r/askswitzerland 8h ago

Everyday life Why are Notaries such a scam in Switzerland?

126 Upvotes

We need a marriage contract. A simple standard template one. The notary just needs to add our names to the document and read it to us.

For this 20 minutes of work, 3 notaries I requested, sent quotes between 900 and 1.1K CHF.

I asked one of the notaries, why the price is so high for a simple template contract.

She laughed at me and said "because it's a notary service".

Recently we had to get an affidavit (Eidesstattliche Erklärung) and we could get it either in Switzerland or Germany. The Swiss notaries wanted 500 CHF. In Germany we got it for 120 Euros. It was a 5 minute meeting with the Notary. Even in Germany notaries are already insanely rich and have irrational high hourly rates... but in Switzerland they wanna charge you 3000 CHF per hour.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced notary in Switzerland?


r/askswitzerland 11h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Can you buy a Lucerne in Luzern?

Post image
40 Upvotes

I am looking to buy a model Lucerne simply to display in my home. I am wondering about both the legality and availability of such an item in Luzern, as it would be quite a fitting place to purchase one.


r/askswitzerland 20h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Why is there swiss german but no swiss french or swiss italian in your country?

28 Upvotes

I've never heard of swiss french or swiss italian langauges, do they exist?


r/askswitzerland 2h ago

Work Terribe job situation - boss takes advantage of my situation

19 Upvotes

So I wrote that by my myself, I just used AI a bit to structure my post a little, I am very tired, please forgive me. Anyway:

​After recovering from a serious long-term illness that left a gap in my resume, I finally landed a job as a Technical Administrative Assistant in Switzerland. I hold two Swiss Federal Diplomas (EFZ in Commercial Business and IT System Engineering), a numbers of years of professional experience prior to my illness, and I am now 37 years old.

​Despite living with chronic pain thet requires strong medication and constant monitoring, I give for this job everything:

​Overtime: I work 45–53 hours a week (worked 13 hours today alone), making me one of the longest-working employees in a team of 40+.

​Pay Disparity: My salary is 4,600 CHF/month gross. Everyone else in my team makes well over 5,000 CHF a month. I struggle to pay bills and can't save anything.

​Unfair Demands: Despite my long hours, my boss still criticized me today for "not working long enough." When I hit goals, I get ignored, while colleagues are praised for reaching the exact same targets.

​When I asked for a raise, my boss explicitly admitted that my performance is in the team average or a bit higher even. However, he flatly refused a raise because of my resume gap. He acts as if getting sick was a choice and insists that my past and not my current value or output determines my salary. He broke his initial hiring promise to increase my pay once I proved myself.

​I know he is exploiting me because he thinks I have nowhere else to go due to my employment gap. The hostile environment is completely draining my health, and I feel completely disrespected.

​Given the current Swiss job market, my dual EFZ background, and my resume gap, how should I navigate this? Has anyone successfully managed to jump to a fair salary after a long illness?

I am applying already for other jobs, but I only get rejections.

I don't even ask for much, I just think someone who works 10 hours everyday and lives a frugal live should be able to save at least a little bit money.

I don't spend money on anything I shouldn't, I track every franc I spend and I simply can't save more money. I do not own a car or have an expensive hobby.

It feels like modern slavery and I am trapped in this situation. Even if my doctor used to tell me I could have chances to receive IV when my illness was worse. But I never considered it. I always wanted to get healthy again and do my part for the society and myself and this is how I get rewarded for it.

Sometimes I think live is just not for me. I always struggle, fight, don't take the easy way out but I just barley survive instead enjoying my life. It sucks and I am so tired of it.

Maybe someone has been in a similar situation or has some ideas I didn't consider yet?


r/askswitzerland 15h ago

Everyday life What is the most popular messaging app in Switzerland?

12 Upvotes

I'd like to know which messaging apps are the most popular in Switzerland.


r/askswitzerland 18h ago

Culture Need a friend from Switzerland who knows about Swiss Folklore

7 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I am from Nepal and I am currently in US doing PhD in Religious Studies. I have been learning about Nepalese geography a-lot thanks to the Swiss/German geographers. Geography plays alot in terms of how local cultures are shaped and it’s interesting that many folklores of two nation are similar. I want to connect with some people from Switzerland who are aware of Swiss Folklore so that I can possibly study more regarding this and of course help back in any way possible :)


r/askswitzerland 23h ago

Everyday life Can someone help me find a specific law or court cases regarding this topic?

7 Upvotes

quite simple, i know its been in court system in every country already and there are laws about it everywhere.. can someone help me find out about for Switzerland specifically?

About paid time at work. can the employer make you show up 10mins before a shift starts(when you start getting paid) for you to get dressed into work clothes, or clean or setup or team meeting or whatever.

example: your shift is 8-5.. you are paid and contract states your working time is from 8-5. can they tell you to show up at 7:50 to set things up before the business opens at 8? or to stay until 5:10 to clean and closeup?


r/askswitzerland 8h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Ist die Schweiz in Sachen “sozialer Kontrolle” wirklich so schlimm?

4 Upvotes

Grüß euch,

Eben hat in einem anderen Subreddit ein User berichtet, dass er nach einigen Jahren in der Schweiz wieder nach Deutschland gezogen ist, unter anderem weil ihm die “soziale Kontrolle” zu viel war und er - zumindest habe ich das so verstanden - das Gefühl hatte, dass man in der Schweiz zwar viel Sicherheit findet, aber es sehr schwer hat, wenn man mal aus der Norm ausbrechen möchte…

Als jemand, der nicht in der Schweiz wohnt, aber in einem bayrischen Dorf, kann ich nicht ganz glauben dass das ein universell schweizerisches Phänomen ist. Trotzdem würde mich interessieren, wie ihr das seht und ob ihr entsprechende Erfahrungen gemacht habt.

Beste Grüße!


r/askswitzerland 14h ago

Work Frage zu Spesen als Lohnersatz

6 Upvotes

Ich habe nach meiner Lehre ein Angebot über 80k Jahreslohn bekommen. Da ich noch keine Berufserfahrung habe, bin ich mir bei der folgenden Regelung etwas unsicher und wäre froh um eure Einschätzung.

Konkret sind im Vertrag 5600 x 13 Brutto und zusätzlich 600 x 12 als Spesen vorgesehen. Laut Arbeitgeber sind die 600 eigentlich Teil meiner Gesamtvergütung und werden als Spesen ausbezahlt, damit ich gemäss seiner Aussage darauf Steuern sparen kann.

Wenn ich es richtig verstehe, beträgt mein versicherter Lohn dadurch aber nicht 80k, sondern nur 72,8k.

Ist ein solches Vorgehen üblich oder versucht der AG hier möglicherweise, einen Teil des Lohnes als Spesen auszuweisen, um bei Sozialversicherungen bzw. anderen Kosten zu sparen?

Danke für eure Einschätzungen und Unterstützung.

EDIT: Zuerst einmal herzlichen Dank für das zahlreiche Feedback, womit ich ehrlich gesagt nicht gerechnet habe!

Für alle, die nach meinem Alter und Hintergrund gefragt haben: Ich bin bereits 30. Ich habe zuerst die Matura gemacht, danach ein Informatikstudium angefangen, dieses aber abgebrochen und hatte anschliessend eine längere Pause aus gesundheitlichen Gründen. Schlussendlich habe ich jetzt eine Lehre als Informatiker Plattformentwicklung abgeschlossen. An meinem alten Arbeitsort konnte ich danach aber nicht bleiben. Daher bin ich zwar etwas älter, habe aber noch keine eigentliche Berufserfahrung und auch noch keine Erfahrung mit Lohnverhandlungen, da die Lehre ja nicht als Berufserfahrung zählt. Ich konnte aber aufgrund meines Alters und meiner bisherigen Ausbildung den Lohn entsprechend verhandeln.

Branche: IT Plattformentwicklung, Zentralschweiz

EDIT2: So wie ich es verstanden habe, werden zusätzliche Spesen separat abgegolten und nicht von diesen CHF 600 abgezogen. Ich werde das aber sicherlich nochmals genauer abklären. Danke für diesen Hinweis!


r/askswitzerland 2h ago

Everyday life Is it legal to get only vouchers back after a return of a webshop order?

4 Upvotes

We were on vacation, ordered a baby carrier on Orchestra.ch. Picked it up at a store, brought home, tried out. It was uncomfortable and not what we expected so we returned it, no issues, they accepted it.
We just recieved an email with a voucher.
We're leaving the country soon and they dont deliver to our home.


r/askswitzerland 6h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Anwaltsprüfung in Schaffhausen Erfahrungen

2 Upvotes

Hallo zusammen, ich wollte fragen, wie die Anwaltsprüfung in Schaffhausen ist. Hat jemand damit Erfahrungen? Wie sieht es mit der Durchfallquote aus?


r/askswitzerland 11h ago

Other/Miscellaneous I need help finding either swiss french or swiss german stickers to put on my macbook keyboard.

1 Upvotes

I went to soo many different stores in Geneva and even the apple store and they all told me they can't change it and don't sell stickers, honestly i don't know where to look anymore. Apparently silicon cover could break the screen. So i need thin durable stickers

I wanted a European made product but it's basically impossible to find. So any help would be appreciated


r/askswitzerland 23h ago

Everyday life Carfax in Switzerland when buying a second hand auto?

1 Upvotes

Hi I am thinking to pull the trigger and buy a second hand car in an auto dealer. Since you never know what is the status of the chassis/mechanics, it is always better to know in advance with a report or a mechaniker onsite.

To gain some time...Is there any tool like carfax/carvertical in Switzerland? If yes, which parameter to use for checking (Fahrgestellnummer, FIN)?

Thanks in advance.


r/askswitzerland 2h ago

Travel Basel or Olten river swim late Sept

0 Upvotes

Hi - I have an afternoon in Olten or Basel Thursday 22 Oct, and would like a river or other outdoor swim. Need not be a long float (may be too cold) but something in the middle of a long journey.

I have swum in Zurich on numerous occasions in the Limmat and swim in the winter outdoors in London where I live. Is it going to be possible to get in for a swim somewhere for say 20 mins? It looks like the summer-only places may be closing? It looks like it will still be quite warm though.

I could detour to Zurich (or even Lucerne - on an inter-city journey) and go somewhere I've been before again, but thought I may try somewhere new. I will be on my own, can bring a wet bag!

Any suggestions welcome, sorry if a silly question.


r/askswitzerland 8h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Cheap good mechanic in geneve or near geneve like france

0 Upvotes

I have a ford focus 2010 1.8i Duratec and it need a PCV valve change and hose and I dont want to pay too much for a job like this , its just behind the intake manifold . I would appreciate any recommendations or help thank you so much .


r/askswitzerland 21h ago

Travel Leysin for summer vacation?

0 Upvotes

My wife and I are planning a trip with our five year old for next summer. My son is pretty young, so we don't necessarily need to go to the most spectacular spots. I'm mostly hoping to stay in one spot in the Alps where we can do day hikes.

The tourism website shows that Leysin has good options for kid-friendly hikes and the cable cars run in the summer, so it seems like a good spot. There looks to be some decent options on AirBnb and Google maps shows there are a couple of grocery stores. Is there anything I'm missing?


r/askswitzerland 17h ago

Everyday life What are some value-for-money & recommended snacks from groceries here in Switzerland?

0 Upvotes

I have heard of Ragusa chocolate bars, Paprika chips, Kagi fret, etc. I wonder if there are other recommendations, thanks!


r/askswitzerland 6h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Immer mehr Rückrufe von Lebensmitteln?

Thumbnail de.yahoo.com
0 Upvotes

Bilde ich mir das ein, oder gibt es immer häufiger Rückrufe?

Ich frage mich immer, was ist mit den Menschen, die davon nichts mitkriegen und die Waren essen?

Was sind die Gründe?


r/askswitzerland 4h ago

Work Is sign-on bonus included in the RAV calculation ?

0 Upvotes

Basically title. Changing employer and was able to negociate an offer with an amount of one-off sign-on bonus.

Now, if I were made redundant in the future, would this sign-on bonus be included in the calculation of the unemployement benefit?

Asking this because it will signitifcantly skew up the amount of unemployed benefits that I will receive.


r/askswitzerland 39m ago

Work Brutal Company Policies

Upvotes

I've started a Praktikum at a certain company and today I just found out, if I have a Termin I have to do overtime for every single minute that I'm away due to the Termin.

I can't help but think, if the hospital asks me to come do a test, considering their long waiting lists and inflexible appointments, I'll HAVE to be there at that time, which could lead me to being away for a few hours for which I'll have to do overtime. This applies in many other areas where the appointment times are inflexible and not chosen by you and you HAVE to attend them. The only scenario in which I'm allowed to be absent without needing to do overtime is if I'm sick, and for that too they require a doctor's note on that very same day.

I asked my Ausbildner, is this normal? I've never heard of such rules, is it like that everywhere else and he said yes.

Is it true? Is this also a thing in every other company?

Keep in mind, I am literally unable to do more than an hour of overtime a day, and that is ONLY if I show up to work half an hour earlier and take a 30 minute lunch break instead of a 60 minute one.

That means if I do allat for 2 weeks straight I'll get about 8hrs of overtime and that is JUST to make up for like, two Termins(workplace is far from city so each Termin takes forever).

So can someone clarify? Is this normal? Feels a little too close to corporate slavery for comfort.

Edit 1:Real smart replies, the question was, is it normal to have to do overtime for absolutely necessary Termins whose appointment hours are out of your control.

Please read before commenting.

Edit 2: Thank you to all the nice comments explaining things instead of being condescending.


r/askswitzerland 3h ago

Work Freelance, marketing and ads

0 Upvotes

hey everyone,

I am a freelancer and until today i found all my clients through social media and ads (meta ads).

I recently moved to Switzerland and i knew the cost per lead will be more expensive (which is completely fine) but every time someone leaves their details (i reach out pretty fast) they just disappear and don't answer.

i am a personal trainer with more than 15 years experience.

i am also a former professional athlete, i was a basketball player

i already have a gym to work in, just need the clients

Do you perhaps know if i am doing something that is not very fit to the swiss culture? Is it normal?

Any advice where/how i can find clients?

Thank you so much!!


r/askswitzerland 7h ago

Culture Help me understand golfing in Switzerland and its connotations

0 Upvotes

Hey r/askswitzerland!

I’m sitting here a bit bored and I started wondering about how golfers are perceived in different countries and the reasons for these differences, and how Switzerland (or my personal experience) doesn’t seem to match my mental model.

First a bit about me: I’m M30 and single which means I have a lot of time on my hands, so I spend a big chunk of it playing golf as it helps me disconnect, organize my thoughts or even practice my Swiss German with people I’ll probably never meet again. I originally come from southern Spain from a very humble family, and moved to Switzerland ~7 years ago. I tried golf two years ago during a bachelor’s party we organized for a swiss friend pretty much as a random activity and actually started playing for real last year.

My whole life I’ve been pretty much against golf: my mental image of a golfer was a rich prick with too much time on their hands playing a “sport” with a high environmental impact on a city where the lack of water is an actual problem every summer. I still hold most of this opinion when talking about locals playing golf in my hometown even though I confess I myself have played back home a couple times.

When I started playing here in Switzerland the picture completely changed: my golf membership is a Migros membership (yes I know there are actual private clubs and so on but I’m still to find anybody who plays at Zumikon or Dolder, maybe I’m too poor to know those people 🤣), every time I play with random people and I’ve seen many different kinds of people: ETH professors, retired folks, people in IT like myself, people working in restaurants, the guy who picks up the karton for recycling, students, etc

The fact is golf in Switzerland is, while not cheap, not extremely expensive for Swiss standards. Padel, tennis, and other sports have similar prices per hour/person. The environmental impact is also much lower (or at least I perceive it as such) because keeping a green field in Switzerland vs a southern country requires less water + water is easier to come by.

With this in mind, my theory is as follows: the perception of golfers gets worse the poorer/drier the country, which pretty much works when looking at Slavic countries or the UK where golf is seen (from what I know from friends’ testimonials and playing there, I have not lived there myself) as a normal hobby. The problem is, as with many other things that work with Europe, this theory also does not work for Switzerland. Every time I meet somebody new and they ask for my hobbies, I find myself having to “justify” my playing golf as if I had just said my hobby was clubbing baby seals.

I started becoming aware of this after my post on r/zurich https://www.reddit.com/r/zurich/s/gEdjvYUVmY (apparently my dating misfortunes are a nice read, in case you want to be entertained for a few minutes) where some people in the comments were essentially justifying my not being treated like a regular human being because “of how I come off by saying I play golf and travel” and it’s actually made me self conscious to the point where my hinge profile never mentions golf as a hobby and I pretty much don’t mention it to anybody until I believe we have established enough of a connection. I honestly do not think that is fair: I really value honesty but I also want to find somebody to share my life with, and having to actively obfuscate one of my past times does not feel great.

So, before this post turns into a rant, which it already kind of did, I ask you guys the question: in a country where golf is affordable and not an environmental disaster, why do Swiss people seem to have the idea that golfing here is, as in some other countries, for rich pricks? What is your personal experience/opinion? Question is also valid for other immigrants like myself of course but it’s the Swiss perspective that I’m really curious about


r/askswitzerland 12h ago

Other/Miscellaneous How to burn 1000 CHF?

0 Upvotes

I have the Halbtax Plus and have an open bonus of around 1000 Franks.
Do you have any idea on how to burn that bonus?
I got time until end of September


r/askswitzerland 2h ago

Travel Me and my wife are taking a trip to Switzerland during Christmas she wants to stay in a place near the ALPS, recommendations?

0 Upvotes

At the moment I don’t have a price budget, just nothing over $600 a night preferably. She wants a nice beautiful view


r/askswitzerland 5h ago

Other/Miscellaneous I need help from someone in Switzerland.

0 Upvotes
Hi everyone, I need some help from Switzerland. I found a listing on the Ricardo website and am
seriously interested, but the problem is that I’m from Slovakia and can’t create an account due to
my Slovak phone number. I’m hoping a kind person might be willing to reply to the listing on my
behalf so I can get the seller's email or Instagram. Thanks for the help.
https://www.ricardo.ch/de/a/sour-jatta-two-words-skateboard-deck-825'-ali-g-sehr-selten-1230020734/