Zurich - the city
Zurich offers a very dynamic and international living environment and is consistently ranked as the world's best city for quality of living by the recent Mercer survey.
Although being the biggest city in Switzerland, and having an attractive international flair, Zurich is still relatively small and allows students to live and study at the same place.
A number of useful links facilitate the acclimatisation to living in Zurich:
www.zurich-relocation.ch/content/livinginzurich.html www.uzh.ch/leben/wohnen/index.en.html www.mobilitaet.ethz.ch/incomings/leben/index_EN
A Ph.D. in Zurich
The University of Zurich and the ETHZ both provide helpful administrative guidelines to their Ph.D. students:
www.mnf.uzh.ch/administration/reglemente/l
www.doktorat.ethz.ch/
www.study.ethz.ch/life/index
And finally there is a guide available for students to help them through their whole Ph.D. study, and a book about life and work which may be helpful:
www.aveth.ethz.ch/sg/sg2002.pdf
Living and Working in Switzerland, by David hampshire
Language
Although you don't need to know any German for your PhD studies, it might be useful for your daily life to be able to communicate with the locals. A broad variety of language courses is offered at the universites as well as at many other private and public schools.
Also outside the universities many institutions offer different German courses. We have put together a small list for you, however feel free to browse for other courses. You will quickly find out that you are spoilt for choice.
Viel Erfolg!
Health Insurance
If you stay and work in Zurich you will need to have a health insurance. To find out which insurance company offers which kind of service for how much money you can click on one of the two links below.
Comparis: Private comparision of health insurances
Governmental comparision of health insurances
Cost of living
Approximate estimates for student living expenses (per month) are as follows:
Rent, incl. heating, electricity, tv and radio fees: CHF 750 - 900
Food (incl. student restaurant): CHF 500
Public transport (tram, bus): CHF 50
Compulsory health insurance, insurance: CHF 250
Total: CHF 1550-1800 per month.
The above does not include personal expenses for clothes, phone bills, travel, etc.
NEW:
Einstein Centennial Graduate Fellowship
to commemorate Einstein's 1905 PhD from University of Zürich and his Annus Mirabilis.
NEW:
Schrödinger Senior Postdoctoral Fellow