Forgive me guys, I will not join the dispute over those language differences 
What do you mean by NYC madness? Regarding quotas - since May this year there are no quotas for Polish citizens and we are at the same level as Germans. There was a referendum in February, where they voted for introducing new quotas/limits and making life of immigrants (also from Germany) much harder. But at the moment that is not the case yet - they have 3 years to introduce this new law. You mentioned UBS and Credit Suisse, but to be honest I am only interested in a job in an investment team of a long/short or global macro hedge fund or mutual fund. I absolutely do not want to work on sell-side, in private banking or in IB. And of course I will move to Switzerland only after I have already found a job there and everything was set. I do not like London. Everything there is awful for me. The weather, the small and ugly subway, countles numbers of muslims everywhere, people behaving in weird manner - always smiling and pretending to be nice, but in fact donāt giving a fuck about you. I do not know what does it look like in the hedge fund business, but on the sell-side the working hours there are impossible. What are the typical working hours on the buy-side in UK and in Switzerland? Poland is not such a bad place to be if you are in the investment business - the salary vs costs of living relationship is quite nice. Moreover in Poland the career path is much shorter than in UK - you donāt have to go through a whole path from the āJunior Non-Executive Summer Associated Vice-Presidentā position. The teams are much smaller, the responsibilities you get are much greater and you can become a PM (who manages his own funds) two years after graduation. No to mention the fact that you are āat homeā and do not have the feeling of being a quest Do you know what are the typical salaries in hedge funds in Switzerland? Is there something like a glass ceiling for foreigners there? From what I know there certainly is such a thing in the UK. Would you ever consider looking for a job in NYC or Boston?
Good to hear from you buddy.
If you have the full equivalence as Germans, there shouldnāt be much of a problem to get in from a working visa point of view.
NYC was crazy in all aspects - working hours which were insane, and then there are so many things going on, which you have to see, take part in - it was a great experience as a young bachelor. I loved it. If you have family, I am not too sure. Sounds like you are a free bird, so go for it.
Swiss working hours are closer to the Polish/French/German oneās I would say. I work a lot during peak times dont get me wrong; but work life balance is important in Switzerland. If you plug this into the equation you will see that it is probably much better compensated as compared to jobs elsewhere, which demand constant and long office hours.
I brought up the UBS/CS/ZFS layoffs because those people are on the market and looking for jobs. These are the ones which you would be up against. Timing is probably pretty bad right now. On the commuter train, I see more and more guys and gals hooked to their phones browsing the career websites; its amazing. But go for it. I mean there are tons of shops that are in need of talent. Talk to the recruiters, usually the larger London based companies, and ask them for salary ranges. They usually have a good oversight of the current market also how it compares to other European markets.
The US is probably even harder to get into, if you are in need of a work permit. Why would they even consider talking to someone, who is in need of visa sponsorship, if the good jobs receive hundreds of local applications within hours of posting them online - if they even ever get posted. The desirable jobs are oftentimes handed over to referal candidates. And you are not in the market to actively network - so I would say it doesnāt look good. But again go for it - I loved NYC as I said and it might be a good fit for you as well. And you might be the perfect fit for one of the positions out there - plus this would definetly pimp your resume.
I didnt mean to put down Poland - but the country will still be there in a couple of years and you will then be able to differentiate yourself in the market place with some relevant foreign experience in one of the high stakes countriesā¦
Just my 2 cents.
Best
IWP
IWP, thank you very much for your comments. I appreciate it. They gave me a lot of insight into the matter.