WORKING
ON THIS PAGE
BEFORE YOU GO
GETTING THERE AND AWAY
ARRIVING IN
SETTING UP HOME
JOB HUNTING
LANGUAGE
NETWORKING
The information here is based on a lot of
hard work and research put in by Aussies who have been in
BEFORE YOU GO
Applying for a Working
Swedish
Consulate General in most capital cities.
You can also read general information about visa and work permits at:
Pre-departure research
Books
'Live and Work in
'The Newcomer’s practical handbook for
'Sweden Career Guide' is aimed at EU nationals but could be useful.
Available in pdf format at Going Global.
Websites:
Aussies Abroad in Sweden –
many links for jobs, accommodation, other Aussies.
Gateway to Sweden – companies,
authorities.
The Local
–
Eniro –
detailed maps of
Tourist Information:
Other websites that might be useful:
Swedish
Australian Chamber of Commerce
GETTING THERE
AND AWAY
Cheap travel options are:
Ryanair This no-frills airline flies to
Snowflake is a subsidiary of SAS Airlines. It flies to
several European destinations, including
Ferry Ferries around the
Other guides This website has
guides to travelling to, from and within
ARRIVING IN
Coordination number vs. Person
Number Australians
with a working holiday visa are entitled to a 'Coordination Number'
(samordningsnummer). The Coordination number has 10 digits based on your date
of birth (YYMMxD-xxxx). It is similar to the all-important Person Number (YYMMDD-xxxx)
which is available to Swedish nationals and anyone residing for more than 365
days in
Skatteverket - the Tax Office Upon
arrival in
SETTING UP A
HOME
Finding Sublet Accommodation Accommodation is
highly controlled by the government and is a complex affair. Your best option
is to sublet from a 'first tenant'. You can look up flats through two very good
websites - these allow you to look up
ads for free but you then have to pay to 'contact' someone directly, and make
all the arrangements yourself: Bostad Direct (795kr
for 45 days– generally apartments are advertise at least 1 month in advance of
rent starting). Bostadsförmedling
(500kr for 45 days – often advertise flats available immediately. There are
share flats advertised as well – search under 'rum'). You
can view a locations map for each apartment by clicking the 'visa på karta'
button.
I suggest that you arrive in
Utilities (phone, internet)
Landline phone: It is probably much
cheaper to use a phone card to call home. Local phone calls are charged by
time, but are not itemised. If you use a phone card select the 'free' option,
as this will prevent you being billed twice.
Mobile phones: Just pick up a sim
card from any newsagent. Ask the salesperson which one is the cheapest in the
long term.
Internet: Because local calls
are timed, dial-up internet can be breathtakingly expensive. We estimated that
using the internet for job searching 8 hours a day would cost over AU$600 a
month. It’s much cheaper to subscribe to cable or DSL broadband. And it takes
just a few minutes to set up, once you’ve got a modem.
The two cable suppliers
are Comhem and UPS, and each household is only connected to one of them. We
were able to get by without a personnumer (see below) and subscribe for just 2
months while subletting an apartment. You simply need to buy a cable modem
outright (recommended model is Motorola 5100E). As at January 2005 you couldn’t
buy cable modems at retail outlets in
No personnummer? To get Cable or
ADSL internet access without a personnummer you will probably need to buy a
modem outright. The advantage is you can sign up for as little as 2 months (1
month access and 1 month notice to cancel), instead of the 12 months required
for a 'free' modem.
There are several DSL broadband suppliers – just do a search
on Google Sweden for the best price under 'bredband'.
You might not be able to change providers if second-renting though, since it
includes the standard phone.
Email address: A Swedish friend
recommended that we apply for jobs using a Swedish email address, as this would
look more convincing than hotmail or Australian email. You can get a FREE email
address at Spray, which you can get before
you even arrive.
Setting up Email on Outlook: If you set up email
on MS Outlook or similar software on your computer, don’t forget to change the
SMTP settings (this sends email). The settings will need to match the SMTP of
your internet service provider, not the email provider. For example, I had a
Swedish spray and Australian tpg email address, and had to use the SMTP for
Comhem to send emails. Took me 2 weeks to figure that out.
Surviving Winter It’s not thaaaat bad!
Clothing: Obviously, you’ll
need a very good winter jacket (eg duck down), a selection of warm scarves,
beanies, thick socks and thermal underwear. To save money you can buy these on
sale in
Vitamins: Taking
multi-vitamins throughout winter is recommended, especially Vitamin D (you
don’t need a sunbed session if you’re taking it). Try to get something
combining Vitamin D, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese and
Exercise: Exercising outdoors
is highly recommended, as long as you keep warm – eg. walking, cycling or even
ice skating (you can do courses in ice skating where they teach you how to
'read the ice' and go for trips into the countryside…) A handy US website
provides daily information for Stockholm on what to wear, what the weather
'feels' like by taking wind chill into account, and how many hours of sunlight
are left in the day. Go to Weather.com Fitness
and type '
Also, consider joining a gym. Some even have saunas and solariums.
Joining a gym Friskis och Svettis (Healthy and
Sweaty) has numerous locations around
Renting a car Quickrent in Kungsholmen in
No personnummer? Bring your Australian drivers licence with a
photo, international drivers licence and a passport. If you have a coordination
number (samordnings nummer) you will probably have to book without mentioning
that you have one – it just causes too much confusion – but whip out your
skatteverket document once you arrive to pick the car up and you might minimise
their paperwork.
Medicare
There
is an agreement between the Swedish Försäkringskassan and Medicare. You may need to get a letter from Medicare
stating that you are a member, and take this with you to the doctor. Or your
Medicare card may suffice (I didn’t get to test this). Under this arrangement,
you only have to pay about 260kr, which is what the Swedes pay.
The
Australian Smarttraveller
website says:
You
will be covered for:
-
medical treatment by any doctor or outpatient department of a
hospital
-
a visit to a private doctor who is affiliated with the social
security scheme will cost slightly more
-
some travel costs incurred to get medical treatment may be
refunded from the National Social Insurance Board of Sweden
(Forsakringskassan). Contact an office of the insurance board for full details.
What is not covered:
-
a small daily fee for hospital inpatient care
-
there are varying charges for hospital outpatient treatment and
visits to a doctor—charges are reduced for children
-
full price is charged for prescription medicines
For
full details contact an office of the National Social Insurance Board of Sweden
(Forsakringskassan).
The
Australian smartraveller website also suggests you register your emergency
contact details at DFAT.
This is forwarded to the Australian consulate of the country you’re staying in.
Public libraries You can join the public
library network for free, and use the internet for up to 15 minutes for
free. Small libraries are located throughout the city. And the clear red
‘bibliotek’ card makes for a spunky souvenir.
No personnummer? Bring proof of your
address and one piece of photo ID (drivers licence or passport). They will post
the card to your address to confirm its validity. You can still borrow 3 books
on the spot, for a period of one month
More info The American Women’s Society AWC website includes additional
information such as 'fitting in and customs', using the post office, banking,
using post-giro and 'Out and About in
JOB HUNTING
Professional work is difficult to secure if you’re on a working
holiday in
Even some of the large multinational companies, such as Deloitte,
won’t hire non-Swedish speakers in their local office. Others say they have
limited places for non-Swedish speakers, and cite examples of
internally-transferred employees from other locations who had to learn Swedish
whilst working.
So finding work without Swedish fluency is likely to be harder
than you think.
Job search tips
Finding
a job in
-
Secure a job before you arrive, or at least start to start
to establish some contacts
-
Network, network, network. This applies no matter what type
of work you’re looking for
-
Search and apply for jobs through a recruiting company.
Unlike
-
Log your CV with the government employment service, AMS. According to their website, you can get a
‘case worker’ assigned to help you, although I’ve not heard of anyone actually
doing this. You can also search for jobs online without subscribing. Try
entering a keyword such as 'English' or 'Engelska' in your search.
-
Bring official copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation, or any
certifications and awards. Several people have suggested that employers prefer
letters of reference from an applicant's previous employers
-
One suggestion is to spend time at the Australian or English pubs in
town, so you can meet expats and network for jobs. Some excuse, huh?
-
Start a job application by phoning first, and follow up with
another phone call to see how you went. Preferably arrange a meeting face to
face.
Example: Mel is on a working
holiday visa from Australia, living with her Swedish boyfriend. She managed to
secure a job within one month of arriving. She had a CV ready, and went in
person to all the international schools and pre-schools to meet the principals
face to face. She also interviewed for several au pair jobs, before landing a
job as a ‘teaching assistant’ at an international school. It pays about 8000kr
per month (AU $1,550) before tax, and is based on a 25 to 30 hour week.
What you’re likely to get
Childcare jobs:
If you love children, and want to work with them, you’ll probably
find a job fairly easily.
Au-Pair websites are listed in Employment under "Working
Holidays". Apparently US and UK expats prefer English speaking nannies.
The pay is about 60kr an hour or 3500kr a month (less than AU$700 cash in hand)
and usually includes accommodation, travel with the family and use of a car.
Try Parentnet to read or post
ads.
Child Care Centres
Sometimes there are
openings for English speakers at International child care centres:
-
Universitet,
-
Mother Goose
-
Filius &
Filia in
-
Humpty Dumpty Nursery School in Karlaplan
International Schools
If you have teaching
experience, you can apply to teach at an International School, or without experience
you can apply to be an assistant teacher or ‘vicarier’ (relief teacher).
Schools include:
-
Stockholm
International School on Johannesgatan.
-
British International
Primary School
-
International
School in Nacka
-
Tanto
-
Bellmanskällan
Other jobs:
Pubs: In general, basic Swedish is required to work at pubs and bars,
although the Dancin’ Dingo in Göteborg
will sometimes employ Aussies with experience if they have an opening.
Catering: try Mässrestauranger and Casino Cosmopol.
Conferences and Telesales:
-
Marcus Evans (look
for Jobs, then
-
IFS at hires English
speakers
-
Global Asset Management Group info@globalnordic.com
Shop Assistant:
You could try Gray’s American Store or The English Shop. They’re also good
places to network.
Teaching Business English:
Swedish business
people sometimes take courses to brush up on their English speaking skills. Work
is likely to be at an hourly rate, and may be sporadic or only available in
summer. Search for English (Engelska) classes in your area, such as:
-
TBV
IT jobs:
There seem to be lots of jobs advertised for IT in Sweden, many of
which ask for English-speaking skills and don’t mention Swedish. There are also
quite a few recruiting companies dedicated to IT. You might have more success in
this professional field than others.
Professional work:
Recruiting companies with English sections include:
What you’re not likely to get It’s very difficult to find professional work here as a foreigner. As a comparison, we met more Australians in permanent professional positions in Switzerland than we did in Sweden. It’s probably because multinational companies with local offices in Sweden service the Nordic market only, and hence a Nordic language is required by clients.
Some Swedes have complained there isn’t much work for Swedish
professionals either. However, Sweden’s unemployment rate is amongst the lowest
in the world at 4.9% (The Economist, figures for Nov 2004). According to a
recent article, foreigners fare much worse than locals when it comes to
securing those jobs:
Published in The Local, Stockholm’s English
newspaper,
Foreigners
'excluded from job market'
If
people with foreign backgrounds in Stockholm had the same employment rate as
Swedes, another 50,000 people would be in work. This is the claim made by the man
in charge of helping foreigners in Stockholm to integrate into Swedish society.
With figures showing the number of available jobs in the capital rising,
foreigners are still finding it hard to integrate. According to a survey by
Stockholm City, those parts of Stockholm with a high proportion of immigrants
also have the highest rates of unemployment. In addition, a large number are
employed in jobs for which they are overqualified.
This is not good enough, says Sam Yildirim, Integration Director at Stockholm
County Council.
'As shareholders in Sweden AB, we cannot be satisfied with the way that we are
using our resources,' he said in a press release. 'How can we just disregard
such a great pool of energy and competence that could help the country’s development?'
he asked.
….
For Stockholm County Council, another way to tackle unemployment is to improve
contact between immigrants and employers. At the Recruitment Bazaar, which took
place this weekend in Stockholm, over forty companies and government agencies
were on hand to meet foreigners trying to get onto the jobs market.
'By using immigrants’ language and cultural competences, companies can open
themselves up to new markets, both in Sweden and internationally,' says
Yildirim.
Incidentally,
a couple of Australians on working holiday visas attended the Recruitment
Bazaar mentioned in the article. Unbeknownst to each other, they both spoke to
a representative of the AMS (government employment agency) and were given the
same response: 'Despite your university education and years of experience,
you’re unlikely to get a job here without Swedish language. I suggest you try
to get a job cleaning in restaurants.'
As
another comparison, an expatriate in Sweden responded to the above article in
The Local, by writing:
Anonymous | 23rd February 2005
In the last 2 years I have applied for around 300 jobs. I have a degree,
international experience and consulting experience in Sweden. I have re-written
my CV about 10 times with the advice from Swedish agents and friends in
business.
I have not had one interview.
It has been suggested I use a Swedish name when I apply for work.
The only work I am offered is 'black' at a very low hourly rate. I have
laboured here but found that as the foreigner I was expected to do the hardest
jobs and all the Swedes were 'the bosses' over me.
My Swedish is conversational yet I am told I can't get a job because I'm not
fluent. Given the demand for English teachers and the fact that many companies
do business in English I find it amazing that Swedish employers don't just hire
English speaking employees to help them with their English work.
The combination of arrogance and xenophobia found in Sweden is worrying.
If, when Swedes went to live in English speaking countries, they were treated
as we are treated here, there would certainly be an outcry... and we are the
foreigners they like!
LANGUAGE
I have a very comprehensive section on Swedish language here and here.
Working holiday-ers may also want to know about:
Classes
Expatriates with an official personnummer are entitled to
extensive, free language classes provided by the government. On a working
holiday, with just a samordningsnummer, you won’t be entitled to such luxuries.
Several companies offer Swedish classes at a price – see Aussies
Abroad links for info.
Translating pages on the
internet
There
aren’t any really great tools for translating large chunks of Swedish to
English in one hit. Inter
Tran is okay for getting a very generalised idea of what an article is about,
although it is very unreliable, both in meaning and availability.
NETWORKING
Several
networking groups meet on a regular basis, and are a good source of information
and advice:
Aussies Abroad has a calendar of events on the opening page.
There is also a list of English speaking societies here in
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The X-Files
You know you've been in Sweden too long when ...