Guest Blogs
Knowitall.ch often invites local experts in their field to contribute to their own blogs on our site. This means not only you will benefit from the useful recommendations that we make on our News pages, but you can also profit from some of the great advice and tips that these experts have to make on their favorite subjects. Whilst each of these bloggers has been recommended to us at some point during the evolution of Know-it-all passport and knowitall.ch, obviously we are not able to test out all the suggestions they make on their blogs, nor do we necessarily agree with all their opinions. So if you do find one of their tips useful (or not!), do let us know!
To make these blogs more accessible to you, we have now decided to group them altogether in one section, entitled Guest Blogs, accessible from our main menu bar. We will also post the most recent blogs on the home page of our site in the right hand column.
We are still building up this area of the site, and are looking for bloggers in a number of sections, including Your Home, Travel, and Leisure, so if you feel you have a useful contribution to make in either of these areas, and have the time to submit blog entries approximately every month, then please get in touch!
My colleague, Dr Michelle, has worked for many years in the world of family medicine - including for teenagers. And, of course, with their mums and dads who, just like you, worry about their children's health, safety and happiness today and for the future too.
She has written such an excellent, accessible and informative article that I would like it to share with you, all about cervical cancer and how we can protect our daughters with the HPV vaccine – available now in Switzerland. Do you know what cervical cancer is? Take five minutes to read on to find out more….
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
This summer, why not try making your own iced coffee? This recipe takes just a few minutes to make and is dairy, soy and refined sugar-free. I find it especially delicious with maple syrup but if you don’t have this you can also use honey or another sweetener.
RECIPE - Makes 2-3 cups of coffee
2 tbsp almond butter (made only of ground almonds)
3 dl water
1-3 tbsp maple syrup or honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 cup coffee – brewed, then left to cool in a bowl. You can add ice cubes or put it in the fridge if you are impatient!
Combine the almond butter and water in a blender and blend until smooth. This is actually a lazy version of almond milk which is better than store-bought almond milk as it has no additives. You can also use 3 dl almond milk instead. Add the coffee and maple syrup or honey.
Serve in a glass with ice cubes.
Store leftovers in a jar in the fridge.
It’s not hard to understand why Grindelwald has been a tourist attraction since the early 1900s. Nestled in one of most stunning valleys of the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, impressive glaciers and waterfalls can be spotted in every direction.
We took the relaxing and eco-friendly option of the train to Grindelwald. Once there, the summer cable cars and regular yellow ‘postbus’ services offer transport to places you can’t access with your own car.
Our hideaway was the friendly Berghuas Bort www.berghaus-bort.ch, situated half-way up the mountain, away from the hustle and bustle of Grindelwald. It’s a 1.5 hr hike, or 10 min cable car ride up the Firstbahn. You can book a double or family rooms (four, five or six pers). There are also two very comfortable 10 person dormitories. The young chef serves up delicious dishes while you dine on the terrace with a breathtaking view of the north face of the Eiger.
By Sarah Frei, Brillantmont International School
The sun is shining and it’s that time of year when we’re all thinking ahead to the long awaited summer holidays, daydreaming of a break in the routine, whether in colder or warmer climes.
Swiss Public schools break for summer in the next couple of weeks, but children in private schools, may already be on holiday. This means a break of anything between 7 to 12 weeks, depending on the kind of school they attend.
Some would argue that having worked hard all year and in some cases prepared successfully for examinations, children deserve to spend their holiday weeks lounging around. Of course, we all need some rest and relaxation, but there’s no reason why the summer holidays should mean switching off completely. Let’s not forget too, that many working parents may have limited or no holidays so they put their childcare juggling skills to the test!
When you employ a nanny it is important to put put together an employment contract to ensure both you and the nanny are protected legally. In Switzerland, there are Standard Employment Contract regulations for Domestic Staff including nannies. Please bear these in mind when drawing up a contract including minimum salaries.
Below are some key points to include in your nanny contract:
- Full name and addresses of both the employee and employer, contact details
- The start date and whether the contract is open ended or fixed
- The duties and responsibilities required in detail
- Salary and contributions / deductions
- Room and board provision if relevant
- Working hours, overtime etc
- A Confidentiality Clause
- Grievance procedure
- Termination, notice and probation clauses
- Holidays, illness etc
- Contact details to call in an emergency
- Special clauses / agreements
Disclaimer – Rockmybaby ® is not an employment lawyer nor specializes in employment law and strongly suggests seeking advice from a lawyer when drawing up an employment contract.
Guest blogger's Bio
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Tanya is Swiss by Nationality and lives in Zurich with her husband, Russell, and her two little girls.
After having her second baby, and understanding only too well the challenges of working and having children (with no family support as they are all back in South Africa), Tanya is determined to provide a service, through her franchise business, Rockmybaby, that will help make life a little easier for families when it comes to childcare. She strives to help parents feel confident in the care of their children so that they can have some well-deserved time-out’s for themselves.
Over her career, Tanya has worked in corporate environments, providing recruitment services to clients across different industries.
