Engineer in Switzerland: What English Level Do You Really Need?

In Switzerland, English is not an official language but is essential in international sectors such as pharma, IT, and finance. A B2 level (CEFR) is the minimum standard, while C1 is often required for top Master’s programs and multinational companies. Certifications like TOEIC, TOEFL iBT, and Cambridge Advanced are widely recognized. Fluency in English directly boosts earning potential, often exceeding CHF 100,000 annually in major hubs like Zurich, Basel, and Geneva—especially in IT, biotech, and advanced engineering fields.

22 February 2026 • FED Engineering • 1 min

English: The Unofficial Working Language of Swiss Engineers

Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. What people often forget is that in the corridors of major industrial and pharmaceutical groups, a fifth language has taken hold — English. At Novartis in Basel, in the labs of EPFL in Lausanne, in the open-plan offices of Google in Zurich, meetings are held in English. Research publications, international tenders, reporting to foreign headquarters — everything goes through English.

This is no coincidence. Switzerland is home to over 1,000 multinational companies, many of them in engineering-intensive sectors. In this context, asking what English level is required to become an engineer in Switzerland means touching on something far more concrete than a test score. It means understanding how the Swiss job market actually works — and what recruiters genuinely expect.

From A1 to C2: What Each Level Really Means for an Engineer

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is the universal standard for assessing language proficiency. It defines six levels, from A1 (beginner) to C2 (full mastery). For an engineer, these levels are not academic abstractions — they translate into very concrete situations: can I chair a technical meeting in English? Write an analytical report for an American client? Present my work at an international conference?

Here is what each level actually means in the field for an engineering professional.

A1 and A2 — Tourist level: At these stages, you can understand simple phrases and manage in very basic situations. For an engineer, this is clearly insufficient. A job interview in English is out of the question, and reading technical documentation in English requires considerable effort.

B1 — Functional intermediate: You can start to interact, read standard professional texts, and follow the broad lines of a meeting. This is the bare minimum to avoid being completely lost in an English-speaking environment, but it falls well short of what Swiss engineering employers expect.

B2 — Professional autonomy threshold: This is where things get serious. At B2, you can write technical documents, follow and contribute to complex discussions, and read and summarize scientific publications. The Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur (CTI), whose accreditations are recognized by Switzerland, has set this level as the absolute minimum for obtaining an engineering degree. No engineering diploma can be awarded to a student who has not achieved a certified B2 level in English.

C1 — Advanced professional level: At C1, you communicate fluently, present technical projects to international audiences, write articles for scientific journals, and defend engineering decisions before a multinational committee. This is the level the CTI recommends as the target for all engineering graduates. ETH Zurich, for its part, requires a C1 English certificate for access to most of its Master's programs in engineering.

C2 — Full mastery: Native or near-native level. Rarely formally required, but highly valued in senior technical management, high-level research or international business development roles.

What EPF and HES Schools in Switzerland Actually Require

Switzerland has two main engineering education pathways: the Federal Polytechnic Schools (EPF) — EPFL in Lausanne and ETH Zurich — and the Universities of Applied Sciences (HES). These two routes have different language requirements, and it is essential to distinguish between them.

EPFL and ETH Zurich focus on fundamental sciences, while HES schools are oriented towards applied sciences. In practice, this means that EPF schools train research and innovation-oriented profiles, who are often destined for highly international — and therefore highly English-speaking — environments. The vast majority of Master's programs at EPFL are taught entirely in English. A student who does not have a solid B2 level upon entering a Master's program will quickly fall behind.

HES schools, more focused on local industry, accept a B2 level in English, but employers recruiting their graduates in international Swiss SMEs often expect more. In French-speaking Switzerland, French remains the main everyday language — but as soon as a meeting involves a foreign partner or subsidiary, English takes over immediately.

Which Certification Should You Choose to Validate Your English in Switzerland?

Claiming to have "a good level of English" on a Swiss CV is not enough. Recruiters at major companies — Nestlé, ABB, Swisscom, Roche — want a numerical score, an external certification, something verifiable. Three major certifications dominate the market: TOEIC, TOEFL and Cambridge certifications. Here is how to distinguish them and which one best suits your profile.

The TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) is the most widely requested certification in French-speaking professional contexts. It assesses the ability to understand and produce English in real work situations: meetings, emails, reports, phone calls. Most engineering schools rely on the TOEIC to certify the English level required for the diploma, with a score of 785 typically required. This score corresponds to CEFR level B2+. To reach a recognized C1, you need to aim for a score of around 900 out of 990.

For an engineer applying in French-speaking Switzerland or at a company with strong ties to France, the TOEIC is the natural choice. It is quick to sit (around 2 hours), affordable and universally recognized across the French-speaking world and beyond. Its main weakness: it does not test spontaneous oral production, which can be a drawback during job interviews.

The TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet Based Test) is more oriented towards Anglo-Saxon higher education. It assesses all four skills — listening, reading, speaking and writing — in academic contexts. To join a doctoral program at ETH Zurich taught in English, or to apply to a company headquartered in the US or UK, the TOEFL is often required or preferred. A score of 90 to 100 out of 120 broadly corresponds to B2+/C1 level.

Cambridge certifications (CAE / C1 Advanced, CPE / C2 Proficiency) are the most academically recognized internationally. The CAE (C1 Advanced) is particularly valued in Swiss companies with a strong British culture, in Geneva's banking sector and in international institutions such as the UN or ICRC. Unlike TOEIC and TOEFL, which are valid for two years, Cambridge certifications are valid for life.

Which test should you choose? For most engineers looking to validate their diploma or secure a position at a major Swiss company, the TOEIC remains the most practical reference. For those targeting ETH or EPFL research programs taught in English, TOEFL or CAE are more appropriate. In all cases, a recent certification (less than 2 years old for TOEIC and TOEFL) is essential.

Technical English: An Often Underestimated Skillset

Mastering general English is one thing. Mastering the technical English of civil engineering, computer science or process engineering is another. An engineer who can hold an informal conversation in English but struggles to read an ISO standard written in English, or understand a technical specification from an American supplier, will quickly run into difficulties on the job.

Technical engineering English has its own codes. Terms related to manufacturing processes, safety standards and project management — scope of work, bill of materials, root cause analysis, failure mode analysis — are expressions that simply do not appear in a general English textbook. Engineers in Switzerland working for companies like ABB, Sulzer or Georg Fischer navigate these lexical universes on a daily basis.

The good news: this technical English is built through exposure. Reading publications in journals like the Engineering Management Journal, watching technical content in English on YouTube, accessing scientific databases — all of this gradually builds a specialized vocabulary that tests like the TOEIC do not directly measure, but which Swiss recruiters know how to detect in interviews.

How English Concretely Shapes Your Engineering Career in Switzerland

The numbers speak for themselves. In Switzerland, an engineer earns an average of CHF 96,621 gross per year, with levels exceeding CHF 120,000 for senior profiles. But this average conceals significant disparities depending on sector — and on language skills.

In international sectors such as pharma, IT and banking, English is often the sole working language, especially in Basel, Zug and Zurich. These sectors are also the best-paying. A software engineer in Zurich, able to work entirely in English and manage international teams, can comfortably exceed CHF 130,000 annually. By contrast, a profile limited to the French-speaking part of Switzerland, without operational English, will find themselves locked out of large parts of the job market.

English also plays a role in internal career progression. In large organizations, promotions to management, project leadership or technical director roles almost always involve cross-functional responsibilities at an international level. An engineer who cannot chair a meeting in English, defend a budget before an English-speaking board, or represent their company at an international trade fair is structurally capped in their advancement.

Improving Your English: Concrete Strategies for Engineers

No universal strategy exists, but several approaches have proven effective for engineers working with time constraints.

The first step: expose yourself daily to technical English in your field. Not American TV shows — podcasts like The Engineering Commons, technical YouTube channels, specialized newsletters. Constant passive exposure reactivates language circuits far more effectively than two hours of weekly lessons.

The second effective approach: write in English regularly. Keep a technical journal in English, rewrite meeting minutes, draft short analyses in English — even imperfect ones. Writing forces you to structure your thinking and mobilize precise vocabulary. It is one of the skills most valued by Swiss employers, and one of the least practiced by candidates.

Finally, for those preparing a certification, training centers in French-speaking Switzerland offer specific TOEIC and TOEFL modules adapted to STEM profiles. Platforms like Preply or iTalki also allow conversation sessions with native tutors at reasonable rates — useful for preparing the speaking component, the weak point of many French-speaking engineers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum English level to be an engineer in Switzerland?

B2 is the institutionally recognized floor. In practice, most Swiss employers in high-value sectors expect an operational C1 — meaning a level sufficient to work entirely in English without assistance.

Is a TOEIC score of 785 enough to apply in Switzerland?

To validate a recognized engineering degree, yes. To land a position at a multinational in Zurich or Basel, no — aiming for 850 to 900 minimum is more realistic if you want to stand out.

Does ETH Zurich require an English certificate?

Yes. ETH Zurich requires a C1 certificate for its Master's programs, except for holders of an EPFL Bachelor's degree.

Is English more important than German for an engineer in Switzerland?

It depends on the canton and sector. In German-speaking Switzerland, German remains essential for local integration and industrial SMEs. In multinationals, English takes precedence. Both are complementary assets.

How do you get a foreign certification recognized in Switzerland?

Certifications such as TOEIC, TOEFL or Cambridge are internationally recognized and require no local equivalency — they are directly accepted by Swiss employers and universities.

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