12 surprising things you didn’t know about living in Geneva, Switzerland
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Hi! I’m Miko, welcome to the first video on this channel where I’ll talk about expat life, migrating, living and working in Geneva, moving to Switzerland and building a life here.
If you are fascinated with this country, if you’d like to migrate to Switzerland, if you'd like to know more about the standard and style of living here, the cost of living in Switzerland, the traditions, the pros and cons of Switzerland, this is the channel for you!
In this video, I wanted to share my experience from the first months of living in Switzerland and all the things that I found odd, things that surprised or shocked me when I first came here. Enjoy!!
By popular demand, I now offer advice & consultation sessions for people who are thinking of moving or planning the move to Switzerland. There’s a lot of very personal and specific topics that I am not able to cover in videos.
For those cases, we can schedule a Zoom/Skype/FaceTime/WhatsApp call (20-45 min) where I will do my best to answer any specific questions you might have.
If you are interested, email me: hello.miko.ps@gmail.com
✏️ Advice & consultation about moving to Switzerland: hello.miko.ps@gmail.com
🧭 🎯 Check out all my content - linktr.ee/miko_ps - (blog, insta, and more 🎤 🎬 📸 🎥 📺 ✏️) 🟢
😉 I hope you enjoy the video
✍️ If you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment!
📸 Feel free to DM me on Instagram (@miko_ps)
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I'm not sure if most, but, certainly, a significant proportion of the population of Geneva don't own cars at all (let alone, luxury cars); as a resident of Geneva, you should know how expensive, and inconvenient it is to own a car in Geneva!
Papers are essential, Switzerland is a very law-abiding country and if you might have a dispute with someone in the future it's very important to have a material proof (especially because of prescription and limitation periods). In Switzerland legal notifications are solely made through the postal service, the postmark is the proof of sending and determines the deadlines.
Hello and thanks for your comment! I 100% agree about Switzerland being a very law-abiding country. However, there is nothing that paper letters can do that emails and digital signatures can't. Therefore it surprises me, that in this day and age, where I can purchase a private island online, pay for it with a credit card and register my residence there online, in Switzerland I still need a paper and stamp to complete most bureaucratic tasks 😂😂😂😂
nice but I had to turn the speed up to 1.25x
Thanks for watching, I’ll definitely take this into consideration next time!
@@Miko_PS_in_Switzerland keep it up, good content!
Antho B thanks, much appreciated!
Yeah 2x for me and I still struggled to get to the end
Very well observed. Having lived in Geneva for many years, I can confirm that your observations and conclusions are correct. The only issue I slightly disagree with is the military situation. I might not have heard you correctly, but the Wiederholdungskurs, the 6 times annual military duty is 3 weeks. Employees usually are paid for that time by their employers. Self-employed are not that lucky and therefore usually not very happy campers during those 3 weeks. Also, I question whether the mining of the mountain passes is still an effective way of a defensive military strategy in today's situation. I however fully support the concept of having an army. It plays an important part in the education of young men, creates a network of valuable connections between Swiss from various regions, and plays an important role in the economic support of the alpine and less industrialized areas in the country.
I like the way you placed that mirror. It has a great impact on the dynamic of the scene. Very well done, keep going, and thank you for sharing.
Hello Bernhard and thank you for your extensive comment and sharing your views on the topic. I might have gotten the number wrong on the weeks of military wrong, sorry if this is the case (I've heard two weeks from a friend of mine). As always Bernhard, thanks for watching, your continued support is very much appreciated! Speaking of the army, there was also a very active social discussion on the purchase of new military jets for Switzerland, what are your views on this, would you mind sharing? Thanks in advance 😊
My position about Switzerland’s military and its neutrality is very pragmatic. There are various factors that do have a positive impact on the country and its people.
For one, the obligation for young men to pass a 4 months military training camp keeps them physically fit, teaches them to behave as a responsible adult member of a society in a group setting, and also often forms 0ifelong friendships among youngsters across the geographic, economic, and religious barrier.
The Swiss mountain areas outside the tourist centers are economically underdeveloped and, without the business provided by the Swiss Army during the month’s long stays of thousands of men in these communities, these areas would need federal subsidies to survive.
Did the Swiss army prevent the Germans to take over the country? My cautious answer is - it at least not encourage them. The fact that Switzerland was acting as the desperately needed financial clearing house was one of the major reasons. The Swiss Banks traded the German’s physical gold bars that they looted during their invasion into European countries against hard currency (sFr) delivered to the countries that supplied the German’s with raw materials needed for the uction of weapons.
Another factor was the offer to either blowing up the North/South passage across the alps in case of an invasion or to allow free railway passage during night time to supply weapons and ammunition to the Italian allies and repatriate wounded German soldiers on the way back.
Since you are living in Geneva, you may want to research the work of Jean Ziegler, a professor at the University of Geneva who made a living based on trashing the Swiss behavior during WWII. You will find some interesting insight about the difference between the so-called “patriotism” between the Swiss Germans and the Swiss Romand. Like with everything, the people in the French-speaking part do tend to take things a bit more “nonchalant” than the Swiss-German who often, in their “Bier-Eifer” and “determination” shoot over the target. But when push comes to shove, they are Swiss. The Swiss General during WWII was actually a Swiss Romand from Lausanne and he was a great human leader.
Today, Switzerland is playing “neutrality” as a “poker card” in its international negotiations. So far, it worked. But their inherited nature of “herding what nature or others provide” could tempt them to overplay their hand. I personally believe that good business is deals that are of mutual interest. The typical Swiss have the belief, that playing the role of the tinny little country in this big world will give them benefits that go beyond that of a business partner and that actually, the world owes them.
Take care of yourself and stay safe!
They are removing all the mines, it's dumb for them to keep them, they are also dismantling part of the army. Switzerland banks keep a lot of money from many countries, it's not convenient to attach Switzerland because of this. Also the patriotism is true but not for all of the cantons.
I can confirm that while you serve in the army (the obligatory part) you are paid by your employer, also you can decide to pay (a lot) instead of going in the army
I am Swiss (from Zurich) and it's interesting to hear how stuff that I regard as mundane is perseived by an an expat. Street prostitution in Zurich got so big in some notorious spots at main streets adjacent to the red light district that the city felt the need to build a drive through at the outskirts with so called "performance boxes" as well as sanitary facilities for the prostitutes as well as psychological staff for them on ground. With regards to the paperwork I have to say that many private companies are starting to abandon regular mailing and they give you some sort of discount if you are willing to go all digital
I might be moving to geneva next year and I'm so excited I might burst. Loved the video!!!
Wow, Rita! Thats fantastic news, congratulations! Have a look on the channel, there might be more videos that you will find useful. Should you have any questions, dont hesitate to to ask! You can also DM me on insta (@miko_ps)
@@Miko_PS_in_Switzerland will do! thank you very much
I really enjoyed watching this. The content is good. You can clearly see the guy put a lot of work thinking about all of it in order not to miss out on anything. Thanks bud
Thanks Paul, I'm really glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the comment and words of appreciation! If you like to video please subscribe for more videos like this one to come :)
I really enjoyed this video. It is very informational, Thank you. I was the most surprised by the red light district in Geneva, but It does seem like a more "patriarchal" country compared to its northern European counterparts. I plan to visit Geneva soon a lot because I will be studying for my masters in Grenoble in the fall, only 2 hours away.
Hello, thats so nice to hear, I hope you have an amazing time in Grenoble! The red light district was a complete shock to me as well. It has a shady feel to it (as any red light district usually does) even though its just one block behind the fanciest hotels in the city. I guess there was strong demand in a city which most people visit for business, staying here alone during weekdays.........
Thank you so much for your videos! I also subscribed to your Instagram. I have so many questions about living and working Geneva, but I'll explore your videos first. I'm planning to move next year, coming from Latvia. One quick question - have you heard any good reviews of companies from employees working in any of tech B2B companies in the area?
Hi Laila and thanks for your comment, Im glad you find the videos useful! Some companies that come to mind are IBM (in Geneva), or any of the big four (KPMG, E&Y, PwC, Deloitte), they usually each have a department consulting on ERP implementation for clients (SAP etc). I hope this helps, also have a look on linkedin, perhaps this will give some more clarity. Best of luck and see you in Geneva!!
@@Miko_PS_in_Switzerland Thanks! See you there!
Let me know if you have any other questions!
I really enjoyed this! Super informative! Nice job!
Thanks 😊
Very interesting facts! I grew up in Geneva but moved away when I was 15 years old.
Thanks ☺️ would you like to visit again?
Miko if we went to France for shopping do we pay any taxes when we enter Swiss! Also the nearest shopping center is anncey france right !!
What kind of shopping you mean? I buy my food in Annemasse or Ville-la-Grand. Its 15 minutes by car from center of Geneva
Miko PS yes groceries mainly and clothes , those you. Mentioned are in Switzerland not france right! So you don’t pay any customers !also please till me the name of the shops and so you find it much cheaper!
*customs
Depending in which side of geneva you live for example E.Leclerc Ville la Grand can be close or Carrefour Ferney-Voltaire. That's where you can do groceries.
Normally, if you do not make very big groceries (less than 300CHF per head and watch out for meat) you dont need to pay any customs from France. See details in link below
www.ezv.admin.ch/ezv/en/home/information-individuals/travel-and-purchases--allowances-and-duty-free-limit/importation-into-switzerland/duty-free-allowances--foodstuffs--alcohol-and-tobacco.html
OMG! Sapiens and The Lord of the Rings! I have the exact same paperback versions of those books, with the exact, same print. Awesome. And thank you for the video. Loved it.
Hi George! Wow, you have quite the eye for detail. I love that edition of The Lord of the Rings, I've read the book when I was a kid but when I saw that edition I had to have it 😂 thanks for your comment and the kind words, Im happy you liked the video 👍🏻
i was shocked to hear that all shops, markets are closed on sundays, despite office being open
Offices are also closed on Sundays 😊
Are you polish ?
Switzerland has the government that France desperately needed for the last 100 years. But France is no longer able to reform itself because once vassalized to foreign (USA) financial and special interests for such a long time, it can not longer free itself. Swiss neutrality has really worked and served it extremely well. It also has preserved a bottom up democracy that no longer exists in France in any form.
We use not a M16, its a Stgw 90 (or SG550/SIG550). We have places in bunkers for more than 100% of our population.
Thanks for your comment and clarifying this for us 😊
Can you help me to get a job there I am from India 🇮🇳 50 years age
Hello Rajj and thank you for your comment! Please have a look at this video:
ua-cam.com/video/GvpXzwmy944/v-deo.html
As mentioned there, as a non EU citizen, it's possible to live in CH while being a student (student visa) or by obtaining a permit (usually together with employer) based on special professional expertise not available in CH/EU (many people working work Google, UN or CERN live in CH on this basis). It's not easy, but can be done. For job search, I recommend:
- www.jobup.ch/en/ (the most popular job search website in Switzerland
- LinkedIn
I wish you best of luck, success and see you in Switzerland 😊
As French, as far back as the 1980's, the Swiss were stereotyped as a slow talking, sleepy boring nation that unfairly got rich from storing the world's money. Of course that overlooked industries where Switzerland was well active and recognized. I remember watching swiss television and it was so boring. French people were afraid to die of boredom in the Swiss alps where the only action was cows grazing. Today French must recognize that Switzerland was able to preserve its culture and identity and made the right political decisions, all these things that France has utterly failed at. I know for a fact that there is a whole section of the French enlightened political right that now highly respects the Swiss political system especially how referendum works.
The best way to live Geneva is learn French language lessons
Awesome!
MrB4mpl I’m glad you like it, thanks for watching and for the support ☺️
Wrong grammatical form in 0:29 so I stopped watching.
But good job, man. Keep it up.
Thanks 6jedrek9, I’m happy to see that your grammar has improved since I beat you in the 2007 regional English Olympics 😂🤣😅
@@Miko_PS_in_Switzerland Your English is great! Ignore the idiot above!
@@loumac9312 ☺️☺️☺️😉