PhD salaries in Switzerland
Sometimes Swiss universities advertise PhD opportunities as paid research positions or assistantships. In this case, they normally hire PhD candidates as research assistants or PhD candidates. If awarded one of these positions, students do not have to pay fees while pursuing their PhD and receive a regular salary. Those hired may also be entitled to additional benefits, including sick pay and holiday leave.
In return, PhD candidates hired in these positions are normally expected to assist with undergraduate teaching and other administrative responsibilities. Job portals like academics.com publish positions for PhD students, but it is a good idea to check whether the prospective university offers these positions and what conditions they stipulate. Additionally, it is common practice to contact a professor or research group directly and ask about opportunities.There are also research positions at companies and universities of applied sciences, but they are less common.
PhD candidates at the ETH Zurich can expect to earn a salary of between 50,700 CHF and 83,200 CHF gross per year. PhD candidates in exact sciences and medicine are usually paid better than PhD candidates in life sciences, chemistry, arts and humanities.
However, a candidate’s salary and working conditions depend on specific contracts and workload, city of residency, marital status and number of children. The personnel consultants from human resources are responsible for determining salaries and are generally happy to provide that information if asked.
Scholarships for PhDs in Switzerland
Universities and institutes offer scholarships for specific programmes, and some universities provide additional support to their PhD students in the form of financial loans, but the main source of funding for international PhD students in Switzerland is the Swiss Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS). It awards Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, which are divided into research scholarships and art scholarships. These scholarships are aimed at young researchers from abroad who have completed a master’s degree and at foreign artists holding a bachelor’s degree, respectively. They normally cover fees and living costs.