University of Zurich Reviews

Former Employee – worked at University of Zurich full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Concentrated accumulation of people with very specific skill sets, very disciplined and systematic approach to work and life balance. Excellent facilities for physical exercise

Cons – Communication letters in german, despite having a large international and multicultural work force. Could do with better interaction with the industry and develop skills useful to students in the professional world

Advice to Senior Management – Please include more compulsory courses with industry professionals to know about specific skills and competencies required for their specific industry.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at University of Zurich

Pros – For a postdoc the pay is quite good. It's an international atmosphere and many of the labs are top notch. There is money and the equipment is usually well-maintained.

Cons – If you don't know German you will feel isolated in the community. Labs tend to be a bit isolated and there doesn't seem to be too much interaction between labs even within the same building.

Advice to Senior Management – Of course each professor has a different style so it will entirely depend on which lab you join as to how you evaluate your experience. In our department I felt the senior management had difficulty dealing with conflict and with communicating changes that were going to be made. They especially had a hard time hiring new professors.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at University of Zurich full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – The UZH provides a good working atmosphere overall. It is well equipped- has a large repository, well sized cafeteria and houses state-of-the-art devices. Several departments publish in high impact factor journals and produce scientists of international repute.

Cons – There is no inter-disciplinary work or collaboration at the moment. What is lacking is communication between different departments at the university and the possibility to work in an area that is not your expertise.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at University of Zurich as a contractor for more than 3 years

Pros – Resources, location, atmosphere. You have great autonomy and may feel more like an artist than an employee. Smart people. Great PhD opportunities. Great career support programs.

Cons – A great number of students, so your own research may suffer because of the supervision and admin stuff you have to do. No chance to get a 100% tenure.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at University of Zurich as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – Workload is not heavy, money is good.
Colleagues are very nice people around

Cons – Will feel boring
Contract workers so......

Advice to Senior Management – Nothing else, they are all great!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at University of Zurich part-time for more than a year

Pros – As an employee you are expected to perform your experiments and produce results, but are mostly in charge of your own schedule. You have the opportunity to work from home sometimes, travel to conferences and workshops, and have a close-knit community of international coworkers.

Cons – Compared to other salaries in Zürich, one has live on a pretty tight budget.
Technically PhD students are employed and paid at 50%, but are expected to work full time hours.

Advice to Senior Management – Technically PhD students are employed and paid at 50%, but are expected to work full time hours.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at University of Zurich full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – great atmosphere, interesting work, good facilities

Cons – rigid academic system, limited advancement potential

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at University of Zurich part-time for more than 3 years

Pros – English language work environment. Top notch researchers.

Cons – Swiss German speaking living environment. Impossible to learn without being a native.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at University of Zurich as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – connection with the job world, connection with other students, technical services very well organized

Cons – administrative offices located in different part of the town

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at University of Zurich

Pros – central Europe location, great level of life

Cons – only temporary, expensive housing, ridiculous bureaucracy

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend