Successes in your career in Switzerland

Great question!

It's always challenging finding a new position, especially when you don't know the local culture or language.

When I first arrived I didn't speak the local language at all, having helpfully learned Welsh as school ; )

I was fortunate to be able to find the perfect role within the Geneva branch of the company I worked for in London. Though I still had to go through three rounds of interviews to get the position.

It was interesting to see how different the Swiss working culture was (the long interview process being the first one), for example, at one point my colleagues thought I wasn't a team player,  I was confused as I was always helping them out with one thing or another - but their expectation was that I wouldn't work so hard, I'd take regular coffee breaks with them and enjoy a two hour lunch. Not at all what office life is like in London. Once I adapted, all was well and I really enjoyed my team and all the breaks ; )

Once I started a family, I found I couldn't work part-time in a role that suited my experience and ambitions so I start out on my own. It was scary, but actually quite straight-forward to become independent. I became a Communications Consultant and Corporate Writer and was involved in many high-level projects for Nestlé, the UN and many other companies large and small.

It was great, but as my reputation grew, so did my clients and their demands. I struggled to keep up and 7 years into my business I found myself racing towards burn-out.

I then started a wellness business from home to help me change my working patterns and get back my healthy habits. It was a much more social business and I found myself learning a lot of new skills as its demands were very different to my consultancy.

Last year I was approached by several women asking me for advice on how to start their own business, so I worked on creating an eCourse and a private business coaching system to help other expat women enjoy the freedom and fulfillment (and income) that comes with having your own business.

Business Coaching is now my main business and I'm loving how it brings my 25 years of experience together and helps women gain the clarity and confidence they need to start and enjoy their own business.

My top tip for anyone searching for work - either as an employee or business owner - would be to network, network, network.

The network I have built as enabled me to go from employee to entrepreneur and keep evolving, with relative ease.

It not only enables you to build a circle of people who know and trust you, but exposes you to new opportunities and builds your confidence too. Switzerland is small, so when you network effectively and nurture your contacts you'll discover a whole world of possibility. You can also network online too.

Good luck everyone - there is a lot of opportunity out there, stay positive and open-minded and you'll find the perfect option for you.