SIEPS SA
Looking for the right private school / university in Switzerland to qualify with a
BBA, MBA, DBA
With a major in finance, international relations, marketing, computer science
or for younger children, a boarding school ?
SIEPS can assist you not only in terms of your educational requirements but also with
your specific housing needs to assist you in finding furnished or unfurnished apartments, or studios, furnished rooms, or temporary (short-term) housing, also fully serviced business apartments.
General Information Services on Swiss Private Schools & Universities
INFORMATION ON EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS This service applies to students who have already decided on an educational program and simply wish to receive information on the program concerned from different educational institutions in order to be able to compare the program contents, entrance dates and requirements including the financial terms and conditions. SIEPS recommends educational programs of only those private educational institutions which SIEPS has visited and with which SIEPS has drawn up a collaboration agreement that guarantees transparency with regard to faculty members, class size, nationality mix, grading system, class attendance, recreational activities and boarding house facilities to mention only a few examples.
Administration Links
Residence and Travel Documents
Representations of Switzerland
Travel Links
Useful Links
Search.ch (Swiss Search Engine)
Handling your application for one or more educational institutions
HANDLING & COMPILING YOUR APPLICATION Focusing on three key areas: 1 . Pre-requisites: Ensuring that you do satisfy the entrance requirements of the educational institution which you have decided to join; or advising you as to how you can satisfy such requirements. 2 . Study plan: Established in an optimal manner. 3 . Coordination of your various educational aspirations: If you have decided on more than one option. SIEPS guarantees the quality of its recommendations by following up on your progress in the programs SIEPS has recommended to you.
Client specific Educational Advice to students, parents and employers
EDUCATIONAL ADVICE This service category applies when SIEPS is required to compare programs for you; when SIEPS is to perform some research into various educational programs in terms of your specific requirements, such as: • a specific starting date? • a specific price range? • a specific nationality mix? • a specific class size? • high school equivalency if you have either no high school diploma or a high school diploma other than International Baccalaureate; Swiss Maturité; German Arbitur; English A-levels; American High School Diploma? This service also applies when SIEPS is required to liaise with one or more educational institutions on your behalf in order to find answers to your specific questions. SIEPS is not a school. Consequently, SIEPS identifies in all objectivity the best possible educational options in terms of your educational background, requirements and expectations.
Aptitude tests
The degree of our success is very often a function of our educational and professional pursuits being as much as possible aligned with our natural aptitudes. Aptitude tests are recommended to candidates who are still in doubt about their natural inclinations and talents. Aptitude tests are arranged upon request.
Career counselling
Career counselling, including assistance with job application and training for selection interviews, is particularly appreciated by students looking for internships / work opportunities during their studies or by graduating candidates who want to start their professional career.
Private tuition and language tests and other official testing
PRIVATE TUITION SIEPS arranges for private tuition in various subjects (including business English and other languages): • In preparation for entry into or continuation of various educational programs. • For revision. • In preparation for various external tests and examinations (language and other tests or examinations). LANGUAGE TESTS As an official proof of your language skills. SIEPS informs you about examination centres and the contents and the level of the examinations. SIEPS, at your request, registers you for these tests and examinations. The official proof of the level of your skills in the language in which you wish to study gives you the best chance with your visa and course applications. TESTING OTHER THAN LANGUAGES AND APTITUDE Other tests and examinations: TOEIC, Cambridge First Certificate, TOEFL, DELF, GMAT.
The SIEPS Educational Database includes some of the most significant, internationally recognised and oldest private international schools and universities in Switzerland. Their excellence is guaranteed by the various accreditation levels and quality labels they have earned.
SIEPS helps students, parents, schools and universities come closer together by providing an Educational Database comprised of: • A quality oriented list of some of the oldest and most prestigious private schools and universities in Switzerland • Including their respective educational programs offered • A complete list of accreditation agencies • An exhaustive list of affiliation bodies • A list of degrees and what they mean to you
Accreditation is a type of voluntary quality assurance process under which educational programs are evaluated by an external non-governmental body to determine if applicable standards are met. If this is the case, the agency grants an accredited status. Accreditation is not permanent. It must be maintained. A school has to demonstrate during a regular review process that it has developed and grown, not just maintained the status quo. Accreditation also permits an evaluation on an international level regarding recognition or equivalency of the degree you receive.
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)?, Master of Business Administration (MBA)?, Executive MBA (EMBA)?, Master in International Business (MIB)? Master in International Diplomacy? Which educational program is best for me? What is the difference? How can I quickly compare educational programs offered by private schools and universities in Switzerland? Even better, how can I print out a list of private schools and universities in Switzerland that match my specific requirements? The degrees offered by schools and universities the world over may be the same but not all educational approaches to obtain that degree are the same! Each private school or university in Switzerland offers their specific tailored made approach to education. This approach is expressed in the way they adapt their educational curriculum in order to meet their own respective standards of excellence.
An academic degree is a college or university diploma, often associated with a title and sometimes associated with an academic position, which is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree. Understanding what degree is right for you can be a daunting task! To this effect SIEPS has made available an exhaustive list of degrees offered by private schools and universities in Switzerland. Browse and learn!
An affiliation is not an accreditation process, but merely an association with another entity. The main advantage of affiliation bodies is that they often incorporate an international network of partners, associates, business networks and professionals in various industries and therefore offer interesting opportunities for students to enter the “real world” and the international job market through their affiliates worldwide. Affiliation bodies can also include a select and alumni group of dedicated professionals or researchers that have affiliates in your area of interest for further study application.
Housing Services
Whether you seek a single room studio or a luxury apartment, SIEPS will address your requirements and help you to find housing & accommodation in Switzerland. SIEPS offers a large array of housing services as described in more detail under the headings below. Finding housing in Switzerland is not as simple as it seems. The saturated Swiss rental markets, the language barrier, the housing search (time consuming), the endless visits, and then the question of financial guarantees. SIEPS handles the whole process for you! Furthermore, SIEPS will provide personal and corporate financial guarantees for your housing so you can move in immediately! Entering a rental agreement in Switzerland usually requires a 3 months in advance paid deposit equal to the amount required for 3 months of rent. Additionally, the rent for the first month of occupancy is payable in advance. A furnished studio apartment with kitchen and bathroom facilities typically rents starts from CHF1000.- per month.
Housing Search
This service consists of the following options: • Sending you, by email, housing proposals in terms of your requirements. • Checking the availability of the housing options which you might have selected from our website. • Making the appointments for you to visit the housing which you have selected. • Accompanying you to visit the housing.
SIEPS as Guarantor
Important information for non-Swiss students Estate agencies require a guarantor in Switzerland in addition to a rent deposit. This is a person domiciled in Switzerland, who by his signature guarantees payment of rent. In case of non-payment, the estate agency will turn against that person to get the non-rent set. SIEPS will serve as Guarantor. This service is for students who cannot obtain housing in their own name or their parents’ name and who need a guarantor. SIEPS will provide corporate and personal financial guarantees. In this capacity SIEPS will attend to the following requirements: • Compiling the application(s) to rent the housing of your choice. • Pay monthly rent and charges (and other bills if required). • Draw up payment schedules and to provide photocopies of the pertaining vouchers. • Manage any issue relating to your housing. • Attend to the apartment hand-over meetings: when you enter and when you leave. Entry meeting: to note down the condition in which the apartment is handed over to you. Exit meeting: to determine as to whether the apartment has suffered any deterioration beyond what could be defined as “normal wear and tear”, during your stay. WHAT ARE FINANCIAL GUARANTEES? A financial housing guarantee in Switzerland is in general a deposit of 3 months’ worth of rent, which is blocked in a trust account until the end of the rental period, therefore cannot be used to compensate for outstanding rent payments during the rental period. It is held there essentially for damage caused to the apartment during the rental period which is not covered by the tenants’ insurance. Once the tenant has left the apartment, all damage has been repaired, and rent payments are all up to date, the agency releases the entirety of the deposit back to the tenant.
Apartment Cleaning
When you hand back your apartment to the Real Estate agency from which it has been rented, it has to be in perfect condition. If this is not the case, the agency will appoint a company to have it professionally cleaned. SIEPS will arrange for quotations for professional cleaning of your apartment and coordinate the entire process.
Furniture moving & storage
SIEPS will obtain quotations for the moving, and, if applicable, the storage of your furniture and coordinate the entire process.
Where to start? - The SIEPS Housing Database
SIEPS has more than 25 years of experience in the real estate market in Switzerland. We understand our clients, their culture, preferences and requirements and we make available to them our network of partners and professionals in the real estate market in Switzerland. Our housing objects under management are selected and tailor provided to our clients’ needs. We provide you the right housing object in the right location! When we select housing options for the publishing in our Housing Database, special attention is given to satisfying the requirements of our clients & partners. Consequently, our housing database provides available housing & accommodation options in relation to: Proximity of Schools & Universities. Proximity of public transport. Proximity of services & shopping facilities
Administrative Services
Students need to be able to concentrate on their studies in order to have the best return on their considerable investment of effort, time and money. Such concentration is difficult to maintain when an entire series of administrative tasks pile up in need of attention. Cultural differences often lead to misunderstandings and such tasks become literally overwhelming if they are formulated in a language which the student hardly speaks. The schools assist students to a point. Many students (and some parents) turned to SIEPS for assistance. This happened to such an extent that SIEPS created an Administrative Centre for Students & Parents.
Visa & Permit Application
Advice on handling the entire procedure SIEPS gives advice for the compiling of the application, or you may request SIEPS to take care of the entire study visa & permit application process. In such case, SIEPS guides you through the process, prepares all the documents and liaises with the educational institution concerned where required. SIEPS coordinates your various educational aspirations, if you have decided on more than one option and summarises all in a study plan which meets the requirements of the Swiss authorities.
Transport
From Geneva airport to your place of residence and other locations by arrangement.
Housing / Health / Accident Insurances
Housing Insurance SIEPS obtains quotations on the following insurances linked to housing: • Fire insurance: compulsory in most cases. • Third party liability insurance: required by Real Estate agencies when renting housing. • Household insurance (and your personal goods): can be included in the third party liability insurance, if you wish to take out such an insurance. Health / Accident Insurance Health and accident insurance is compulsory in Switzerland. Students coming from outside Switzerland may check with the Swiss Embassy/Consulate closest to their place of residence as to whether their local health and accident insurance cover, which they might already have, is accepted in Switzerland. If this is not the case, then please contact SIEPS or the school in which you are registered.
Account Payments
Straight forward and at regular intervals. Delegate the payments of your regular accounts to SIEPS. For example: school fees; medical and accident insurance premiums, telephone and electricity accounts, residential taxes, accommodation and car rentals, traffic fines, pocket money. SIEPS draws up receipts and payment schedules for you to audit. SIEPS supplies copies of all vouchers. With one transfer to SIEPS, several creditors can be paid on time through SIEPS.
Translations
English, French and German for a general understanding. SIEPS cuts across geographical boundaries as well as language barriers as SIEPS is active throughout Switzerland. Translation of general administrative and other general texts. SIEPS has a network of professional translators for more specialised translations.
Secretarial and Business Services
Ad hoc or complicated payments, requiring correspondence with suppliers, typing of assignments, preparation of presentations, correspondence, fact management, discussions and meetings, negotiations - either in English, French or German