From losing her passion for work to a second life in Switzerland: Nikki’s adventure
After eight years of working as a physiotherapist in the Netherlands, Nikki decided it was time for a change. In Switzerland, she rediscovered her enjoyment of her profession, built a new social life and found a lifestyle where work, mountains and free time come together beautifully.
Ready for a change
For eight years, Nikki worked as a physiotherapist in the Netherlands. She specialised in geriatrics, gained experience in complex care and even helped set up primary care physiotherapy within a nursing home organisation. It was not a lack of love for the profession. Still, over time, she noticed that her enjoyment of work was gradually disappearing.
Not because she no longer wanted to be a physiotherapist, but precisely because she loved treating people so much.
Nikki has now been living in Switzerland since February. A few months earlier she was still unsure about her next step; today, she looks towards the mountains from her home in the canton of Aargau. She enjoys her work again, has built up a social life in a short time and spends her days off hiking, exercising or riding her motorbike.
To Nikki, it no longer feels as though she has traded in her Dutch life.
The wish to move abroad kept coming back
The idea of living abroad one day had been on her mind for years. Every time Nikki went skiing in Austria, the same feeling returned: I could actually see myself staying here. In the end, Austria seemed less attractive from a physiotherapy career perspective, while Switzerland came up more and more often in conversations with colleagues in her network.
Why not look there?
The country offered exactly the combination that appealed to her: working as a physiotherapist, good employment conditions and, of course, the mountains. Nikki had already explored the possibilities before and attended an online PhysioMatch webinar a few years earlier. At that point, however, it remained mostly an orientation. After all, moving abroad is not something you do on a whim.
Her boyfriend also knew from the start that her wish to move abroad was serious.
The original plan was to move to Switzerland together. Her boyfriend, who works as a software engineer, therefore also started looking for a job. That turned out to be much more difficult than expected. Meanwhile, Nikki felt increasingly strongly that she no longer wanted to wait.
Not done with physiotherapy, but with everything around it
On paper, Nikki had little to complain about in the Netherlands. She had good working conditions and worked with a patient group she enjoyed. Yet regulations, networking and administrative obligations began to weigh on her more and more.
The problem was not the contact with patients. That was exactly the part that still gave her energy. According to Nikki, it was mainly all the surrounding conditions that took away her enjoyment of the profession.
At some point, the feeling became so strong that she knew: if I stay in the Netherlands, I will probably do something else.
After resigning from her job, she deliberately took a break. She enjoyed the summer and took some time for herself. But as autumn approached and the question arose of what she wanted to do next, the answer became increasingly clear. She contacted Dorien from PhysioMatch again.
This time, not just to explore her options.
From that moment on, things moved quickly. In November she started the process seriously, and a few months later she was living in Switzerland.
Choosing the place that felt right
For her new job, Nikki eventually spoke with two different practices. On paper, one of them was almost a perfect match for her background in geriatrics: working in the practice, making home visits and treating patients in a nursing home.
Yet she chose the other practice.
During the first video call, she immediately felt a connection. When they later met in person, that feeling only grew stronger. At the time, the practice offered less geriatric care than Nikki had originally been looking for, but she also saw a new challenge in that. In the Netherlands she had built something up before, and in Switzerland she could once again try to further develop geriatric expertise within the practice.
That turned out to be a good decision for her. She describes her current team as relaxed, approachable and supportive. Shortly after she started, they already had a team cheese fondue planned, followed by dinners and other team activities.
Being able to simply be a physiotherapist again
Professionally, Nikki also notices a major difference compared with her work in the Netherlands. In her current job, she experiences more freedom and less administrative pressure. Of course, Switzerland also has forms, insurance and regulations, but in her day-to-day work she feels far less stress about all the obligations surrounding it.
According to Nikki, working full-time in Switzerland does mean working hard and having longer working weeks than she was used to in the Netherlands. For her, however, that does not outweigh the difference in job satisfaction.
The contact with patients contributes to that as well. She feels highly appreciated and has already received plants, chocolate and other small gifts from patients. Sometimes an early patient even turns up with a croissant for her.
For someone who, just a few months earlier, seriously doubted whether she even wanted to continue as a physiotherapist, that may be the biggest change of all: her enjoyment of the profession is back.
“I want to see a mountain”
Outside work, things also started falling into place surprisingly quickly.
When looking for a home, Nikki really had just one important wish: I want to see a mountain.
And she got it.
She now lives in the canton of Aargau, roughly between Zurich, Lucerne and Basel. It is not surrounded by the highest Alpine peaks – Aargau is actually one of the flatter parts of Switzerland – but she can see the mountains from her home and can reach the real mountain landscape in about an hour. Several ski areas, the Black Forest, France and Austria are also within easy reach.
She also found her home faster than expected. Through Comparis, she came across an apartment she immediately loved. Because finding accommodation from the Netherlands can be difficult, a friend helped by viewing several apartments for her. Within a few weeks, two of the most important things had therefore been arranged: a job and a home.
Moving abroad alone without feeling alone
In the end, Nikki moved to Switzerland without her boyfriend. It could easily have been a lonely start, but that is hardly how she experienced it. Her boyfriend came with her for the first week, and from the start Nikki made a conscious effort to actively build her new life.
Waiting at home for people to come into her life on their own does not really suit her anyway.
She found a nearby CrossFit box, met people through work and discovered Bumble BFF. By now, she has made several Swiss friends.
Her love of motorcycling also turned out to be an easy way to meet people. In local online groups, all she has to do is ask whether anyone wants to go for a ride together, and there are soon people interested.
That attitude helped her social life grow quickly. Hiking with friends, CrossFit, motorcycling, visiting festivals or having a beer somewhere: Nikki is more likely to have too much to do than too little.
Learning German by simply using it every day
One thing Nikki was nervous about beforehand was the language. When she started, she did not feel confident in German at all. And as if Standard German was not challenging enough, in Switzerland she naturally also had to deal with Swiss German straight away.
Fortunately, her patients were understanding. They helped her when she did not know certain words, and over time communicating became more and more natural.
Some patients have known her since her first weeks at the practice and can see exactly how much progress she has made in a short time. The only thing Nikki sometimes wonders now is whether a new word she has picked up is actually German or Swiss German.
As long as everyone understands her, she is perfectly happy with that for now.
A new life that mostly takes place outdoors
When Nikki is not working, there is a good chance she can be found outdoors. She enjoys hiking in the mountains, discovering new cities and regions, riding her motorbike and exercising. Visitors from the Netherlands are immediately a good excuse to discover another place she has not yet seen herself.
As a result, her free time looks different from before.
In the Netherlands, a weekend was more likely to involve a party, going out for dinner or meeting up with someone. In Switzerland, she is now far more likely to be on a mountain, by the water or riding her motorbike through the countryside.
And she absolutely loves it.
Not everything happens by itself
That does not mean moving abroad is only about mountains, cheese fondue and beautiful motorbike rides.
The move itself immediately brought a practical problem when the moving van turned out to be too heavy. Paperwork also takes time. Nikki also noticed that a lot of expenses arrive at once in the first few months: a housing deposit, insurance, things for the home and other start-up costs.
If she could redo one practical thing, she would therefore leave with a larger financial buffer.
But perhaps her most important advice is to accept help. Ask people who already live in Switzerland how they arranged things and do not try to figure everything out on your own.
She also appreciated PhysioMatch’s support with this. Dorien helped her throughout the process with her preferences, practising German and practical questions surrounding her move to Switzerland. Even now, Nikki knows she can still get in touch if she has questions, for example about her recognition.
“It really feels like a second life”
Seven months after her move, Nikki does not need long to think about whether she is happy she took the step.
Absolutely.
Her boyfriend does not live in Switzerland yet, and of course she would love to explore the country further together in the future. At the same time, however, she has proved that she can also build a new life independently.
A life in which she has rediscovered her enjoyment of physiotherapy, made new friendships and can head into the mountains after work.
To Nikki, it therefore does not feel as though she has replaced her Dutch life.
And perhaps that sums up her adventure best. She moved to Switzerland because she was ready for a change. What she ultimately found there was much more than just a new job.
Thank you, Nikki, for sharing your story!
Would you, like Nikki, like to discover what it is like to work as a physiotherapist in Switzerland? PhysioMatch supports you throughout the entire process: from your first orientation and the recognition of your diploma to finding a workplace that suits you and the practical preparation for your move.
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