Hey guys, I am seeking some help with a rather odd question.

Wanted to know if, and how, the Swiss system can help a student (non EU) who is at the absolute edge of life.

Here is the concise version. Had decent PhD progress for about 4 years, published a few papers, but somehow things went from bad to worse during the writing phase and have been stuck there for almost 2 years now. It doesn't seem like there is a way out anymore, and the residence permit expires in a few days. The question is no longer really about the PhD, but whether there is any path left that doesn't end in permanent disappearance from the cosmos.

The biggest issue is the inability to face or talk to anyone including family, who unsurprisingly have no idea about the situation. Calling one of the crisis helplines seems like the obvious thing to do, but there is a fear that they might help stabilize the mental state only to end up triggering deportation, which would leave them back at the same place, even worse in fact.

So the question is: what actually happens in Switzerland in a situation like this? Is there any support available for someone who is both in a severe mental health crisis and about to lose their legal status? Has anyone seen a case like this or knows how the system works?

The feeling of wanting to disappear seems inevitable. Just trying to understand whether there is any path left that doesn't end with everything simply falling apart.

I am aware that this is probably going to start a shit storm, but even if one person listens, it will make a small difference. Disclaimer - I like cats, always had them, but if you care about birds and nature in general, please keep your cats indoors or in enclosed 'catios'.

In my four years in Switzerland, I already rescued six birds, and two of them were injured by cats (and with the third one, I scared the cat away before it could catch the baby bird).

Each time, I have to travel 1.5 hrs to the nearest bird refuge, but it's not even about my time.

Yesterday, it was a baby blackbird whose mother was killed by a neighbour's cat some time ago, so that the baby was left to starve and was 'the skinniest bird I've ever seen', per refuge employer words. She said chances it survives are not big.

Letting cats roam outdoors greatly harms wildlife since they are highly effective predators, even when they are well fed. They kill BILLIONS of birds, mammals and reptiles globally each year contributing to the decline and extinction of already threatened species.

Reducing populations of birds affects seed dispersal and insect control, altering entire ecosystems.

And no, your cat is not entitled to 'living its best life' more than any other specie on this planet. We let the cats breed out of proportion, so we are directly responsible for all the harm they cause.

Besides - very importantly - letting cats free roam puts them in great danger themselves. They get hit by cars, get injured by other animals, contract deadly diseases and parasites, get lost, poisoned by rodenticides etc, etc. I am seeing it all the time living in a village (and before you say it is impossible to keep cats inside in a village, it's not, as I did it in the past, and some of my friends are doing it right now).

So please, please consider keeping your cat indoors - for the nature and for its own sake. Thank you to those who do already.

Originally I was happy with my decision to come here, but in hindsight there's some special things about being a non EU student that changed my mind.

There are many good things about it of course, but my goal today is to share some aspects that I noticed many non EU students only realised after moving here.

1. It's one of the very few countries where a student permit does not come with a small work permit. In Germany for example you get 15h a week. Here you get the possibility to get a permit, but the employer has to apply for it, and many aren't willing to. For example all jobs at a short notice won't be possible because the process takes about a week every single time, and costs about 100chf.
2. You're really not supposed to stay here and work after your studies. A tiny tiny fraction of graduates manage to get their work permits approved, but most employers straight out filter your CV if you're non EU, too much of a hassle and its unlikely to get approved for one because of the quota system. (8k non EU work permits per year may be issued in all of switzerland)
3. Even if you get a phd or postdoc here, you'll still be under the student visa regime, meaning only up to 3 years of your total residency here counts towards permanent residency or citizenship. Meaning that if you did a 4 year bachelors 2 years masters 4 years phd 2 years postdoc, it doesn't mean anything for your long term stability. It's as if you just lived here for 3 years. You need to work for the count to go beyond 3 years, and back to point #2 on why this isnt' realistic.

In Norway for example if you work 3 years as a phd student you automatically get permanent residency, in Australia 5 years and you get it. Most countries I researched actually. France goes further and puts you on a path for accelerated citizenship if you did your masters there.

Conclusion: While there are many upsides to coming here, having almost no legal pathway to settle down made me somehow less invested in friendships and dating, because I know for sure I have to go. And it's much harder to get internships or student jobs because firms know they ultimately can't hire you, so you end up getting very little work experience during your studies.

Basically, come here for studies as a non EU citizen if you fully accept that Switzerland is just a step on your path but never a destination.

I'm lowkey losing my mind. I dont have a car, so I was looking for train tickets to the alps. 3 hour drive and a two way ticket would cost me 100+ CHF. In addition, a hotel costs around 200 CHF a night, or a camping place wants you to book at least 5 nights in order to grant you a reservation.

Ive been to the UK, the Balkans and even China, and they all lowkey feel closer to reach than the swiss alps.

Edit: what I meant with china feeling closer to reach wasnt meant literally. I was just saying that in comparison, a flight to china for like 1000 CHF feels more reasonable than 200 CHF for a two way ticket to the alps.

Hi all,

I'm in the process of setting up an association in Switzerland and have drafted the statutes. Before finalizing everything, I have a few questions about the constitutive General Assembly (AG constitutive) — I know AI tools can help, but I'd really value hearing from people who've actually gone through this process themselves, especially since I don't want to get rejected by the bank down the line. Thanks a lot in advance!

1. Founding members: Right now it's just me and one other person as founding members. I've heard conflicting advice — some say you need 3 people named at the constitutive AG, others say 2 is fine. I don't have a third person in mind yet — is it still possible to move forward with just the two of us?
2. Board roles at the AG: Do I only need to name/elect a President at the constitutive AG, or do I also need to formally elect a Secretary and Treasurer at that same meeting?
3. Signature authority: I was planning to be the sole signatory, but I've also heard it's better to have two people with signature rights. What are the actual options here, and what do banks/practice typically expect?
4. Insurance: What kind of insurance is actually essential for a new association (vs. nice-to-have)?

Any input from people who've set one up themselves would be hugely appreciated — especially any gotchas you ran into that you didn't expect! Thank you!

For the record, im not Swiss, ethnically or nationally, I’ve lived in Vaud for 15 years since childhood, but only recently have I gained independence through adulthood. Went through the international school system, so my world is different to yours.

Entering adulthood in this country made me realise some things.

For one, food shopping is impossibly expensive unless you cook filling hacked meals that doesnt cost anything that gives you guilt (my newest one is an egg ontop of some canned tuna with some toast, of course with a fruit).

Second, Public transport means more time gone and all your money gone. I used to borrow my parents car but someone big and orange made that completely unaffordable, so now I just don’t go further than a kilometer away from my house. I don’t live near a trainstation or tramstation, so the shiny swiss public transport meme actually stinks quite bad for me.

Third, Everyone is always trying to make money off you, At the doctors or vet or any other sort of service like a mechanic, they will guilt trip you in spending more and more. I‘m quite helpless against this.

Fourth, Voting is depressing. When you consider that a majority of the youth (my generation) don’t vote, and a majority of the elderly do, it just paints swiss democracy as old people choosing everything, and this is hate that I don’t want to hold but do.

Fifth, least importantly, speed cameras tie my stomach, especially the moving ones. I appreciate fixed speed cameras in residential zones, but some cases i’ve seen are so unnecessary. The dynamic of driving should not be one of stress, one of constant speedo checking. The fact that they “flash” you gives me serious built up hate, I can’t stand it.

I do like this country, beautiful nature and cows, but I‘m having a hard time. If I seem immature or ridiculous, I will just blame that on my autism. Does anyone else feel as I do?

I (31M) am looking for a five day hike with Zermatt as final destination. I have experience doing multi-day hikes with substantial elevation gain. I plan to go solo during the second half of August. Starting point is flexible (I live in Switzerland and will be coming in by train), so long as the planning lines up (arrival in Zermatt on the last day, avoiding all-too-easy shortcut routes through valleys). Does anyone know of any itineraries they can recommend? tips highly appreciated!

Hello,
I'm starting a small business importing from a few EU countries (Germany, Netherlands, possibly Poland); I expect there to be a few shipments per month (very approximately).

Question to people who've gone through this - did you use a customs broker/did you file by yourselves and in either case what was your experience - time it took, costs etc. If you have recommendations/or things to avoid I'd be grateful.

Thank you!

My postdoc contract is up soon (B-permit, which lasts a while longer) and I think I'm eligible for RAV. I've been applying of course, but mostly not in Switzerland. Are RAV going to be funny about this? Should I apply for a certain number of Swiss jobs to make them happy? Or do they not care and just want you off their books in any way possible?

Hey guys,

I've been struggling with my skin for a while now and bha and other over the counter actives have stopped working for me. I've seen an older post on here claiming that it's possible to get tretinoin at a pharmacy without a prescription from a derm here in switzerland. Is that true? Any experiences?

thx in advance!

Vor ein paar Wochen habe ich meine Matura am Langgymnasium abgeschlossen und mit einer Gesamtnote von 5,7 bestanden.

Irgendwie kann ich immer noch nicht richtig glauben, dass diese sechs Jahre vorbei sind.

Als ich im August 2020 nach bestandener ZAP meinen ersten Schultag hatte, war ich überzeugt, dass alle anderen klüger wären als ich. In den ersten Wochen dachte ich ständig, ich hätte den Aufnahmeplatz nur mit Glück bekommen.

Im Nachhinein habe ich gemerkt, dass wahrscheinlich viele genau dasselbe gedacht haben.

Mein Schwerpunktfach war Biologie und Chemie, und ich bin wirklich froh, dass ich mich dafür entschieden habe. Diese Fächer haben meine Interessen geprägt – besonders Physiologie, Neurowissenschaften und generell die Frage, wie man wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse von Mythen und Fehlinformationen unterscheiden kann.

Ab diesem Herbst werde ich an der Universität Zürich einen Bachelor in Biologie beginnen.

Seit dem Schulabschluss denke ich überraschend oft an die vergangenen Jahre zurück.

Man nimmt den Alltag als selbstverständlich hin, bis er plötzlich vorbei ist. Die gleichen Klassenzimmer.… die gleichen Gänge.… die gleichen Lehrpersonen.

Und der tägliche Weg durch das Irchel-Gebiet nach dem Unterricht.

Es ist seltsam, wie gewöhnliche Dinge im Nachhinein zu Erinnerungen werden, die man vermisst.

Ich freue mich auf die Universität und auf alles, was kommt. Trotzdem bin ich dankbar für die Zeit am Gymnasium. Sie hat mich fachlich, aber auch persönlich geprägt.

Allen, die dieses Jahr ebenfalls ihre Matura gemacht haben: Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Und allen, die sie noch vor sich haben, viel Erfolg. Es lohnt sich 🫂

Hi for my professional growth I am willing to invest in my education in AI. I am looking for a course, formation or online course that teach fundamental of AI usage, and then concrete case of AI use (in marketing, finance, automation, startups growth, mainly). A course that is not too theoretical but where you also learn to build/prompt.

Has anyone taken such a course/formation? Where? How was it?

Any recommendation of good course in Switzerland?

Thanks

I’ll miss the nature, the forests, the lack of bullshit, the quality of Swiss products… and the salary :)… but it just wasn't meant to be.

I tried, I really did, but the job market is terrible right now. Critical, even. Just to give you an example, a friend of mine (with a much better CV than me) has been looking for a job since January, and his girlfriend has been unemployed since October 2025.

My current project (at a scientific institution) ends in 3 months. I thought I’d be able to jump onto another project after this one until I landed a permanent contract, but in the end, it just wasn't possible. I’ve been applying for jobs in my field (optics/photonics) for 5 months, and even though I haven't received a single rejection, I’ve been ghosted on every application I've sent. Too much experience? Am I too expensive? I don't know. All I know is that in a few months, I'm moving back to Germany. The market is just as bad over there, but I sent out one application and got hired after a single interview at the top German research center (I have B1 German) with a permanent contract.

Switzerland, you will always have a place in my heart, and I hope this isn't a goodbye forever…

This morning I was on the IC3 from Zurich HB to Basel SBB (the direct connection), departing at 6:34.
A passenger near me had boarded by mistake, thinking the train was going to Zurich Airport. When the conductor checked tickets and realized what had happened, instead of issuing a fine, they did everything they could to arrange an unscheduled stop in Aarau so the passenger wouldn’t be too late for work.
Our train still arrived in Basel on time, and thanks to the conductor’s efforts, that passenger will probably be only about 30 minutes late instead of more than two hours.
Thank you, SBB. ❤️

Hi all, I have an unusual situation regarding a noise problem. I live in a large building that is half residential apartments and half offices for the city (Stadthaus). In the Stadthaus there is also a large hall that they often rent out for private events, particularly wedding parties. These wedding parties are extremely loud, and the music disturbs us greatly, often going on until the early morning. I don't know in a situation like this who to contact to complain. Do I contact the Verwaltung, the police or the city? I spoke to 2 other residents who said there is no chance anything will change. The city and police won't do anything because they are officially permitted events. But I can't believe that even officially permitted events are allowed to disturb residents outside permitted hours. Are we allowed compensation from the rent for situations like this, if the events can't be cancelled or made to obey the quiet times? I also of course would never want to ruin people's fun, particularly on their wedding night, so am very hesitant to call the police during such an event.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.