dennisthiessenandClaude Opus 5
89af779bf3
The deciding question on 2026-09-09 is a number nobody has, so the worksheet is a frame to complete before the call rather than a filled-in answer: Anforderungsniveau K is not public, which is why Q1 exists. Records the three things that make a Swiss base-to-base comparison lie: the free GA, Regionalzulage and employer pension share are real money invisible in a base figure, while a Swisscom bonus is real money SBB will not match; the GA is a taxable Lohnausweis benefit so its net value sits below list price; and the GA and the "commute saving" are the same franken, so counting both flatters SBB by four figures. K is a capped GAV band with no negotiation lever at the top, so this is a yes/no against a fixed number, not an opening position. User's read is that it will not clear. Taking the call regardless: the questions are worth asking, it is interview practice while NATO JWC, BIS and Microsoft Principal are still live, and the K figure is the first real data point on what the entire Bern/Thun local tier pays - RUAG, Swissgrid, BKW and BFH sit in comparable band structures. Worth recording whatever the outcome. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01JMcHCsTKWvVzqyLChF5ckk
4.9 KiB
Total-Comp Worksheet — SBB vs Swisscom
Purpose: compute the break-even before the call on 2026-09-09, so that when they name a figure you know immediately whether it clears — instead of working it out afterwards.
Honesty note on this file: I could not retrieve the Anforderungsniveau K figures — they are not public, which is exactly why Q1 exists. Anything below marked ⚠️ is an estimate or a recollection you should verify yourself rather than trust. The Swisscom column is mostly blank because I only hold the ~140k all-in headline; you know the split.
1. The Swisscom baseline (fill from your Lohnausweis / total-rewards statement)
| Component | Amount CHF/yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary (12×) | ||
| 13th month | in-band or on top? | |
| Bonus / variable (actual, not target) | use a 3-year average, not the good year | |
| Employer pension contribution | from the Lohnausweis / PK statement, not the deduction you see on the payslip | |
| Other (allowances, RSU, phone, insurance) | ||
| Total all-in | ~140 000 | the figure of record in config.md |
| Weekly hours | ||
| Vacation days | ||
| Commute cost Thun↔Bern (what you actually pay today) | this becomes a saving on the SBB side |
2. The SBB side (fill live, on the call)
| Component | Amount CHF/yr | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Base, Anforderungsniveau K | Q1. Ask for the band and the likely entry point for your profile | |
| Regionalzulage Stufe 1 | stated on the posting; ask for the franken amount | |
| 13th month | ask explicitly whether it is inside or on top of the band figure | |
| Employer pension contribution (PK SBB) | ask for the employer %, and which plan/Sparplan | |
| Free GA | ⚠️ ~4 000 (2nd cl.) / ~6 500 (1st cl.) | verify the current list price yourself. Ask which class, and how it is taxed — a staff GA is declared on the Lohnausweis, so the net benefit is below list |
| Family international travel discount (FVP) | worth something real if you travel; hard to price — estimate honestly or score it qualitatively | |
| Kidz Care childcare subsidy | Q4. Scales on gross household income; bracket table is intranet-only. Assume well below the headline 90% | |
| Commute saving (from §1) | the GA makes Thun↔Bern free — count it once, here or in the GA line, not both | |
| Total all-in | ||
| Weekly hours | ||
| Vacation days | ||
| Pensum offered (60–100%) | a 90% option changes the CHF/hour maths materially |
3. Break-even
Compute this before the call and write the number here:
Minimum acceptable SBB base = ______ CHF
derived so that: base + 13th + Regionalzulage + employer pension + GA (net of tax) + commute saving ≥ Swisscom all-in
Then on the call you are comparing one number to one number.
Three traps that make this comparison lie:
- Base-to-base is meaningless here. The GA, the Regionalzulage and the pension employer share are all real money that never appears in a base-salary comparison. Conversely a Swisscom bonus is real money SBB will not match.
- Count the commute once. Free GA and "commute saving" are the same franken. Double-counting flatters SBB by four figures.
- The GA is taxed. It goes on the Lohnausweis, so the net value is below list price. Don't book the sticker number.
4. What this is really deciding
The band is capped and collectively bargained — there is no negotiation lever at the top of K the way there is on a private offer. So this is a yes/no against a fixed number, not an opening position.
Set your own line before the call:
- Clears break-even → the level question (Q2) becomes the deciding one, not the money.
- Below break-even but within ~10% → this is the Bern/Thun WLB-exception trade you already defined: below-bar comp accepted for a local seat with a real mission. Worth it only if Q2 comes back with genuine design scope. It has never been worth it for a below-level seat — that is why BKW was declined.
- Well below → decline cleanly, but still finish the call and ask everything. See §5.
5. Why the call is worth doing even if the number fails
- It is the first real data point on what the entire Bern/Thun local tier pays. RUAG, Swissgrid, BKW and BFH all sit in comparable Swiss public-sector/parapublic band structures. Whatever K turns out to be, it calibrates that whole lane — which is otherwise pure guesswork.
- It is interview practice with nothing at stake. NATO JWC (final interviews 2nd half of October), BIS Basel and Microsoft Principal FDE are all still live. You do not want one of those to be your first interview in years.
- Not wanting it makes you better at it. You can ask the blunt questions — band, scope, RAMSI share — without hedging, which is exactly how they should be asked anyway.
Record the K figure in this file afterwards regardless of outcome. It is reusable intelligence for the whole local tier.