Is German necessary to work in Switzerland or can I get by with just English?
Well, Switzerland has four national languages, and despite what it may seem, English is not one of these four.
According to the BFS, German is spoken by the majority in Switzerland with 62.1% of the population, while 22.8% speak French, 8% speak Italian, and just 0.5% speak Romansch.
However, English is the largest non-national language and is spoken by 5.7% of the resident population.
No wonder then, that time and again this question is asked, whether German is really necessary to find a job in Switzerland.
Naturally, the answers below relate more to the German-speaking regions in Switzerland. Nonetheless, I have worked in a number of English speaking positions in Switzerland, including for one company based in Geneva and it is definitely possible to find English speaking jobs in and around Geneva.
1. The short answer: Yes, you can find work without speaking German
Yes, you can find a job in Switzerland without speaking German. In fact, many people have found jobs and managed to build a career in Switzerland without being fluent in German.
There are many international organisations and companies in Switzerland that have English as their company language. It is possible to find a job that does not require you to speak German or French in most larger Swiss cities. In Basel, Bern, Zurich, Lausanne, and Geneva you will have the highest chance of finding a job that does not require fluency in the local language.
Jobs that do not require German are the easiest to find in the IT industry, however you can find english speaking jobs in many more industries in Switzerland.
The industries most open to non-German speakers are IT, insurance, accounting, consulting, financial services, pharma, and higher education.
Just these few industries already employ a significant number of Swiss professionals and offer plenty of opportunities for job seekers.
So yes, German is not strictly necessary to work in Switzerland and you can find English speaking jobs.
The key lies in finding and then landing these jobs.
2. The long answer: It depends on your skills, your industry, the company culture
Although it is entirely possible to find a job in Switzerland without speaking the local language, a few caveats do apply.
First, you do need to the right combination of skills and experience to apply for the English speaking jobs.
Not being able to speak the local language is something that you need to compensate for with your other skills.
Secondly, you need to look for industries and positions that lend themselves to English speaking employees.
Industries, where English is the default language are the most likely to not require German. These industries are for example, IT (of course), banking and finance, but also higher education and academic institutions.
Moreover, there are multinational companies and companies that provide international goods that services that do not require German. For example, Nestle, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, among many others.
Companies that serve a domestic customer base or which involve direct client contact, will most likely require a high level of German and are not suited to monolingual English speakers.
Third, company culture matters. Companies in more conservative or traditional sectors will favour employees who speak German or even better Swiss German.
Some companies, despite having English as the company language, will just publish the reports and other materials in English, but then mostly use Swiss German for their daily interactions.
Therefore, it is important to get a feel for the company culture. Otherwise, you may end up in a company where you can work, but not make any connections, which really won’t do much for your career.
3. English speaking companies in Switzerland
Below is a list of companies that are located in or have an office in Switzerland, who recruit English speakers and where you do not need to speak German to work:
- Accenture is a professional services company with a strong emphasis on technology and is largely English speaking.
- ABB is a Swedish-Swiss technology company with headquarters in Zurich. It is internationally focused and has does not require German for many of its open positions.
- Credit Suisse is a Swiss bank with an international and domestic focus. There are many positions at Credit Suisse that do not require German or that actually prefer English.
- Citigroup is an American investment bank with offices in Zurich and Geneva and offers opportunities for English speakers.
- Deloitte is one of the Big Four and has offices in Bern, Geneva and Zurich. Although many positions require both English and German, it is possible to apply with only English.
- Ernst & Young have offices across Switzerland and the company language is English. Their recruitment day at the offices in Oerlikon, Zurich is also conducted fully in English.
- Google has a large campus in Zurich and naturally has many positions available that do not require German.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has an office in Wallisellen, Zurich and is largely English speaking, although they like to see some knowledge of German.
- KMPG has offices across Switzerland and many of their divisions work solely or primarily in English.
- Nestle is a big Swiss multinational company with offices in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The company requires fluency in English for most positions.
- SIX operates most of the infrastructure that holds the Swiss financial sector together. In the SIX Zurich office, German is not a strict requirement for many of the jobs.
- Swiss Re is the largest reinsurance company in the world. It has a beautiful office in Zurich and attracts talent from around the world.
- UBS is the largest Swiss bank and employs a number of people at its offices around Switzerland. German is not strictly necessary for UBS jobs.
- Zurich is a large insurance company located in Oerlikon, Zurich. Although the job ads request both English and German, it is possible to get by with just English.
These are the companies that I personally know where German is not necessary to find a job. But if you have a company to add to the list, please let me know in the comments below.
A small side note: due to banking secrecy and client confidentiality, many banks will block access to external translation sites and strictly prohibit the use of translating services. Therefore, do not apply to a bank with the thinking that you can just use a translator for those times when German is required.
4. Places to Look for English Speaking Jobs
Beyond the companies I have listed above, there are many other places where German is not strictly required. You can find these jobs through the recruitment agencies or the job sites listed below.
Recruitment Agencies to apply for to find non-German speaking jobs
- Adecco – the second largest recruitment agency in the world also has a strong presence in Switzerland.
- Future Watch – specialised on recruiting for multinationals in Switzerland.
- Michael Page – Michael Page recruits for a wide range of careers in Switzerland and has a job search on its website.
- Swiss Linx – a recruitment agency with a good reputation that mainly specialises in financial services, technology, consulting, and healthcare and life sciences jobs.
Job sites in Switzerland to search for English speaking jobs
- Jobs.ch – arguably the largest site in Switzerland to search for jobs.
- Jobs in Geneva – a job search aggregator for positions in Geneva.
- Jobs in Zurich – a job search aggregator for positions in Zurich.
- Telejob – a site for people looking to transition to academia started by ETH and with many English speaking positions available.
- Top Jobs – a good site to search with many positions all over Switzerland for professionals.
4. But all the job advertisements ask for German?!
If you have already looked at job ads, you might ask me why I say German is not necessary to work in Switzerland when most descriptions mention German in their requirements.
Firstly, I think that job descriptions should be seen more as an employer wishlist of what their idea of the perfect candidate should look like.
Often they are not rooted entirely in reality, and if you don’t fulfill a few of the descriptions (as long as they are not essential items like a special licence) this should not deter you from applying.
Secondly, it matters strongly how the “requirements” for the job are worded.
You can decipher from the job description whether German is truly required for the job or if it has been added by HR as a ‘nice to have’.
How to decipher job ads to find out if German is necessary
Here is what to look out for to determine whether the list of languages that Swiss recruiters like to add are actually required for the job:
1. “English fluency is required and knowledge of German is preferred”. This means you are absolutely fine with just English and should apply without hesitation.
2. “Fluency in English and basic knowledge of German is required”. Again you should apply directly (but maybe mention in the interview that you want to learn German).
3. “Good oral and written skills in English and German”. Look I know I may sound overly optimistic, but apply anyway. I have applied to jobs that asked for both, only then to be hired for my native English skills.
4. Don’t bother applying if the description says something about “Stilsicheres Deutsch in Wort und Schrift” or “Muttersprache (Schweizer-) Deutsch”. Then it’s game over and you should just apply somewhere else.
5. If the ad asks for “Sehr gute aktive Kenntnisse zweier Amtssprachen in Wort und Schrift sowie passive Kenntnisse der dritten Amtssprache; sehr gute mündliche und schriftliche Englischkenntnisse” then you’re probably looking at a job with the Federal government and any monolingual applicants can forget about applying.
5. What level of German should you have to work in Switzerland?
It should be clear by now that German is not necessary to work in Switzerland and in fact, many somehow manage to spend years here without learning more than ‘Gruezi’.
Nonetheless, it is a wise decision to learn some German to get by and enjoy your time in German-speaking Switzerland.
German is not the most fun language to learn, however, you can actually get surprisingly far with just a basic understanding.
Within your first year of arriving in Switzerland, aim to reach an A1/A2 level of German on the CEFR scale.
For business, a B1/B2 knowledge of German will mean you will be able to read and formulate basic emails and manage office social interactions in German.
Although a C1/C2 level of German is nice, it is not a necessity to work in Switzerland.
With just some basics you can get quite far. Therefore, investing in learning some German is worth it if you want to work in Switzerland for the long term, but it’s not a strict necessity to land the job.
