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Side jobs without formal training.

No diploma is needed for cleaning, moving help, gardening, babysitting, dog walking, assembly, errands, tutoring or computer help. What counts instead is reliability, two references and insurance. Here is the rate ladder for each task — from the legal minimum to what experienced people charge.

Published Last updated 5 min read
Painting of a young man in a grey t-shirt kneeling on the floor of a bright living room assembling a flat-pack bookshelf while a young woman hands him a board
An Allen key, a box and a sheet of pictures — the whole qualification for one of the best-paid tasks per hour.
Before we start · In plain words

Switzerland does not ask for a diploma to clean a flat, carry a sofa or walk a dog. It asks whether you turn up.

Most side jobs are open to everyone — economic freedom is written into the constitution, and the short list of licensed trades is really short. What replaces the diploma is simpler and harder: reliability, two references, and being insured. This guide shows where to start and how the rate grows.

  1. Choose a task you can do today.Cleaning, moving, garden, babysitting, dog walking, assembly, errands, tutoring, computer help. No course needed.
  2. Start at a fair beginner rate.Not below the minimum, not at the expert price. The ladder below shows the three steps for each task.
  3. Collect two references.One sentence each from the first clients. They are your diploma.
  4. Raise the rate after ten jobs.CHF 5 to 10 more an hour is normal once people recommend you.
01 · Three numbers

No diploma, one floor, one ladder.

0
diplomas needed for cleaning, moving, gardening, babysitting, dog walking, assembly, deliveries, errands, tutoring or computer help
BV Art. 27 [1]
CHF 20.35
the minimum a family must pay an untrained helper per hour from 5 hours a week — the law’s floor, not the market rate
SECO · NAV 2026 [2]
+ CHF 5–10
an hour is what experience and good reviews add within the first year, in the same job
knows · NAV [4]
02 · What counts instead

Three things clients check before they check your CV.

ReliabilityArrive when you said, finish what you promised, text if you are late. In household work this is worth more than any certificate — it is what clients recommend you for.
Two referencesA neighbour you helped move, a family whose children you looked after. Ask them for a sentence you may show the next client. Reviews on a platform do the same job.
Being insuredA family insures you against accidents at work for about CHF 100 a year; on your own account you need liability insurance. Clients ask — have the answer ready. See Insurance for side work.
03 · The rate ladder

Beginner, trusted, experienced — in francs.

Each line shows the legal or beginner rate, the rate after a few months of good work, and what experienced people charge in a Swiss city.

  • Cleaning: CHF 20.35 → 25 → 33The legal minimum, a fair beginner rate, and the average a trusted regular cleaner earns in a Swiss city. The jump comes from being the same person, every week, for the same family. [3]
  • Moving help: CHF 25 → 35 → 45Beginners carry; experienced helpers also plan, dismantle furniture and lead a team of two. Lifting technique matters more than strength — Suva says 25 kg at most, heavy things in pairs. [9]
  • Babysitting: CHF 10 → 16 → 25A 14-year-old with the Red Cross course earns around CHF 10; the average sitter CHF 16; an experienced adult who also cooks and helps with homework CHF 25. [6] [8]
  • Tutoring: CHF 25 → 35 → 50+A student teaching maths to a 12-year-old charges CHF 25–40 a lesson; a trained teacher CHF 50–80. Here the diploma does pay — but you can start without it. [5]
  • Gardening: CHF 25 → 35 → 40Mowing and weeding need no training. Hedge shaping, pruning and planting plans are what experience adds. Spraying pesticides for clients needs a Fachbewilligung — leave it out. [10]
  • Assembly and small repairs: per jobA shelf CHF 40, a wardrobe CHF 100, a bed CHF 60. The price grows with speed and with the tools you own. Electrical and gas work stays off the list — those are licensed trades. [10]
04 · Where should I start?

Two questions, three suggestions.

05 · Questions people ask

Short answers.

Can I do a side job in Switzerland without any training?

Yes. Economic freedom is the rule: cleaning, moving help, gardening, babysitting, dog walking, furniture assembly, deliveries, tutoring and computer help need no diploma or licence. Only a short list of trades — electricity, gas, driving passengers, child day care at home, security — needs a permit.

What is the minimum wage for untrained side work?

For household staff employed from 5 hours a week, CHF 20.35 an hour in 2026 (CHF 22.30 after four years’ experience, CHF 24.55 with an EFZ). Outside private households there is no federal minimum, but five cantons have their own.

How do I get the first clients without references?

Start where you are known: neighbours, your building, parents at your children’s school, a platform with reviews. Offer a trial job at a fair beginner rate, do it well, and ask for one sentence you may quote.

Which side jobs pay best without a diploma?

Per hour: window cleaning, moving help and computer help (CHF 30–50). Per month: a regular cleaning or dog-walking slot, because it repeats every week without searching for clients.

Do I need insurance?

If a family employs you, it insures you against accidents at work. If you work on your own account, your private liability policy does not cover paid work — take out business liability insurance (about CHF 300 a year) before the first client.

Painting of two movers carrying a sofa to a van

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References

Where the rules come from.

  1. [1]
    Swiss Confederation — Federal Constitution, Art. 27 — economic freedom: a trade is free unless a law restricts it. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  2. [2]
    SECO — State Secretariat for Economic Affairs — NAV Hauswirtschaft 2026 — minimum wages: unskilled CHF 20.35, unskilled with 4+ years CHF 22.30, EFZ CHF 24.55 an hour. www.seco.admin.ch
  3. [3]
    myky — Stundenlohn Reinigungskräfte (March 2026) — fair gross rate CHF 29–35. www.myky.ch
  4. [4]
    knows.com — Stundenlohn Schweiz — beginners start lower, rates rise with reviews. www.knows.com
  5. [5]
    Nachhilfe-Vergleich Schweiz — Kosten Nachhilfe — student tutors CHF 25–40 a lesson, trained teachers CHF 50–80. nachhilfe-vergleich-schweiz.ch
  6. [6]
    Babysitting24 — Wie viel kostet ein Babysitter — average CHF 16 an hour. babysitting24.ch
  7. [7]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.06 — household jobs: AHV from the first franc, accident insurance by the household (2026). www.ahv-iv.ch
  8. [8]
    Swiss Red Cross — Babysitting course — from age 13, 10 hours, Babysitting-Pass. www.srk-thurgau.ch
  9. [9]
    Suva — Heben Sie Lasten clever — safe lifting: about 25 kg for men, 15 kg for women, carry heavy items in pairs. www.suva.ch
  10. [10]
    Werkara — Which side jobs need a licence or certificate — the twenty-task list. werkara.ch

Checked against the sources above on 5 October 2026; figures are for 2026 and change each January. The “last updated” date at the top changes whenever a figure is refreshed. Rates are market observations from the sources above; this page is general information, not legal advice.