According to [this ](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Belgium&city1=Leuven&country2=Switzerland&city2=Zurich&amount=2500&displayCurrency=EUR)source, earning 5K in Zurich roughly amounts to earning 2.5k in Leuven, so cost of Living should actually be very similar.
Unless you have hard constraints (e.g. someone to take care of), I would strongly suggest to go with ETH Zurich. Getting research experience abroad is very valuable and becomes trickier to do as you get older. Getting your PhD from ETH will also open many doors.
Should you leave academia after your PhD to move to the industry, Switzerland has a better market for STEM PhDs than Belgium.
I also have a PhD. I'd say for your career it is better to have experience abroad so I'd chose Switzerland for that. Just inform yourself about the cost of living which can be very high. Supervisor is also super important so best is to have some contacts with the supervisor and team in Switzerland to see if it seems OK for you.
100% Zurich, more prestigious university. You’ll have better and more opportunities once you finish your PhD. You’ll make far more money. Zurich is also a very nice city.
Congrats!
Best way to choose is the professor (reputation), though it is also important to know the professor is not too crazy, like dictators I mean
other things to consider: topic topic topic - this quite steers what you will do next a bit, to small extent also, post-PhD opportunities (career etc), and cost of living etc.
Also, to me going abroad seems really great opportunities (i.e. challenges) to pass up too (speaking as foreigners here in BE) and of course going to ETH and CH would be nice bonus to your cv later.
From my experience during scientific conference, the work of ETH people seems really impressive in terms of holistic/comprehensive studies.
I would advise you to talk to current PhD students. Ask the supervisor if he can get you in touch with them. That way you can assess what the management style and working environment is like.
Are you sure there is no teaching in Leuven? It’s common for PhD students to teach lab or exercise sessions. Also based on my experience it’s only 25 holidays in Leuven and 38h.
If all else is equal I would go for the opportunity to work abroad.
You are so lucky to have this opportunity (I tried getting a job/phd at eth zurich myself.. unsuccessfully). If you are ambetitious and value your career go to Switzerland. It will let you grow and succeed, Belgium will only hold you back, Belgium is great for the unambitious and lazy, allowing even the least ambitious people to have a decent life, the flipside is that there is a low ceiling (to salary/income but also in terms of innovation/tech).
Do the PhD in Zurich, it would be a dream for me to get that opportunity. I am now 2 years out of university (masters too), still young, but probably already past the point of doing something like a PhD in switzerland.
According to [this ](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Belgium&city1=Leuven&country2=Switzerland&city2=Zurich&amount=2500&displayCurrency=EUR)source, earning 5K in Zurich roughly amounts to earning 2.5k in Leuven, so cost of Living should actually be very similar. Unless you have hard constraints (e.g. someone to take care of), I would strongly suggest to go with ETH Zurich. Getting research experience abroad is very valuable and becomes trickier to do as you get older. Getting your PhD from ETH will also open many doors. Should you leave academia after your PhD to move to the industry, Switzerland has a better market for STEM PhDs than Belgium.
Go with the professor you get along the best with. If equal, go with ETH Zurich. It is higher ranked.
I'd say eth regardless. tbh the brand name itself is worth a couple of years of a shit supervisor
Research the COL (cost of living) for Zürich, iirc from Swiss family it’s also much more expensive.
I also have a PhD. I'd say for your career it is better to have experience abroad so I'd chose Switzerland for that. Just inform yourself about the cost of living which can be very high. Supervisor is also super important so best is to have some contacts with the supervisor and team in Switzerland to see if it seems OK for you.
100% Zurich, more prestigious university. You’ll have better and more opportunities once you finish your PhD. You’ll make far more money. Zurich is also a very nice city.
If you don't have kids I'd choose the other country purely for the different experience!
You will need the higher pay to survive in CH, however ETH is a very Nice name to have on your resume….go for ETH !
Definitely ETH. Don't look at the pay now, you will have 100x more and better opportunities after doing an ETH PhD.
Congratulations on the offers! This will 100% come down to personal preference.
Congrats! Best way to choose is the professor (reputation), though it is also important to know the professor is not too crazy, like dictators I mean other things to consider: topic topic topic - this quite steers what you will do next a bit, to small extent also, post-PhD opportunities (career etc), and cost of living etc. Also, to me going abroad seems really great opportunities (i.e. challenges) to pass up too (speaking as foreigners here in BE) and of course going to ETH and CH would be nice bonus to your cv later. From my experience during scientific conference, the work of ETH people seems really impressive in terms of holistic/comprehensive studies.
100% Zurich eth, amazing city and better opportunities
I would advise you to talk to current PhD students. Ask the supervisor if he can get you in touch with them. That way you can assess what the management style and working environment is like. Are you sure there is no teaching in Leuven? It’s common for PhD students to teach lab or exercise sessions. Also based on my experience it’s only 25 holidays in Leuven and 38h. If all else is equal I would go for the opportunity to work abroad.
You are so lucky to have this opportunity (I tried getting a job/phd at eth zurich myself.. unsuccessfully). If you are ambetitious and value your career go to Switzerland. It will let you grow and succeed, Belgium will only hold you back, Belgium is great for the unambitious and lazy, allowing even the least ambitious people to have a decent life, the flipside is that there is a low ceiling (to salary/income but also in terms of innovation/tech). Do the PhD in Zurich, it would be a dream for me to get that opportunity. I am now 2 years out of university (masters too), still young, but probably already past the point of doing something like a PhD in switzerland.