Woman fired from two hospitality jobs in Switzerland accuses the country of ‘exploiting’ seasonal workers – claiming the grueling shifts are too long and it’s hard when you don’t speak German

A woman has criticized Switzerland for ‘exploiting seasonal workers’ after she was twice fired from a hotel and bar in the county.

Nila Marino, from Cape Town, traveled to the Swiss Alps at the end of November, hoping to stay for the next few months by getting a job there.

At the beginning of January, Nila started a new job at a bar in Wengen, Switzerland, after being fired from another place in a nearby ski town.

“My time here has been a spectacular show to put it lightly,” she said. The travel influencer first started a role as a waitress at a restaurant in a hotel in Vangen, which she enjoyed at first.

She said her team was ‘really good’ and described her manager as ‘fantastic’. But after about 10 days, Nila, who said she’s always wanted to be a YouTuber, said she found the shifts too hard.

“It was exhausting, I didn’t have a day off when I was there, it was the busiest period,” she said.

‘I honestly struggled so much at that job because I was doing split shifts. I did early mornings and then I also finished late.’

Nila was then fired for not being ‘enthusiastic’ enough and found another job at the bar in Wengen.

But when she started, Nila said she faced the tough task of serving more tourists than usual because of a skiing competition.

She said that because it was “so busy,” the owners brought in more workers to help out that particular week, one of which included their daughter.

‘I thought their daughter was really nice and I got on really well with her. But then a few days later I started noticing that she was in a really weird mood.

‘I would say something to her and she would barely respond and I got a really weird vibe from her. ‘

Nila said she continued to ignore her, adding that starting that week was a challenge since there were “so many Swiss people.”

‘It was really hard not to speak German because they were really rude and I had to learn so many Swiss drinks. All the beers were in German, so there was a lot to learn.’

The 27-year-old said she thought she did ‘really well’ and learned ‘a lot’ in the short time she was there.

She then found out from her housemate that their daughter was ‘gossiping’ about her at work, saying that Nila was ‘too slow’ at her work, which was also later echoed by her boss.

The following week, Nila said she felt sick and only worked three days because the company closed for a day and she took a sick day.

‘That week my manager basically had a chat with me and just criticized everything I was doing.

‘Told me I was too slow and that I asked too many questions. They obviously couldn’t handle all the questions I asked, which I have never been told in my life. A new job and I can’t ask questions?’

Nila claims she felt ‘unwanted’ and got the feeling they wanted to fire her. She then said the company ‘used her’ to handle the busy week, claiming this was a ‘common thing in Switzerland’.

The TikTok influencer said they made a ‘bunch of excuses’ as to why they had to let her go, and she hit out at the country for their treatment and ‘exploitation of seasonal workers’.

‘It’s bloody awful. I am so disappointed with Switzerland, I thought it would be completely different.

‘No one gives a f*** about you, they treat you like an absolute s*** and I’m sick and tired of it, I think that’s pretty obvious.’

Nila said her landlord offered to let her keep her place and continue to rent it because ‘they’re not hiring anyone else’.

But she said she’s not actively looking for another job, instead asking people she knows if there’s an opening.

‘If I could just find some work for another month that would be great. Part of me is so ready to leave and get the hell out of here because my mental health has taken such a toll in the last two months. I’m fine, but it’s been hard.’

Users took to her clip to comment on their take on the situation, with some saying they could relate to how she felt.

One wrote: ‘Same – got sacked after only two weeks in Switzerland and I still don’t know why but I also thought it’s meant to be.’

Another wrote: ‘Swiss Germany is well known for being very harsh and unfriendly people around… just come to the French part, you’ll have a good time!’

A third said: ‘Switzerland here! Come to Basel, it’s much more international and we’re chill!’

A fourth commented: ‘It’s the employers’ mentality here. I am not treated differently. It’s not you, it’s them’.