Reply to: To overseas contractors......

[expat]

...They seem to lack those members of society who get off on spoiling it for everyone else.....

Precisely.

[doodab]

Get rid of loads of cr"p but , it appears that if you have stuff you want to keep it may be better to store it. I have a pretty good sofa and dining table which works out cheaper to store and ship(Since I have to store and ship clothes and things), than to toss and throw out. Basically my storage and shipping is working out to about £150 per cubic meter.

But yes, its great to throw out all the old tosh. Its amazing how much cr"p you collect

Don't just bin it. Ebay or freecycle it. Or even just hand it out to anyone who wants it.

[sunnysan]

Leaving

With regard to the logicists of relocation, I'm gonna take the flog-the-lot, buy when get there method, very cathartic, plus gets rid of loads of crap you thought you should keep but don't actually need.

Get rid of loads of cr"p but , it appears that if you have stuff you want to keep it may be better to store it. I have a pretty good sofa and dining table which works out cheaper to store and ship(Since I have to store and ship clothes and things), than to toss and throw out. Basically my storage and shipping is working out to about £150 per cubic meter.

But yes, its great to throw out all the old tosh. Its amazing how much cr"p you collect

[Sysman]

With regard to the logicists of relocation, I'm gonna take the flog-the-lot, buy when get there method, very cathartic, plus gets rid of loads of crap you thought you should keep but don't actually need.

That's the approach I took. I was moving from a country cottage to a modern place so little of the furniture suited anyway.

[NotAllThere]

I cha e bisstli Baslerdyytsch glernt. So move to Basel and stop fannying about!

[stek]

The different parts of Switzerland do differ in character. If I'd have had a choice, I'd have been in the French speaking part. But Basel is now my home. Which version of Swiss German does your wife speak?

btw - I'm on the English Forum as well.

The Basel one! The co she works for is based in Basel. wouldn't say she spoke it fluently or owt tho - she's an interpreter and 'fluent' means something different to her profession than it does to the rest of us. Always winds her up when some actress like Nicole Kidman says she's 'fluent in Russian' cos she learned it for her lines in 'Birthday Girl'....

Anyway, they all generally speak Hochdeutsch there at work.

With regard to the logicists of relocation, I'm gonna take the flog-the-lot, buy when get there method, very cathartic, plus gets rid of loads of crap you thought you should keep but don't actually need.

[NotAllThere]

I'm in a small town very close to Basel. We came over here in 2002, when I was offered a permie job with full relocation package, with the intention to stay. Started contracting in 2005, with my own GmbH. The total of my payments for health insurance (family of 5), + NI equivalent + Income tax, is considerably less than it would be in the UK.

Cost of living is higher, but value for money. Also, many things are cheaper if you're a resident. We do a lot of shopping across the border in Germany, for which we get back the VAT. Quality of life is high - amazing public transport, cleanliness, etc. - the country works.

Crime rates are low. The city is pretty safe. There is more integration with the Swiss in Basel than there is in Zürich, though there is more xenophobia than in the UK. It's quiet, shops are closed on Sunday, and about 5pm on Saturday. The education system is as good as when it's good in the UK - but they don't specialise as much.

I've had to commute a few times when I started contracting here - my first contract was in the UK! But I've now a pretty stable set of clients who are either local, or for whom I work remotely.

They recycle a lot, you aren't allowed to wash your car yourself because of the pollution from the run off, and there are laws about making a noise so you cannot drill or mow the lawn on a Sunday.

Same!

The different parts of Switzerland do differ in character. If I'd have had a choice, I'd have been in the French speaking part. But Basel is now my home. Which version of Swiss German does your wife speak?

btw - I'm on the English Forum as well.

[sunnysan]

Ch

I am starting in Vaud in CH in April.

Should be slightly better off than living in London and I am basically taking a leap of faith really, but I have heard more good things than bad.

Never underestimate the hassle and expense of relocation :-), I am not saying dont do it, but its pricy and stressful

[Green Mango]

I did a 16th month gig in Bavaria and thourghly enjoyed it.

An ex-collegue was telling me that there is stll work in Bavaria, A400M and Tiger Helicopter being prominent. If there are any aerpospace orientated engineers out there, might be worth a try.

I believe the rates were around the 60 Euro mark, but the agencies/clients are reducing rates as the £ is so low.

[stek]

For Switzerland the very best source is http://www.englishforum.ch

Yeah, I'm on there, lurking for ages!

[LegendsWear7]

For Switzerland the very best source is http://www.englishforum.ch

[norrahe]

I'm jumping on the bandwagon here a tad.

I'm looking at doing the same myself but NL rather than Germany.

Just wondering whether the best option is to be based over there and then apply (I'm noticing that a lot of NL jobs prefer that the applicant is based there), or keep plodding away from here?

[stek]

Thanks guys.

I also spent some time in Hamburg, liked it there too but seemed a bit 'stuffier' than Berlin! I can read and write auf Deutsch not too bad but speaking not so good, can order a beer tho and pay for it! Suppose it's a start! Plus I love language so it's not a chore for me.

Never been to Munich but only heard good things.

I like the look of Zurich, we're planning a summer break there to look around, this whole plan is a mid-term thing, looking at Jul/Aug to move, market willing.

Having said that I don't think any of my longer-than-short-term plans have every worked out, something always comes along to deflect it...

[doodab]

That all sounds pretty tempting (except the pork, i'd have to bring my own cow).

Much work around there at the moment?

They have beef and chicken as well.

I can't be certain what the market is like as I've been on the same contract the whole time, but it seems better than the UK (for me at least) based on cursory examination of gulp.de, and rates are definitely higher. I expect you'd need to speak German to have the best chance of finding work.

http://www.gulp.de/kb/tools/gulpometer.html

[Durbs]

I'm currently living and working in Munich. It started out as a short term thing but I'm having difficulty imagining returning.

Taxes are slightly higher but the cost of living is lower overall, and the quality of life higher IMO. I have a shorter commute, less stress, and I can be in a local ski resort in an hour on the train or reach some of the best ski resorts in Europe with a 2.5 hr drive.

The city is very human friendly and less of a concrete jungle. There are cycle paths everywhere, low crime levels and great public transport. I always feel safe walking around, the people know how to have fun but don't get out of control (well, maybe a little at the oktoberfest) and they just seem to be a bit more civilised, to be honest. They seem to lack those members of society who get off on spoiling it for everyone else. I've seen home and away football fans sharing tables in the beer garden after the match with no tension, trouble or intrusive police presence required.

They seem to value quality and tradition over paying the lowest possible price. There are a lot more small, family owned and run businesses than in the UK, and shop assistants tend to be older and know what they are talking about. The shops are closed on Sunday.

They recycle a lot, you aren't allowed to wash your car yourself because of the pollution from the run off, and there are laws about making a noise so you cannot drill or mow the lawn on a Sunday.

It helps if you like beer, pork, the outdoors and snow.

That all sounds pretty tempting (except the pork, i'd have to bring my own cow).

Much work around there at the moment?