Alright dear internet, I am at the end of my wits. Maybe people here can help shape my perspective.

TL;DR: Been here a total of 10 years - 4 in Winterthur, away for 3 years, in Basel since 2020. Mid 30s single guy struggeling with social life and various anxieties, wondering if I should take the risk to move away, or if Zurich could provide a "soft restart", and if it would be easier there to build a social circle

I am originally German, currently 36, and came to Switzerland for the first time in 2012, right after - actually while - finishing my Bachelor's degree. The Eidgenossenschaft was never my dream country to move to. It was literally the only place that accepted my application (50 were sent) for an internship. So I moved. I worked in Winterthur and lived in Neftenbach for 4 years. In 2016, I had a mini burn out, and left. I went to get a Psych Msc in Scotland. Afterwards, I moved around a bit in my native country. But towards the end of 2019, I felt Switzerland calling again.

Let me be very honest here: I come from a poor working class family on which I cannot rely for any kind of support, be it emotional or financial. Most of my adult life I have "fought" for and by myself. The older I grew, the more I preferred stability over adventure.
So when in December of 2019 the first reports of COVID were making the news, I had a bad feeling. I guessed that Switzerland could be a better place to be in a global pandemic than many other European countries. That and my empty bank account made the decision easy. And so, after landing a job, I came back in March of 2020 - literally on the day they closed the borders.

Anyway.
It's been over six years I have been here in Basel now. Despite the pandemic, I enjoyed the first few years here. Found a partner, landed a chill gig in Pharma (I am a web developer), and had a pretty good life. Though I still retain the job, the little bit of a social circle I had through my girlfriend vanished when she did four years ago. And it never recovered.

I will be very open: I don't like it here anymore. This summer broke me (I absolutely abhor heat), the winters in Basel are dreadfully grey and last forever, and despite numerous attempts to find friends here (mostly through sports), I am still pretty much alone. I know the grass always seems greener on the other side, but I know for a fact that it is way easier to make friends in other places. I have lived here a total of 10 years and always struggled with that.

So I should just move, right?
Trust me, I would. And I want to. Unfortunately, I was also blessed with a brain that tends to go through bouts of depression and anxiety, and as someone who is pretty much by himself, the current geopolitical climate is frightening beyond words.
I also eventually want to settle down, family, house, kids etc. And using all of my not so full bank account to restart a life somewhere - well that makes it even more scary.

I know these are a lot of words, and I appreciate anyone who took the time to read all of them.
I guess my only actual question is, if Zurich could offer some escape, a sort of "soft restart", while still enjoying the safety of this country?
I have some doubts about the city, but perhaps, courtesy of the large expat communities, building a social life might be easier? What's your takes on that?

(fwiw, I think in the long term I will move away. But I am currently working out a re-education plan for myself, and it will take years to get where I want to be professionally. And ngl I'd rather enjoy a Swiss salary while studying, than to live in a shared shoebox in Germany or France or the UK)

I ask as part of a linguistic study covering this topic!
Examples could include things like Winti, Neuch, Lôz or LugAngeles (never mind how common they are)...

Geneva or Basel experience especially interesting. AI told me for over 14 days, you can get extension.

I am in Zurich right now and thinking of maybe taking a day trip tomorrow to somewhere nearby. Is there anywhere worth going on a Sunday, considering the weather is a bit bad?

Hey everyone,I'll be spending November 14-15 in Zermatt on a solo snowboarding trip.Just wondering if anyone else here will be on the mountain around those dates. Always more fun to share a few runs, chat over coffee, or grab a drink after riding.Intermediate snowboarder, looking forward to some good snow and Matterhorn views.I'm 37 and work as a software engineer. Let me know if you'll be around! 🏂

I have noticed the amount of people on residential streets (and not touristy areas) to be significantly lesser compared to summer months. Lesser lights that are turned on at night too. I know there are some retired old Swiss people who travel to Thailand once the cold hits and only come back during summer.

Are there a significant amount of transient residents in major cities like Zurich and Geneva who fly to warmer places once the weather gets cold?

Hallo zusammen

Ich bin vor 3 Wochen nach Luzern gezogen und suche noch eine feste Stelle. Ein Kollege hat mir empfohlen, es in der Zwischenzeit mit Coople zu versuchen. Aber ich kann die App nicht herunterladen und mich nicht registrieren. Es erscheint immer die Meldung, dass die App in meiner Region nicht verfügbar ist.

Ich habe schon eine E-Mail an den Support geschickt, aber bisher keine Antwort bekommen.
Hatte jemand von euch das gleiche Problem? Gibt es einen anderen Weg, sich anzumelden, oder eine Lösung dafür? Über weitere Tipps, wie ich in Luzern Temporärjobs finden kann, würde ich mich auch freuen.

Danke!

15 athletes from 67 different countries started their Ultra Backyard today at 14:00. You can watch the starting line in a livestream from almost every participating country on Youtube.
It is sooo incredible to see what they can achieve. I will go cheer for them tomorrow and hope to see more supporters 🇨🇭👏🏼
What’s your favorite sporting event to watch?

Hey everyone,

I've been living in Switzerland for a while now, and lately I've been finding it a bit difficult to build a real social life here. It's not that I don't enjoy living in Switzerland, but sometimes it feels like everyone already has their own group of friends.

I have hobbies and things to keep me busy, but it's not quite the same as having people you can grab a drink or do something together on the weekend.

For those of you who've experienced something similar, how did you manage to get out of this situation? Are there any clubs, activities or communities where you've genuinely met good friends?

I'd really appreciate any advice or hearing about your own experiences. It's nice to know if other people feel the same way.

Applying since 3 months. 40 real applications, about 24 still open, some of which quite old so I suppose they are dead. Of the others, 3 moved to recruiter interview - one stopped after a Korn-Ferry test (too senior) and two went on till Director and HR (one of the two is still pendning result). All the rest I am waiting. Ah, I have one offer for 20% employment (1 day per week) which I am taking to keep active, and fill the CV gap. Not sure how to judge this overall, your feedback helpful.

Hi everyone!

I applied for my Swiss C permit around April and still haven’t received a decision or any official confirmation.

However, my tax advisor has now informed me that I will no longer be subject to withholding tax at source because I supposedly have C permit status. My employer has also been informed of this change.

Naturally, I assumed this meant my permit had been approved. But when I called the Migration Office to check, they told me they had no update on my application.

I’m confused because, on the one hand, the tax authorities and my employer seem to be treating me as a C permit holder, while the Migration Office cannot confirm the status of my application.

Has anyone experienced something similar in Switzerland? Does this mean my C permit has been approved and the official confirmation is simply delayed, or could the change in my tax status have another explanation?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who applied in Zurich or went through this process recently. Thanks!

I know I may be a little biased since I’m more used to the quick and tasty food scene in countries like Japan, but I’m having a lot of trouble finding a nice and dependable restaurant in Switzerland which doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. A lot of the restaurants I’ve been to are family run, but a lot of the time the food is mid because of that. It’s heavy (creamy it fried) and bland but expensive. Are there any good chain restaurants which is priced normally (meaning not over 35 CHF for a normal entree) with good food even for someone picky about heavy foods?

Hallo zusammen,
ich mache nächste Woche (Montag - Freitag) eine kleine Reise nach Interlaken.
Ich werde mit dem Zug gegen 13:30 Uhr ankommen. Was ich so geplant habe? Wollte ich einfach spontan schauen, da das Wetter bis jetzt nicht so gut aussieht.
Ich wollte euch jetzt fragen, soll ich mir dann in Interlaken ein Auto mieten? Wenn ja, wo kann man das gut machen?
Habt ihr gute Tipps ab Restaurants, oder sonstige gute Aktivitäten?

Kann man das Wasser aus der Leitung trinken? Oder gibt es sonstige Sachen auf die ich achten muss?

Danke euch, und ein schönes Wochenende!

I have my own washing machine, but it's not working. So I'll have to use the one in my building. But I have no idea how to use it or how to top up. I have the card though. Does anyone have this same system too? I tried Googling the brand but found nothing useful.

We always hear tourists say how spotless Switzerland is compared to the rest of the world. So we wanted to test how much litter is actually lying around in a regular Swiss village if you look just past the main pavement. We grabbed two trash pickers and gave ourselves 60 minutes to clean up around the village before weighing everything at the local recycling point. While the main roads and even the local construction sites were super clean, the bushes, field edges, and side paths were a different story. We ended up filling two large bags with 7.3 kg of trash in an hour (Cans, PET bottles, snus pouches, wine bottles, scrap copper, broken kids' scooter dumped in the bushes etc.). You can see everything we found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkQicGISyAc

It got us wondering: do you feel like littering (especially throwing cans and wrappers into the bushes or out of car windows) is getting worse in your Gemeinde, or has it always been like this and the cleaning services just hide it well?

Does anyone know when the next stock of Playstations will arrive in Switzerland? I bought mine for 780chf (good price) from InterDiscount on September 4th and haven't heard anything yet.

Other sales sites only show delivery for January 2027, which is absurd.

Does anyone know if they normally prioritize customers who bought before the stock shortage?

Hi! Just finished a lovely vacation in Switzerland and I had the most wonderful time. Granted I visited all the basic tourist places (Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and the Jungrau region, Zermatt, etc.), I always felt extremely safe and enjoyed all the views, even when walking alone late at night or through basic suburbs.

So my question is, and just out of curiosity because I’m obviously not going to those places: what are some of the most horrible, insecure places / areas / cities in Switzerland? I’m assuming there must be, no country is perfect.

Sorry if it is a silly question, lol.

I cannot really complain about my standard of living, yet the social isolation here is remarkably difficult. I am not referring to dating; simply finding a normal group of men to share a beer, watch football, and discuss everyday matters feels nearly impossible.

Originally from Southern Italy, I have lived in Ticino, Zurich, and now Uri while still working and travelling to Zurich two or three times a week. The pattern has been consistent everywhere. I am beginning to question what kind of life this is when there is almost no human contact outside work.

It is odd because I have many hobbies, I am very active, and I see myself as quite outgoing. Still, building a social life here seems entirely out of reach. I am close to obtaining citizenship, but at present my only real escape is flying back to Italy nearly every weekend just to feel connected to people and the world. There I meet people easily—men, women—just for a beer, a coffee, or a flirt (with women in that case ).

I thought I would try this. I am a 36-year-old Italian man, 178 cm tall, living in Uri. I speak Italian and English, plus a little French. I hold degrees in IT, Economics, and Law. I enjoy cycling and sports in general, but I also love music, opera, theatre, and travel. I am easy-going and able to adapt to quite high-standard settings.

I am always on the move and eager to learn new things. If you are looking to meet someone new, wherever you are, let us connect and have a coffee.

Hi, I heard a lot about Bernina Express but judging from people's suggestions here, I've decided to abandon it for regional trains, BUT, I have about 30 hours from the point I reach Tirano to move onwards to Switzerland and back around 6-7 November.

I have the option of staying at St. Moritz or Chur or other places that any of you may suggest.

I'll be travelling on a budget, so I would appreciate if I could get suggestions on how I can achieve this, my budget for a party of two is around 350-400 euros for the 30h. I'm aware of the Saver Day Pass from SBB and it alone costs me around 152 Euros for two and I'm not yet sure whether this pass would even be feasible. I'll try leaving Tirano as early in the morning as possible.

Considering I'm coming from a desert and I'd love to see the Bernina Route through regional trains. I'd appreciate if you could share your experiences as well.

TIA!

Hi everyone,

Is it just me, or has the IT job market in Switzerland come to a complete standstill?

I've been applying for various positions for about a year now, including IT support roles, and I either get ghosted or receive a rejection. Out of roughly 80-90 applications in the Schaffhausen/Winterthur area, I've only managed to get a single initial interview, which unfortunately also ended in a rejection.

A bit about my background:

I'm a Software Developer (Fachinformatiker für Anwendungsentwicklung) and completed my apprenticeship in January 2024.

I'm currently working as a Production Software Engineer in the industrial sector at a large German corporation, focusing on the development and maintenance of production systems and machinery.

I'm comfortable working independently with C++ and common development tools, and I'm also experienced with version control systems such as SVN and Git. My work also involves functional safety. I have also done several program enhancements on SIMATIC-controlled machinery.

Additionally, I have hands on experience with industrial communication protocols such as PROFINET, PROFIBUS, and OPC UA.

On top of that, I have around 13 years of personal programming experience across various fields, including automotive, industrial automation, and databases.

So, what's going on? Is the Swiss IT job market really that bad at the moment, or am I missing something?

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experiences, especially in the Schaffhausen/Winterthur region.

Hi I am a man who wants to escape from everything to start new. Not that I did anything illegal (now I sounded more suspicious lol)

I’ve tried one other country but was not successful.
I already googled it what paths I could possibly go but just wanted to know like in general, in a real life situation, how hard?

The other country I tried, it seems easy, the internet, the information from government or agencies, they all saying it “there’s a chance” just like any other country. But I spent a few years doing it and it gets harder and harder.

I’ve always loved Switzerland. It’s a chill place and I’m a chill guy lol

Just want to know, is it hard? I’m not that young anymore. Should I try it or not?

If there’s anything in this post I should get trashed for. Do it. Maybe I’ll realize it’s all me lol and accept the fact that I just need to go back to my old life lol

This is probably just AI/my algorithm on Instagram trying to influence me, but it seems that businesses in Switzerland have noticed how gridlocked the job market has been and want to speed up the process of applying.

Or is this just a marketing trick for more clicks and data collection?

I've been looking for work, but I have a feeling this approach is too good to be true.