A nice place to work for, for a while. - Software Engineer CERN Employee Review

3.0
13 Jan 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great region - the Alps are magnificent. Many smart, but frustrated, people around. Lot's of holidays, including paid-paid-holidays 1.5 times per year. Nice benefits. Salaries are tax-free. Quite a lot of freedom and independence. Ski Club and other clubs.

Cons

The career advancement is done the academia style, ie. counts years of general experience from the date of your last diploma and not your performance or relevant experience. The average is to get 1.9 advancement steps per year and this is what almost everyone is getting. In terms of technology it's moving forward with a speed of a glacier, it may have been ahead of the industry but it's rapidly being overtaken. Geneva is a place good for retirement but not for day to day life of an active person. Finding a reasonable accommodation in the city requires lots of time, is very hard and often futile. CERN doesn't help with it at all, so many people end up living in the surrounding villages. Possibility to move on from CERN to a local business is virtually non-existent, so, most often, if you leave CERN you leave Geneva.

Explore other reviews about CERN

5.0
22 Apr 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The employment process is very smooth and supportive. The technical team interviewed me for technical skills, and the HR is very supportive and helpful. Especially I haven't been employed by CERN previously, so I have a lot of questions. The employment team is very helpful and answered all my questions patiently. Also I like the job and my work very much.

Cons

Maybe the primary communication method could be email instead of phone calls? I sometimes miss phone calls, but will check every email.

1
5.0
16 Oct 2025
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Interesting work and projects Talented work force Lots of opportunities to learn

Cons

Expensive area Should learn French to an intermediate level

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