Love and the appeal of a foreign culture took a Swiss architect to Hungary
Series Swiss entrepreneurs abroad,
Episode 6:
Budapest-based freelance architect Alain Weber now designs homes for clients from Hungary, Germany and Switzerland.
Weber has a tip for Swiss entrepreneurs who want to set up a business in a foreign country: learn the local language before you move. His Hungarian language skills were a great help to him when he moved from Bern to Budapest in 2016. The prospect of adventure appealed to the young architect.
“I had the feeling that I knew Switzerland very well after 30 years. I just wanted to experience something new and get to know other cultures,” he says.
Our series profiles Swiss men and women founding and building businesses abroad. Through their personal stories, we explore why they choose to pursue projects beyond Switzerland’s borders, the working conditions they encounter there, and the challenges and opportunities.
Through their life stories, this series also showcases how the Swiss Abroad community contributes to Switzerland’s economic, cultural, and political influence.
Weber was born in the Engadin, eastern Switzerland, moved to Bern with his family at the age of eight and then to Zurich to study. After completing his Master’s degree, he worked for three years as an architect with firms in Thun and Bern.
He met his ex-wife, a Hungarian, in 2013 and began to learn Hungarian as the relationship became more stable. This meant he already had a good linguistic foundation when she wanted to return to her home country a few years later. The prospect of a new start appealed to him.
Unlike Germany and Austria, Hungary was exotic and that appealed to him.
“I wanted to live in a country that was different from Switzerland,” he told Swissinfo.
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After the couple moved to Budapest, Weber initially looked for a job in a Hungarian planning office. This was an important step and a valuable time to build the foundations for his future business. He learnt Hungarian technical terms and the peculiarities of Hungarian construction law in his daily dealings with his colleagues. For three years, he worked in the team of a large architectural firm in Budapest, contributing to infrastructure planning for railway and metro stations.
“This time as an employee helped me a lot, even if it was tough at times,” he says.
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Licence exam despite Swiss diploma
Starting his own business directly in Hungary seemed too big a step at the time. There was another reason why he had to wait a while. Despite holding a diploma from the federal technology institute ETH Zurich, obtained in 2012, Weber had to take a comprehensive authorisation exam in the national language in Hungary.
“In Switzerland architect is not a protected profession, but it is in Hungary,” he says.
Anyone who wants to work as a self-employed architect must therefore prove their expertise again. Only as a member of the Chamber of Architects and with a corresponding authorisation number in Hungary can you submit a building application there, for example.
Even if it meant many months of intensive learning, it was clear to Weber that he wanted toExternal link obtain his architect’s licence and set up his own officeExternal link as soon as possible.
“I earn more as a self-employed person in Hungary than as a permanent employee,” he says.
Being independent was far more important to him than the prospect of more money.
“Freedom is my greatest motivation. I am not made to sit in an open-plan office all day with lots of other people.”
So he set up his own business in 2020. It was a fairly simple process, he recalls.
“You can set up a sole proprietorship in Hungary within a few hours, a limited liability company within a day.”
Accounting, on the other hand, is quite complex, which is why hiring an accountant was necessary for Weber. “It’s very bureaucratic, but it all works,” he says.
Weber finds the tax burden and VAT, which is at the EU peak of 27% in Hungary, to be high.
Quality on a tight budget
Starting his own company has paid off. He is currently working on eight projects. His customers are down-to-earth and many come from Germany, Austria or Switzerland. They appreciate the fact that they can drive forward and implement plans in German with their architect in Hungary.
“Working with German-speaking customers is my niche,” he says.
Many moved to Hungary for financial or political reasons. They want to plan and build a house on a manageable budget, some want to remodel or extend an existing building. Luxury is not a priority for most clients as they are usually on a tight budget.
“I look for a good solution for everyone. It can be something simple,” he says.
Weber also has another revenue stream. He works remotely for Swiss offices and supports them during the planning phase. He has adapted to the Hungarian market, with all its quirks.
“Building applications are much more detailed here than in Switzerland,” he says.
The fact that he knows them inside out benefits foreign customers and avoids unnecessary problems with the relevant authorities. Quality standards also differ. While the Swiss place the highest value on quality and are prepared to invest more for this, the cheapest solution is usually preferred in Hungary.
According to Weber, there tends to be a savings mentality, partly because many people simply cannot afford the best solution. As a result, the execution on site sometimes suffers. Weber has often seen work having to be touched up and bathrooms having to be completely re-tiled, for example. This is always a nuisance for him.
“It would have been better to spend more money from the outset,” he says.
In terms of planning quality, however, he sees no difference to Switzerland. Architectural training in Hungary is extremely good, he says. There are more problems with the craftsmanship.
Working in a team with freelancers instead of employees
Being self-employed also means not being discouraged by fluctuating order situations, but adapting flexibly to the situation. There was a year when Weber had an office with four employees. Now he prefers to work with a team of freelance colleagues, depending on the volume of orders.
Software and plans are stored centrally on a server, which everyone can view and edit flexibly from their workstations. Weber travels a lot to meet his customers and otherwise works from home. This also allows him to integrate looking after his daughter more flexibly into his day. This is a perfect situation for him, not least because he saves on the fixed costs of an office and employees.
He now feels very much at home in Budapest, enjoying the fascinating city and the green surroundings in equal measure.
“I’m more of a city person, even though I was born at an altitude of almost 2,000 metres in the Engadin, completely surrounded by nature,” he says. He doesn’t miss his compatriots and the Swiss mountains; for now Hungary has become his new home.
Edited by Balz Rigendinger/me. Adapted from German by AI/ac
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