Getting Hold Of Chuffs

Zurich is often quoted as being the most, or close to it, expensive city to live in globally. High standards of quality, high salaries & production costs and low levels of competition all contribute to keeping Swiss prices sky high. Students can feel the pinch at the best of times, not least here in Zurich. However with Swiss economic prosperity come opportunities that can allow students to afford to live here.

Swiss Stock Exchange: You don't have to work in banking and finance in order to be able to afford to live here as a student.

Before even considering looking for jobs, students of the ETH and the University of Zurich are able to accept invitations to participate in paid surveys. Many of these surveys take the form of economic themed games on a network, enabling the more successful of players to earn quite a decent amount. As I discovered, even if you have a run of bad luck, you can still take home pay equivalent to a acceptable hourly wage. Maybe I should try my luck again...

The Swiss Franc (CHF) – affectionately called the 'Chuff' amongst British expatriates in Switzerland – is a strong currency: allowing the Swiss to afford to travel abroad and import.

Thanks to the ETH; jobs and internships in the Swiss technology industry are abundant in Zurich. For those of us not studying technology based degrees, there are also a number of other positions available, for example on the university market place platform.

I have been lucky enough to find work in English tuition. Anyone currently on a year abroad, whether you're in Switzerland or France or Germany, can make the most of this opportunity. By knowing the local language (allowing you to translate expressions and understand your client) as well as English, students and professionals alike appreciate the services you could offer. And most importantly, it can be fun – as such tuition sessions may simply take the form of conversations – whereby you'd offer corrections and tips.

Not only does Zurich appear high on the list of the world's most expensive cities, but it also appears high on quality of life leaderboards too. A correlation perhaps?

It's a bizarre feeling speaking English again after so long, even it is just during a few sessions a week. Although I prefer speaking in German here, it is nice to be able to hold a conversation without having to think constantly about how to formulate what you want to say in a foreign language! It's certainly going to feel strange once I return home after this year abroad!

Regardless of where you are on your year abroad, working in your host country is a great way of gaining useful experience as well as networking – which may better facilitate finding work in the country after graduation, if you wish to return. And for those of us in Switzerland: high prices also equate to high wages, so make the most of it!