Dating in Switzerland can be confusing, especially for new expats. But there are plenty of singles looking to settle down. You just need to know where to find them. You might encounter various roadblocks when dating in Switzerland: · Finding people to date · Confidently approaching locals · Cultural differences · Understanding local dating faux pas…

We speak to Daniel Shalom, the founder of Rigby AG, about the role of staffing companies in the Swiss job market and how recruiters can help expats find a suitable role. Daniel describes the difference between contracts, projects, and permanent placements. Then, he talks about the reasons why so many businesses work with a recruitment company and h…

We speak to Pragati Siddhanti, the founder of the popular blog My Swiss Story, about how expats can get set up and build a successful career in Switzerland. Pragati shares how she came to Switzerland over eight years ago and has since worked as a technology leader in large, international companies, set up her blog and community, and become a guest …

We speak to Lisa Arnet from the Swiss Tourism Federation about sustainable tourism in Switzerland. The classification “Swisstainable” was created around three years ago. While it stated with only a few service providers, over 2,000 businesses and multiple destinations are involved today. Lisa explains the three dimensions of sustainability, how the…

We speak to four women from the Zurich International Women’s Association about social groups and expat life in Switzerland. Karin, Martha, Debbie, and Carolina offer diverse perspectives on finding a social network. They speak about topics such as how to approach your neighbours, what you can do to meet others in your community, and how to juggle w…

We speak to Carolyn Schönafinger from Holidays to Switzerland about travelling around Switzerland. Carolyn has been visiting Switzerland for over 30 years and runs her own travel podcast. She tells us about four famous places (Lucerne, the Berner Oberland, Zermatt, and Montreux) as well as several destinations off the beaten track. We also talk abo…

We speak to Serge Frech, the director of the Swiss national association of ICT training (ICT-Berufsbildung), about basic and continued IT training in Switzerland. Unlike in many countries, most Swiss IT professionals complete vocational training. After achieving a basic degree, they can continue their education by obtaining a federal or advanced fe…

We speak to Laura Vrinceanu, who got her IT job through Rigby, about moving to Zurich, Switzerland. Laura relocated a year and a half ago to work for a bank as a Tableau developer. With seven years of professional experience under her belt, she is committed to never stop learning and strive for excellence in her field of work. Moving to Zurich has …

We speak to the Swiss education consultant Stefanie Busse about local, bilingual, and international schools in Switzerland. As a former German teacher, Stefanie has first-hand experience teaching in both public and international schools in Switzerland. She has been advising expat families for over 10 years about the Swiss education system and colla…

We speak to the food experts Jessica Manurung and David Moginier about regional foods in Switzerland, particularly in the cantons of Basel and Vaud. Jessica is a Basel-based food blogger. She has been sharing her restaurant recommendations on social media since 2019. Last year, she published the Basel Cookbook, sharing a mix of innovative and tradi…

In this episode, we speak to the finance blogger Baptiste Wicht about Switzerland’s financial system. Baptiste has been running his blog The Poor Swiss for over six years. He helps expats and locals find the best financial products such as savings and investment accounts, pension providers, and credit cards. He also writes about financial independe…

In this episode, we speak to the artist Nikolai Kleist Burkal about art in Switzerland. Nikolai grew up in Greenland and has lived in several countries before settling in Switzerland in 2022 due to a work opportunity. He runs the platform Art-Beats, where he publishes articles on the pulse of art scenes, trends, and art activities internationally. …

In this episode, we speak to the authors Anita Lehmann and Katie Hayoz about immigration in Switzerland. Anita and Katie have recently published a book called 50 Amazing Swiss Immigrants. It features people of all walks of life, both historical and contemporary, who have made Switzerland their home. Join us as we talk about common reasons for movin…

In this episode, we speak to Swiss German teacher Rahel Roth and bestselling cartoonist/author Sergio Lievano about Swiss German. We explore whether expats should learn this dialect or focus on standard German instead. Rahel’s series of books, Swiss German for English Speakers, is one of the few resources that teaches Swiss German from scratch. Ser…

In this episode, we speak to Ben Crawshaw from Zurich Together about how newcomers can use expat groups to build long-lasting friendships. Originally from Manchester, Ben moved to Switzerland as a child. He is an event manager and the founder of Zurich Together, a large international community that hosts a wide range of events in and around Zurich.…

In this episode, we speak to James Macsay and Margaret Reilly Baer from the American International Club Zurich about how expats can build a social network in Switzerland. Margaret is the president of the AICZ, and James is on the board of the Association of American Clubs. They have both been living in Switzerland for many years, and they’re part o…

Hi everyone, It’s Daniel here from Rigby. I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the summer so far, and I'd like to take a moment to thank you for joining us and following the podcast until now. We recently crossed the two-year milestone since we started, and during that time we've looked into quite a few different topics and spoken with lots of…

In this episode we welcome back Margaret Oertig, to continue the conversation about schools in Switzerland. In our first call together we covered what’s different about the Swiss school system, what is taught at Kindergarten, getting ready for secondary school, common issues that incomers sometimes find challenging, the different paths available in…

Today we’d like introduce you to another member of our team, who will be joining us on the podcast, Kathrin Spinnler! Kathrin is Swiss, from Bern originally, currently living and working in the UK. Kathrin has a background in the Swiss education system and is part of our content team here at Rigby. In this episode, we’ll be talking about the Swiss …

In this episode we'll be speaking once again with Anita Lehmann who joined us for episode 19. Anita is a multi-award winning author of 9 books for children and adults, with her picture book 'Slobber, Slobber, Kiss, Kiss' shortlisted for the German Children's Literature Prize in 2020. Born and raised in Bern, Anita moved to Geneva as a student, for …

Please join us for another talk about life in Switzerland🇨🇭 Today we are joined by Katrin Gygax. Katrin and her family emigrated from Switzerland to Canada when she was four years old. Now based back in Zurich as a travel writer, essayist and translator, she is the author of the cycling guide ‘Flat Switzerland’, and ‘Today's Office Looks Like This …

To celebrate International Women's Day, in this episode we welcome the authors of the book 50 Amazing Swiss Women; Laurie Theurer, Katie Hayoz, Anita Lehmann, Alnaaze Nathoo and Barbara Nigg.Rigby AG

In this episode, we welcome authors Melinda and Robert Schoutens of Freshairkids.com. Originally from the US but now living in Switzerland since 2007, the Schoutens are the authors of three family-friendly, useful guides about hiking and fun outdoor activities to do in Switzerland. If you are interested in getting outdoors and taking advantage of a…

In this episode, we welcome author and publisher Richard Harvell. Richard was born in New Hampshire in the US and now lives in Basel here in Switzerland, where he is Head of USA Publishing at Helvetiq, and Publisher at Bergli Books. In addition to being a publisher, Richard is a best-selling author in his own right, with work translated into 15+ la…

In this episode, we welcome Veronica DeVore. Veronica is a Swiss-American dual national, living in Bern and working as Head of Audience at SWI swissinfo.ch. We speak with Veronica about her background, her experience of living here in Switzerland having grown up in the US, about the Swiss media landscape and about how certain stories in the news he…

In this episode, we welcome back Clare O'Dea, who spoke with us once before about Swiss neutrality. Clare is an Irish author and journalist living in Fribourg, here in Switzerland. She worked for the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation for 10 years, and she's written three books, 'The Naked Swiss: The Nation Behind 10 Myths'…

In this episode, we speak about foreigners in Switzerland. We look at who they are, where they live, voting rights and more.Rigby AG

We have something a little bit different again for you this time, which is another conversation with Beth Zurbuchen. Beth is the President of the Swiss Centre of North America, and Diccon met with her in New Glarus as part of his recent tour of the US. In this conversation, Beth tells us a little bit about her experience of travelling in Switzerlan…

In this episode, we speak about a few things to do during the summer in Switzerland.Rigby AG

We have something a bit different for you this time, which is a conversation between Diccon and Beth Zurbuchen. Beth is the President of the Swiss Center of North America, and Diccon met with her in New Glarus, as part of his recent tour of the US. In this conversation, Beth tells us a bit about her experience of holding onto her Swiss heritage whi…

In this episode, we’ll be talking about the Swiss abroad, or die fünfte Schweiz. We'll look at where some of the Swiss who moved abroad went and why.Rigby AG

In this episode, we’ll be talking about Swiss neutrality, in light of Switzerland’s recent decision to join the international community in imposing sanctions on Russia. Switzerland has not officially taken part in conflict since 1815 and Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. This neutrality is a key principle of Swiss foreign policy, and has allowed its d…

In this episode, we look at putting your foot in it and getting things wrong.Rigby AG

In this episode we have something a little different for you, which is a talk with the author Andie Pilot. Andie is a trained pastry chef, with a Swiss mother, who grew up in Canada and moved to Switzerland in 2010. She started a blog about Swiss food, Helvetic Kitchen, in 2015 and from there has published three books: Helvetic Kitchen, Drink like …

In this episode, we speak about some of the traditions of winter here in Switzerland.Rigby AG

Money in SwitzerlandRigby AG

In this episode we take a brief run through Swiss history.Rigby AG, Diccon Bewes

In this episode we speak about various aspects of travel in Switzerland.Rigby AG

In this episode we take a closer look at the Swiss political system of direct democracy.Rigby AG

In this episode we tackle seven things you always wanted to know about life in Switzerland, but were maybe too afraid or too embarrassed to ask!Rigby AG