杏吧原创

FOR a nation with a history of making complicated clockwork, it is no surprise that Switzerland is top of the heap when it comes to precision, high-tech research. The country boasts two Federal Institutes of Technology, the CERN particle physics laboratory and a major IBM research facility. It is also home to big names in pharmaceuticals such as Roche and Novartis 鈥� and who can forget its world-famous chocolate industry?

With British citizens able to work in Switzerland visa-free, annual salaries of up to 拢72,000 for experienced researchers and the option of skiing in your lunch break, it鈥檚 easy to see why Switzerland appeals to so many. So where can you make your mark?

Computing clout

IBM is one of many global companies that have research centres in Switzerland. Its R眉schlikon lab, just south of Zurich, attracts talent from all over the world: 80 per cent of the research staff come from abroad.

The lab is a leader in digital storage technology as well as semiconductor and optical electronics for computer networks. Plans to build a top-class nanotechnology research centre on the site are under way: it is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

The lab recruits from a range of disciplines, including physics, chemistry and maths, says Irene Holenweger Koeb of IBM human resources. It also has a thriving bioscience group working on the application of nanotechnology to the life sciences, among other areas. Most positions require a PhD, though the lab also employs around 100 undergraduates and graduates each year.

Paul Hurley, a researcher in IBM鈥檚 systems software group, enjoys the informality of his working environment: IBM encourages a relaxed office culture that includes meetings over lunch or coffee.

With so many of its employees not being Swiss nationals, the company offers ample support to help new employees acclimatise and has a policy of paying relocation expenses. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to us that new hires settle in easily,鈥� says Koeb.

German lessons, paid for by IBM, bring together employees who are new to Zurich. The standard German taught is different from what Zurich natives speak, so although Hurley has attended the classes, he says it takes a bit more practice to pick up the 鈥淪wiss-isms鈥�.

Raising the chocolate bar

Switzerland is known for its chocolate, but being Swiss is not a prerequisite for making it well. 鈥淚n our company we have 44 nationalities and 18 languages,鈥� says Jos茅 Rubio of Lindt鈥檚 human resources department.

杏吧原创s can find jobs in quality management, research and development and on the factory floor. Those working in R&D help develop new recipes and products, as well as designing and building new machines for making them. However, you might prefer to hone your skills in quality management, where you will have the pleasant task of testing the products to make sure they are up to the company鈥檚 high standards.

Foreign staff must speak at least one of the Swiss official tongues, says Rubio. Most positions require a good level of German, particularly important when working with Swiss colleagues on production lines, as many do not understand English.

Lindt draws many of its employees from two major higher-education institutions around Zurich: the and the , part of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Enrolling at one of these can give young food scientists an edge in getting a job at Lindt or another Swiss food manufacturer.

The ETH in German-speaking Zurich has a sister institution, the . With over 250 research groups and 10,000 students and faculty, it emphasises interdisciplinary scientific research. 鈥淲e have a strong neurosciences group,鈥� says Mary Parlange of EPFL鈥檚 human resources department, who also cites robotics and plasma physics as some of its strengths. The institute鈥檚 technology transfer programmes ensure that useful tools and methods make it out of the lab and into industry.

EPFL also builds bridges to other institutions, maintaining close ties with the University of Lausanne and beyond. 鈥淲e鈥檙e one of the leading collaborators at the nuclear facility ITER,鈥� Parlange adds, referring to the fusion laboratory being built in France.

Paul Hurley from IBM became strongly attracted to Switzerland as a student at EPFL. 鈥淚 was amazed at the salary that I could be offered as a PhD,鈥� he says, adding that students in the UK sometimes have to 鈥渇end for themselves鈥� in terms of funding. Jacques Giovanola, head of EPFL鈥檚 doctoral school, says that nearly 95 per cent of its PhD students have salaries secured by their supervisors.

聯I was amazed at the salary I could be offered as a PhD student聰

Particle people

With the start-up and unexpected shutdown of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in September, CERN has been featuring prominently in headlines. And with good reason: the LHC will ram protons into one another at unprecedented energies in an effort to unravel some of the fundamental knots in our understanding of the universe.

This mammoth project involves engineers, computer scientists, technicians and, of course, thousands of physicists. The UK has a strong presence at CERN in such figures as Lyn Evans, project leader for the LHC, and John Osborne, who heads the excavation of caverns and tunnels.

As the UK is one of CERN鈥檚 20 member states, British nationals can be employed directly by the laboratory. However, most scientists working on CERN projects are employed by organisations in their home country. Many British institutions, such as the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the University of Glasgow have several teams of students and faculty at CERN.

With as many as 2200 people working on a single experiment, communication skills are vital. Physicists and engineers at all levels spend hours each week discussing progress and solving problems in formal presentations or over coffee in the cafeteria.

Swiss style

This relaxed attitude percolates throughout Switzerland, with a big emphasis on leisure time and on enjoying the country鈥檚 spectacular landscape. But if you plan to seek work here, you should be aware of three major differences in lifestyle, Hurley says.

Firstly, like many expats, he finds the Swiss more reserved than folks back home. The Swiss may say yes or no in any of five languages (French, German, Italian, Romansch and, unofficially, English), but they often do it with one word. 鈥淚n Liverpool it takes 10 sentences to say yes or no,鈥� he says.

Another shock for some is that shops tend to close earlier 鈥� around 7 pm in Geneva and 8 pm in Zurich 鈥� and they don鈥檛 open at all on Sundays. And finally, it makes a refreshing change to be able to set your watch by the public transport system.

And the one thing all expats agree on? The chocolate may be fantastic, but the fondue鈥檚 even better.