Grüezi mitenand. I’m Harry, a third year currently studying German and Linguistics. For my year abroad I decided it would be a good idea to work as an ELA (English Language Assistant) in the German speaking portion of Switzerland.
When I first applied, and was asked my preferences as to what kind of area I’d like to be placed in, I dreamt of a quiet, peaceful year in a small town or Dörfli, surrounded by lush green grass and views of beautiful snowy mountains – but that wasn’t exactly what Movetia (the British council’s partner organisation in Switzerland) had in mind.
Instead, I had been placed in Switzerland’s most populated urban centre: Zürich.
While my initial, albeit very stereotypical dreams had been figuratively crushed, I nevertheless found myself very excited to embark on this new experience.
The Initial Language Hurdle
The first month was a bit of a surreal experience. Shortly before the school term began, all the language assistants in the programme were invited to a seminar in Bern. While on the one hand this was an excellent way to start building my social network in this new and unfamiliar land, I couldn’t help but feel lost by our host’s multilingual presentation – slides written in French yet presented in spoken German.
This, however, was no ordinary German. My first language hurdle, not even two weeks into my stay, was trying to make some sort of sense of the very strong Bernese accent.
Needless to say, I really couldn’t make heads nor tails of it.
The Schools
My work placement was officially with the Kantonsschule Hohe Promenade (HoPro), but in reality, my time was split between there and the school immediately adjacent: Kantonsschule Stadelhofen (Stadi). Both schools were grammar schools.
16 classes per week, split evenly between the two schools, and with a surprising amount of freedom and much more responsibility than I had expected.
Initially, I was under the impression that I would be a ‘true’ assistant, working in collaboration with another, substantially more qualified teacher, but instead I would work independently. Not with full classes, but with half-classes.
My first week standing alone in front of the class was quite frankly, terrifying, but I quickly found myself getting accustomed to it, and eventually, rather enjoying the time spent with my students, and I think they were rather pleased to have a break from their normal curriculum through my (more often than not) unconventional topics and cultural discussions (I think they enjoyed the games much more than any kind of cultural exchange, but it’s all good fun at the end of the day)
Life in Zürich
My first few months in Zürich were a major shock to the system.
Firstly, the cost of living was exorbitant compared to what I’m used to: A weekly grocery shop could cost upwards of five times more than what I would expect to pay in Southampton.
The rent was astonishingly high, my single room in a shared flat cost me 1290 Swiss Francs per month. But, while this was initially a huge financial shock, the assistant salary was more than enough to cover all major living costs and even provided ample room in the budget for some travelling (or saving if that’s more your speed).
The city itself is gorgeous. Incredibly clean, well maintained, with a mix of old and new architecture – with Lake Zurich being a highlight. On a clear day you get a beautiful scene of clear water, with a backdrop of (somewhat) snowy mountains.
Another bonus is the fantastic public transport, with trams, buses and trains running frequently, predictably and most importantly, covering almost anywhere in the country that you could possibly want to visit – which for me was primarily going to Basel on a monday evening to a pub quiz.
There are even fantastic international connections, I’ve taken numerous weekend and day trips to Germany (Münster, Cologne, Frankfurt, Nüremberg) and even took the train for a weekend trip to the alpine town of Annecy in France.
My only real complaint is the summer. I’ve never been a huge fan of the heat, but the humidity in Zurich makes 33 degrees feel so much worse.
Reflections
As I come up to the end of my placement, I can’t help but feel a great sense of gratitude for being afforded this opportunity. Work as an ELA can sometimes be challenging, particularly with minimal prior classroom experience, but overall, very fulfilling. Zurich and Switzerland in general is a fantastic place to be, with plenty to do and a fantastic location to go elsewhere if the desire ever strikes you.
