I am a high-earning career woman in Switzerland, AMA

[JollieJullie]

Bit bored today as everyone is on holiday and work is quiet

If anyone is interested in my experience with climbing the corporate ladder and moving to Switzerland, I'd be happy to share.

[Luredbyapomegranate]

I literally haven’t heard anyone say career woman since 1988, so thank you for that dose of nostalgia.

[monsterastuckiosa]

@Luredbyapomegranate

I literally haven’t heard anyone say career woman since 1988, so thank you for that dose of nostalgia.

Glad SOMEONE was on the same page as me 😂

[SteveHarringtonsChestHair]

Do you have any jobs going for a 50 year old woman with no relevant experience please??!

[Naimee87]

I’m in Switzerland too! And plan to go! Perhaps you can travel to Basel where i live for the day as it’ll be nice and peaceful in comparison 😌😇

[goldenbag]

Is it Nestle?

[MaraScottie]

What do you spend your money on Op? Do you value the finer things in life or prefer investing etc?

[Horcruxe]

Was it easy getting a job in Switzerland?

What would you advise are the main qualities someone who was thinking of looking for a job there might require?

[YingMei]

What actually is 'Communications' in the business sense? What background does a person need to succeed in this?

[HeirOfSlytherin]

Thanks OP. My father's wife did what you did. She is in her late 60s now and they are both retired. She went to CH in her 20s I believe. Worked her way up to head of marketing comms at probably one of the most well known companies there 😉. My dad moved there after divorce from my mum and they met. He was hitting 40, and she was a couple of years older than him. They never had children although I don't think she wanted them. She doesn't come across as maternal. They lived and worked there for the rest of their careers for the same company. Retiring late 50s and moving back to the UK but keeping their place in CH and travelling between the two regularly. My dad said they will sell it once they are mid 70s though.
They seem happy with their lives and how things worked out. I know she has an excellent pension and they are very well off. My dad was in IT so also well paid, but I think more of their money is through her. My dad started off as a teacher before moving to IT in his 20s back in the 80s so did well from that....

[Allotment123]

Could you have progressed in the same way in the UK? If not, why not? As a Communications Director do you get blamed for everything, (my experience of comms)?

[JollieJullie]

@goldenbag

Is it Nestle?

Not Nestle but similar industry and comparable size!

[JollieJullie]

@MaraScottie

What do you spend your money on Op? Do you value the finer things in life or prefer investing etc?

I try to strike a balance. I save 30% of my paycheck every month and invest with the help of an advisor. At the same time I also love that I can do most things without worrying about money (within reason!), so I travel whenever I want, go out for dinner often, if I like something I can buy it without having to save for it.

I don't think I lead a flashy lifestyle though. I don't have a car, I live in a nice but normal flat, my clothes are mostly from mid-rane brands like Sezane, COS and similar.

[Iamthewombat]

@monsterastuckiosa

Are there many career men where you work?

This was the first thing I thought, too. Why would you use the term ‘career woman’?

[pinkyredrose]

Do the men you work with describe themselves as 'career men'?

[Iamthewombat]

Also, if you work for Barry Callebaut I’ve just found you, or whoever you say you are, online. Very easily.

[JollieJullie]

@Horcruxe

Was it easy getting a job in Switzerland?

What would you advise are the main qualities someone who was thinking of looking for a job there might require?

When I moved to Switzerland I was transferred internally with my last employer from London, so that was very easy. I then looked for a different company after a couple of years and I was lucky to get my current job quickly.

I think the Swiss job market is very particular. Some skillsets are highly sought after, such as tech, finance, sustainability. If you are in one of those fields, it is likely quite easy to get a job as a foreigner at an international company. Marketing and Comms can be a bit more tricky as some companies do require the local language for those jobs, so you have a smaller pool of suitable companies. Pretty much only the big international ones like Nestle, Danone, Google, Svarowski, La Prairie, etc etc

[JollieJullie]

@pinkyredrose

Do the men you work with describe themselves as 'career men'?

English is not my mothertongue so I might have missed the nuance here. I just meant a woman invested in a demanding career.

[JollieJullie]

@YingMei

What actually is 'Communications' in the business sense? What background does a person need to succeed in this?

What the Communications department does actually varies slightly from company to company. It can be a synonym with Marketing or PR.

In my current company, Comms work on campaigns, manage the corporate brand, manage all the digital marketing efforts and social media, press releases and crisis comms (what to communicate to the world in case of a crisis).

[Edgeog]

@Iamthewombat she's hardly spilling trade secrets

[JollieJullie]

@HeirOfSlytherin

Thanks OP. My father's wife did what you did. She is in her late 60s now and they are both retired. She went to CH in her 20s I believe. Worked her way up to head of marketing comms at probably one of the most well known companies there 😉. My dad moved there after divorce from my mum and they met. He was hitting 40, and she was a couple of years older than him. They never had children although I don't think she wanted them. She doesn't come across as maternal. They lived and worked there for the rest of their careers for the same company. Retiring late 50s and moving back to the UK but keeping their place in CH and travelling between the two regularly. My dad said they will sell it once they are mid 70s though.
They seem happy with their lives and how things worked out. I know she has an excellent pension and they are very well off. My dad was in IT so also well paid, but I think more of their money is through her. My dad started off as a teacher before moving to IT in his 20s back in the 80s so did well from that....

Sounds similar to what I am doing so far! Thanks for sharing her story, pretty inspiring

[Iamthewombat]

@Edgeog

@Iamthewombat she's hardly spilling trade secrets

But she might not want to be identified. That’s the point.

[AWobABobBob]

How was your recent trip to Italy?

[JollieJullie]

@Allotment123

Could you have progressed in the same way in the UK? If not, why not? As a Communications Director do you get blamed for everything, (my experience of comms)?

Possibly I could have done the same, who knows? It just didn't happen that way and I tried to take advantage of the opportunities that were opening up in front of me. I loved living in London and I would be open to going back if the right opportunity came along.

I wouldn't say at my current company Comms are blamed for everything, but we are definitely pulled in too many directions and involved in way too many projects

[Sanwin]

Do you think you will stay in Switzerland?

[JollieJullie]

@Sanwin

Do you think you will stay in Switzerland?

Not sure I will stay forever but I have no plans to leave for the next few years. I guess it will depend on how life goes, if I meet someone, if a better job offer somewhere else pops up..

I am open to all options