Wendy is an occupational therapist in Switzerland: ‘We can see the slopes from home’

• Who: Wendy Bart
• Profession: Occupational therapist
• Where: Interlaken, Switzerland
• Abroad since: December 2021

How did you end up in Switzerland?

“I heard during my occupational therapy studies about people who had found a job in Switzerland. I had also once been approached on LinkedIn by a recruiter for a position there, but I didn’t follow up. Later I jokingly tagged my boyfriend in a vacancy for a physiotherapist position in Switzerland, and he became really enthusiastic right away.”

But you needed a bit more time to think about it.

“Yes, I immediately thought, how are we going to do that? We would live far away from our families and we didn’t speak any German. But at the same time, I was curious. We both love mountain hiking and my boyfriend is a big winter sports fan. Little by little, we became more excited and started talking to a special recruitment agency. Last December we ended up in a small village near Interlaken and now we both work at the hospital around the corner.”

“The Swiss consider our education level very high, so they are happy to hire occupational therapists from the Netherlands.”

Why are Dutch occupational therapists in such demand?

“They are quite rare here. The training takes a long time and there is only one place in Switzerland where you can study it. In the Netherlands there are many more options. The Swiss also think our education level is very high, so they like to hire Dutch occupational therapists.”

How is your German coming along?

“When we heard we were moving, we immediately started using a language app. Later we took an online course from a language school in Berlin. The Swiss accent is still quite difficult to understand, but you pick it up quickly. I often ask my colleagues to speak very slowly or in High German.”

Do you enjoy your new job?

“I always worked in rehabilitation centers before and a hospital is very different. I am often assigned to the ICU, which is very interesting. Normally the physiotherapists did that work, but now we do it together. I have a lot of freedom to organize my work in my own way and that is really nice.”

What took some getting used to when you moved to Switzerland?

“The cost of living. Even after more than two months it still surprises me. Groceries are very expensive, for 500 grams of minced meat you easily pay 7 euros. Going out is expensive too, but we still do it. When you go to the slopes, you don’t just sit there with a cheese sandwich.”

“I had never been skiing before, but I found out I absolutely love it.”

What do you enjoy most about your life there?

“Our home is great and so is the area. It is very peaceful and we live incredibly close to the mountains. I can even see the ski slope from our living room window. If it stays like this, I never want to leave. But of course, I do miss my family and friends. And I miss the beach, I can’t go for a Sunday walk by the sea anymore. But when you see the view here, you forget about that quickly.”

What do you like to do on weekends?

“We ski a lot. I had never been on a ski trip before, but I discovered I really love it. Some slopes are still quite challenging, but luckily I am taking lessons. Recently some friends came to visit and we turned it into a real ski holiday. Everyone kept saying, ‘You two actually live here.’ We still say the same thing every morning when we look outside.”

Article source: nu.nl