Moving to Europe after University

[jblimato]

Hello all,

This is my first time posting on this site so I will start with an introduction. I am 18 years old, born and raised in the United States specifically in New Jersey to a Venezuelan mother and an American father. I have triple citizenship with Venezuela, Switzerland and the United States all by birth through my mother and her father who is from Switzerland. I just completed my first year of university at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, New Jersey. I am studying Accountancy.

It is my dream and goal to move to Switzerland after I graduate from the university. I absolutely love the way of life there, the people, culture, and food. I am also open to other countries of the European Union due to having loved all of the ones I have traveled to (Italy, Germany, UK). Obviously, language is of great importance. I as of now, speak both English and Spanish fluently. Before I make the move, I will make sure I can speak French and German to a sufficient level for employment, etc.

Since I have a Swiss passport, I have been told that through bilateral agreements with the European Union, I have the right to live and work anywhere in the European Union and of course, Switzerland. My only obstacles that I can see as of now are the mandatory, military conscription in Switzerland, and my American University degree in Accounting not being worth anything in Switzerland, or in all of Europe. I also plan on enrolling in a university once I arrive there to work on a MBA or a Master's degree in Economics or the equivalents in the country I plan on moving to.

Will my future degree in Accounting be worthless in Europe? I understand that Europe uses IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) and that the United States uses GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). I know I could work for an American company in Europe, but I would rather not narrow down my employment opportunities if I don't have to. Are there courses for American accountants to take to transition from GAAP to IFRS? Am I making a mistake by studying Accounting. I am early enough in my studies that I can switch without hassle to Economics, Business Administration or Finance.

Sorry for the long post, and thank you very much for reading all of it. I appreciate all your comments and responses.

[Bevdeforges]

Frankly, accounting is accounting. Debits go on the left, and credits on the right. There are some peculiarities in the differences between GAAP and IFRS or any country's particular standards of accounting, but it's nothing you can't pick up on the job.

OTOH, what is worth having when looking for work as an accountant in Europe is US accounting experience. Or any sort of international accounting experience - say, in several different countries, or with a multi-national where you interact with your foreign subs and have to appreciate and understand the local laws (not just accountancy requirements) that affect the business.

If you head for Switzerland right away, you'll be looking at an entry-level accounting position. If you work for a while in the US, then when you're looking around in Switzerland (or elsewhere), you'll have a very different choice of positions based on the experience you've gained.
Cheers,
Bev

[jblimato]

Thank you very much for your response! I really appreciate it!! You have really put me at ease. I was told the other day that if I had an Accounting degree from the US, it would be practically worthless due to the tax differences but what you said makes absolute, perfect sense!!

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by jblimato

Thank you very much for your response! I really appreciate it!! You have really put me at ease. I was told the other day that if I had an Accounting degree from the US, it would be practically worthless due to the tax differences but what you said makes absolute, perfect sense!!

Not all accountants deal with taxes. But that's where the international experience comes in handy. Being in a position where you have to deal with (even if "from afar") things like VAT or juggling multiple sets of income tax rules adds lots of street cred to your CV.

BTW, I am an accountant by trade, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out how well received I was here in Europe when I came job hunting. The key factors seemed to be: multiple languages, having worked with multiple countries before (whether through a short-term assignment, or ongoing projects requiring liaison with foreign colleagues) and having an MBA and 15 years of US experience didn't hurt either.
Cheers,
Bev

[jblimato]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Not all accountants deal with taxes. But that's where the international experience comes in handy. Being in a position where you have to deal with (even if "from afar") things like VAT or juggling multiple sets of income tax rules adds lots of street cred to your CV.

BTW, I am an accountant by trade, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out how well received I was here in Europe when I came job hunting. The key factors seemed to be: multiple languages, having worked with multiple countries before (whether through a short-term assignment, or ongoing projects requiring liaison with foreign colleagues) and having an MBA and 15 years of US experience didn't hurt either.
Cheers,
Bev

Thank you very much again for your advice. I really appreciate it! It is very encouraging and inspiring to read this. Thanks again.

Sincerely, Jeffrey Limato

[-mia-]

Sorry my reply is so late. I just found out that the Swiss hang here in the "rest of the world".

Don't be so sure that your US accounting skills won't be of interest in Switzerland. There are plenty of multi-nationals with huge presence in the US but headquartered in Switzerland. You'll probably need other skills too. But you can work up to that.

The other thing you can do is as you said, get your MBA or other degree (MA, Economics?) here in Switzerland. They have quite few programs in English.

If you want to work in Switzerland you'll need at least either French or German. Many, many companies these days though are asking for both. Aim at get up to at least B2 in both.

Good luck!

[jblimato]

Originally Posted by -mia-

Sorry my reply is so late. I just found out that the Swiss hang here in the "rest of the world".

Don't be so sure that your US accounting skills won't be of interest in Switzerland. There are plenty of multi-nationals with huge presence in the US but headquartered in Switzerland. You'll probably need other skills too. But you can work up to that.

The other thing you can do is as you said, get your MBA or other degree (MA, Economics?) here in Switzerland. They have quite few programs in English.

If you want to work in Switzerland you'll need at least either French or German. Many, many companies these days though are asking for both. Aim at get up to at least B2 in both.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your advise, Mia!! Before I even consider moving, I will definitely make sure my German and French language skills are up to par!! Now, I have another question. Like I mentioned prior, I attend the College of New Jersey. I imagine when I search for jobs in Switzerland in the future, no one will have any idea what it is. Will this present any problems for me? How would I go about converting my academic achievements to Swiss standards? Is there an agency that converts transcripts like we have here in the US?

[-mia-]

Yeah. Having gone to university at a "college" it's not great. They don't quite get that a "college" is a university. My degrees are from a "college" as well and it has caused some confusion.

I never had to have my degree recognized. But my degrees are in marketing. So nothing that needs any great "qualifications". Not like a Dr., lawyer, scientist, etc.

How your degree in accounting will translate is difficult to say and even whether they will need it to be officially recognized. But what I was thinking is your USP is your knowledge of American accounting standards which would be interesting for a multi-national.

If you do want to try to have it recognized you'll need to check out the site for the Swiss Department of Education equivalent.

[jblimato]

Originally Posted by -mia-

Yeah. Having gone to university at a "college" it's not great. They don't quite get that a "college" is a university. My degrees are from a "college" as well and it has caused some confusion.

I never had to have my degree recognized. But my degrees are in marketing. So nothing that needs any great "qualifications". Not like a Dr., lawyer, scientist, etc.

How your degree in accounting will translate is difficult to say and even whether they will need it to be officially recognized. But what I was thinking is your USP is your knowledge of American accounting standards which would be interesting for a multi-national.

If you do want to try to have it recognized you'll need to check out the site for the Swiss Department of Education equivalent.

You bring up a very good point! I forgot that the rest of the world doesn't equate the terms college and university equally like we do in the United States. Maybe if I am able to get my degree evaluated by the Swiss department of education and translated into Swiss terms, a future employee would be able to see that I went to a "university" instead of another secondary school. Is it overboard to transfer to a college that uses the term university to make it easier for future employers to understand? Thanks again for the advice!

[-mia-]

Originally Posted by jblimato

You bring up a very good point! I forgot that the rest of the world doesn't equate the terms college and university equally like we do in the United States. Maybe if I am able to get my degree evaluated by the Swiss department of education and translated into Swiss terms, a future employee would be able to see that I went to a "university" instead of another secondary school. Is it overboard to transfer to a college that uses the term university to make it easier for future employers to understand? Thanks again for the advice!

Is it worth it to transfer? What a really tough question.

If it were something easy, cheap and convenient to do and I would at least consider it.
If it's going to be a PITA, expensive, make you crazy, delay your graduation, make you lose lots of credits, then probably not.