Hey there!

I moved to Switzerland alone at 16.

No family here, no roadmap. Since then I've worked out school, a degree at ETH Zürich, a change of direction and the Swiss job market as a non-EU national, one decision at a time. If you're standing at one of those decisions, I've probably stood there too.

Tell me what you're figuring out A bit about me
  • Zürich, Switzerland
  • ETH Zürich
  • English · Русский · Deutsch
Elina Teplygina

Associate consultant, finishing my Master's at ETH Zürich

How I can help

Three things I know well

Wherever you are on the way, one of these is probably your question right now.

Moving & studying here

If you're considering the move, or you've just arrived

  • Choosing an educational path that actually opens doors
  • What arriving on your own is really like
  • Settling in, ETH Zürich, and student life

Finding your direction

For students and young professionals who aren't sure what comes next

  • Exploring different paths before committing to one
  • Moving from a technical background toward consulting or business
  • Building meaningful work experience while studying
  • Choosing what opportunities are actually worth pursuing

Building your career here

If you're graduating, or graduated, and want to stay

  • Finding a job as a non-EU graduate
  • Getting to know people without a head start
  • Career decisions around permit constraints
  • Working alongside your studies, and what the permit allows

My story

How I got here

Every step was a decision made without a manual. I asked, got it wrong, and tried again.

  1. Age 16

    Arriving on my own

    I moved to Switzerland alone for school. No family in the country, no network, and a language I was still learning to live in.

    Moving here

  2. 2020 to 2024

    ETH Zürich

    A Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering & Information Technology, with a thesis on predicting septic shock from digital biomarkers.

    Moving hereFinding direction

  3. Along the way

    Startups & venture capital

    Time in startups, venture capital and entrepreneurship. Slowly it became clear that engineering wasn't where I wanted to end up.

    Finding direction

  4. The change

    Moving into consulting

    I turned toward business and consulting, including an internship at UNITY Consulting & Innovation. I wanted out of engineering, and I went to find out what the alternative actually looked like.

    Finding directionBuilding a career

  5. Right now

    A first job, and a thesis to finish

    I started as an associate consultant in Switzerland, got my B permit, and I'm writing my Master's thesis alongside the job. The route from studying here to working here without an EU passport is one I have now been through myself.

    Building a career

None of this came with a manual. Which school. Which degree. Whether to stay in engineering. How to move from engineering into consulting. How to approach the Swiss job market as a non-EU candidate.

I got through all of it by asking people who had done it before me. That is the part I would like to pass on.

Elina

Let's talk

Tell me what you're figuring out

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