Minimum daily rate you'd accept in Geneva - same as Zurich?

[positivity]

I've been asked if I'd like to contract in Geneva for 12 months initially, with possible extension to 18 months.

There's no written job spec yet, it's all verbal but the agent has mentioned the rate of CHF576 (converted from EUR480).

I've tried to do my homework and that seemed reasonable until I read a couple of posts on here - one from 2009 said CHF1000 a day was about right!

In "Minimum daily rate in Zurich you would accept" posted on 22/09/11, Chef and BlasterBates usefully said that CHF600 upwards is acceptable for working in Zurich.

Would the same rate also apply to Geneva?

Thanks in anticipation - I'm new to the forum and new to international contracting so all advice accepted gratefully!

[Murder1]

Firstly welcome to the site.

Secondly you don't mention skill set for which you're being recruited, without it it's impossible to say what a realistic rate for you would be either here or in Geneva.

Thirdly what someone else would find as "acceptable" is completely irrelevant. You could have responses on here ranging from £200pd to £750pd based on peoples circumstances and skills and it all boils down to what the minimum is that you would take to accept the position.

[Mehmeh]

What's your london (or wherever you usually work) rate?

[lightfoot]

I recently got an offer also in Geneva at 800 swiss francs but after much research turned it down as I would pay around 33% tax and the cost of accomodation and living costs seemed so high. Also finding reasonable accomodation seemed quite difficuly.

This forum is quite usefull :-

English Forum Switzerland

[eek]

Firstly find out how much it will cost to live there, then find out how much it costs to get to and from there and decide how often you plan / need to return.

After that work out how much money you want / need to cover expenses in the UK while you are over there.

only once you've done the above can you see if what rate you need but Switzerland ain't cheap.

[positivity]

Thank you all.

I guess it's a bit like saying "How long is a piece of string?".

I would pack up my stuff in the UK, rent the house out and go and live there and not come back very often. So my UK outgoings would be minimal.

I'd rather not say what the role is as it's a niche market.

I'll try and do my sums!

[BlasterBates]

You're main cost will be an appartment. In Zürich you can find a small one for 1100 no probs. My neighbours have just found a 3 room flat for CHF 1400. So don't be put off by a few comments, do your homework as it what it will really cost you. Switerland isn't cheap, but it isn't expensive everywhere and you can avoid a lot of expense simply by, for example, not living in downtown Zürich. I don't know about Geneva, but the trick is to find the less popular areas.

Check out homegate.ch | Immobilien, Wohnung, Wohnungen oder Haus suchen und finden. to give you an idea.

I see furnished rooms for CHF 800 a month, I reckon you'd get a studio flat for 1200 or so, if you look around. I'd start in a furnished room and then look around for a small furnished apartment.

You need to calculate your take home, because the tax is higher in Geneva.

[positivity]

You're main cost will be an appartment. In Zürich you can find a small one for 1100 no probs. My neighbours have just found a 3 room flat for CHF 1400. So don't be put off by a few comments, do your homework as it what it will really cost you. Switerland isn't cheap, but it isn't expensive everywhere and you can avoid a lot of expense simply by, for example, not living in downtown Zürich. I don't know about Geneva, but the trick is to find the less popular areas.

Check out homegate.ch | Immobilien, Wohnung, Wohnungen oder Haus suchen und finden. to give you an idea.

I see furnished rooms for CHF 800 a month, I reckon you'd get a studio flat for 1200 or so, if you look around. I'd start in a furnished room and then look around for a small furnished apartment.

You need to calculate your take home, because the tax is higher in Geneva.

Thank you Blaster Bates, that's really helpful.

[TTT]

I've been asked if I'd like to contract in Geneva for 12 months initially, with possible extension to 18 months.

There's no written job spec yet, it's all verbal but the agent has mentioned the rate of CHF576 (converted from EUR480).

I've tried to do my homework and that seemed reasonable until I read a couple of posts on here - one from 2009 said CHF1000 a day was about right!

In "Minimum daily rate in Zurich you would accept" posted on 22/09/11, Chef and BlasterBates usefully said that CHF600 upwards is acceptable for working in Zurich.

Would the same rate also apply to Geneva?

Thanks in anticipation - I'm new to the forum and new to international contracting so all advice accepted gratefully!

Hi positivity,

Firstly let me apologies for my English, it’s not my native language.

Anyway, I'm not sure about your skill-set, what is your usual daily rate in the UK? I would advice – double it for Geneva!

I just finished my 5 months gig in Geneva, 800 EUR/day + additionally 200 EUR/day travel exp.

I have my family in London, so I was flying back and force every week.

Geneva is extremely expensive, I was lucky because my client arranged a hotel with corporate rate -50% cheaper than usual rate.

If you not lucky, be ready to pay 200-300 EUR per night for average hotel in Geneva.

Also if there is any international event, the same hotel could cost you 400-600 EUR per night. And Geneva is quite popular place for such events. Few events per month.

It’s real nightmare to rent an apartment in Geneva. Locals complained that they need to wait to get a decent apartment, and when apartment is available the landlord will arrange sort of casting :-). Few potential tenants come over to have a chat with the landlord (sort of interview with references) and finally landlord decides who will be his/her new tenant.


Very basic lunch could cost you £10.
Eating out is extremely expensive!
Food in supermarket is very expensive. Locals use to drive to France for the grocery shopping.

Be aware about taxation, it’s not so great as it sounds, my half German/half Swiss agency messed up with my taxes, so finally I ended up paying 37% tax there.

I’d rather become perm in Geneva, salaries are quite good in my area - about 150K CHF per year, and taxes are pretty the same for contractors and perms. But its a different story.

So, I ‘m happy to come back to London for a new gig for £600 per day.

Good luck anyway!

TTT

[JohnAbroad]

Geneve is a bit more expensive to live than Zurich, and has higher taxes. But tax is determined by where you live, not where you work, so live in Zurich, work in Geneve, pay Zurich taxes.

The homegate site mentioned above has a tax calculator, that allows you to compare two places. This link is visible on every advert, provided you view in any language but English. Basically you punch in 2 post codes, and hit compare.

W ww.homegate.ch/finanzieren/rechner/steuerrechner

W ww.sbb.ch - gives accurate commute times by public transport.

Another angle is to work on a G permit (Daily commuter from abroad), and pay taxes based on where the agency, ie your "real" employer in Switzerland, is located.