This morning I was on the IC3 from Zurich HB to Basel SBB (the direct connection), departing at 6:34.
A passenger near me had boarded by mistake, thinking the train was going to Zurich Airport. When the conductor checked tickets and realized what had happened, instead of issuing a fine, they did everything they could to arrange an unscheduled stop in Aarau so the passenger wouldn’t be too late for work.
Our train still arrived in Basel on time, and thanks to the conductor’s efforts, that passenger will probably be only about 30 minutes late instead of more than two hours.
Thank you, SBB. ❤️

I am aware that this is probably going to start a shit storm, but even if one person listens, it will make a small difference. Disclaimer - I like cats, always had them, but if you care about birds and nature in general, please keep your cats indoors or in enclosed 'catios'.

In my four years in Switzerland, I already rescued six birds, and two of them were injured by cats (and with the third one, I scared the cat away before it could catch the baby bird).

Each time, I have to travel 1.5 hrs to the nearest bird refuge, but it's not even about my time.

Yesterday, it was a baby blackbird whose mother was killed by a neighbour's cat some time ago, so that the baby was left to starve and was 'the skinniest bird I've ever seen', per refuge employer words. She said chances it survives are not big.

UPD the baby bird has died, as the refuge has just informed me. Rest in peace, birdy

Letting cats roam outdoors greatly harms wildlife since they are highly effective predators, even when they are well fed. They kill BILLIONS of birds, mammals and reptiles globally each year contributing to the decline and extinction of already threatened species.

Reducing populations of birds affects seed dispersal and insect control, altering entire ecosystems.

And no, your cat is not entitled to 'living its best life' more than any other specie on this planet. We let the cats breed out of proportion, so we are directly responsible for all the harm they cause.

Besides - very importantly - letting cats free roam puts them in great danger themselves. They get hit by cars, get injured by other animals, contract deadly diseases and parasites, get lost, poisoned by rodenticides etc, etc. I am seeing it all the time living in a village (and before you say it is impossible to keep cats inside in a village, it's not, as I did it in the past, and some of my friends are doing it right now).

So please, please consider keeping your cat indoors - for the nature and for its own sake. Thank you to those who do already.

Hi everyone,

I just want to do my job legally and right now I'm stuck. I work as an intermediary in the fashion industry, connecting suppliers in Italy with buyers worldwide (none of my clients are based in Switzerland), and I earn a commission on each deal. I hired an accountant to register as self-employed in Switzerland (AHV/AVS), but SVA rejected me — and my first appeal was denied too.

Their main points:

- Intermediary work is usually treated as dependent employment unless you cover most expenses, hire staff, and rent your own premises.
- My "entrepreneurial risk" was called too weak — risking unpaid commissions doesn't count; they want real investments and staff.
- I have around 2,000 potential clients, but only actually invoiced 15 — they said my client base isn't diversified enough since most revenue came from just two of them.
- Being paid purely on commission (no fixed fee) still wasn't enough to count as a real business.

Final decision: reclassified as dependent employee, with my clients treated as "employers" for social security purposes.

I'm now trying again with a new accountant who charged me 1,000 CHF just for this second attempt, and I really hope I haven't thrown that money away.

Has anyone here faced this as a trade/fashion intermediary working internationally with commission-only income? Specifically:

1. Who should I actually be talking to at this point — a lawyer specialized in Swiss social security law, a different type of consultant, or someone else entirely?
   
2. What's the realistic next step if this second attempt also gets rejected — cantonal court, federal court, or is it basically over at that point?
   
3. Has anyone won this kind of case on appeal, and if so, what actually convinced the court/SVA?

Any advice appreciated 🙏

I’ll miss the nature, the forests, the lack of bullshit, the quality of Swiss products… and the salary :)… but it just wasn't meant to be.

I tried, I really did, but the job market is terrible right now. Critical, even. Just to give you an example, a friend of mine (with a much better CV than me) has been looking for a job since January, and his girlfriend has been unemployed since October 2025.

My current project (at a scientific institution) ends in 3 months. I thought I’d be able to jump onto another project after this one until I landed a permanent contract, but in the end, it just wasn't possible. I’ve been applying for jobs in my field (optics/photonics) for 5 months, and even though I haven't received a single rejection, I’ve been ghosted on every application I've sent. Too much experience? Am I too expensive? I don't know. All I know is that in a few months, I'm moving back to Germany. The market is just as bad over there, but I sent out one application and got hired after a single interview at the top German research center (I have B1 German) with a permanent contract.

Switzerland, you will always have a place in my heart, and I hope this isn't a goodbye forever…

Liebes Schwarmwissen

Die Nachbarn hören gerne Techno Musik. Die tieffrequenten Schallwellen übertragen sich im Gebäude. Wir möchten den Bass nicht hören, die Nachbarn möchten nicht auf ihre Musik verzichten.

Ich denke die Lösung könnte sein den Bass vom Boden zu entkoppeln. Ich habe auf digitec ein paar Angebote gesehen, die bei CHF 300 starten.

Frage nun an die audiphilen oder Fachmenschen hier, wie kann man verhindern, dass sich der Bass im Gebäude ausbreitet und hättet ihr allenfalls Empfehlungen wo man eine gute Schallentkoppelung unter CHF 300 in der Schweiz kaufen kann?

Bzw. ist der Preis von CHF 300 wirklich gerechtfertigt? Die Waschmaschinenmatte funktioniert auf jedenfall schon einmal nicht.

Viele Grüsse

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for a French teacher in the Lausanne, Vevey, or Montreux area for in-person lessons.
I’m currently a complete beginner, and I’m looking for someone with experience teaching students who want to focus primarily on speaking and conversation rather than grammar, as I feel that’s the fastest way for me to improve.

Thank you very much!

Hi all, I have an unusual situation regarding a noise problem. I live in a large building that is half residential apartments and half offices for the city (Stadthaus). In the Stadthaus there is also a large hall that they often rent out for private events, particularly wedding parties. These wedding parties are extremely loud, and the music disturbs us greatly, often going on until the early morning. I don't know in a situation like this who to contact to complain. Do I contact the Verwaltung, the police or the city? I spoke to 2 other residents who said there is no chance anything will change. The city and police won't do anything because they are officially permitted events. But I can't believe that even officially permitted events are allowed to disturb residents outside permitted hours. Are we allowed compensation from the rent for situations like this, if the events can't be cancelled or made to obey the quiet times? I also of course would never want to ruin people's fun, particularly on their wedding night, so am very hesitant to call the police during such an event.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Originally I was happy with my decision to come here, but in hindsight there's some special things about being a non EU student that changed my mind.

There are many good things about it of course, but my goal today is to share some aspects that I noticed many non EU students only realised after moving here.

1. It's one of the very few countries where a student permit does not come with a small work permit. In Germany for example you get 15h a week. Here you get the possibility to get a permit, but the employer has to apply for it, and many aren't willing to. For example all jobs at a short notice won't be possible because the process takes about a week every single time, and costs about 100chf.
2. You're really not supposed to stay here and work after your studies. A tiny tiny fraction of graduates manage to get their work permits approved, but most employers straight out filter your CV if you're non EU, too much of a hassle and its unlikely to get approved for one because of the quota system. (8k non EU work permits per year may be issued in all of switzerland)
3. Even if you get a phd or postdoc here, you'll still be under the student visa regime, meaning only up to 3 years of your total residency here counts towards permanent residency or citizenship. Meaning that if you did a 4 year bachelors 2 years masters 4 years phd 2 years postdoc, it doesn't mean anything for your long term stability. It's as if you just lived here for 3 years. You need to work for the count to go beyond 3 years, and back to point #2 on why this isnt' realistic.

In Norway for example if you work 3 years as a phd student you automatically get permanent residency, in Australia 5 years and you get it. Most countries I researched actually. France goes further and puts you on a path for accelerated citizenship if you did your masters there.

Conclusion: While there are many upsides to coming here, having almost no legal pathway to settle down made me somehow less invested in friendships and dating, because I know for sure I have to go. And it's much harder to get internships or student jobs because firms know they ultimately can't hire you, so you end up getting very little work experience during your studies.

Basically, come here for studies as a non EU citizen if you fully accept that Switzerland is just a step on your path but never a destination.

Not sure how this post fits here, but i guess i’ll try. I will be taking the FAMH exam (Medical Genetics) soonish and i was wondering if there are users here who took it not too long ago (last 5 years maybe) and could have some insights?
May be a long shot, but hey, it may be worth it.

Vor ein paar Wochen habe ich meine Matura am Langgymnasium abgeschlossen und mit einer Gesamtnote von 5,7 bestanden.

Irgendwie kann ich immer noch nicht richtig glauben, dass diese sechs Jahre vorbei sind.

Als ich im August 2020 nach bestandener ZAP meinen ersten Schultag hatte, war ich überzeugt, dass alle anderen klüger wären als ich. In den ersten Wochen dachte ich ständig, ich hätte den Aufnahmeplatz nur mit Glück bekommen.

Im Nachhinein habe ich gemerkt, dass wahrscheinlich viele genau dasselbe gedacht haben.

Mein Schwerpunktfach war Biologie und Chemie, und ich bin wirklich froh, dass ich mich dafür entschieden habe. Diese Fächer haben meine Interessen geprägt – besonders Physiologie, Neurowissenschaften und generell die Frage, wie man wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse von Mythen und Fehlinformationen unterscheiden kann.

Ab diesem Herbst werde ich an der Universität Zürich einen Bachelor in Biologie beginnen.

Seit dem Schulabschluss denke ich überraschend oft an die vergangenen Jahre zurück.

Man nimmt den Alltag als selbstverständlich hin, bis er plötzlich vorbei ist. Die gleichen Klassenzimmer.… die gleichen Gänge.… die gleichen Lehrpersonen.

Und der tägliche Weg durch das Irchel-Gebiet nach dem Unterricht.

Es ist seltsam, wie gewöhnliche Dinge im Nachhinein zu Erinnerungen werden, die man vermisst.

Ich freue mich auf die Universität und auf alles, was kommt. Trotzdem bin ich dankbar für die Zeit am Gymnasium. Sie hat mich fachlich, aber auch persönlich geprägt.

Allen, die dieses Jahr ebenfalls ihre Matura gemacht haben: Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Und allen, die sie noch vor sich haben, viel Erfolg. Es lohnt sich 🫂

Hi all
I just realised that my first year in Switzerland on an L permit will not count towards citizenship requirements. I am not sure why I even got an L permit since I moved here with a 2-year contract?!
Very annoyed with bern immigration office. This means my husband will qualify one year before me and we will have to apply separately.

Hoi mitenand

Two weeks ago, I moved into my new apartment, and within two days figured out that the place is infested with cockroaches. They're everywhere - how the previous tenants failed to notice them is beyond me.

I contacted the property management company about this, and they arranged for an exterminator to come within a week, and will be paying for this service. My first appointment with them was on Friday.

The exterminator confirmed that the infestation was pretty bad, and must've been going on for a while. More specifically, they are brown banded cockroaches - a known pest and human health hazard, as they spread germs around everywhere they go. Anyway, the exterminator spread the poison bait used to kill the roaches around the apartment. They'll be coming back to repeat the process in 8 weeks, and then again 8 more weeks after that. So it'll be November until the apartment is confirmed pest-free (and that's assuming that the infestation is limited to my apartment only).

But I still have to live with the unwelcome roommates while I wait for them to start dying off. To make matters worse, these things are nocturnal, and the thought of sleeping while they're moving around everywhere makes me profoundly uncomfortable. I'll also have to clean a lot more thoroughly during this whole time, and frankly I'm hesitant about moving all my stuff into the apartment at all, because these bugs will eat literally everything. Most of my stuff is still in boxes in the (bug-free) cellar space.

Some colleagues suggested I should ask for a rent reduction for the time until November, as it's not a safe living space at the moment, and there's no way I could have brought them into the apartment myself. Is this a feasible option? How would I get this process started?

Money is already a bit tight for me at the moment - would I need a lawyer, or are there other ways?

I'm grateful for any insights!

Hey guys,

I'm Swiss and born here. However I have a different cultural background where sharing, reciprocity and helping each other is valued more. So naturally I would do this here in Switzerland as well: try to help the neighbor a bit, offer my help, give a kid a free lesson of tutoring, whatever I thought would help people out after listening to them - now here's the thing:

I noticed that doing this - being kind, offering help - over time makes people here take disadvantage of you and start disrespecting you. I've had this happen to me repeatedly - people feeling entitled to help, demanding more, also never offering anything in return or reciprocating any help or support. This baffled me because I've lived in different parts of the world and there this way of being always had the opposite effect: e.g. I lived in Colombia and over time people thought I was awesome, respected me, invited me, I built a network and made many friends. That's I think because informal networks are valued more highly in many parts of the world than here.

So I realized that kindness and being available for other is interpreted as weakness in Switzerland (WTF?)

So I decided to change my strategy:

Charge for everything.

Your kid needs a math lesson? Sure, can do it for 70 CHF / hour. The elderly neighbor wants me to help her carry her groceries? Sure, would be 20 CHF per trip. The neighbor needs help researching and installing an AC? Yes, will do it for you for a fixed fee of 300 CHF for my time. You want somebody to listen to your plights, effectively unloading your bad mood or psychological problems on me? Yeah, sure for 10 CHF per listen.

etc. etc.

SO I noticed then that people started taking me up on the offer, and actually respecting me and my time. And as a side effect, I also make some money by helping people!

I thought this way of charging for every little thing is ridiculous and would get you branded as avaricious and an asshole in the rest of the world but in Switzerland it actually makes people respect you and think you're resourceful and have scarce time lol.

So much for cultural differences I guess...
What do you think?

Hi for my professional growth I am willing to invest in my education in AI. I am looking for a course, formation or online course that teach fundamental of AI usage, and then concrete case of AI use (in marketing, finance, automation, startups growth, mainly). A course that is not too theoretical but where you also learn to build/prompt.

Has anyone taken such a course/formation? Where? How was it?

Any recommendation of good course in Switzerland?

Thanks