How to adapt to life in Switzerland

On the streets of Swiss cities, one can hear the languages of almost all the peoples of the world. Of course, the ears of newly arrived Russophones automatically hone in upon the ever more frequently heard Russian.

These Russian-speaking people are present in Switzerland for various reasons. But most of us have a common desire - to “find ourselves” in a new place as quickly as possible. No matter how theoretically wonderful Switzerland may be, it still may not be so easy to assimilate in this society - which on the one hand, is quite friendly, but on the other hand, is quite conservative.

There are of course general recommendations on adaptation to life in a new country: e.g. studying the local language, culture and traditions, joining local clubs, participation in various events. But they remind me of a famous meme from the Internet: "It is better to be healthy and rich than poor and sick."

In the spring of 2022, I arrived with my family in Zurich. It helped a lot that our relatives already lived here, so from the very beginning we were not lonely. Nevertheless, we needed to find our own social life, and I can share some pointers based on my own experience.

Language and icebreakers?

No matter how trite it may sound, knowledge of the German language even at the household level is helpful. It is very important that the Swiss are very tolerant of newcomers who speak imperfectly in German. New interlocutors are even encouraged. If I try to say something in German, I usually start with the phrase “Ich spreche kaum Deutsch”, which immediately cancels any expectations from the native. And if after that I manage to say several phrases without errors, we may assume that the contact has already been established.

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Employment

As part of this essay, it is impossible to fully detail the search for work and work permits. I will briefly share the less conventional ideas.

In addition to the usual search for vacancies on public sites and blind distribution of your resume, you can do the following:

·??????? Think about what you can do besides your main profession. Have you participated in conferences or conducted training? In Switzerland there are private schools where your knowledge and skills can be useful: try to contact them. For example, here you can find information about Russian private schools:

·??????? While looking for work in Switzerland, you can continue to work remotely for your previous employers or customers. In addition to financial support, this will relieve you of idleness, even if it is forced, and keep your skills sharp.

·??????? Place your resume on sites looking for childcare. For example this one. Why not? If you have a driver’s license, you can take children to school. And in the beginning, no new contacts are negligible.?It's maybe hard to believe, but it's exactly that which helped me find my first job in my profession in Switzerland - the mother whose child I drove to hockey classes invited me to join their company.

·??????? Subscribe to the news of interesting companies on LinkedIn. If suitable vacancies appear there, you will be informed. Plus, companies hold open seminars where you can get acquainted with their HR-staff.

·??????? Look for networking opportunities

In addition to business seminars, networking can?mean participation in festivals, professional exhibitions or conferences. Use these opportunities, do not be afraid to ask questions. This helps to stand out from the masses. And after the event, you can approach the person of interest and say: “During the event I asked you a question; please let me clarify... "

One person shared such a “life hack”: find a single word that characterizes you from a professional point of view. For me, as a lawyer, it might be the word “contracts”, because I am really specialized in this topic. In situations of “quick acquaintances”, this can help briefly introduce yourself to interlocutors and increase your memorability.

Hobbies

The advice “get involved in the Community” is actually one of the most worthwhile. In Switzerland, you can find associates in almost any business, from sports to pub quizzes and trivia contests. For example, for the enthusiasts of the game “Chto? Gde? Kogda?”/ "What? Where? When?"/ in Zurich, you can join our Telegram group. Common interests forge not only new friendships, but also - with a successful combination of circumstances - even new employment opportunities.

My examples might be considered quite ordinary, but here and there there are a couple of interesting points.

I am a football fan. As soon as I realized that our family would stay in Switzerland for a while, I wrote to three football teams for members 40 and older, asking “may I come to training?”. One team agreed, and after a couple of workouts I was offered a permanent place on the team. And a little while later I was able to participate in the official championship of the Canton of Zurich.

In order to more quickly assimilate, I noted the photos and names of the players from the teams website.? I memorized all of them and after a couple of weeks could call each of them by name. This played an even larger role? when I began? to occasionally go out for a beer with a team. This was also very important, even if almost no one on the team speaks English, nor did I speak German at all at that time.

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Volunteering

This has turned out to be a very important part of? life in Switzerland. Imagine: in the country there are about 60,000 km of hiking trails and most of them are kept clean and orderly by volunteers.

If you can help someone, help. That's right, in general. Plus, this will help you get acquainted with interesting, curious, open people. Finally, the Swiss are very appreciative when people find the opportunity to contribute to the welfare of society.

For example, having proposed my help to the Swiss-Russian Chamber of Commerce, I met many wonderful people staring with the President of the Chamber Svetlana Chiriaeva . Some acquaintances turned out to be very useful: one of the members of the chamber helped me join the HWZ curriculum, another revealed a lot of useful things about Masters studies at the University of Zurich, where I am currently studying. And with yet another contact (with whom we are now family friends) I work on my English weekly ...

If you like sports, check out the non-profit organization SPORTEGRATION, which organizes sports classes for refugees from around the world. They did not have any openings for me to conduct football training. However, two guys from Germany and I have been training a beach volleyball team for two seasons. Such opportunities can be found in any field - education, healthcare, etc.

Options for the application of forces can be viewed on this website or this. In addition, the place where you live probably also has such opportunities. At the annual fairs, there is usually a tent in each area where you can sign up as a volunteer. Feel free to offer your help.

However open we are to the world, adaptation can take time. Be patient and do not be afraid to try new things. And if you have your own ideas about how to quickly adapt to this wonderful country, inform newcomers - for example, at regular get-togethers of the Swiss-Russian Chamber of Commerce.?

Information does not decrease if it is shared. In fact, we mutually enrich each other by keeping exchanges open and frequent.

Please share your own tips and hints in comments