With Bente’s profession, you earn at least twice as much in Switzerland as you do here.

There’s a meter of snow in Saas-Balen, a small village of about three hundred inhabitants located in the popular ski area of Saas-Fee, in the canton of Valais. Bente’s running shoes are ready: this afternoon she’s going trail running – running as far and as high as possible along narrow mountain paths. Tomorrow afternoon, she’ll be enjoying the ski slopes.

This article is based on a publication from AD.nl. All credits for the content go to them. The original article, written by AD, can be read via this link: With Bente’s profession, you earn at least twice as much in Switzerland as in the Netherlands.

Family in Twente

Since the former Saxion physiotherapy student moved to Switzerland, she has combined hard work with her favorite hobby: mountain sports. “I work as an employee in a small practice with three therapists serving four villages. Since it’s currently the ski season, it’s extra busy. Ten-hour workdays are no exception.”

That doesn’t scare the 24-year-old from Twente. When she graduated last February, she hesitated for a long time. Her boyfriend was studying in Enschede, and her family also lives in Twente. “But I didn’t want to work in the Netherlands. The salaries are terribly arranged. Because there’s no collective labor agreement, employers decide for themselves what they pay their staff.”

“In practice, it’s similar to working in retail, in a shop. Yet we have a university-level education, and the work is physically demanding.” The same goes for Switzerland. Especially in Bente’s manual therapy practice, treatments involve a lot of physical kneading work, which can be quite demanding.

But Bente earns at least twice as much as she would in the Netherlands. And according to her, the cost of living is certainly not twice as high. “And I live in a fairly rural area, where salaries are lower. If you work in Zurich, you can earn up to 8,000 euros gross.”

“Everyone knows me”

But as soon as Bente heads into nature, she forgets everything. In Swiss life, where people live at a slower pace and closer to nature, she has found her rhythm. Her mornings often start with clearing snow. She sees villagers chopping wood, doing repairs, and working in their gardens.

“Because I live in a small village with many local patients, I now know everyone in Saas-Balen. And everyone knows me as the village physiotherapist. There are many elderly residents. To meet other young people, I drive to a nearby town with a large climbing hall.”

Bente doesn’t regret her choice. She’s not the only foreign physiotherapist in Switzerland — there are many more. Bente found her job through the agency PhysioMatch, with offices in the Netherlands and Switzerland, which helps physiotherapists from all over Europe who want to move to Switzerland.

Never going back?

“When I signed up with the agency, I was invited to interview at five practices. All five offered me a job. The Dutch physiotherapy education is highly regarded here.” Will she stay in Switzerland for good? Bente isn’t sure yet.

Given the current salaries, she has no plans to work as a physiotherapist in the Netherlands. If she ever returns, it will likely be to pursue a master’s degree or to retrain for another profession. For now, she’s perfectly happy where she is.

Bente is looking forward to the alpine season. She says that from the Saas Valley, there are no fewer than eighteen mountains to climb with peaks over 4,000 meters high. “I’m really looking forward to that. My summer to-do list is long,” she laughs.

Do you want this too?

Are you a physiotherapist considering working abroad? PhysioMatch can help you make your dream come true, just like Bente de Jongh, who now works in Switzerland. She combines her passion for physiotherapy with her love for mountain sports — and earns twice as much as she would in the Netherlands.

Through PhysioMatch, you can easily get in touch with clinics in Switzerland and receive support throughout the entire process. For more information, visit www.physiomatch.com/zwitserland or apply directly at www.physiomatch.com/kandidaat. Maybe you’ll start your new adventure soon too!