Christiane Kallfass
Steven - Senior Data Warehousing Consultant at s-peers AG - shares his experiences of moving from Saxony-Anhalt to Munich and later to Switzerland. In this interview, Steven explains what he particularly likes about Switzerland and why his move worked out so well.
Steven, where are you from and what do you do at s-peers AG?
I originally come from Saxony-Anhalt. My last stop before joining s-peers was in Munich at a German SAP consulting company. Since February 2022, I have been a Senior Data Warehousing Consultant as part of the Datenwerkstatt team. In short, this means that I mainly deal with SAP's data warehousing products, such as SAP Datasphere and BW/4HANA.
How did you decide to take the professional step to Switzerland?
In summer 2021, I was on vacation near Lake Zurich. Back then, we went on wonderful trips to Lake Walen and Lucerne and I quickly realized: I really like it here! I noticed that people were generally very friendly, whether it was the bus driver who was very obliging with information or the cashier who had time for a quick chat and asked how things were going.
I had wanted to gain experience abroad for a long time. It was important to me to do this in a country that is at the forefront of the IT industry. For this reason, I registered on XING and indicated that I wanted to gain experience abroad.
Were you worried about moving to another country?
Yes, of course. It's a step that you should think about carefully. I had a lot of concerns, both personally and professionally. On the one hand, there's a new country, a new city, new people - will the integration work? On the other hand, there's the bureaucracy and the whole relocation process - have you thought of everything?
Professionally, you also ask yourself, is this the right career move for me? Will everything turn out exactly as I expect?
However, my future colleagues, the management and the office management at s-peers AG quickly allayed my concerns.
To what extent were you supported during your move?
My new employer, s-peers AG, took care of the most important administrative procedures, such as registering with the immigration office. I also quickly realized that I could turn to my then new employer with any questions I had. Questions about health insurance, the best internet provider and even my cell phone contract were always answered in an informative way. For example, our CFO Marita Köpper sent me the website of the best real estate portal at the time and my future colleagues told me what a Half-Fare Card (a season ticket for the Swiss railroad SBB) was.
Looking back, it all went very, very well. If I hadn't received so much support, I might have been standing at customs on the day of the move and wouldn't have known that moving goods have to be cleared through customs in advance. Today, I am happy to help new colleagues so that they also have a smooth start.
How much bureaucracy was involved in your move?
Relatively small, as s-peers AG took over the majority. Actually, I only had to fill in missing documents. I think this is also due to the size of the company and the existing structures. In a corporate group, I might have been lost in the bureaucratic chaos.
What tips do you have for people who are thinking about working in Switzerland in the future?
I would recommend visiting your future place of work and residence and getting a personal impression. You should seriously ask yourself the question - can I imagine living here? Another point that should not be overlooked is the will to integrate. If you are not open to new things, you will have a hard time.
I would also like to pass on a tip that I think has paid off. At the time, I chose to live quite close to my place of work and have never regretted this decision. I was able to go to the office every day and quickly made friends.
You can't ignore the proximity to the border here. Many of my colleagues take advantage of this by living in Germany and working in Switzerland, for example.
Was there a personal or professional change from Germany to Switzerland that you hadn't expected?
There were only positive surprises. I am delighted with the public transport and how well it works here. It's also impressive that you have 5G reception even when hiking on the most remote summit. That makes commuting here in Switzerland a real alternative.
In general, the Lake Constance region and the canton of Thurgau are beautiful and offer a very high quality of life and great diversity. Last but not least, I would like to mention the friendliness that you experience in everyday life and also in professional life in Switzerland.
