✅ I worked as a Software Developer in the beautiful Switzerland 🏔️, AMA!

Dear DEV community,

I am a Software Developer from Europe that migrated and worked in Switzerland 🏔️.

My roles have been mostly focused on Full Stack web development (JavaScript, Java) and I was living and working in Zurich.

Since there are some developers that would like to move to Switzerland 🇨🇭 or have questions about it, I am here to answer them for you!

Comments

[Andrei Visoiu]

Hello! I've been "scouting" Switzerland for a time and it looks like quite a nice country for developers. I am interested in searching for a job there after finishing my studies, even though things might change until then (that being at least 5 or 6 years as I'm still in highschool), and I was wondering about how the industry looks at newbies and the social aspects of life there. Thank you!

[SwissGreg]

Hello Andrei,

Regarding finding a job and moving to Switzerland I recommend checking out: swissdevjobs.ch/blog/how-to-find-j...
(disclaimer: it is written by me, based on my experience)

Generally, the industry is quite tough for beginners since every company prefers to hire more experienced Devs. This applies not only to Switzerland but other countries as well.
The right approach is to apply to EVERY position that you find suitable and statistically you will get some positive responses (always remember to tailor your application for each company)

The social aspect depends most on the type of person that you are. Swiss people are rather closed but nice. It is very easy to live a daily life but harder to make new friends there. However, you can still keep with expats or your national community there since over 20% of people living there are immigrants.

[labibllaca]

Hi SwissGreg,

about the salary: how far can one negotiate with the guys over there ? Or is the salary not negotiatable ?

about the working atmosphere: is the fact, that you (probably) cant speak the german-switz language a problem ?

salary again: Is the amaount of the salary enough to live a nice live in zyrich ?

Thanks for answering our quenstions.

[SwissGreg]

Hi labibllaca,

Money is a strange topic in Switzerland, it is fine to earn well but not show that it is important for you.
I think that it is best to set some bar with the company beforehand (when they ask about your expectations)

To give you a bigger picture ranges based on work experience are the following (base salary):
60,000 up to 90,000 CHF - Junior Software Engineer with 0 up to 2 years of experience
90,000 up to 120,000 CHF - Regular Software Developer with 2 up to 5 years of experience
120,000 CHF and more - Senior Developers with more than 5 years of experience (depends on the company)

The working atmosphere is generally good, people tend to be professional and very kind. It's cool to speak German but you can also live without it (Swiss German is another story - you can speak German fluently and still don't understand what they say 😞)

How much is enough to live in Zurich? This is perfectly answered here

[labibllaca]

Thanks a lot for your helpfull hints and the link for more informations.

Have a greate day.

[Fyodor]

• Did you meet developers working as independent contractors and living in Switzerland?
• How much is the tax load there?
• Does living in big cities differ much from living in suburbans/small towns?
• Is it possible to find a dev job far away from "big city life"?

[SwissGreg]

Hi Fyodor,

Happy to answer those 😊

• you can work as a contractor but still need to be proxied by an agency, it seems to be a common setup and I haven't heard of different approaches.
• Taxes depend most on the city/canton you are in, for example: you get around 25% total taxes in Zurich, but 35+ in Geneva
• Switzerland is generally small cities - Zurich, which is the biggest, has no more than 1M people. If you want to live in a village you can easily commute with a 30-minute train to the city, which is very cool!

[Zoran Panev]

Hi SwissGreg,

are they in the mood of remote work and pay to another country bank account?

[SwissGreg]

Hi Zoran,

Unfortunately, remote work is not something that Swiss companies like. There are just a few that offer full remote positions. Otherwise, it is the standard 1 day a week remote.