Living and working in Geneva

The canton

• Population: 510,000
• Franco-Vaudo-Geneva region: 1 million
• Median salary: CHF 7,800/month
• Language: French + ubiquitous English

Economy

• Private banking: Pictet, Lombard Odier, UBP, Mirabaud
• Trading: Cargill, Mercuria, Trafigura, Vitol, Gunvor
• Watchmaking: Patek Philippe, Rolex (HQ), Vacheron
• IOs: UN, WHO, WTO, ICRC, WIPO, CERN
• Pharma: Firmenich (DSM), Givaudan, Symrise

Housing

• 3.5 rooms city: CHF 2,600-3,400/month
• Periphery: CHF 2,200-2,800
• Purchase: CHF 1.3-2.8M
• Vacancy: 0.5% (most tense in CH)
• France cross-border: popular alternative

Schools

• International School (Ecolint): world reference
• IHEID: international relations
• University of Geneva: medicine, law, sciences
• HEC Lausanne accessible

Transport

• GVA airport: 145 direct destinations
• Léman Express: cross-border France
• TGV Paris 3h, Milan 4h

Practical life

• Lake Geneva: swimming, sailing, paddle
• Mont-Blanc: visible, skiing in France 1h
• Starred restaurants: 14 Michelin
• Festival: Geneva Lux, Fête de la Musique

Tips

• C1 English: sufficient for 40% of jobs (multinationals, IOs)
• Geneva is expensive: consider Vaud or cross-border
• IOs: different processes, see publicjobs.ch
• Network: HEC, IHEID, Pictet alumni