in learning another language), our first child is due to start school, so there may be issues with his learning we would need to address. We will be renting our property out while living in CH, and i'm sure I've read you need to declare ALL income (guessing rent will be classed as income??) when doing your taxes. It's not impossible- i'm rather looking forward to the challenge if i'm lucky enough to land the role, but I need some advice on the cost of living out there.
Rent/Mortgage? How does it work over there? Do most people choose to rent?
Basic household bills- gas/water/elec?
Schooling costs?
Medical insurance?
Food?
Beer? I'm not a huge drinker to be honest, it'd be special occassions only so i'm not worried about that.
Any other household taxes/bills to be aware of?
One huge thing of importance to me is getting my 911T. This needs to happen. Would it be cheaper to source a LHD in UK and register it in CH? If so, are there any tax implications?
We'd also need some kind of family wagon, so any savings I can make here will obviously be of benefit- it'll only get destroyed, carrying the family around
Thanks in advance
Edited by VidalBaboon on Friday 14th December 16:10
Edited by VidalBaboon on Tuesday 1st January 22:21
Hey, good luck.
Lots to think about, but Switzerland is a lovely country, especially for bringing up kids.
I can't answer all you questions, but here is some info:
- I've not been to that part, but generally housing is relatively expensive. Most people rent as houses cost quite a bit and you'd need a 20% deposit. Check out comparis.ch where you can also look at cars.
- schooling is free at the local schools. International or bi-lingual are very expensive; from about 15 to 30k per year.
- good idea to learn the language if you intend to stay. It's easy to get by as most people soeak English, but that's not ideal
- now, the important stuff...the turbo. It seems the uk is cheaper from what I can tell. You can bring over a car tax and duty as long as you have owned it (either 6 or 12 months). If not, you will have to pay taxes that amount to approx 11%. There are other complications though, such as getting a certificate of compliance to European standards which will need to be ordered in advance. You will also need insurance cover for at least 30 days until you get the car registered here (it generally takes that long). Alternatively, Alianze Suisse will cover you from the uk, however Zurich insurance will not. You can also buy a rhd car and register it here. The only hassle is resale and going into and out of car parks with ticket boom gates. Besides that, it's pret much the same.
Good luck. PM if you want detailed info on the import process, or have some specific questions.
Lots to think about, but Switzerland is a lovely country, especially for bringing up kids.
I can't answer all you questions, but here is some info:
- I've not been to that part, but generally housing is relatively expensive. Most people rent as houses cost quite a bit and you'd need a 20% deposit. Check out comparis.ch where you can also look at cars.
- schooling is free at the local schools. International or bi-lingual are very expensive; from about 15 to 30k per year.
- good idea to learn the language if you intend to stay. It's easy to get by as most people soeak English, but that's not ideal
- now, the important stuff...the turbo. It seems the uk is cheaper from what I can tell. You can bring over a car tax and duty as long as you have owned it (either 6 or 12 months). If not, you will have to pay taxes that amount to approx 11%. There are other complications though, such as getting a certificate of compliance to European standards which will need to be ordered in advance. You will also need insurance cover for at least 30 days until you get the car registered here (it generally takes that long). Alternatively, Alianze Suisse will cover you from the uk, however Zurich insurance will not. You can also buy a rhd car and register it here. The only hassle is resale and going into and out of car parks with ticket boom gates. Besides that, it's pret much the same.
Good luck. PM if you want detailed info on the import process, or have some specific questions.
You would need to check out the health insurance and an existing pregnancy. I honestly don't know what they would do, but I do know that medical costs for childbirth for our two were enormous. 5 days in hospital is standard here plus all the specialists (the Swiss tend to use specialists for everything).
As for the cars, given the exchange rates have been stable for a bit I'm not seeing the savings that were available a few years ago. As noted you have to make adjustments to bring it up to LHD spec and need a car with NO alterations from when it was sold. There are a lot of businesses bringing cars in from Germany now and this has pretty much equalised the prices.
As for salaries don't whatever you do take a simple exchange rate comparison.
From Swiss official statistics the average swiss salary is the equivalent of EUR 56,509 compared to the UK's EUR 39,626 but in terms of purchasing power parity the average UK citizen is marginally better off.
As for the cars, given the exchange rates have been stable for a bit I'm not seeing the savings that were available a few years ago. As noted you have to make adjustments to bring it up to LHD spec and need a car with NO alterations from when it was sold. There are a lot of businesses bringing cars in from Germany now and this has pretty much equalised the prices.
As for salaries don't whatever you do take a simple exchange rate comparison.
From Swiss official statistics the average swiss salary is the equivalent of EUR 56,509 compared to the UK's EUR 39,626 but in terms of purchasing power parity the average UK citizen is marginally better off.
Thanks for the advice guys. My Wife, son and baby will stay UK based until I could find my feet, by which point the baby will have hopefully, arrived safely. She would need to come over during school holidays to get a feel for the place, she always said she'd never live abroad so I have to let her make her own mind up- takes her a while! If I push her, I'll never hear the end of it every time something goes wrong
What about specific household bills- gas, water, elec, council tax? And weekly shopping?
Thanks in advance
I was having a read of the forum, have Caterhams really been banned from import?!
What about specific household bills- gas, water, elec, council tax? And weekly shopping?
Thanks in advance
I was having a read of the forum, have Caterhams really been banned from import?!
I relocate staff from all over Europe and moved here 10 years ago so I should be able to give some OK advice ;-) but I am no profession - always take professional advice!!
So just to give you a feeling:
Pay is OK at 100k SFr. A good assistant / secretary will earn 80K, an engineer 100K. Managers, seniors etc clearly more.
You will pay fixed tax the first ~5 years on this salary (Quellensteuer) and depending on where you live will be about 15%. With other taxes etc I ran a salary calculation and your net is 5'700 per month x 13 (double at Christmas)You will need to pay health insurance at ~600CHF per month plus rent is very high. For rent I normally recommend on max 30% of your salary per month, but aim for 20 to 25% to be comfortable.
Your first child will have no issues learning. Kids learn a language in months. Forget any concerns on this point.
If you rent your property out while living in CH, you declare this income but its classed as "Savings tax" Vermogensteuer" and if you do it "correctly" it will actually cost you very little and probably nothing. You can also simply use the value of your house and then the council (Gemeinder) assesses rentable value. I did the same with my house and it was very little. Also your mortgage in UK is tax deductible in CH.
Edit to add - I may be wrong here but tax is not much anyway. I'll check my tax bill to see how its calculated.
I can answer more private questions just PM me -
Rent/Mortgage? How does it work over there? Do most people choose to rent? Yes.
Basic household bills- gas/water/elec? I pay 900CHF per year if you rent as some costs included in the Nebenkosten (additional rent costs)
Schooling costs? Zero
Medical insurance? 600pm for family of 3 (Child 120)
Food? Expensive double you UK bill
Beer? 5CHF in a local, 10CHF in the city. In supermarket its cheap.
Any other household taxes/bills to be aware of?
Car insurance like UK I pay 2000CHF per year full comp on new X5
TV licence yearly its a few hundred but not much.
Telephone /TV / internet buy as a package all in is 170pm for me.
Importing 911T. This is complicated I know but I'm no expert - others on here have done this and will help. I know there are new tax rules on emmissions for imports.
If you need some kind of family wagon then new cars are cheaper than UK as you get good discounts, but second hand cars here hold their value. Check on www.autoscout24.ch it has 1000's for sale.
So just to give you a feeling:
Pay is OK at 100k SFr. A good assistant / secretary will earn 80K, an engineer 100K. Managers, seniors etc clearly more.
You will pay fixed tax the first ~5 years on this salary (Quellensteuer) and depending on where you live will be about 15%. With other taxes etc I ran a salary calculation and your net is 5'700 per month x 13 (double at Christmas)You will need to pay health insurance at ~600CHF per month plus rent is very high. For rent I normally recommend on max 30% of your salary per month, but aim for 20 to 25% to be comfortable.
Your first child will have no issues learning. Kids learn a language in months. Forget any concerns on this point.
If you rent your property out while living in CH, you declare this income but its classed as "Savings tax" Vermogensteuer" and if you do it "correctly" it will actually cost you very little and probably nothing. You can also simply use the value of your house and then the council (Gemeinder) assesses rentable value. I did the same with my house and it was very little. Also your mortgage in UK is tax deductible in CH.
Edit to add - I may be wrong here but tax is not much anyway. I'll check my tax bill to see how its calculated.
I can answer more private questions just PM me -
Rent/Mortgage? How does it work over there? Do most people choose to rent? Yes.
Basic household bills- gas/water/elec? I pay 900CHF per year if you rent as some costs included in the Nebenkosten (additional rent costs)
Schooling costs? Zero
Medical insurance? 600pm for family of 3 (Child 120)
Food? Expensive double you UK bill
Beer? 5CHF in a local, 10CHF in the city. In supermarket its cheap.
Any other household taxes/bills to be aware of?
Car insurance like UK I pay 2000CHF per year full comp on new X5
TV licence yearly its a few hundred but not much.
Telephone /TV / internet buy as a package all in is 170pm for me.
Importing 911T. This is complicated I know but I'm no expert - others on here have done this and will help. I know there are new tax rules on emmissions for imports.
If you need some kind of family wagon then new cars are cheaper than UK as you get good discounts, but second hand cars here hold their value. Check on www.autoscout24.ch it has 1000's for sale.
Edited by Carmo99 on Monday 17th December 16:49
Edited by Carmo99 on Monday 17th December 21:59
Oh, and as it seems noone else has said it yet- check out the English Forum Switzerland:
http://www.englishforum.ch/forum.php
Where you can get answers to pretty much anything. Just don't dare mention the Porsche or anything remotely petrolhead-like- a lot of lentil eating yogurt knitters when it comes to the transport section! But generally people are very helpful with day-to-day stuff. As also mentioned, the Living and Working in Switzerland book is an excellent place to start too.
http://www.englishforum.ch/forum.php
Where you can get answers to pretty much anything. Just don't dare mention the Porsche or anything remotely petrolhead-like- a lot of lentil eating yogurt knitters when it comes to the transport section! But generally people are very helpful with day-to-day stuff. As also mentioned, the Living and Working in Switzerland book is an excellent place to start too.
Vidal
Just remember that you declare ANY car as household goods when bringing them over, otherwise you may well have to pay import duty. My daughter forgot and had to pay over SFR 1000,- import on a 14 year-old Golf.
The initial registration can be a real pig, and cost silly money, the car will have to absolutely spotless (and I mean spotless) and you have to arrive exactly on time for their TüV. Paperwork may be aproblem unless you have an original manufacturers Certificate of Compatability, and forget completely about any non-standard mods!!! It might have to be prepared for the TüV by the local dealer who often charge ridiculous prices as they want to sell cars and not facilitate imports!
Unless you really want to keep your car it might be wiser to buy locally, just to save the hassle.
PS, as a swiss resident you must have a swiss license and you MAY NOT drive any other registration (in Switzerland) than Swiss.. except a hire car. i.e. you cannot drive a GB reg in CH once you are a swiss resident. Obviously there should some leeway when changing adresses....
Just remember that you declare ANY car as household goods when bringing them over, otherwise you may well have to pay import duty. My daughter forgot and had to pay over SFR 1000,- import on a 14 year-old Golf.
The initial registration can be a real pig, and cost silly money, the car will have to absolutely spotless (and I mean spotless) and you have to arrive exactly on time for their TüV. Paperwork may be aproblem unless you have an original manufacturers Certificate of Compatability, and forget completely about any non-standard mods!!! It might have to be prepared for the TüV by the local dealer who often charge ridiculous prices as they want to sell cars and not facilitate imports!
Unless you really want to keep your car it might be wiser to buy locally, just to save the hassle.
PS, as a swiss resident you must have a swiss license and you MAY NOT drive any other registration (in Switzerland) than Swiss.. except a hire car. i.e. you cannot drive a GB reg in CH once you are a swiss resident. Obviously there should some leeway when changing adresses....
Edited by JMGS4 on Wednesday 30th January 09:10
Gassing Station | Switzerland | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff