Moving to sweden. Need some advice and assurances.
Aug 20th 2008, 12:55 pm
#1
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Joined: Aug 2008
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Moving to sweden. Need some advice and assurances.
I am a 20 year old Brit currently living in London. I recently met a swedish girl and we fell for each other and now cant stand being apart. I have made the big decision of leaving everything behind in England, and decided that i will leave England and join her in Sweden some time in October. I have a few concerns though which are worrying me slightly. The main one being the chances of finding work for myself what with me not being able to speak the native language. Also i have limited experience in the labour market as i have mainly been in education up to this point in my life. Is there anyone who can tell me what my chances are of succeeding in finding employment, and managing to settle and intergrate into swedish life. Regardless of whatever my chances of finding work may be, i will still be heading there no matter what. I just wanted to know if im likely to be ok in finding employment and needed some assurances one way or another before i set off. I will be staying in Sundsvall and will be looking for employment in and around that region, and will be willing to take any kind of job. If anyone can give me any advice or info on how im likely to get on it will be much appreciated, and please dont hesitate to reply. I need some feedback on this.
Thanks
Thanks
Aug 21st 2008, 12:04 pm
#2
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 463
Re: Moving to sweden. Need some advice and assurances.
Your chances of finding work without speaking the language are very low, unless you are coming here for a job which is already lined up. On a positive, language classes are free and most of those in my class who were really committed to finding work have done so within 6 months. Those that are only halfway committed or who expected it to be handed to them are still looking.
I guess that like most things, the more work you put into succeeding, the more likely you are to succeed.
Good luck.
I guess that like most things, the more work you put into succeeding, the more likely you are to succeed.
Good luck.
Aug 23rd 2008, 7:16 pm
#3
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 40
Re: Moving to sweden. Need some advice and assurances.
damn dude it looks quite bad....
You can´t speak Swedish... and you have decided to live in a small town.
Chances were higher if you lived in Malmö or Stockholm. If you lived in Malmö you could take the train to Copenhagen, Denmark and find work there.
BUT THEN AGAIN... your lack of language skills....
Swedish is VERY eay to learn though... many words are similar with English. Take a few classes and take it from there.
You can´t speak Swedish... and you have decided to live in a small town.
Chances were higher if you lived in Malmö or Stockholm. If you lived in Malmö you could take the train to Copenhagen, Denmark and find work there.
BUT THEN AGAIN... your lack of language skills....
Swedish is VERY eay to learn though... many words are similar with English. Take a few classes and take it from there.
Aug 25th 2008, 10:35 pm
#4
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Joined: May 2008
Location: Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK
Posts: 2
Re: Moving to sweden. Need some advice and assurances.
First of all, Sundsvall is a rather small town does not have alot to offer in terms of work and social life. Sweden is one of those countries where jobs such as in the restaurant, pubs or even cleaning which is the type that foreigners in the US, Australia or UK which would generally the last resort, is hardly available to foreigners in Sweden unless you speak good Swedish. You can get away with basic Swedish in some of the English/Irish bars in bigger cities like Stockholm or Malmo but in smaller cities where English usage is minimal, they will want someone who can converse and conduct business in Swedish.
Swedish classes are free but learning really depends on the individual. And do remember that you have to be open to the fact that you will have to adapt not only to a non English environment, learn a new language, adapt to to the colder, sharper climate than of the UK, feel a little isolated at first, unemployed for a while, living in an expensive country and very dependent on your girlfriend for support and possibly even finances?
On the other hand, as an EU citizen you can literally move (and being so close) really easily and still very close to home. Try it out for a couple of months, make sure you have your EU health card and have enough savings to carry you over while looking for work.
Swedish classes are free but learning really depends on the individual. And do remember that you have to be open to the fact that you will have to adapt not only to a non English environment, learn a new language, adapt to to the colder, sharper climate than of the UK, feel a little isolated at first, unemployed for a while, living in an expensive country and very dependent on your girlfriend for support and possibly even finances?
On the other hand, as an EU citizen you can literally move (and being so close) really easily and still very close to home. Try it out for a couple of months, make sure you have your EU health card and have enough savings to carry you over while looking for work.
Aug 27th 2008, 8:46 am
#5
Banned
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 38
Re: Moving to sweden. Need some advice and assurances.
First of all, Sundsvall is a rather small town does not have alot to offer in terms of work and social life. Sweden is one of those countries where jobs such as in the restaurant, pubs or even cleaning which is the type that foreigners in the US, Australia or UK which would generally the last resort, is hardly available to foreigners in Sweden unless you speak good Swedish. You can get away with basic Swedish in some of the English/Irish bars in bigger cities like Stockholm or Malmo but in smaller cities where English usage is minimal, they will want someone who can converse and conduct business in Swedish.
Swedish classes are free but learning really depends on the individual. And do remember that you have to be open to the fact that you will have to adapt not only to a non English environment, learn a new language, adapt to to the colder, sharper climate than of the UK, feel a little isolated at first, unemployed for a while, living in an expensive country and very dependent on your girlfriend for support and possibly even finances?
On the other hand, as an EU citizen you can literally move (and being so close) really easily and still very close to home. Try it out for a couple of months, make sure you have your EU health card and have enough savings to carry you over while looking for work.
Swedish classes are free but learning really depends on the individual. And do remember that you have to be open to the fact that you will have to adapt not only to a non English environment, learn a new language, adapt to to the colder, sharper climate than of the UK, feel a little isolated at first, unemployed for a while, living in an expensive country and very dependent on your girlfriend for support and possibly even finances?
On the other hand, as an EU citizen you can literally move (and being so close) really easily and still very close to home. Try it out for a couple of months, make sure you have your EU health card and have enough savings to carry you over while looking for work.
I know a GP, Physio, Teacher, IT consultant that all tried to get a job in Sweden, but without speaking Swedish. They all returned back to the UK within 6months. To make matters worse, they were living in Stockholm, but could not find any work.
So prepare for the worst and make sure you leave the return door back to the UK Wide wide open.
It is about 1000 times easier for your girlfriend to find a good job in the UK, that pays more and on top of that also have less tax.
Ask her to come over to you instead, because Sundsvall is the capital of thumbleweed, and I would compare it to a large village in terms of opportunities...
