Relocating to Sweden

drewfromrisca

Need a bit of advice, has anyone relocated to Sweden/Nordic area and have any tips, advice ideas on jobs etc.

All help (negative or positive) greatly appreciated!

ut_och_cykla

I'm a Brit who has lived in southern Sweden for 20+ years.

Not a relocate - more a permanent choice but I can try and answer any specific q's you have.

My biggest tip is to try and learn the language as fast as you can - we had 2 weeks intensive language traiing to get us started and it was hard but a great help. ( my hubby's company paid for us both!)

Yes, everybody does speak English but you'll feel more at home quicke if you can understand the (mindless) telly, trashy newspapers etc!

nicklouse

been out here for 7 years. the Language certainly does help, I understand it but find it very hard to speak. Work is all in English.

living is cheaper, wages are lower.... there is a butcher that will deliver sausages, sausage rolls, steak and kidney pies.......

So ask away.

drewfromrisca

Sounds great! What's the lifestyle like? Crime? Drugs? Chances of employment etc etc...unfortunately I'm a Police officer and very much doubt that I could become one there (not that I care) as I'm looking for a career change but have no qualifications worth talking about then I'm worried about jobs!

nicklouse

crime pays, drugs what do you want?

Opps i see you are the law :oops:

Basically is is similar to the UK 20 plus yaers ago, but with the free movement in europe you do get bad types...

I can go into my bank and if i wanted walk around to the back of the counter! there is more control in the state run Booze shop! kids cycle to school, public transport works. A car is not really needed if you live in town but isin the country side.

you can attend the SFI (Swedish for Imigrants) courses for free but some people find them, how to put it, interesting.

For a totally un biased view on Sweden www.thelocal.se the forum can be a very false image as most of them are either out of work or not living in Sweden.

so what area are you thinking about?

drewfromrisca

Area!?!?!?! Hang on!!! :shock:

I have no idea. Don't mind if it's rural or town/city. Any suggestions?

So what do you good folks do out there?

nicklouse

design engineer,

And by area i was meaning Stockholm Gothenberg Malmo or somewhere opp North?

ut_och_cykla

You could probably get work in security /as night club bouncer - a growing trade. - I joke not - Sweden has changed a lot teh last 10 years.
Railways also desperate for people.
SOme things are cheaper here - white kitchen goods /electronics etc. Housing varies greatly - countryside cheaper, selected coastlines /bif cities extortionate. Food in my opinion is more expensive than UK, booze too. Eating out (more than just pizza) is not cheap. But you are unlikely to freeze to death or starve...:-). Comparing with my UK brothers I'd wages are behind UK - less spread anyway. That says a lot about life here - there is less 'spread' in goods available, wages etc.
Don't come without a clear goal tho' - teh winters will grind you down unless you are in 2 m of snow and a good skier!! More than 1 million Swedes visit Thailand over teh Xmas period just to get away from teh expensive booze and grey weather. :-)

nicklouse

i am sorry i disagree on the cost of food and booze, Yes eating out is very costly as is going to the pub.

But i was down at the system and picked up a single malt for less than the UK

Longmorn 15 years Longmorn 15 years using www.XE.com to convert.

Do not expect it to be cheap to live as you do now but to live like a Swede...

A Plan is very important.

I did not have one as i got headhunted. A job lined up before arriving is the best way.

drewfromrisca

Well being Welsh and my family coming from Cumbria I'm pretty much used to the cold weather and the snow!!! Also living in London, it get's expensive anyway! To be honest I'm more worried about getting a job.

nicklouse

Very different cold. (well not this winter) i have had -35C here (just north of Gothenberg) was a few years back. Oh and remember this Rocks and trees, Rocks and trees, rocks with trees on. Nothing like Cumbria dont know about Wales but there are not that many Sheep around

drewfromrisca

NO SHEEP!!?!?!?!

Uh-oh that could be a problem!

Yeah I expected the cold to be a bit different. I'm not particularly bothered by it though. I have plenty of wool to keep me 'ahem' warm!!!

Any websites anyone can suggest that I can check out with jobs?

nicklouse

as said before http://www.thelocal.se/ is a ggod place to start just watch out for the forum.....

http://www.thelocal.se/jobs/

swedoz

Hello,

I moved to sweden about seven months ago from Oz.

You must learn the language. It's not super hard and from the lessons I've had SFI is quite good (if very teacher dependent).

Booze isn't cheap - that's why a lot of swedes drive to denmark, or even better germany, to stock up.

Swedes on the whole are very nice and friendly - a bit like Aussies.

Given the unemployment rate of ~3%, if you believe it, getting a job once you can speak swedish isn't too hard.

Good luck, enjoy the ice-biking.

BeaconRuth

You'd have to change your identity. You coudn't be DrewfromRisca any more.

Ruth

nicklouse

Oh and here is the online Jobcenter http://www.ams.se/ sorry only in Swedish.

BigStu2

Yes I agree with the above, learn the language, takes roughly 9 months to complete the basic course at SFI ( swedish for imigrants( roughly speaking)).
Moved here 4 years ago from Australia and now speak svenska every day at work, need too as possibly 15% of the local population over 35 will not even respond in english in the small towns, big cities are different of course, depends what you want.
Building industry is picking up, again the language helps + trade lingo, couldn't believe after 20 years as a metalworker I didnt know what a pop rivet was Very humbling.
Allow some time to be a bit out of pocket and join the local bike klubb asap .
-and yes rocks and trees, rocks with trees on them, and moss, different levels of moss, moss on rocks, moss on trees, moss over holes where trees once stood.
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