Working as a physiotherapist in Switzerland: Milena found her place in Zurich

What is it like to start working as a physiotherapist in Switzerland immediately after graduating?

Milena is originally from Germany, studied physiotherapy in the Netherlands and found her first job in Zurich with the support of PhysioMatch. She has now been living and working in Switzerland for eleven months and has truly found her place there.

Before starting her studies, Milena had already spent some time living in the United States. Moving to a new environment was therefore not entirely new to her. She already knew that she enjoyed discovering new countries and cities. Still, starting her first job as a physiotherapist in a new country immediately after graduating was naturally exciting.

Fortunately, she felt well supported from the very beginning.

Swiss German also turned out to be less difficult than she had expected. According to Milena, the dialect spoken in Zurich is not particularly strong. And whenever she does not understand something, she finds that people are happy to help or repeat themselves.

Why work as a physiotherapist in Switzerland?

After graduating, Milena explored several options. The working conditions in Germany appealed to her less, partly because treatment sessions can sometimes last only around twenty minutes.

She deliberately looked for a workplace where she could devote enough time and energy to her patients while still having sufficient space for her own life.

The many positive stories about Switzerland, the attractive working conditions, the natural surroundings and the option of working an 80% schedule ultimately convinced her.

What she particularly appreciates now is the independence she has in her work. She largely schedules her patients herself and can adjust her diary when, for example, someone temporarily requires more intensive treatment following an accident.

She has also noticed that the Swiss healthcare system allows for longer treatment programmes when necessary. This enables her to tailor her therapy more effectively to what a patient needs at that moment.

Working four days a week

Milena spreads her working hours across four days, which suits her very well.

“I can give my patients 100 percent because I work fewer days.”  

Her four-day working week allows her to maintain enough energy for both her work and herself. When completing further training, she also considers it important to have enough time for it. She discussed this openly with her employer from the outset.

Working in Switzerland also provides her with a great deal of financial security. Although Zurich is an expensive city, Milena lives quite minimally and is therefore still able to save a good amount of money.

For her, the main advantage is being able to work efficiently and with full concentration while still having enough time for her personal interests and life outside work.

Continuing your development as a physiotherapist

Milena also wants to continue developing professionally.

She is currently completing an online course in biomechanics, which is paid for by her employer. Among other things, the course teaches her to better understand the causes of complaints, structure diagnoses and provide treatment more efficiently.

In the future, she may want to specialise further in manual therapy or sports physiotherapy. For now, however, she feels it is more important to build a strong general foundation first and then decide which direction suits her best.

Living and working in Zurich: city and nature combined

Outside work, Milena also feels very comfortable in Zurich. She enjoys living in a vibrant city but also wants to be able to reach nature quickly. Zurich offers her precisely that combination.

Within a short time, she can be at Lake Zurich or surrounded by greenery. During the summer, she can visit the water after work, sit in the sun and enjoy the view.

She also finds the area surrounding Lake Zurich very beautiful. From there, you have wonderful views across the lake and, on clear days, even as far as the Alps. At weekends, she enjoys heading into the mountains. At the same time, she has built a lovely social circle in Zurich and found a dance community, among other things.

For her, it is the ideal combination: plenty of life in the city alongside many opportunities to relax and unwind.

“I have my work, but I also have my life”

Naturally, there were also a few things Milena had to get used to at first. The length of the working days in particular was different from what she was accustomed to.

At the same time, the practice’s long opening hours offer a great deal of flexibility. There are early and late shifts, for example, allowing her to adapt her working hours to what suits her best on a particular day. She can also spread her hours across fewer days and manage part of her schedule herself.

It is precisely this freedom that makes such a big difference to her.

For physiotherapists who are still unsure about moving to Switzerland, she therefore recommends first asking themselves what truly matters to them.

If you enjoy your work but also want enough time and energy for your own life, Milena believes Switzerland could be an excellent fit.

After work, she can visit the lake, spend her weekends in the mountains and continue developing professionally at the same time.

Milena sums it up best herself:

“I feel like I have my work, but also truly have my own life alongside it.”  

Would you also like to work as a physiotherapist in Switzerland?

Can you imagine yourself working as a physiotherapist in Switzerland?

At PhysioMatch, we guide you through the process step by step: from the initial introduction and recognition of your diploma to finding a job and a region that truly suit you.