Do you live in Switzerland? I have questions…

[Fallulah]

Came back recently from a holiday to the chocolate box/tourist/hiking parts of Switzerland. We were wondering about a few things as you do when you go to a different place. None of these questions are intended to offend!

The big wooden houses - are they more or less expensive to build than a ‘normal’ house? Does the wood have to be renewed after a certain amount of time, like thatch does?

The same wooden houses just sometimes seem to be in the middle of grassy landscapes - how do you know which land is yours as there don’t seem to be any boundaries? What if you have a dog? There are no fences?

Did Switzerland not have covid particularly badly? They pack people on to the cable cars and trains like sardines and there is nothing suggesting people might want to wear a mask even if it’s not mandatory - we were frequently the only people in them on the transport, which was packed with people from all over the world.

When you live in Switzerland, do you realise how expensive it is or are wages a lot higher to compensate for the fact, e.g. a small bottle of coke is 6CHF?

Are languages pushed a lot more in school than they are in the UK? Pretty much everyone in the tourist areas seems to speak Swiss, German, French and English!

Do you just feel really smug all the time that you live in such a beautiful, clean, well organised country?!

Swiss is not a language! There are four languages in Switzerland - Swiss German, French Italian and Romansh.

should have said Swiss French - as with Swiss German there are some differnced with French spoken in france

Thanks - I knew the language the Swiss were speaking was different but similar to the German I know. That explains it!

My in laws live in Switzerland. On the wages point, having wondered the same thing as you, I think wages are quite a lot higher.

I have colleagues in Switzerland, none are Swiss born. Yes, wages are higher and everything is expensive. Lots of people do their food shopping in France if they live in the Geneva area. And there's no Swiss Amazon.

Wages are higher, cost of living higher but the Swiss are preoccupied by living in an area with lowest tax rates!

Each Canton is self governing so the second language taught in schools can vary. In Zurich it was German then English.

Covid hit pretty hard and vaccination was slower than in UK. They lost a lot of revenue from tourism , especially the Far East, so are making up for it now.

The wooden chalets are not often for sale but handed down from one generation to next.

I lived in Switzerland for a few years

On the wooden houses thing, I can't help

But wages are considerably higher and taxes considerably lower. So the higher prices of everything is quite affordable

I didn't live there during covid so not sure sorry!

But, some random things! They fine you for everything and although you might be friendly with neighbours, that won't stop official complaints for things you think are bonkers. They take their civil duty very seriously!

Eg I got fined for taking rubbish (coke bottle, food packets, some tissues) out for my car and into a litter bin. Apparently I should have taken it home

Eg I hung my washing out on the wrong day-I got a fine

Eg most shared living spaces have restrictions on when you can use your own washing machine indoors

Eg I went to a party hosted by some Swiss work colleagues, I drove and didn't drink at all. At the end of the evening, I said goodbye and thanked the hosts. As I was driving home I was pulled over by the police and breathalysed (obviously fine). I mentioned this to the hosts the following week who said that they were the ones who had rung the police and reported me. They both acted like this was nothing and when discussing with other Swiss colleagues they agreed this was the responsible thing to do

Eg in the winter I was expected to clear the snow from the paths around my house (after I moved from my apartment) including the pavement to stop members of the public from slipping over

Eg I got reported as a neighbour noticed I had put some of my rubbish into recycling (I wrongly thought the item could be recycled)

They take anything to do with littering and cleanliness VERY seriously!!

This probably doesn't answer your questions but it was a weird place to live!!

And, I suspect, everyone had a self loading rifle easily to hand

What is the education system like? I always think of Switzerland as a type of place with posh finishing schools & international schools.. Chalet School series was set there I think?

International schools are ££££ and predominantly used by expats whose company fund the fees. State education system is quite rigid with academic selection at 11/12 for grammar schools.

@UTIsympathies That is the random info I’m here for! Fascinating!

@WeAreTheHeroes No Amazon?! 😱

We have relatives in Switzerland. Two things I took away when visiting were: number one - that car number plates are personal. If you buy a new car, you keep your number plates and put them on the new car. The other is that there isn't a government as we would understand it. Lots of decisions are made by referendums.

There is online food shopping for British and American products, at a price. Also in larger urban supermarkets.

We were also there during a week off school where everyone does sport so lots of skiing etc going on.

There are also random local bank holidays, which vary by Canton. Swiss National Day is 1st August, usually marked by mountain festivals, brunches and fireworks.

Are you sure that wasn't North Korea?

Schools are very good and teachers very well paid. Children are split for secondary into 3 tiers of education. If they go into the top tier (Gymnasium) some of the subjects are taught in one of the other languages eg if you live in a German speaking area some years things like history, geography might be taught in French, another year a different subject might be taught in French.

Housing is very expensive and mortgages are often for life and interest only. People then use part of their pension pot to pay off the principal. Wages are higher than in UK but a lot of this is from the exchange rate having changed, When I moved there it was 2.4 Swiss francs to the pound, when I left it was 1.2 Swiss francs to the pound! I"m hoping it stays like that as my pension in in Swiss francs!

When shopping, meat is REALLY expensive. Yes many people shop over the border in France or Germany but there are very strict limits as to how much meat, fruit juice, butter, wine etc you can bring back. Limits are strictly enforced and you can get a hefty fine if stopped and are over the limit.

Sundays are quiet, shops closed and using powered tools like lawn mowers is not allowed. (Also the case over the border in France) and you can be fined... Lunch times are expected to be quiet, it's known as Rühezeit. Children should not be playing noisily outside. Most schools close for 2 hours at lunch time and children go home. Mums have only recently started to be expected to work.

Swiss women were given the vote at a national level in 1971 but in Appenzell Inner Rhodes women were not given the vote at a Cantonal (local) level until a ruling of the Federal Court in 1990.

It's a weird place! Wages are very high, costs are very high, taxes are low and quality of life is amazing. But the best piece of advice I got is that, if something is not explicitly permitted, you should assume it is not allowed. Eg parking- you can only park in marked spaces- no road marking, no parking. Lots of conveniences are not there- no Amazon, food quality high but limited pre prepared stuff, takeout limited and very expensive. Kids walk themselves to school from a very young age and there is a sense of collective responsibility to look after them. Someone told me off once for crossing the road when the light wasn't green because it was a bad example! And you will never ever be a local if you didn't grow up there, sometimes even if you did- you will always be somewhat outside. It's great but quite a closed society.

If you have served in the military you get to keep your gun

Yes wages are a lot higher (minimum wage is about 4000 CHF a month) and taxes are lower, but rent and mandatory health insurance are eye watering. I'm not sure if it's the case everywhere but in Geneva you pay tax on your 'fortune' - so if you own a house you pay tax on its value. Renting is much more common than in the U.K.

There are a lot of cross-border workers, eg in Geneva and Basel, who live in France and Germany.

I live in Switzerland - originally from the Uk. Have lived here 3 years.

Can't help with the house questions, but what I can say is during Covid there were lockdowns here but it was still quite flexible - eg people still had freedom to go hiking, walk in parks, spend time in the nature without feeling like it was wrong or the authorities were going to stop you - I think the Swiss generally encourage their citizens to take responsibility for themselves and how they handle their health. It's a very outdoorsy nation so being locked down would not have worked here! There were mandatory rules about wearing masks in shops and on public transport, but these rules were lifted around spring time this year and since then hardly anyone wears a mask anymore (I noted this is the same in London though!).

Wages are higher so things don't seem as expensive as they would to visitors to the country - I am earning exactly double what I was earning in the Uk, and the taxes are lower so you end up with a lot more cash to spend on things - cars, restaurants, etc.

If you shop in supermarkets such as aldi or lidl, prices are only about 10-15% higher than prices in the Uk aldi or lidl.

I would say it's very international here so schools encourage language learning from a very young age. In the cities it's very common to hear English being spoken and French Swiss and German Swiss people often communicate with each other in English as it's easier!

I am thankful every single day that I get the chance to live here in such a beautiful country, as a foreigner I certainly don't take it for granted. I think the Swiss also know they are very lucky - but it's not all perfect, the job market is extremely tough, as is the housing market - especially around the big cities. I don't mind the rules - i don't feel like they're particularly overbearing and it makes my life easier here! I also love that I can rely on public transport and don't need a car!
Hope that helps!

I have been living here since 2018 and haven't experienced anything like this! I have lived in a flat, and now a house. I was lucky though to have no restrictions when I could use my washing machine.

Recycling isn't really that complicated.

Definitely an expensive country though, but I love it here!

The reporting that @UTIsympathies lists, would really un-nerve me. Even reading it makes me cringe.

Switzerland is like Germany on steroids with higher wages and lower taxes.
Very bureaucratic.
I spent 18 months living in Zuerich and wore that I would never, ever complain about prices in Frankfurt again!

*swore

I spent 3 months there and had to see a GP. She told me that whilst Swiss education is excellent, her DD was going to study at Loughborough and they were really impressed with the pastoral care there which she would not have had in Switzerland.