“Switzerland is my new home, and I would never go back”

“In eleven and a half years as an employee, and three years as a resident in Switzerland, I still haven’t found anything negative about living here, or any reason to go back to Italy.” Elena has no doubts about her decision to leave Italy. We received her story together with comments from readers about on a hypothetical “Varese region in Ticino”. She crossed the border, and she stresses that she has no intention of coming back. You might wonder what is so special about Switzerland, but also what is not so special anymore about our country?
“This is my story,” Elena writes. “I graduated in electronic engineering, and was jobless for almost two years after university (basically because I’m a woman). I worked for four years in Italy, the first was genuine exploitation, through small agencies, with ‘alternative contracts’, then one year, through a temping agency, with contracts that were often renewed at 5.30 pm on the day before they expired, and two years with a permanent contract. I then crossed the border into Switzerland, for 7 years, as a company manager, and now I’ve been resident for almost 4. So I am speaking from real experience.”

M.C. is another reader, who describes his experience as a cross-border-worker. “I’ve been working in Switzerland for a few months, and it didn’t take me long to notice the difference with Italy. I am a graduate, and I found companies in Switzerland ready to hire me, after job interviews and evaluation tests, despite my youth and limited experience, to help me grow professionally and bring added value to the company. In Italy, I only found companies willing to hire me, with no questions asked, for underpaid apprenticeships, with the same ‘no guarantees’ as in Switzerland. Basically, ‘If you’re young and you need money, we’ll take you for one year at €500 a month, but we’re only doing it to exploit you because you’re cheap, and there’s no chance that we’ll keep you.’
“Which of these two options would you choose? (read the complete letter). Some might think I don’t love my country,” the reader concludes, “but it’s not true. I was sceptical I heard about Switzerland being a paradise. In fact, it isn’t, but many things work better. I continue to hope for a fairer Italy, one that combines ‘healthy Swiss precision’ with Italian beauty and passion. I’d rather speak well about my country, and not to praise its neighbour. But at the moment, I can’t.”