New Town - Zurich by Thais Aguiar

EDITORIAL !a" Aguiar

Graduated in Arts and EducaLon and qualiﬁed in Visual Arts, Thais holds a postgraduate degree in Cinema and is currently aaending a Master’s programme in Intercultural RelaLons at UAB – Lisbon. She has extensive experience in graphic design and as a documentary ﬁlmmaker. Thais has lived in Zurich for ten years, the city she is enamored with and aaempts to unveil through audiovisual mediums.

An$éa Cocchiarale Andréa is an expat living in Switzerland for the past ten years, six of them in the Zurich area. She has been working with expats since 2005, first at the IntegraLon Office in Frauenfeld (TG), and then assisLng execuLves who recently moved to Zurich. Andréa has a bachelor’s degree in CommunicaLon Studies and a Swiss CerLficate of Advanced Studies in Event Management.

Yvonne Lemmer Yvonne was born and raised in the Canton of Zurich. She works in an internaLonal organisaLon in Zurich where she is in contact with many expats. Yvonne has a commercial educaLon and is studying Business CommunicaLons alongside her job. She makes the Swiss part of the New Town – Zurich publishers’ team.

NEW TOWN PUBLICATION # 1 -‐ ZURICH EDITORS Andréa Cocchiarale and Yvonne Lemmer ART DIRECTOR Thais Aguiar PHOTOGRAPHY Thais Aguiar and Andréa Cocchiarale WEB EDITORS Thais Aguiar and Andréa Cocchiarale PROJECT MANAGEMENT Andréa Cocchiarale CONTACT info@newtownzurich.com www.newtownmagazine.com Published in December 2012 by Thais Aguiar, Andréa Cocchiarale and Yvonne Lemmer MANY THANKS We would like to express our gratefulness and thanks to the proof-‐readers of the content of New Town Magazine that helped us with their knowledge as naLve English speakers to make the content easy to understand and enjoyable to read. LEGAL NOTICE The contents and informaLon given in this publicaLon as well as on our Internet website are of a purely informaLve nature. Although we take great care to ensure that the informaLon we provide is correct, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, reliability or completeness of our data. The contents of this publicaLon may be changed without prior noLce. We assume no liability for the contents of, or for the services oﬀered on the Internet sites listed. Use of these sites is at the user’s own risk.

Zurich, your New Town The first publicaLon of New Town Magazine is a must-‐read for anyone considering moving to Zurich as well as for expats who have recently moved here. We know that from the moment you take the decision unLl the day of your relocaLon to a foreign country, you experience various hurdles and you certainly must leave your comfort zone. It can be challenging to set up a new life in another country, learn a foreign language and become familiar with a new culture. New Town Zurich provides you with the most important informaLon you will need to know in your first months in Zurich. You will find advice and informaLon about housing, health insurance, transportaLon and where to learn German, to name but a few. We wish you a good read of the first ediLon of New Town Magazine and a warm welcome to Zurich. New Town Zurich team

Hoi – Welcome to Swi%erland

LINKS Landesmuseum Zurich Guided tours Switzerland’s geography Switzerland tourism Swiss Federal Railways

We could start by talking about Switzerland’s neutrality, federalism and mulLlingualism, the Alps, Swiss watches or cheese – keywords associated with Switzerland – or inform you about Switzerland’s geography, history and climate, but assuming that you will have received a Lonely Planet or another guidebook containing loads of informaLon about Europe’s landlocked island before coming to Switzerland, we will lead you straight to the most important things you need to know about life in Switzerland. History, geography, weather, government, elecMons, etc. History To learn about Switzerland’s history, we recommend visiLng the NaLonal Museum in Zurich (Landesmuseum), which is located right next to the main staLon. Take a look around the permanent exhibiLon on Swiss history on your own or join the guided tour in English that takes place every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. A visit will give you a good insight into the country’s history and if aferwards you want to know more, you can ask the tour guide to recommend some interesLng books that you can get from a bookshop or library. Depending on which country you are from, you might be quite shocked to read that Switzerland only introduced women’s suffrage in 1971… Geography Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, one of which is the canton of Zurich, abbreviated to ZH. Swiss people are very conscious of the canton they live in. Inhabitants of the canton of Zurich, for example, make jokes about people from the canton of Aargau, saying that they cannot drive properly or that people from Berne are very slow in general. There is a certain rivalry between the cantons, which comes to light especially in sports, for example in football and ice hockey. Swiss people also ofen refer to the three different regions that make up the country: ü Deutschschweiz, the German-‐speaking part of Switzerland which is the biggest part, ü Westschweiz, Welschland or Romandie, the French-‐speaking part in the West, close to France, and ü Thirdly, the Tessin (Ticino), which is the Southern part close to Italy in which Italian is spoken. For more informaLon about Switzerland’s geography, visit the official website of Switzerland tourism.

An ideal hub for travel within Europe Switzerland is very centrally located and most European capitals and major ciLes are within easy reach for weekend trips by train or plane. Train travel from Switzerland is very comfortable. The TGV train, for example, takes you from Zurich to Paris in about four hours. Milan can be reached for a shopping weekend in less than four hours by train, and the good news is that the shops there are open on Sundays. You can read more about train trips to European c i L e s o n t h e S w i s s F e d e r a l Railways’ (abbreviaLon SBB) website. Switzerland has three main (and some smaller) airports: Zurich, Basel and Geneva. If you do not manage to find a cheap flight from Zurich, check out the flights from Basel or Geneva. You can easily reach these two airports from Zurich by train. Weather Be aware that Swiss people always check the weather forecast before they leave the house. Like in England, the weather is one of the most popular topics of conversaLon in Switzerland. Swiss weather is un-‐ predictable. We do get cold and snowy winters, blooming springs and hot summers at Lmes, but you can never really tell what the weather will be like next week.

One piece of advice we can give expats is to bring warm clothes and good shoes for hard winters. All Swiss people have good winter boots at home and you can be sure you will use them more ofen than you might like. The most reliable source for weather forecasts is the website of the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology. Ofen, the weather in the northern part of Switzerland differs from the weather in the southern part. If the forecast predicts a rainy weekend in Zurich, it might be worthwhile considering a trip to the Ticino where it can be warm and sunny already. Government, ElecMons Federal Office of Meteorology and This is a tough chapter. Even for Swiss Climatology people, it’s not easy to explain the Swiss g o v e r n m e n t ’ s s e t -‐ u p a n d e l e c L o n procedure in just a few sentences. PoliLcal organisaLon of For a brief yet clear insight into the Swiss Switzerland authoriLes and poliLcal insLtuLons, we recommend reading the brochure “The Parliament Swiss ConfederaLon – a brief guide”, which can be downloaded here. The Federal Council Further informaLon can be found on the website of the Federal AuthoriLes of the The Federal Swiss ConfederaLon. AdministraLon

LINKS

ZüRICH

SWITZERLAND’S LARGEST CITY You have chosen Zurich as your new place to live and work – certainly a good choice! And you are not the only one who has migrated to Switzerland’s largest city. Zurich is an internaLonal city with more than 30% of its inhabitants having non-‐Swiss passports. With a populaLon of over 380,000, Zurich is Switzerland’s biggest city. More facts and ﬁgures and other useful informaLon about the city can be found on the homepage of the City of Zurich.

The city is divided into 12 districts or zones and they are called “Kreise” in German. The most central is Kreis no. 1, which is the area around main staLon and includes basically the enLre old town. You will need to know the Kreis numbers when looking for an apartment and when moving in. You will have to register at the Kreisbüro where your ﬂat is based. The next chapters of this magazine will go into detail about life in Zurich and what you need to know to survive and enjoy living here.

LINKS IntegraLon and internaLonal networks in Zurich

AuthoriMes in Zurich The most important authoriLes an expat moving to Zurich needs to know are the following: Federal Office for MigraLon for general informaLon Quellenweg 6 3003 Bern-‐Wabern Cantonal ImmigraLon Office / MigraLonsamt des Kantons Zürich for residence permits Berninastrasse 45 Posvach 8090 Zürich Phone: 043 259 88 00 Fax: 043 259 88 10 Office for Economy and Labour (AWA) in Zurich for work permits Walchestrasse 19 P.O. Box 8090 Zurich Phone: 043 259 49 92 Fax: 043 259 51 71 Kreisbüro / District Offices in Zurich for RegistraMon Within 14 days of your arrival in Zurich, you have to register at the district office (called Kreisbüro in German) in the area where your apartment is located, or – if you live outside the city – at the local residents’ registraLon office (called Einwohnerkontrolle in German) of the village or town you live in. Bring your passport or ID card, a passport photo and a foreigner’s idenLty card if available. There are 12 different Kreisbüros, each of them being responsible for its own area in the city (or Stadtkreis in German). You can find the addresses of district offices 1 to 12 at the link on the next page.

A smoo& transition and se'ling in Zu(ch

Swiss residence permits Moving to a new country is a very exciLng experience, and it is important to know the country’s regulaLons and types of resident permit. All expats living in Switzerland must hold a permit, issued by the MigraLon Office of the canton where they will be working and living. There are different permits for EU/ EFTA naLonals and ciLzens from other countries. We have listed below all five types of residence permit: ü B: annual permit ü C: permanent permit ü Ci: residence permit with gainful employment ü G: cross-‐border commuter permit ü L: short-‐term residence permit To find out more about the different residence permits, please select the EU/EFTA or Non-‐EU/EFTA naLonals links below.

LINKS ü  Federal Office for MigraLon ü  Cantonal ImmigraLon Office for residence permits ü  Office for Economy andLabour (AWA) ü  Zurich district map ü  District offices 1 to 12 ü  Federal Department of Foreign Affairs ü  EU/EFTA naLonals ü  Non-‐EU/EFTA naLonals

Withholding tax for expats Taxes – not a beloved chapter, we know... Hence, we will keep it short and to the point and guide you to the most important informaLon you need to know about taxaLon in Switzerland. Expats normally pay the so-‐called withholding tax or tax at source, or “Quellensteuer” in German. This means that the fiscal amount is deducted from your salary and paid directly by your employer to the tax authoriLes once a month. Your employer is obliged to calculate and pay your tax. The withholding tax is calculated based on your gross earnings. Different tariffs apply – if you are single, it is tariff A that is relevant. All you need to know about the withholding tax (Quellensteuer) is summarised in a very useful informaLon sheet produced by the tax authoriLes of the Canton of Zürich. The informaLon sheet is available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. If in addiLon to that you have quesLons about the withholding tax, you can send an enquiry to the tax office by filling in the contact form on their website. Kantonales Steueramt Zürich Bändliweg 21 Posvach 8090 Zürich Phone: 043 259 40 50 Fax: 043 259 61 94

LINKS

How to open a bank account in Switzerland Once you receive your residence permit and e m p l o y m e n t c o n t r a c t ( s o m e L m e s a confirmaLon leaer from your employer is enough), you can open a bank account in Switzerland. But you might be thinking: where should I open a bank account? Without a doubt, Switzerland is the land of banks, so, as you can imagine, there is no shortage of financial insLtuLons in Zurich. However, before choosing the first bank you come across, try to find out what other banks have to offer you. Click here to see a directory of Swiss banks in Switzerland.

Tax authoriLes of the Canton of Zurich Oﬃce for Economy and Labour (AWA)

Basic, supplementary or compulsory health insurance

Health insurance is compulsory in Switzerland. Make sure you sign up for compulsory health insurance within three months of your arrival in Switzerland! You will ﬁnd a good overview of all the beneﬁts of basic health insurance on Comparis . For the compulsory insurance, you can choose a so-‐ called “franchise” (excess or deducLble), which is the maximum amount you have to pay yourself for medical care, doctor’s visits, etc. The franchises available are CHF 300, CHF 500, CHF 1.000, CHF 1.500, CHF 2000 and CHF 2.500.

As a general rule, the higher your franchise, the lower your monthly insurance premium. For healthy, strong young people who do not have to see a doctor regularly, it deﬁnitely makes sense to have as high a franchise as possible. However, if you do get sick, be aware that you have to pay the doctor’s bills out of your own pocket up to the franchise amount you have chosen, so you should always have some money set aside just in case. The policyholder’s age and place of residence, the insurance company and the level of the franchise all inﬂuence your insurance premium. 13

INSURANCE Various insurance companies offer health insurance. Prices vary from provider to provider and premiums are usually increased once a year. If your insurance company raises your premium, they will inform you in wriLng in October of the new premium for the next year. If you then decide to go to a different insurance provider, check the noLce period menLoned on the leaer from your current insurance company. From a financial point of view, it makes sense to compare prices every year and then choose the cheapest health insurance. You can compare insurance premiums on Comparis. Supplementary health insurance Supplementary health insurance on top of your basic insurance is opLonal. Most Swiss people take out supplementary health insurance to cover health services that are not included in the basic health insurance, such as: ü AlternaLve medicine ü Massage ü Dental treatment ü Discounts on gym membership, yoga lessons, pilates, or other services that help you relax ü Glasses/contact lenses ü Private or semi-‐private hospital rooms ü Psychotherapy (without medicaLon) If you decide to change your supplementary health insurance, make sure you have confirmaLon from the new insurance company that they have accepted you. Whereas basic health insurance providers do not carry out a check on new policyholders, supplementary health insurance providers someLmes thoroughly check your medical history and lifestyle (e.g. smoker or non-‐smoker).

Accident insurance Accidents – whether they happen at work or outside work – are covered by the accident insurance, which is paid by your employer if you are employed. If you are unemployed, you have to add accident insurance to your basic health insurance. If you get injured at work or in your free Lme, make sure you immediately report it to your employer. Your employer will then report your accident to the accident insurance company, which will pay compensaLon for your Lme off work and other costs related to your injury (doctor’s visits, x-‐rays, etc.). AddiMonal insurances Private liability insurance It is recommended to take out private liability insurance in order to be covered for damages caused by you or one of your family members to other persons or items. Insurance providers usually offer packages that combine different types of insurances. A common package, for example, is the combinaLon of the private liability insurance and the household insurance. Packages usually have a posiLve effect on the insurance prices/premiums. Household insurance Most Swiss people also take out an insurance on their household effects in order to be covered for damages at home that are caused by fire, water or thef, for example. Car insurance Should you be bringing your car to Switzerland or consider buying one here, check out the Comparis car insurance comparison at the link on the lef: Insurance offers can be compared on Comparis.

Emergencies In case of emergency, dial the emergency number 144 for an ambulance. How to find a doctor Finding a doctor who suits you can take a while. Many Swiss people have a family doctor (“Hausarzt”) to whom they go first no maaer what illness they have. In most cases, this doctor can help them, and if not he then refers them to a specialist. Many doctors do not accept new paLents because their pracLce is full, but if they refuse to take you on as a paLent, they might provide you with the name of another doctor. The best way to find a good doctor is to ask friends or colleagues if they can recommend anyone. You may also ask your employer if they can help you find a doctor. If you do not want to have a family doctor and do not mind going to a different doctor every Lme you need medical care, you can make use of the medical service centres that always take on new paLents.

Clinics/hospitals University Hospital Zurich (“Unispital”) The hospital is based in the university area of Zurich and is easily reached by tram no. 6 or 9. All medical divisions are explained on the hospital’s website. Phone: 044 255 11 11 and phone for internaLonal paLents: 044 255 54 54. Permanence Hauptbahnhof The Permanence is a private medical centre at Zurich main staLon. Anybody can go there without an appointment. You will get a Lcket on arrival and usually you have to wait quite a while to see a doctor. However, due to its great locaLon in the city centre and the advantage of not having to make an appointment, the Permanence is well worth menLoning here. Phone: 044 215 44 44. Ärztezentrum Sihlcity There is another clinic that oﬀers convenient medical care at the Sihlcity shopping centre. Sihlcity is easily reached by public transport, i.e. tram no. 5 and 13 or the Sihltalbahn S4. Phone: 044 508 00 10.

FAMILY

Family life and all &at comes wi& it… BabysiZers and au pairs Looking for a babysiaer to take care of your children for a few hours or full-‐Lme? There are plenty of agencies in Zurich that provide English-‐speaking nannies for expat families. The minimum wage for a nanny in Zurich is CHF 15/hour for a student and CHF 40/hour for a professional. Many families that require more regular support prefer to hire an au pair. However, before choosing this opLon, keep in mind that au pairs need a residence permit to live and work in Switzerland and, therefore, it is recommended that you contact an agency that can help you with the Swiss employment regulaLons. Nanny and EU ciLzens can work as au pairs for a day care services maximum of two years and ciLzens of other countries for a maximum of one year. The family needs to provide a room, all meals and approximately 30 hours of work a week and the au pair has at least one day oﬀ every week. The au pair must also aaend German classes for a minimum of three hours per week and the family is obliged to pay for the course. Find on the lef side of this page a list of nanny agencies in Switzerland. Please keep in mind that New Town does not have any experience in contracLng a babysizng service with any of the listed agencies and therefore cannot make any recommendaLon.

LINKS

Kinderkrippe /day care Day care provides kids with an opportunity to develop their social skills because they spend the day interacLng with other children. If you believe that this is the best soluLon for your family, you will certainly ﬁnd many day care centres in Zurich and its surroundings. Day care centres are usually open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm (some of them close at 6:30 pm) and the daily fee includes three meals (breakfast, lunch and afernoon snack). Fees vary from CHF 90 to CHF 120 per day. Dogs: Courses and cantonal taxes If you are planning to have a dog in Switzerland, you need to know some basic rules: 1. First-‐Lme dog owners have to aaend a four-‐hour theory course that covers the dog’s needs, how to deal with a dog and everything involved in owning a dog. 2. A training course is also a requirement when obtaining a new dog and this also applies to people who have owned a dog before. This course teaches the owner how to lead a dog, train it to recognise dangerous situaLons and what to do if the dog develops problemaLc behaviour.

3. Every dog in Switzerland must be registered by a vet in the Animal IdenLty Service (ANIS) database and taaooed or ﬁaed with a microchip. 4. An annual dog tax is mandatory and its amount depends on the size and weight of the animal. Contact your commune for more informaLon about dog taxes. 5. If you are planning to travel with your dog, make sure you have a Swiss pet passport issued for the animal.

Housekeeping When hiring a housekeeper in Switzerland, it is important to keep in mind that in addiLon to the hourly wage, the cleaner is also enLtled to social security contribuLons and accident insurance, which costs around CHF 100 per year. The minimum wage for Insurance for cleaners is CHF 25/hour and the employee housekeepers is enLtled to at least four weeks of paid Payment slip vacaLon per year. sample Check the links on the right side of the page Employee for further informaLon about hiring a registraLon housekeeper. form

LINKS

My home " my ca+le…

How to find a flat We don’t want to scare you off straight away, but finding a nice and affordable apartment in the city of Zurich can be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. Zurich has become a very expensive place to live over the last few years and it seems that there are not enough apartments for the increasing size of Zurich’s populaLon. The areas around the lake, the city centre/ old town and the Zürichberg area in parLcular are ofen out of reach for people on normal salaries. A two-‐bedroom flat of about 60 m2 in a central locaLon, for example, can easily cost CHF 2,000 in Zurich. If you don’t mind sharing a flat, you might be beaer off money-‐wise if you look for a flat-‐share opportunity. The Swiss refer to a flat share as a WG, which is an abbreviaLon of the G e r m a n w o r d f o r fl a t s h a r e Wohngemeinschaf. The best way to find a flat is to take it over from a friend, an acquaintance or a work colleague who is moving out. So if your employer has a pin board where you can post an “I’m looking for a flat” noLce, make use of it. Otherwise, you can start looking for a flat on a real estate plavorm, such as Homegate, Alle-‐Immobilien.ch or Home.ch. Choose the district (Kreis) where you want

to live, the minimum number of rooms and the maximum rent you are prepared to pay. Usually, the adverts menLon the viewing dates for the apartments. When going to a viewing, make sure to be there early and try to make a good impression on the tenant. Ask for the applicaLon form and find out what other documents the landlord expects to receive from applicants. If you like the apartment, fill in the form immediately and send it off to the landlord or the real estate agency in charge of the building. At the same Lme inform your employer that you have applied for an apartment. Some employers then issue a recommendaLon leaer to the real estate agency to help you get the apartment. Also check out Ron Orp’s “A roof over your head” secLon. Ron Orp is a website that provides informaLon about various ciLes, including Zurich. You will find useful informaLon about going out, finding a flat, finding friends and cultural acLviLes on this website. You may also want to subscribe to Ron Orp’s newsleaer. If you have a well-‐paid job and are too busy to search online for a flat and go to viewings, you may want to engage an agency to help you find a place.

Shopping for furniture When living in Zurich, the best place to go furniture shopping is Dübendorf, a town about 10km from Zurich. Hire a car or take the train/bus to Dübendorf (bus stop Hochbord) to go there. In Dübendorf, you can find INTERIO (modern, fashionable interior pieces), KARE (fashionable, cheap), Micasa (good prices and good quality), Möbel Pfister (good quality, not as expensive as it seems at first sight), Mobitare (high-‐end products, beauLful pieces but expensive), Tip Top (cheap furniture) and Lumimart (lamps and lamp shades only). And in Dietlikon, which is not far from Dübendorf, you will find FLY (young, fashionable and cheap) and IKEA, which has ideal opening hours from Monday to Saturday unLl 9 p.m. Taking out a mobile phone contract You need to present your residence permit or passport to sign up to a mobile phone contract. Foreign naLonals holding a B, C, L or G permit can take out a monthly contract, but some excepLons might apply to L and G permits. Holders of other types of permit will only be able to request a prepaid contract. The contract will specify when you can cancel the subscripLon. Make sure you check this informaLon before considering switching to another provider. When changing operators, you can request the transfer of your current mobile number to the new supplier. Mobile providers: Swisscom, Orange, Sunrise, Coop Mobile powered by Orange, M-‐Budget Mobile, Yallo and Lebara. Billag – Swiss TV and Radio licence in Switzerland If you have a TV, a radio (even if it is in your car), a mobile phone on which you can watch TV or listen to radio, or a tablet or computer on which you can watch programmes on the internet, you have to pay a monthly licence fee for the service. The licence fees are CHF 14.10 per month for radio and CHF 24.45 for television, and you will be invoiced annually by Billag.

Ge'ing ar,nd Zu(ch Swiss people are very fond of their extensive railway network. The Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) website is one of the most visited websites and is extremely useful when planning a journey, whether it’s a trip within the city of Zurich by tram or bus or a longer journey to the Ticino. You can also download the SBB App free of charge for your mobile phone. Public transport in Zurich The tram is the easiest way to get around Zurich. Trams 2 – 17 bring you to different spots in the city. The tram routes are explained on the ZVV website (Zürcher Verkehrs Verbund). ZVV is in charge of public transport within the canton of Zurich. There is also a free ZVV App free of charge for your mobile phone. Swiss Federal Again, you can plan your journey within Zurich by Railway (SBB) using either the SBB Lmetable or the one on the ZVV website, whatever suits you best. SBB App Tickets cover transportaLon by tram, train, bus Zürcher and boat (Limmatschiff and Zürichseeschifffahrt). Verkehrs Verbund (ZVV)

LINKS

ZVV App

Ge_ng a travel pass You can buy a Lcket from the Lcket machines that you will find at bigger tram stops or at the staLon. It is not possible to buy a Lcket on the tram so make sure you have a valid Lcket before gezng on. If you are thinking of using public transport regularly, you can buy a pass at the SBB counter at main staLon, Stadelhofen or any of the other bigger train staLons. There are different passes available and the SBB staff will explain all the opLons (Zurich city only, the whole canton of Zurich, all Switzerland, etc.). Check with your employer first if they contribute to your public transport pass – many big companies in Zurich do. For train travel outside the city or the canton of Zurich, it is advisable to get a half-‐price pass (Halbtaxabo), which costs CHF 165/year and allows you to travel throughout Switzerland for half the regular price. If you travel twice a year to the Ticino, for example, you will already have got your money’s worth from the half-‐price pass.

Mobility “Car sharing is the clever way to be mobile” according to Swiss car-‐sharing company Mobility. You have access to 2,600 cars all over the country if you sign up for Mobility membership. Most of the cars are located in central spots like train staLons. The rental fee depends on the model of the car (the beaer and bigger the car, the more expensive), the duraLon of the rental and the distance you drive. You are billed afer the rental, and you get an invoice from Mobility once a month if you have used the service. However, you can also calculate the approximate cost of a rental on their website before making a reservaLon. Fuel, car service costs and insurance are all included in the price. If you don’t need a car regularly, Mobility is an ideal way of having access to a car without having to bother about car insurance, parking and fuel. You can get a four-‐month trial subscripLon to ﬁnd out if Mobility is worthwhile for you. Buying a bike Gezng around by bike in Zurich is very convenient. Just beware of the trams and tram tracks! You can buy a cheap second-‐hand bike at one of the bike markets (called “Velobörse”), which usually take place in spring and summer. Check out the Pro Velo Zürich website for dates. If you want to buy a brand new bike, have a look online by searching for bike shops in and around Zurich. There are plenty of small bicycle shops that sell all kinds of bikes. Bigger sports stores also sell bicycles at good prices. LINKS: Pro Velo Zürich 24

Stays informed about What’ going on at home Subscribing to magazines from home Nowadays it’s very easy to have access to media from home on the internet. However, a lot of people sLll like to buy magazines from their home countries to keep up to date with the latest news on a range of topics. If this is the case for you, you have three opLons in Zurich: Kiosk: Most of the big Kiosks in Zurich sell internaLonal magazines in German, French, English, Italian and Spanish, but the price for a single copy is usually very high. InternaMonal subscripMons: Check the publisher’s website — some of them offer v e r y g o o d d e a l s o n i n t e r n a L o n a l subscripLons. Hearst Magazines is one of t h e p u b l i s h e r s t h a t o ff e r a n n u a l subscripLons to American magazines delivered in Switzerland with excellent discounts. You can pay by credit card and the magazines arrive every month without any problems. It’s much cheaper to subscribe to one of their magazines than to buy them at the kiosk . You can also check for internaLonal magazine subscripLons at Presseshop.ch. Apps: Many internaLonal magazines offer free apps for androids and iPads. Once you download the applicaLon, you will have the opLon to buy individual issues or take out a subscripLon.

InternaMonal TV channels Most of the channels in the German part of Switzerland are in German, but a large number of internaLonal channels are available through digital television services. Several cable operators offer internaLonal TV channels, internet and telephony. To find out your cable network, you just need to visit the website and enter your address: The most popular TV subscripLons are with the following companies: UPC cablecom: This is the largest cable network operator in Switzerland. They offer analog and digital television as well as radio, internet and telephony via cable. There is a big range of channels in English and the opLon to add other channels in several languages (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, etc.). Upc cablecom also offers films on demand. Before subscribing to upc cablecom, you need to check on their website whether their services are available at your specific locaLon. Swisscom TV: Swisscom TV offers digital TV as well as internet and fixed and mobile telephony. There is a big variety of channels in English, German, French, Italian and 13 other languages. Swisscom also offers films on demand. Sunrise TV: Sunrise offers TV, internet and fixed/mobile phone packages as well as iPad with TV and video on demand.

The company oﬀers more than 160 channels, 80 in German, 33 in French, 31 in Italian, 26 in English and the rest in several other languages. Orange TV: Orange oﬀers over 80 TV channels, most of them in German, French and Italian, for mobile phone, tablet and PC/Mac as well as replay TV. You also have the opLon to watch movies in English on iTunes. You just need to download the sofware from the Apple Store, create an account, select Films in English and choose one of the categories (acLon, comedy, drama, horror, etc.). Most of the movies can be rented (you can also buy them for a higher price) and the payment is made by credit card or iTunes card.

Swissinfo.ch Swissinfo.ch is an informaLon plavorm produced by the Swiss public broadcasLng corporaLon and its content is available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic. You’ll ﬁnd informaLon about poliLcs, the economy, arts, science, educaLon and tourism. This is a very good source of informaLon for expats living in Switzerland as it oﬀers up-‐to-‐ date and reliable facts.

LINKS Swissinfo.ch

“Pleasure in - job puts perfection in - work”

A(+otle

Jobs So, you’ve decided it’s Lme to look for a new job but you’re not sure about how to apply for a new posiLon in Switzerland. The first thing you need to check is the type of permit you have. Some work permits are connected to the current employer and therefore you are only allowed to work for this company. Please find more informaLon in the chapter Swiss Residence Permits on page 11. Afer checking your work status, you need to prepare your applicaLon to send to headhunters or human resources managers. Make sure you write an effecLve cover leaer and a complete CV and enclose all relevant diplomas, cerLficates and reference leaers to your applicaLon. Cover leZer Always personalise each cover leaer according to the job descripLon. This will give you a beaer chance of being invited for a face-‐to-‐face interview. Make sure that your leaer contains: ü A contact person: Never start a cover leaer using Dear Sir /Madam, To Whom It May Concern, Dear HR Manager, Dear Recruiter, etc. If the contact person is not included in the job advert, visit the

company’s website and look for the name of the HR manager. Failing to address the leaer to a specific person shows that the candidate has not made an effort. ü  The name of the job you are applying for and where you found the job advert, i.e.: “MarkeLng Manager posiLon adverLsed on Jobwinner.ch” ü W hat you have to offer to the company, your experience and skills. However, don’t copy and paste your CV into the cover leaer ü Make sure you aaach your diplomas and cerLficates ü Keep your leaer brief and make sure there are no spelling mistakes ü When submizng your CV by email, provide it in PDF format. Avoid using a Word document or any other format unless requested in the job advert ü Provide a mobile or a phone number where you can be reached at any Lme. Check your voicemail; most HR recruiters leave a message when trying to reach you by phone ü Suggest an interview

CV When updaLng your CV, make sure you include the following: ü  A recent photo ü  Your contact details: name, address, phone, mobile phone and email ü  AddiLonal personal informaLon: naLonality, marital status, date of birth and type of Swiss permit ü  Job objecLve: a sentence explaining what kind of job you are looking for Example: Highly self-‐moLvated and goal-‐ oriented professional commiaed to p u rs u i n g a l o n g-‐ t erm ca reer i n Switzerland as a MarkeLng Manager ü  EducaLon (start with the most recent): name of the course, name of the school/ university, beginning and end of the course, locaLon of the course (city, country). Please see example below: 05.2008 – 06.2010 Masters in MarkeLng The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia 08.2002 – 07. 2006 BA (Hons) Business AdministraLon London School of Business and Finance, London, UK ü  Work experience (start with the most recent): name of the company and locaLon, job Ltle, duraLon of the job, descripLon of responsibiliLes. Please see example below: 01.2010 – Present Company ABC, Zurich, Switzerland MarkeLng Manager •  Manage and coordinate all markeLng, adverLsing and promoLonal staﬀ and acLviLes •  Conduct market research to determine market requirements for exisLng and future products

•  Analysis of customer research, current market condiLons and compeLtor informaLon •  Develop and implement markeLng plans and projects for new and exisLng products •  Manage the producLvity of the markeLng plans and projects •  Monitor, review and report on all markeLng acLvity and results ü  Languages: list all your languages and the level of the proficiency according to the European Language Porvolio, including all diplomas and cerLficates obtained: English: Mother tongue German: Intermediate, Goethe-‐ZerLfikat, B2 Level: B2 French: Advanced, Level: C1 European Language ü  AddiLonal courses (including computer Porvolio skills) ü  Interests: personal interests, volunteer Job search work, freelance work, etc. engines ü  References: available upon request Job search engines in Switzerland There are many job search engines in Switzerland, some offering the possibility to create a job profile and receive daily or weekly emails with a summary of current job adverts. On the right side of the page there is a link to the most popular ones. InternaMonal companies in Zurich and the vicinity A great number of mulLnaLonal companies h a v e c h o s e n S w i t z e r l a n d a s t h e i r headquarters due to its locaLon in the heart of Europe as well as for taxes purposes. As Zurich is the Swiss city that is home to the most internaLonal companies, if you are looking for a new job in Switzerland, you will probably find one here. We have put together a list of the largest mulLnaLonal companies in Zurich and the surrounding area.

LINKS

Education

German and Swiss-‐German courses in Zurich You won’t have many issues speaking English in Zurich, but if you’re planning to live in the German part of Switzerland, it is highly recommended that you learn German (High German). This will help you deal with daily issues and integrate into your community. There are many language schools in Zurich that provide all kinds of German courses for foreigners. Find here a list of schools. But keep in mind that German is not the spoken language in the “Deutschschweiz” and therefore, afer you achieve at least an intermediate level of (High) German, you should consider learning to understand Swiss German, the spoken dialect in Switzerland. Although this is not a wriaen language, it is possible to aaend Swiss-‐German lessons in Zurich (Züridüütsch Kurs). Swiss German people are very proud of their language and culture and therefore it is very important to make an eﬀort to understand Schwiizerdütsch. InternaMonal schools in Zurich and the vicinity Most expats with family living in Zurich enrol their children in internaLonal schools. This is probably because the internaLonal school will be following the same syllabus and curriculum as in their home country and the school environment will be similar to the one they are already accustomed to. However, due to the high demand, there is a shortage of place in Zurich’s internaLonal schools. There are six internaLonal schools in the Canton of Zurich: School Holidays in Zurich Zürichdeutsch

LINKS

Zurich InternaMonal School EducaLon levels: Kilchberg (pre-‐kindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1 to 8 ), Adliswil (upper school grades 9 to 12) and Baden (from pre-‐school to grade 8). ICS Inter-‐Community School Zurich LocaLon: Zumikon (Volketswil from August 2015). EducaLon levels: Primary and secondary school. SIS Swiss InternaMonal School LocaLon: Zurich, Zurich-‐Wollishofen, Männedorf, Winterthur, Rotkreuz-‐Zug, Tamins-‐Chur, Schönenwerd, Suhr and Basel. EducaLon levels: Kindergarten, primary school, pre-‐college/college. Swiss InternaMonal School North and West LocaLon: Wallisellen (North) and Schlieren (West). EducaLon levels North: Nursery (age 2.5) to grade 10 (age 16) and EducaLon levels West: Nursery (age 3) to grade 5 (age 11). Tandem InternaMonal MulMlingual School LocaLon: Zollikon, Zurich and UeLkon EducaLon levels: Pre-‐school to primary school. Early years from 6 to 18 months and daycare are also available. InternaMonal School Winterthur LocaLon: Winterthur EducaLon levels: From Kindergarten to grade 12. Early years from age 3 is also available. French children have also the opportunity to study at a French school in Gockhausen, approximately 10 km from Zurich: Lycée Français de Zurich LocaLon: Gockhausen EducaLon levels: Nursery, primary and secondary School

HSK (Heimatliche Sprache und Kultur) courses HSK courses are courses in the naLve language and culture developed for mulLlingual children living in Switzerland. The courses are developed by embassies, consulates or private organisaLons and are coordinated by the Swiss School Authority and the Department of EducaLon of each canton which provides the classroom and teacher training course. HSK courses are oﬀered in the following languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Chinese, CroaLan, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Kurdish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (LaLn America), Swedish and Turkish. Most HSK courses are organised by volunteer parent coordinators. Please visit the HSK website for more details about their courses.

Ge'ing to know and l e " u r e a c t i v i t i es

Tours Take one of the tours recommended by Zurich Tourism to learn more about the city and its past. There are guided city walks and bus tours, or, if you’re looking for an acLve and unconvenLonal way of gezng to know the city, try the city tours by bike or Segway, or sign up for a jogging or hiking tour. Places to visit in and around Zurich On the city tour you will already get a glimpse of the most aaracLve places in town, such as the old town, the shopping mile, and the places by the lake and river (Limmat). Nice views In addiLon to that, you can get a wonderful view over the old town from Lindenhof square. It can be reached from Bahnhofstrasse via Rennweg. Another way of seeing the city from above is taking the lif to the 35th ﬂoor of the newly built Prime Tower, Zurich’s ﬁrst skyscraper situated in Zurich west, right next to the Hardbrücke train staLon.

Out of town Make sure to go on a boat trip on Lake Zurich. Boats depart from Bürkliplatz and stop at different villages around the lake. To be recommended is a trip by boat to Rapperswil, known as the city of roses, where you will find a lively lake promenade with heaps of cafés and restaurants and a romanLc castle on top of the hill. Many people get married there… Leisure acMviMes – Sports Zurich has sports club to suit everyone and all tastes . The city of Zurich website can point you in the right direcLon. Mountain biking The city’s landmark mountain Üetliberg offers an extensive mountain bike network with thrilling downhill trails. Check out the bike trails on the city of Zurich website.

LINKS Tours

Prime Tower

LINKS Public holidays in Zurich Yoga

Hiking Üetliberg is also ideal for short hikes, as are Zürichberg and Adlisberg. If you go a liale bit out of town (taking S18 Forchbahn), you will also find nice hiking trails on PfannensLel. The best way to look for and plan a hike is to have a look at Wandersite, where you can select the area and choose from one-‐day hikes to longer ones. Water sports For swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), check out the city of Zurich website. Indoor pools Outdoor pools If you are interested in learning to sail on Lake Zurich, refer to Zürichsee Tourism website. InformaLon about other water sports like sailing and canoeing can be found on the Lake Zurich tourism website . Yoga Need to unwind? Try a yoga class. Most of the schools in the city have teachers who are fluent in English. There are classes for everyone from beginners to experienced yogis. Annual events in Zurich You may have heard of the Streetparade, the Zurich Marathon or the Zurich Film FesLval… But there are plenty of other annual events in Zurich. The unique Sechseläuten, for example, where we burn a snowman and count the minutes unLl the snowman explodes in order to say goodbye to winter and find out whether we will have a nice summer or not… Learn more about this and many other events on Zurich Tourism’s website.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

LINKS Immigrant AssociaLons

According to the Swiss ConfederaLon (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaf), the total migrant populaLon in Switzerland in 2010 was 1,766,300 inhabitants, represenLng 22.4 % of the total Swiss populaLon in the same year. Most of the immigrants come from the European Union (EU27) and the European Free Trade AssociaLon (EFTA), and the top three naLonaliLes are: German, Italian and Portuguese. The situaLon in the city of Zurich is not diﬀerent. The foreign populaLon in 2011 was 121,017, represenLng 165 naLonaliLes. The largest immigrant group in Zurich is from Germany, followed by Italy and Portugal. The top ten immigrant groups in Zurich are: 1 Germany 31,124 2. Italy 13,144 3. Portugal 8,225 4. Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo 7,772 5. Spain 4,844 6. Austria 4,251 7. Turkey 3,915 8. Great Britain 3,163 9. France 2,846 10. USA 2,096 Sources: Schweizerische Eidgenossenscha< Migra>on und Integra>on – Indikatoren and Sta>s>k Stadt Zürich, BVS

Immigrant associaMons in Zurich Immigrant associaLons are mostly run by veteran immigrants who dedicate some of their free Lme to promoLng their language and culture as well as helping new immigrants integrate into the local community. The associaLons are a good point of contact if you would like to keep in touch with your roots, meet compatriots or need to know more about life in Switzerland. These associaLons are usually funded by membership fees, donaLons and voluntary work and some of them have financial support from their embassy and government. The Cantonal Offices for MigraLon sponsor projects aimed at promoLng integraLon. The main acLviLes and services provided by immigrant associaLons are free advice, personal accompaniment and assistance in dealing with bureaucraLc difficulLes, language and integraLon courses, libraries, organisaLon of workshops and seminars, assistance in wriLng CVs, translaLons, organisaLon of social acLviLes and much more. The city of Zurich has a regularly updated online list with most of the immigrant associaLons in the greater Zurich area.

b i b l i o g r a ph y ACE Pet Moving : hap://www.acepetmoving.com/en/about-‐us.html Ärztezentrum Sihlcity : hap://www.aerztezentrum-‐sihlcity.ch/ Best-‐Job-‐Interview.com: hap://www.best-‐job-‐interview.com/ Billag: hap://www.billag.ch/web.html Cantonal MigraMon Office Zurich: hap://www.ma.zh.ch/internet/ sicherheitsdirekLon/migraLonsamt/de/service/ internaLonal.html#Ltle-‐content-‐internet-‐ sicherheitsdirekLon-‐migraLonsamt-‐de-‐service-‐ internaLonal-‐jcr-‐content-‐contentPar-‐texLmage Comparis: Basic health insurance hap://en.comparis.ch/krankenkassen/info/glossar/ grundversicherung.aspx Supplementary health insurance hap://en.comparis.ch/krankenkassen/info/glossar/ zusatzversicherung.aspx Euroairport Basel: hap://www.euroairport.com/EN/accueil.php Expat Desk Info: hap://www.expaLnfodesk.com/ ExpatFocus: hap://www.expavocus.com/ Federal, Cantonal and Communal Taxes: www.estv.admin.ch/dokumentaLon/00079/.../ index.html?lang Federal Chancellery: hap://www.bk.admin.ch/dokumentaLon/02070/ index.html?lang=en Federal Council and AdministraMon : hap://www.admin.ch/org/br/index.html?lang=en Federal Department of Foreign Affairs: hap://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/ forrep.html Federal Department of Finance: hap://www.efd.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en Federal Office for MigraMon: hap://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm/en/ home.html Geneva Airport: hap://www.gva.ch/en/DesktopDefault.aspx Heimatliche Sprache und Kultur: hap://www.hsk-‐lehrpersonen.ch/4654/28872.html Landesmuseum Zurich: hap://www.musee-‐suisse.ch/e Local.ch: hap://yellow.local.ch Meteoschweiz: hap://www.meteoschweiz.admin.ch/web/en/ weather.html Mobility car sharing: hap://www.mobility.ch/en/pub/private/offer.htm Orange TV: hap://tv.orange.ch/web

Parliament: hap://www.admin.ch/org/parlament/ index.html?lang=en Permanence Zurich: hap://www.permanence.ch/frame_e.htm PoliMcal organisaMon of Switzerland: hap://www.admin.ch/org/polit/00054/ index.html?lang=en Prime Tower: hap://primetower.ch/en Pro Velo Zürich: hap://www.provelozuerich.ch/leistungen/ veloboersen SBB: hap://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html Stadt Zurich: hap://www.stadt-‐zuerich.ch/ Steueramt Zürich: hap://www.steueramt.zh.ch/internet/ ﬁnanzdirekLon/ksta/en/quellensteuer/ auslaendische_arbeitnehmer.html Success & Career, 10. Auﬂage: www.success-‐and-‐career.ch Sunrise TV: hap://www1.sunrise.ch/Sunrise-‐TV-‐ cbqgLAqFI.jjcAAAEzY3t0IiA0-‐Sunrise-‐ ResidenLal-‐Site-‐WFS-‐de_CH-‐CHF.html SVA Zürich: hap://www.svazurich.ch/internet/de/ home.html Swisscom TV: hap://www.swisscom.ch/res/tv/index.htm Switzerland Tourism: hap://www.myswitzerland.com/en University Hospital Zurich: hap://www.en.usz.ch/MedicalServices/Pages/ default.aspx Upc cablecom: hap://www.upc-‐cablecom.ch/en/b2c.htm Using the European Language Poriolio: hap://elp.ecml.at/UsingtheELP/tabid/2323/ language/en-‐GB/Default.aspx W a n d e r s i t e : hap://www.wandersite.ch/def_english.html Wikipedia: hap://www.wikipedia.org/ Zurich Airport: hap://www.zurich-‐airport.com/ desktopdefault.aspx Z ü r i c h s e e : hap://www.zuerichsee.ch/en/page.cfm/ experiencesrz/Wassersport/1284 ZVV: www.zvv.ch/en Zurich Tourism: hap://www.zuerich.com/en