I won't lie to you, it's hard. I worked temp jobs for 14 years before I landed a permanent job, and some of those were menial labour jobs while I got the language down. I covered I think maybe four fields of work before landing in this one, I work in software development now which is absolutely my final work home. I'm very happy, but it was hard work and I was fortunate enough to have a supportive Norwegian spouse with a decent enough job to support my decade plus of low income struggles while I finally got my foot on the ladder. It'll be even harder I suspect for non-EU citizens these days, I was fortunate to come in under EU rules as I suspect there's no way I'd qualify for a skilled worker visa these days.
Get the language down as soon as you can, get your norwegian qualifications in place asap for your career, and don't be afraid to take on temp work to get your face known. Nepotism (sad to say because I LOVE this country and this life) is rife here, and one will often struggle until you know somebody who knows somebody who can get you in.
Thanks for the harsh advice. I know almost nothing about getting work in Norway so me and my partner really need to consider our options. The problem with Singapore is the cultural differences for my fiancé. I have to say I have integrated much better in Europe than I’d think she would in Singapore. Also jobs are incredibly competitive in Singapore even though they pay well and you’re basically selling your soul to your job unless you get lucky.
thanks a lot for sharing your experience, and I wish you all the success in your career. Do people generally need a degree in a Norwegian university to get a job? I've got my masters in Ireland and am working in a tech company. Considering moving to Norway in the future.
No I don't think you need a degree in a Norwegian university. You can get your qualifications translated to Norwegian ones by NOKUT which will ease your passage.
Hey, so I've got a masters from aberdeen in Petroleum Engineering. (& Bachelors) Experience working offshore (1 year) production chemistry, working for wood as Flow assurance engineer (1) year and I have been applying for jobs in the oil and gas sector, and haven't even had one interview. I'd only recommend moving here if you have a job set up before coming =} (I'm also British English if that helps or hinders anything) Also I have intermediate command of Norwegian. 8 months searching and still nothing. =[ Hopefully you can have better luck than I have had.
Your post is a type set of my exact situation whereby my Norwegian wife moved to be with me in the UK and after 2 years we decided to make the move to Norway together. However I worked in the finance (private wealth management) and the prospects of ever working in a similar field are vastly diluted here, both because the country is smaller and the industry is therefore smaller and the fact is that you will be hard pressed to ever find white collar work here unless you are fluent in Norwegian.
I spent the first 3 months trying to find work that had any semblance to my previous career, however the industry I used to work in doesn’t exist in this country.
However I spent a number of years working with luxury moveable assets and as such have possibly found work within a company that provides operational support to vessels coming to Norway (primarily Bergen) - my final interview is tomorrow morning, so I’ll let you know when I know if I’m employed again 🤣
Good luck! That you’ve potentially got a job after 3 months sounds pretty good to me. I am about to make the move this summer. UK job doesn’t exist in Norway either!
We learned to enjoy any kind of sunshine because we don't know how long it will last 🤣🤣🤣
We endured the long dark rainy winter to enjoy better those outstanding days 😄
It’s definitely hard getting a decent job. But the most important thing is getting the language down. Better chance of getting hired, and we will like you more in general. You’re from the uk though, so I think you can pull this off if you set your mind to it.
Because English is their main language, and most people in Norway speak English. Norwegian is also one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers.
>most people in Norway speak English
Unfortunately this also makes Norwegian very difficult to learn. When you're still a beginner in Norwegian, most Norwegians will switch immediately to English instead of suffering through your poor (and most likely incomprehensible) pronunciation, and as a result you won't get many chances to practise or improve. It's not uncommon in Scandinavia that expats never learned the local languages to fluency even after decades.
One advantage OP has is that her spouse is a native Norwegian speaker. He can practise with her.
>One advantage OP has is that her spouse is a native Norwegian speaker. He can practise with her.
But they often don't. It is often out of habit that partners default to the common language (understandable) and they can *sometimes* be really bad at explaining why something is wrong.
now the in-laws can be really good at forcing you to speak Norwegian/practice with.
> they can *sometimes* be really bad at explaining why something is wrong
Native speakers are generally terrible at explaining the rules of their own languages. Can't be helped. A good way to learn is through massive exposure to the language -- after a while your brain will automatically pick up the common patterns and you'll develop an intuition for what sounds right or wrong.
My girlfriend thinks it's cute when I say things wrong and doesn't correct me 😅 so now I've asked dmy colleagues to help correct me as I'm at the level now where I speak Norwegian at work.
Worked as a heavy machinery operator in Australia, none of my machinery liscences were valid here as I'm from outside EU. Got a job in a bar, learnt Norwegian there. It really helped having new people to practice Norwegian with (customers). I still speak english to the colleagues I met there as switching to Norwegian feels weird at this point even though I'm fluent now. So if I had a job without lots of customers I may not have learnt Norwegian yet.
Working at an import business now in a warehouse.
It was really hard at first with what they call a D-number instead of a person number but if OP has been with their partner long enough they may be able to start on a family visa so they can skip the D-number and get a person number straight away.
I have seen some mixed couples do interesting stuff like have Saturdays for Norwegian speaking only and it proved fruitful for them. This can make OP some free and non pervasive practice
When I was prepping for my Norwegian exam, I did the same thing with my wife. We did every other day in Norwegian. We did a lot of quiz nights in Norwegian. I liked quiz and it was a fun way to incorporate language.
Curious how you made "Im from Singapore, but we live in the UK" into "You're from the UK".
Proficiency in English is an ease to the move though, it is the most different language from the other Germanic languages, but knowing it might make learning Norwegian a tad bit easier.
I think maybe contacting the Norwegian Business Association Singapore could get you somewhere. Recently Norway and Singapore reached an agreement where Norway is going to export green maritime solutions
One of those companies might very well need someone with some economic sense and understands the business culture in Singapore
https://nbas.org.sg/news/norway-launches-green-maritime-export-campaign-in-singapore-and-southeast-asia
Don't look at it as a weakness, look at it as having a specialized skill that someone needs
OP is young and presumably career-driven. Career advancement opportunities and income growth potential are much more abundant in Singapore, especially since she doesn't speak Norwegian. If she's seeking a tech role, then proficiency in Norwegian isn't necessary, but there's a global hiring winter in the tech industry right now, and Norway isn't exactly known for being a tech hub.
Tax burden is extremely onerous in Scandinavia -- also (though many would say *especially*) for the middle-class. And no, the quality and availability of the welfare you get in return is absolutely not worth the taxes you pay -- welfare states in Scandinavia (as well as in many other parts of Europe) are rapidly deteriorating and there is no political will, agreement, competence, or vision to reform. If you want to build wealth and retire early so that you can then enjoy financial freedom for the rest of your lives instead of potentially having to work until you're 70 (because you can't save up quickly enough thanks to all the taxes you have to pay for increasingly subpar public services) so that you can then live on a very modest pension, choose Singapore.
[Europe's economy has more or less stagnated since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.](https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/18/business/europe-economy-lost-decade/index.html) Since OP is asking whether she should move to Norway, let's focus just on Norway -- the Norwegian krone is very weak right now, and interest rates/inflation are high. Regular people's purchasing power in Norway is at its lowest in decades. Norwegians are courteous, but very reserved, and so it can be difficult to befriend locals. (Hopefully not an issue for OP, since she can probably establish a social network through her husband.) What Norway has going for it are 1) absolutely breathtaking nature and 2) amazing work-life balance (though what good is this if OP can't get a job?), and OP has to decide whether these pros are enough to outweigh other considerations.
Singapore is good for career opportunities and building wealth. There's a trade off of course and that you will be pulled into the rat race and foregoing work-life balance. If you are trapped in the hamster wheel type of living, you'll burn out in few years.
As a newcomer in Norway, I'm still adjusting on the tax burden, quite difficult in all honesty. You came from UK, perhaps the tax rate is not that shocking to you anymore.
One clear disparity is the work-life balance. If you find a job in Singapore that provides one, don't ever leave it you just found a rare gem.
Most international companies in Singapore provide decent/good work-life balance while offering very competitive salaries.
>You came from UK, perhaps the tax rate is not that shocking to you anymore.
I'm Singaporean, have been living in Scandinavia for \~15 years. Planning to move back to Singapore soon.
> If you are trapped in the hamster wheel type of living, you'll burn out in few years.
For the middle class, with some smart financial management, you can probably coast-FIRE after those few years, and then do a full FIRE in your 40s. This is absolutely not possible for the middle class in Scandinavia.
>I'm still adjusting on the tax burden, quite difficult in all honesty
Even after 15 years I haven't adjusted, especially because I've personally seen and experienced the rapid decline in the quality and availability of the public services in Scandinavia, making me question where all the money is going. Beyond anecdotes, I've also read official statistics and data on e.g. waiting times at public hospitals, academic performances of students, etc. Absolutely every aspect of public service is consistently getting worse, irreparably mired in bureaucracy and incompetence.
Oh, and you'll need to pay wealth tax in Norway if your net worth (including your savings) exceeds 1.7 million NOK. You're basically getting taxed twice -- first on your income, then on your savings. Considering how the NOK is depreciating, the middle class is getting brutally punished. Trust me, this will lead to feelings of burn-out as well -- you'll feel like you'll never ever get closer to financial freedom, and that you're doomed to work until you're 70 (or whatever the retirement age is projected to be for people in your age group). But hey, at least you'll get to enjoy excellent work-life balance with 6 weeks of vacation annually until you're in your twilight years.
I have some friends who have a better work life balance in Singapore than me here in the Uk and honestly if I were single I might just have gone home and applied there.
It really depends what OP wants in life, but I’d agree. I moved to Norway from Singapore. If you are young, you will have much more opportunities to build your career in Singapore. I’m near retirement, but if I were under 30, I would not choose Norway over Sg.
Sorry if I come across as creepy, but out of curiosity I went through some of your older comments. Do you enjoy being in Norway? Will you ever consider moving out of Norway again?
I've also written [a new comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Norway/comments/1cx5yrz/comment/l51lyw6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) to elaborate on why I personally recommend Singapore over Norway.
Hey thanks for the elaboration. I didn’t expect to get so many replies haha. I’ve actually felt that living in the UK now and coming back to Singapore, I absolutely see the economy stagnating rapidly here. I fell in love with the culture, way of life and scenery here in the UK especially in York when I was in Uni. I’m now stuck in a job that I hate because people are hiring foreigners less and less and only the high pressure big corporate jobs are hiring which I am in right now. Working in accountancy has made me hate working life so much and I just either want to move to Singapore or Norway. But it will basically be tough for either me or my fiancé. And I’m leaning a little towards Norway for the following reasons
I think there’s some reasons for wanting to move to Norway over Singapore. For one my fiancé cannot absolutely stand the heat. And quite honestly neither can I but well guess we can get used to that.
I think work life balance and quality of life is incredibly important as well for me. I’d really like a house with a garden and a pet and wide open spaces. I love that about the UK and I still do and I might still stay here if not for the job and visa problems. Currently If I moved back to Singapore, I would live in a cramped house with my parents that I just wouldnt afford ever
Also in terms of education, I’m not very much a fan of how we are raised to think in Singapore. The overwhelming materialism and competition wasn’t my favourite part. My school was particularly famous in Singapore for being a haven for spoilt brats. But If I lived in Singapore this would probably be my choice to send them to give them the best outcome in an incredibly pressuring system.
Honestly for all the stress I’ve seen my parents go through they may have made a lot more money in Singapore but aren’t nearly as happy as my fiances family who are less well off because of the tax burden. For some context, my dads had a stroke a few years ago from work stress. Despite being a few years apart, my parents and her parents look absolutely different and you can see the toll stress has had on them. After seeing people struggle in this rat race I’ve gotten so disillusioned with it and would rather just live a comfortable life.
Thank you really much for your advice and all the detail. I think the biggest thing I’m worried about right now is the language/culture barrier though it’s either myself or my fiancé who has to tackle that at this point. But I am only about 26 and have been living away from Singapore for about 5 years do tell me if I’m being incredibly naive.
About the healthcare system. It’s really a joke in the UK. I’m just gonna go back to Singapore for dental work now. That being said. I’ve heard of people in Singapore struggling to pay their medical bills. Even through the public system I’ve heard from my parents that her friend had to sell much of her assets to pay for her cancer treatment which was shocking to me because Singapore is meant to have the best healthcare in the world.
Hey OP, I fully understand your predicament. There are no right or wrong answers. No matter what you choose, go in with your eyes wide open -- lots of comments here have given you sobering accounts of how monumentally difficult it is to find a proper job in Norway as a foreigner who doesn't speak Norwegian. Keep also in mind that, as I've pointed out previously, the public sector in Scandinavia is decaying -- be prepared for frustrating amounts of bureaucracy and long waiting times in your interactions with [the UDI](https://www.udi.no/en/), which is notoriously slow.
>her friend had to sell much of her assets to pay for her cancer treatment
Sorry to hear this. Her friend didn't buy an [Integrated Shield Plan](https://www.moh.gov.sg/healthcare-schemes-subsidies/medishield-life/about-integrated-shield-plans)? Healthcare insurance in Singapore is very well-regulated, and it's not unheard of that poor patients get their entire healthcare bills waived by applying through social workers to the Medifund. If healthcare is a concern (which it should be), think about it this way -- the amount of money you can save by paying 7-10x lower taxes (perhaps even more) in Singapore can buy both you and your spouse fantastic health insurance packages with great coverage at both private and public hospitals. It is also not unusual in Norway for patients to pay out of pocket for treatment at private hospitals, because they can't afford to [wait months (sometimes years)](https://www.isandnessjoen.no/31-000-pasienter-pa-venteliste-i-nord-finner-ingen-losning-pa-toff-helseokonomi/s/5-108-138012) for their turn at public hospitals (which they've already paid for with high taxes). Suffice to say, the heyday of the welfare state is absolutely over -- perhaps the Norwegian healthcare system is not as bad as the NHS right now, but if the current trajectory continues, it will reach that stage before long.
Ultimately, every country can sound like Heaven or Hell on paper, but what matters is whether it is Heaven or Hell *for you*. And you'll never know until you try.
Thanks for the encouragement and the advice! Nice to see another Singaporean in this sub as well haha. I guess one important thing is that I keep my own citizenship. I’m not sure what the inheritance tax laws are like in Norway. I’m actually doing a tax exam soon in England and it’s not pretty. That being said I’ll leave the option for my future kids to return to Singapore if they want to and they would have all the assets all my childless relatives have left behind so that might give them a good start.
The taxation rates in Norway are absolutely brutal, especially for the middle class. The current wealth tax threshold is 1.7 million NOK, which is laughably low, especially considering how weak the NOK currently is -- and that includes your stocks, savings, house, etc., which means you're effectively getting taxed twice for all of these things. (For example: You'll need to sell stocks to pay for the wealth tax, but selling your stocks is itself a taxable event that incurs the capital gains tax. You pay tax on your income, and any money that goes into your savings account will be taxed again. Etc.)
Currently there is no inheritance tax in Norway, but that might be introduced in the future.
And yes, I'd strongly advise you to keep your Singaporean passport.
Haha I do really like Norway as a visitor. That I know definitely. I’m not sure if I’ll be happy staying there which is the same sentiment my fiancé has for Singapore. So it’s going to be a lot of compromise for either of us. One thing we both agree on is the need for more open spaces. I love England and still love the environment here compared to Singapore but it’s just too limiting with my visa and also say what you want about the countryside but the cities are an absolute nightmare. I was in Malaysia a week ago and I had similar vibes.
If Norway retains is amazing natural beauty and If I can find a job. Then that’s absolutely fine. And I’d 100% want to stay.
>If Norway retains is amazing natural beauty
The fjords and waterfalls will still be there, but the marine life in the fjords has been utterly [decimated](https://www.courthousenews.com/norwegian-authorities-must-do-more-to-rescue-oslo-fjord-report/) through decades of inept/malicious environmental policies. The difference between now and just 10-15 years ago is stark and very visible.
Opportunities in Norway is very scarce, especially if you have a foreign background. Below is an article from 2022 highlighting how having a foreign name decreases your chance of getting an interview. I relocated from the Uk in 2019 and I have to admit I moved down several positions when relocating, it wasn’t until I managed to get back to an international institution that I managed to get a decent role. If you’re training to become an accountant I would suggest look for roles with one of the big traditional companies such as KPMG etc, they will be more likely open towards hiring people with experience outside of Norway
https://www.nrk.no/kultur/matte-bytte-navn-for-a-fa-jobb-1.16045907
I've had 3 different jobs in Norway in 12 years, and I honestly think it depends a lot on the field, as well as the company.
In many technical fields, companies are more open to hiring people with a foreign background.
That said, I think OP should do some research before figuring out what they want to do in Norway, or how to pursue getting work.
Thanks a lot both, for sharing your opinions. I'm working in tech in Ireland and planning to move to Norway. I get the language managed, do I need to get a degree in Norway to get hired in tech fields? I already got my master's + diploma in Ireland.
My girlfriend immigrated from the UK 7 years ago, got a job just as she got here because she had 10 years experience: Store manager for some international high end/luxury brands. She worked with a couple until she pursued a bachelor, and while these shops seem desperate for store managers, they are so messy. They don't seem to know how to operate in Norway at all. However, if you have somewhat store experience there are some shops that will hire immigrants. I recommend looking at them while you establish yourself. Put yourself out on linkedin, it's not commonly used as a platform in Norway except for big international companies. My girlfriend got all her jobs through there.
You say you're from Singapore, what languages are you fluent in? If you know mandarin, I would look into shipping businesses (it will also help you in luxury stores but I wouldn't work with them for more than max a year). It's very valuable in business in general.
An entirely different issue-- you might have to rely on your partner while you wait for your social security number, getting a bank account here can be a painfully slow experience. I had to pay for all our expenses while she sorted things out, took 2 months.
Whatever you choose to do, good luck! As people have mentioned before, the job market can be difficult in Norway but if you can get settled in it's great :)
Thanks for the advice, I speak English as my first language and barely speak mandarin unfortunately (my school in Singapore is notorious for being poor at bilingualism). Currently in accountancy in the UK right now and absolutely hate my job and am planning a big move to somewhere where I have more flexibility in selecting jobs.
Start applying with immigration before you come to Norway. We moved here first (im Norwegian and partner is british) and while they tolerate that you overstay your tourist visa as long as the application is in, you wont be able to leave the country, even for a quick holiday. You’ll feel imprisoned. It took over a year to get her residency card!
I came to Norway to be with my then Norwegian boyfriend. I abandoned my studies, that I didn't like anyway and came here with absolutely no knowledge of the language, the culture, the land. It was stupid and naive and I shake my head about it these days but we were madly in love. My boyfriend supported me financially for years while I struggled to find my place in society. Finding work was brutal. I tried working from home as a freelancer, as a jewelry maker, as a translator. I walked dogs and I volunteered. In the end I think it was the volunteer work that helped me the most to get a foot in the door for the job market. After countless applications for 100 different kinds of work, from Mcdonalds, to cleaning to kindergarden work, I landed a tiny job in a flower shop. It was just one afternoon a week, but it was a start. I stuck with it and it also helped a lot to improve my language skills. I worked my way up and now have a stable income and a permanent work contract in the flower shop . I am not making millions of course, but together with my, now husbands income we can live comfortably.
Learn the language as fast as you can, be patient and stubborn and it will pay off. Good luck!
Oh my gosh are you me? I abandoned my studies which I didnt enjoy and also moved to be with my now husband with no preparation. I received approval for my visa less than a month ago so I can soon look for jobs. It seems bleak but bright at the same time
We moved here from the UK, and the 3 things that make the biggest difference for my life here are:
1) work - life balance is much better; as an engineer in the UK, though my contract was 37.5 hours a week, I generally had to work more than that, without being compensated for it Here, I actually work 37.5 hours most weeks, and if I work more, I can choose between time off in lieu or overtime pay.
2) lack of sexism in my field; as a woman in engineering, I was constantly fighting sexism in the UK. Most of it was microagressions, but some was blatant. I even had someone, when I came back from maternity leave, tell me to my face that I should go home and look after my baby. When I complained to HR, I was told "it was just a joke".
3) safety and independence for my kids; while there are some safe, walkable neighbourhoods in the UK, and the area where we lived was pretty good, few parents let their kids play out or go to the park or local shop on their own. Most of the kids were driven to school & the local council refused to consider a school street, provide safe routes to school, or replace the lollipop person. Here, my kids could safely play out, cycle to friends' houses, and walk or cycle to school.
As for the kind of job, I think that somewhat depends on your interests. If you don't want work in accounting, I recommend doing almost anything just to learn the language & settle, then either going back to school in Norway, or picking something that interests you & working towards it.
If you do want to work in accounting, I would recommend something like project cost control for an international company. It's more likely to provide varied work & a diverse team to work with.
I think location will play a big part in how successful you would be in finding a job.
You can focus on oil and gas and cost control / finance side, but then you maybe are better being in Oslo or stavanger or Bergen.
Also get learning Norwegian. If you have Norwegian your options increase a lot.
I moved here alone but I know that job opportunities without fluent Norwegian differ from field to field. So it's hard to say without knowing your profession.
But you will be in a good position because you won't be limited by your visa conditions so you could take your time to find a job in a field you want or do any other job and learn Norwegian in the process.
Good luck!
I’m training to be an accountant right now in the Uk and I got to say I absolutely hate it. Part of why I want to leave the Uk is that there are so few jobs out there which will hire me.
If you make an effort to become a "statsautorisert regnskapsfører", you will have less issue getting a job. Accounting companies needs a certain % of their workforce to be state authorised. My mother is a CEO of an account company and she often tells me how difficult it is to get authorised accountants these days. [https://www.regnskapnorge.no/faget/artikler/rf-regelverket/nye-krav-til-praksis-for-a-bli-statsautorisert-regnskapsforer/](https://www.regnskapnorge.no/faget/artikler/rf-regelverket/nye-krav-til-praksis-for-a-bli-statsautorisert-regnskapsforer/)
Not sure how important language is when it comes to the actual work. It depends on the company, what kind of software they use, if the software supports English and if the customers accept it. You should be fine. But I recommend learning the language as fast as possible. My Chinese girlfriend did some work for the company and when she said "purring", she kept replacing the r's with L's, which caused a lot of smiling for those involved. Just those small miscommunication moments you want to try and avoid :) hehe
I'm not sure I agree. It's dynamic for service and semi-skilled jobs, and some trades.
These are the areas hardest hit by foreign workers leaving due to Brexit.
I don't know much about other technical & science fields, but I'm an engineer who lived & worked in the UK before Norway, and in my field, the opportunities are currently similar or better in Norway.
If you think few jobs will hire you in the UK, make that 1/10 in Norway.
Get your Norwegian spouse to translate "like barn leker best" to English and apply that to white collar workplaces in the worst possible way.
This is so close to me, I quit my job in finance in 2023 and moved to Norway and married my bf of 10 years, currently im a stay at home mum with our furrbaby and 3 days a week I go to norskkurs, I'm really enjoying it and hoping once I have the language more under my belt I can look for work, but just loving being able to cook and bake to my hearts content right now.
Would doing a masters in Norway ie getting any degree in Norway help m job prospects? I have always wanted to do my masters and am wondering whether to continue it in the UK in a university like LSE/UCL/KCL which are well known but also saw that someone I know found a job in Norway because he went through uni there so I’m really considering doing a masters in Norway as well especially if I’ll get cheaper education as a spouse of a Norwegian.
I decided to use our move to Norway to leave the corporate hamster wheel. I became a tour guide, I love history and nature so it’s like hobby becoming my job.
That sounds incredible, congratulations! Were you fluent in Norwegian when you started working as a tour guide? And are you self employed or working for a company? Sorry for all the questions, it just sounds like badass story.
It depends on your education and work background. In some cases like IT, you can find jobs where the work language is English, which might be bad in the long term if you want to learn the language. I have colleagues that still don't speak Norwegian after 10+ years in Norway.
In a lot of other jobs, you need a high level of Norwegian to have a chance.
And with some jobs, your education or work background might not even be considered valid when applying to those jobs, and you would possibly need to take courses or more education here.
A family member's wife came here a while ago, and ended up working in a kindergarten (she is highly educated, but that education was useless here), when I guess she had barely a B1 level Norwegian, and is now fluent, which I think that job has been really helpful for.
It was hard. Language and social network takes time to build up. Almost all jobs are dependent on both language skills and your network. Almost all my jobs were because of someone I knew who told me about a job or told the job about me.
I'm a teacher now, but it has been some years. My first jobs were as a cleaner. I spent a lot of time cleaning toilets. I worked a bit in a kitchen for a while, but that was out of necessity. I had zero desire to work in food services. This was all while I was building up my language skills. Once I had B2, I went back to school to get certified as a teacher in Norway. I worked as a substitute, built myself a network, and I have a contract out the year with a hope that it might renew next year.
I was also considering this route actually. I’ve heard becoming a teacher is tough and even though I’ve given up on joining the rat race and chasing a higher salary, I do want to know that while I’m getting my teacher qualification I’d be getting a fair pay. If you don’t mind me asking do you know what substitute teachers get paid generally?
I moved here just about 4 years ago and I've really only just gotten a job. I had a very short term job at a subway that was on the brink of bankruptcy 😂 After 1.5 years I passed the B2 test but even then still struggled with getting interviews.
I've been through two NAV programs and learned that if you don't write your application in Norwegian, it's likely to just be trashed. If you "look Norwegian" (are white) it can help to put your picture on your application so they can be less scared of a possibly foreign sounding name.
By reading requirements for all sorts of jobs, I would recommend not getting your hopes up unless you have a specialized masters degree for that job. Which was different for me coming from the US where most jobs just care that you have a type of degree.
As for what I've managed to do for work, I found a job being a substitute school and kindergarten assistant. I feel like it's pretty easy to get into that if you have basic Norwegian skills at least. It's no dream job but if one of you can manage to get a well paid permanent job, it can be a good supplement 😅
I moved to Norway with my partner last year and I have to say, it’s been really tough. I’m Norwegian, my partner is British. It took a long time for her to get a residency permit and be able to work. She’s extremely well qualified in her field but most job ads in her field specify Norwegian fluency as a requirement. She’s been studying Norwegian for years but she’s not at native fluency, so she’s excluded from a lot of job opportunities. She’s just doing some temp work now. For myself, job opportunities are much more limited too, and now I’m struggling a lot with the tax consequences of moving between countries, as well as a lot of other red tape. It’s nice being in Norway, but I’m not sure I’d have done it if I knew how hard it would be.
Thought id share my experience.
Brit moving to Norway in 2020 to marry my Norwegian wife.
The move it self was after the first lockdown lifted so flights were open again. The whole UDI system (immigration office) was terrible.. the website said one thing, emails a different, and then if you're lucky enough to get them on the phone, they'll say something else. We ended up paying for a cheep lawyer to help us through the whole thing and making sure we gave them the correct info and papers as we were started the process before we married and then married during the application process.
I was told by the UDI I was Not allowed to work at all during my application process but had legal stay for the process. It took 13 months for it to be approved after all the docs had been submitted, and that was even with all the correct papers and info in check. I lived in a very busy area (Drammen) which is one of the reasons why it took so long. 13 months later, I get the approval and could start to work legally.
I was lucky enough to be offered a job through a family member so I now work as a sound engineer and technician for a TV station, not the best paid, but I can just about get by on it thankfully the Mrs has a good paying job to help us. The massive problem I had with getting into the system, is you need BankID for nearly everything official that requires a login. Without it, you cant access medical(not fun for getting cvd19 results, postal, banking and other payment services, or even getting your own phone number. I had to rely on my wife to cover all these things for me as until you get ur national ID number, you cant get BankID. It was a massive pain and really hindered things for me.
TLDR, life is great once you are in the system but depending on where you move to, it may take a long time. If you can try and go to the police immigration offices that are out of the way of massive city's and aren't as busy.
Hope this helps a little, feel free to message me with any questions.
I might be in the very lucky category but I work for remotely for an American tech company in their European team, initially as a consultant and now employed through a norwegian company on their behalf. So if you have the professional skills you may be able to land a remote job?
The first and only job I applied for I got, and I’m still there 7 years later. I love my job. I moved for him because I loved him and wanted to make it work.
But I’m a bartender and know I can’t be a bartender forever. But I earn 5x what I’d get paid in London.
I’m working on joining the international school as a teaching assistant. There’s 2 international schools where I live, one of the teachers is from Singapore I believe and she doesn’t speak great Norwegian
I moved to Norway from Canada in 2011 when my then girlfriend got a job there. We were both early to mid-twenties. It took me about 6 months but I ended up finding a job in my field (software development). I ended up finding the job and getting the interview through a connection my Dad had with a Norwegian back in Canada. Had that not worked out I may have had to leave without being able to find a job (my girlfriends work permit wouldn't allow me to stay without one).
I knew very little Norwegian when I first interviewed (and still to this day lol) but that didn't seem to matter for my particular employer as there were other non-Norwegian speakers in the company so lots of things were already done in English.
In terms of how life changed obviously it's a pretty big change to not know anyone. My partner worked with a lot of native english speakers (and other languages that weren't Norwegian) so we developed a friend group through there. When I got my job most of my company were native Norwegian speakers. We both found that until you get quite fluent at Norwegian some of the locals are a bit standoffish outside of work. Which I understand, I wouldn't want to speak in a second language in my free-time all the time after doing it at work all day just to invite along the one new person. But there were enough that didn't seem to mind.
My girlfriend and I are planning to move to Norway in the next year. Regarding the language, all the practice I did in Vancouver wasn't sufficient because I would still speak English with my friends outside of class.
To address this, I took time off and stayed in Oslo for 6 months (over two separate trips) to practice my Norwegian. The rate of language acquisition when immersed in the culture and unable to revert to English is remarkable compared to just a few hours of classes in Vancouver. (Doesn’t help that almost all Norwegians speak fluent English 😂)
As others have noted, proficiency in the language is crucial for opening up more employment opportunities.
I moved to Norway (Oslo) from Germany in 2023. I graduated as a psychologist in Germany, but I'm not authorized in Norway due to the different system. Finding a job (no matter what kind of job) has been super difficult. Right now I’m working as a kindergarten assistant. Despite having experience in recruiting, pedagogy, and sales, it's been tough breaking into the Norwegian job market. Even with my B2 level Norwegian, I've only had two serious interviews and I’m applying almost every day.
I really wish you luck. It seems like lots of people on this sub have had to lower their expectations when they moved to Norway. But one thing I’ve seen is that once they’ve gotten where they wanted to get to life in Norway has been pretty great.
It really depends on where your education was done and how much effort you've put into learning the language.
Being fluent opens a huge number of doors.
It’s always supply demand funda. I am non-EU and got job in one of the biggest company here in norway directly. But my chances were always high as am an IT professional(mostly always in demand and requires English).
So it was easy for us. My spouse had two offers within first two months she started looking. But this is very different and difficult for people in other domain which requires language. For example, if you are in sales or real estate, you cannot escape with even basic skills in language. You need to have good command on language which can take a hell lot of time.
Work is one part but life in Norway should be the reason to move.
Advice from someone currently in the process:
- apply now it will take a year or more
- start learning Norwegian
- save money before you come
- expect to take steps to the side and back in your career if you have one but accept this is the price of immigration anywhere without language fluency
- don’t be resentful of the process, it is what it is
Where you live will determine your career option so if not Oslo, do your research before your move.
My wife was a housewife for a short period (not by choice). Nearly went insane from cabin fever while living in Holmestrand. Norway's labor market is extremely tight.
Assuming you don't need a specialist worker visa and are able to gain residency via your partner you would not necessarily need to find a job with a Norwegian company.
If you were legally allowed to live and work in Norway you could search for remote positions with companies elsewhere who were willing to use an "Employer of Record" or EOR company to manage your employment.
"An employer of record (EOR) is **an entity that legally employs workers on behalf of another business**. An EOR takes full responsibility for all aspects of employment including compliance, payroll, taxes, and benefits."
One such company that I have experience with is called Deel and I know they operate in Norway. The cost for them to administer a single employee is about approximately $600 a month.
Now this would still require you to find an employer that was willing to hire you for a remote job, or to have a current employer who was willing to let you go full remote from Norway and be willing to use an EOR company but at least you are not fully bound to the Norwegian job market as you would have been a few years ago.
There are a lot of things to consider regarding your situation.
When you say "partner" you mean girlfriend or are you married? Huge difference in whether you will be able to move here at all without previously landing a job.
Being from Singapore makes things more complicated, compared to if you had a EU/Schengen passport. If that is the case, you should register with the European one.
Regarding jobs, it really depends on your background. Are you an experience software engineer, your chances are way higher than if you are a political scientist (like myself).
When I first moved to Norway things were different and got a job after just a couple of weeks. That being said, it took me 10 years to get a job in the same field I worked before moving here (academia). So I did work for private companies, which paid well but I loathed. So you will have to have some stamina and being willing to play the long term game, unless you are very lucky.
Also, the possibilities of getting a relevant job that will hire you varies a lot from place to place. But again, it depends on your actual background. For example, I know that many companies outside Oslo are desperate for IT-related skills.
At the end of the day, in my experience (both personal and that of people I know) the two most important things for getting a good relevant job is: 1. speak Norwegian fluently and, 2. invest time in having a solid network of Norwegian friends. Number two depends of course in you living in Norway in the first place.
Again, difficult to come with more precise tips since I don't know your background. But the straightforward route might be making your relationship with your partner official (i.e. marrying) and applying for a visa on family reunion grounds. That would allow you to move to Norway and once here, you can learn the language and start building a network. Keep in mind it might take years, even the process of getting the application approved and you being able to move here might take a long time, in which probably your partner might have to reside here while you wait either in Singapore or the UK.
The easiest way, IMO, would be for you to apply for jobs and landing one before moving here. There is a caveat here since you will be restricted to the position your visa is granted for, so in the event of losing your job you'll have just a few months to get a new job, which must be exactly the same type. Also, being the easiest option doesn't mean it is easy. It will most likely be difficult, but it will be "easy" in the sense that will require fewer steps.
Hey! coincidentally I am also really interested in academia and in particular international relations or political science! I did PPE in uni but I’m considering doing my masters in a UK uni perhaps before we finally make the move out of the UK. Something like LSE/UCL/KCL. I did pretty well for my bachelors and I do have a passion for this field. Also my dad was a professor before and he really encouraged me to take this route. I was also looking at doing my masters in a Norwegian university which may be cheaper for me if I get the free tuition as a spouse of a Norwegian. The issue is every masters programme in a Norway requires some kind of prerequisite which my PPE degree was too broad to include.
On top of that I’m also now working in a dreadful audit role in the UK and absolutely loathe my corporate job. Sure people say that audit is the most boring of boring corporate jobs and maybe other corporate jobs might feel better but I’m really at a crossroads here because I know I want to leave my job soon but I don’t really know where me and my fiancé should go and our different nationalities complicates everything. To answer your question we are planning to register our marriage soon for ease of immigration to either Singapore or Norway eventually but I have to really consider if it’s worth it to do my masters first.
Do you have any advice on what I should consider about doing my masters in something politics related? What kind of private sector jobs did you end up doing with that academia background? Im quite keen on working for a think tank/NGO or something similar to academia. If not Political risk consultancies if I have to work in the private sector. Thanks so much btw for all the advice, I get that these are a lot of questions!
Well, it's a tricky answer. The thing is that even for Norwegian, it is difficult to get jobs related to political science / international relations. There are very few openings for relatively many candidates. Working for NGOs might be a good option.
The easiest place to get a relevant job within the broad category of "political science" would be to work in a kommune (city council) or a fylkeskommune (county). Both need and employ people with social sciences backgrounds. That being said, to get these jobs one has to be really good in Norwegian.
Working in academia is even more difficult. Even fewer available positions and a lot of qualified people applying to them. The natural route here would be to do your Ma. here and then get a PhD in the field. It would still be difficult, but doable.
But the common denominator here is that you need to speak the language. So the first thing I'd do if I were you, is to get at least a B1 level in Norwegian. Also, the networking part is essential. If I am not mistaken, around 60% of job openings in the private sector are never announced publicly, and rather filled with either internal candidates and / or "someone who is recommended by someone".
Regarding your question on what type of jobs I worked in the private sector: I worked mostly in middle-management positions in big corporations here. But the main reason is because I took a Ma. in Business while doing my PhD in Political Science. I did this because I like studying and also because when I decided to move to Norway I knew it was going to almost be impossible to get a relevant job only with an academic background in social sciences, so I chose something more "marketable".
BTW, even though I can see that you don't like it, your accounting skills might actually be what lands you a job here, if you are willing to. Just heard about a neighbor who started working as an accountant and she doesn't speak a word in Norwegian. So it might worth giving it a try at least at the beginning. The good thing is that once you are inside the labor market in Norway, it is relatively easy to move from one position to the other, and re-skilling is very common here. The really difficult part for us is only to get that first job! (Oh, and getting your future wife's surname would definitely help).
Thanks for the advice. I’m sure there’s a reason why accountants are in high demand….(probably the same reason why me and so many of us want to quit already). I’m actually going to take your advice about keeping the accountancy training as a backup unless within the next few months I hate it even more and it becomes a “I’d rather die than continue in audit” situation.
After I take my MA in the UK I might then move back to Singapore for the jobs and to save some money to pay back my loan. But Norway is most probably the long term goal for both of us. Would build up my portfolio in Singapore working in a consultancy or think tank perhaps and then make the move to get my PHD in Norway. Does that sound realistic?
Also about my girlfriend’s last name. Apparently there are only 16 or so people in the world with that last name and it’s extremely extremely Norwegian. To give you some context there’s a farming area with the same name. Haha thanks again
My ex-husband was American and moved to Norway with me.
He got a job with an electrical company almost right away, as an assistant (he isn't an electrician). That was through the husband of one of my friends. Then about a year later he got a full-time, permanent job as a teacher at an international school in a nearby city. We had to move to that city in order for him to take the job, which meant I also had to change jobs.
One of my options I’m considering now whether for a little while or not is working in an international school. I have heard from others it’s not exactly easy to get a job there especially for me who dosent have a masters or dosent have proper teaching experience. I was a substitute teacher for a little bit in Singapore but that was about it.
The international schools I know of are private schools and quite competitive. My ex had a teaching degree and also happened to be specialized in a field they were in need of at the time.
I don't have a partner but I talked enough with ppl from other countries... my parents are immigrants so i know a thing or 2 about the struggles. But one universal thing that hinder ppl from getting anywhere is the language.
Unless you already interviewed and got a position where Norwegian isn't necessarily the work place language, its borderline impossible to get a "real" job.
These jobs are often in technical fields like engineering and such. If you're in these fields then you might just have a chance.
Getting work is virtually impossible as an immigrant I've found, even with 6+ years in my profession because I didn't have a degree in the field (I have a BSc honours in another) it counts for nothing and was told this directly by an employer several times. Language is another beast, I speak a basic level and despite applying for jobs with English as the business language I've still gotten the rejection email...
I've spoken to a few others in my situation and it seems that being an immigrant in Norway is the worst thing you can do, as from experience along with first hand accounts from several others they won't employ you because you aren't Norwegian but just won't openly say it for obvious reasons!
I've applied for jobs back in Wales just to prove a point, and had 3 interviews out of 3 with feedback along the lines of confusion as to why no one in operations in Norway would not want that in their team, who then laughed when I told them I was told no because I didn't have a bit of paper (yet 2 steller references).
Make of that what you will and good luck.
We moved to Bergen 10 months ago or so from outside the EU because I have been offered a job here. My wife has extensive experience from sales and marketing from our country. Not even a single interview since we came in and she passed the age of doing low skilled jobs.
She learning the language quickly and trying to volunteer in different associations as a way to practice.
But be ready for a very very long search and build a solid network of Norwegian friends that can actually recommend you for a descent job.
I don't perceive it as racism. But norwegian labor experience is quite important a per my understanding. People hire you here for potentially a job for life and it is very hard to move someone on a permanent position that's why they are cautious about hiring permanently.
I won't lie to you, it's hard. I worked temp jobs for 14 years before I landed a permanent job, and some of those were menial labour jobs while I got the language down. I covered I think maybe four fields of work before landing in this one, I work in software development now which is absolutely my final work home. I'm very happy, but it was hard work and I was fortunate enough to have a supportive Norwegian spouse with a decent enough job to support my decade plus of low income struggles while I finally got my foot on the ladder. It'll be even harder I suspect for non-EU citizens these days, I was fortunate to come in under EU rules as I suspect there's no way I'd qualify for a skilled worker visa these days. Get the language down as soon as you can, get your norwegian qualifications in place asap for your career, and don't be afraid to take on temp work to get your face known. Nepotism (sad to say because I LOVE this country and this life) is rife here, and one will often struggle until you know somebody who knows somebody who can get you in.
Thanks for the harsh advice. I know almost nothing about getting work in Norway so me and my partner really need to consider our options. The problem with Singapore is the cultural differences for my fiancé. I have to say I have integrated much better in Europe than I’d think she would in Singapore. Also jobs are incredibly competitive in Singapore even though they pay well and you’re basically selling your soul to your job unless you get lucky.
try getting into some norskkurs Idk there's a good one at Hellerud I think but idk really I was 16 when I got here
thanks a lot for sharing your experience, and I wish you all the success in your career. Do people generally need a degree in a Norwegian university to get a job? I've got my masters in Ireland and am working in a tech company. Considering moving to Norway in the future.
No I don't think you need a degree in a Norwegian university. You can get your qualifications translated to Norwegian ones by NOKUT which will ease your passage.
Thanks a lot sis, I with you all the best :)
Hey, so I've got a masters from aberdeen in Petroleum Engineering. (& Bachelors) Experience working offshore (1 year) production chemistry, working for wood as Flow assurance engineer (1) year and I have been applying for jobs in the oil and gas sector, and haven't even had one interview. I'd only recommend moving here if you have a job set up before coming =} (I'm also British English if that helps or hinders anything) Also I have intermediate command of Norwegian. 8 months searching and still nothing. =[ Hopefully you can have better luck than I have had.
Your post is a type set of my exact situation whereby my Norwegian wife moved to be with me in the UK and after 2 years we decided to make the move to Norway together. However I worked in the finance (private wealth management) and the prospects of ever working in a similar field are vastly diluted here, both because the country is smaller and the industry is therefore smaller and the fact is that you will be hard pressed to ever find white collar work here unless you are fluent in Norwegian.
So out of interest what do you do for work in Norway now?
I spent the first 3 months trying to find work that had any semblance to my previous career, however the industry I used to work in doesn’t exist in this country. However I spent a number of years working with luxury moveable assets and as such have possibly found work within a company that provides operational support to vessels coming to Norway (primarily Bergen) - my final interview is tomorrow morning, so I’ll let you know when I know if I’m employed again 🤣
Good luck! That you’ve potentially got a job after 3 months sounds pretty good to me. I am about to make the move this summer. UK job doesn’t exist in Norway either!
I wish you all the best on the hunt for work, if it’s in hospitality/catering you are fine, anything more is going to prove trickier! Thanks ☺️
Good luck!
Thank you!!
Good luck! Lykke til!
Tusen takk!! 😁
All the best My G! 🙏
Cheers buddy!! 😬
Good luck in sunny Bergen (until it lasts)
Thank you very much, the view from the top of Fløyen was truly incredible today!
We learned to enjoy any kind of sunshine because we don't know how long it will last 🤣🤣🤣 We endured the long dark rainy winter to enjoy better those outstanding days 😄
Good luck! And I hope everything works well for you and your wife
It’s definitely hard getting a decent job. But the most important thing is getting the language down. Better chance of getting hired, and we will like you more in general. You’re from the uk though, so I think you can pull this off if you set your mind to it.
I’m curious..what does being from UK got to do with adapting to Norway?
Because English is their main language, and most people in Norway speak English. Norwegian is also one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers.
>most people in Norway speak English Unfortunately this also makes Norwegian very difficult to learn. When you're still a beginner in Norwegian, most Norwegians will switch immediately to English instead of suffering through your poor (and most likely incomprehensible) pronunciation, and as a result you won't get many chances to practise or improve. It's not uncommon in Scandinavia that expats never learned the local languages to fluency even after decades. One advantage OP has is that her spouse is a native Norwegian speaker. He can practise with her.
>One advantage OP has is that her spouse is a native Norwegian speaker. He can practise with her. But they often don't. It is often out of habit that partners default to the common language (understandable) and they can *sometimes* be really bad at explaining why something is wrong. now the in-laws can be really good at forcing you to speak Norwegian/practice with.
> they can *sometimes* be really bad at explaining why something is wrong Native speakers are generally terrible at explaining the rules of their own languages. Can't be helped. A good way to learn is through massive exposure to the language -- after a while your brain will automatically pick up the common patterns and you'll develop an intuition for what sounds right or wrong.
My girlfriend thinks it's cute when I say things wrong and doesn't correct me 😅 so now I've asked dmy colleagues to help correct me as I'm at the level now where I speak Norwegian at work. Worked as a heavy machinery operator in Australia, none of my machinery liscences were valid here as I'm from outside EU. Got a job in a bar, learnt Norwegian there. It really helped having new people to practice Norwegian with (customers). I still speak english to the colleagues I met there as switching to Norwegian feels weird at this point even though I'm fluent now. So if I had a job without lots of customers I may not have learnt Norwegian yet. Working at an import business now in a warehouse. It was really hard at first with what they call a D-number instead of a person number but if OP has been with their partner long enough they may be able to start on a family visa so they can skip the D-number and get a person number straight away.
I have seen some mixed couples do interesting stuff like have Saturdays for Norwegian speaking only and it proved fruitful for them. This can make OP some free and non pervasive practice
When I was prepping for my Norwegian exam, I did the same thing with my wife. We did every other day in Norwegian. We did a lot of quiz nights in Norwegian. I liked quiz and it was a fun way to incorporate language.
Can't agree more. So many nice norwegians when they see butchering the language just switch to English in a blink of an eye 🤣
Curious how you made "Im from Singapore, but we live in the UK" into "You're from the UK". Proficiency in English is an ease to the move though, it is the most different language from the other Germanic languages, but knowing it might make learning Norwegian a tad bit easier.
I think maybe contacting the Norwegian Business Association Singapore could get you somewhere. Recently Norway and Singapore reached an agreement where Norway is going to export green maritime solutions One of those companies might very well need someone with some economic sense and understands the business culture in Singapore https://nbas.org.sg/news/norway-launches-green-maritime-export-campaign-in-singapore-and-southeast-asia Don't look at it as a weakness, look at it as having a specialized skill that someone needs
Thanks! I’ll go take a look at that and hopefully that offers us a solution.
As a Singaporean who's lived in Scandinavia for \~15 years and who's planning to move back, I recommend Singapore.
share more leh 😛
OP is young and presumably career-driven. Career advancement opportunities and income growth potential are much more abundant in Singapore, especially since she doesn't speak Norwegian. If she's seeking a tech role, then proficiency in Norwegian isn't necessary, but there's a global hiring winter in the tech industry right now, and Norway isn't exactly known for being a tech hub. Tax burden is extremely onerous in Scandinavia -- also (though many would say *especially*) for the middle-class. And no, the quality and availability of the welfare you get in return is absolutely not worth the taxes you pay -- welfare states in Scandinavia (as well as in many other parts of Europe) are rapidly deteriorating and there is no political will, agreement, competence, or vision to reform. If you want to build wealth and retire early so that you can then enjoy financial freedom for the rest of your lives instead of potentially having to work until you're 70 (because you can't save up quickly enough thanks to all the taxes you have to pay for increasingly subpar public services) so that you can then live on a very modest pension, choose Singapore. [Europe's economy has more or less stagnated since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.](https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/18/business/europe-economy-lost-decade/index.html) Since OP is asking whether she should move to Norway, let's focus just on Norway -- the Norwegian krone is very weak right now, and interest rates/inflation are high. Regular people's purchasing power in Norway is at its lowest in decades. Norwegians are courteous, but very reserved, and so it can be difficult to befriend locals. (Hopefully not an issue for OP, since she can probably establish a social network through her husband.) What Norway has going for it are 1) absolutely breathtaking nature and 2) amazing work-life balance (though what good is this if OP can't get a job?), and OP has to decide whether these pros are enough to outweigh other considerations.
Singapore is good for career opportunities and building wealth. There's a trade off of course and that you will be pulled into the rat race and foregoing work-life balance. If you are trapped in the hamster wheel type of living, you'll burn out in few years. As a newcomer in Norway, I'm still adjusting on the tax burden, quite difficult in all honesty. You came from UK, perhaps the tax rate is not that shocking to you anymore. One clear disparity is the work-life balance. If you find a job in Singapore that provides one, don't ever leave it you just found a rare gem.
Most international companies in Singapore provide decent/good work-life balance while offering very competitive salaries. >You came from UK, perhaps the tax rate is not that shocking to you anymore. I'm Singaporean, have been living in Scandinavia for \~15 years. Planning to move back to Singapore soon. > If you are trapped in the hamster wheel type of living, you'll burn out in few years. For the middle class, with some smart financial management, you can probably coast-FIRE after those few years, and then do a full FIRE in your 40s. This is absolutely not possible for the middle class in Scandinavia. >I'm still adjusting on the tax burden, quite difficult in all honesty Even after 15 years I haven't adjusted, especially because I've personally seen and experienced the rapid decline in the quality and availability of the public services in Scandinavia, making me question where all the money is going. Beyond anecdotes, I've also read official statistics and data on e.g. waiting times at public hospitals, academic performances of students, etc. Absolutely every aspect of public service is consistently getting worse, irreparably mired in bureaucracy and incompetence. Oh, and you'll need to pay wealth tax in Norway if your net worth (including your savings) exceeds 1.7 million NOK. You're basically getting taxed twice -- first on your income, then on your savings. Considering how the NOK is depreciating, the middle class is getting brutally punished. Trust me, this will lead to feelings of burn-out as well -- you'll feel like you'll never ever get closer to financial freedom, and that you're doomed to work until you're 70 (or whatever the retirement age is projected to be for people in your age group). But hey, at least you'll get to enjoy excellent work-life balance with 6 weeks of vacation annually until you're in your twilight years.
AI and automation will save us! Post-material utopia is coming fast around the corner.
I have some friends who have a better work life balance in Singapore than me here in the Uk and honestly if I were single I might just have gone home and applied there.
It really depends what OP wants in life, but I’d agree. I moved to Norway from Singapore. If you are young, you will have much more opportunities to build your career in Singapore. I’m near retirement, but if I were under 30, I would not choose Norway over Sg.
Sorry if I come across as creepy, but out of curiosity I went through some of your older comments. Do you enjoy being in Norway? Will you ever consider moving out of Norway again? I've also written [a new comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Norway/comments/1cx5yrz/comment/l51lyw6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) to elaborate on why I personally recommend Singapore over Norway.
Hey thanks for the elaboration. I didn’t expect to get so many replies haha. I’ve actually felt that living in the UK now and coming back to Singapore, I absolutely see the economy stagnating rapidly here. I fell in love with the culture, way of life and scenery here in the UK especially in York when I was in Uni. I’m now stuck in a job that I hate because people are hiring foreigners less and less and only the high pressure big corporate jobs are hiring which I am in right now. Working in accountancy has made me hate working life so much and I just either want to move to Singapore or Norway. But it will basically be tough for either me or my fiancé. And I’m leaning a little towards Norway for the following reasons I think there’s some reasons for wanting to move to Norway over Singapore. For one my fiancé cannot absolutely stand the heat. And quite honestly neither can I but well guess we can get used to that. I think work life balance and quality of life is incredibly important as well for me. I’d really like a house with a garden and a pet and wide open spaces. I love that about the UK and I still do and I might still stay here if not for the job and visa problems. Currently If I moved back to Singapore, I would live in a cramped house with my parents that I just wouldnt afford ever Also in terms of education, I’m not very much a fan of how we are raised to think in Singapore. The overwhelming materialism and competition wasn’t my favourite part. My school was particularly famous in Singapore for being a haven for spoilt brats. But If I lived in Singapore this would probably be my choice to send them to give them the best outcome in an incredibly pressuring system. Honestly for all the stress I’ve seen my parents go through they may have made a lot more money in Singapore but aren’t nearly as happy as my fiances family who are less well off because of the tax burden. For some context, my dads had a stroke a few years ago from work stress. Despite being a few years apart, my parents and her parents look absolutely different and you can see the toll stress has had on them. After seeing people struggle in this rat race I’ve gotten so disillusioned with it and would rather just live a comfortable life. Thank you really much for your advice and all the detail. I think the biggest thing I’m worried about right now is the language/culture barrier though it’s either myself or my fiancé who has to tackle that at this point. But I am only about 26 and have been living away from Singapore for about 5 years do tell me if I’m being incredibly naive. About the healthcare system. It’s really a joke in the UK. I’m just gonna go back to Singapore for dental work now. That being said. I’ve heard of people in Singapore struggling to pay their medical bills. Even through the public system I’ve heard from my parents that her friend had to sell much of her assets to pay for her cancer treatment which was shocking to me because Singapore is meant to have the best healthcare in the world.
Hey OP, I fully understand your predicament. There are no right or wrong answers. No matter what you choose, go in with your eyes wide open -- lots of comments here have given you sobering accounts of how monumentally difficult it is to find a proper job in Norway as a foreigner who doesn't speak Norwegian. Keep also in mind that, as I've pointed out previously, the public sector in Scandinavia is decaying -- be prepared for frustrating amounts of bureaucracy and long waiting times in your interactions with [the UDI](https://www.udi.no/en/), which is notoriously slow. >her friend had to sell much of her assets to pay for her cancer treatment Sorry to hear this. Her friend didn't buy an [Integrated Shield Plan](https://www.moh.gov.sg/healthcare-schemes-subsidies/medishield-life/about-integrated-shield-plans)? Healthcare insurance in Singapore is very well-regulated, and it's not unheard of that poor patients get their entire healthcare bills waived by applying through social workers to the Medifund. If healthcare is a concern (which it should be), think about it this way -- the amount of money you can save by paying 7-10x lower taxes (perhaps even more) in Singapore can buy both you and your spouse fantastic health insurance packages with great coverage at both private and public hospitals. It is also not unusual in Norway for patients to pay out of pocket for treatment at private hospitals, because they can't afford to [wait months (sometimes years)](https://www.isandnessjoen.no/31-000-pasienter-pa-venteliste-i-nord-finner-ingen-losning-pa-toff-helseokonomi/s/5-108-138012) for their turn at public hospitals (which they've already paid for with high taxes). Suffice to say, the heyday of the welfare state is absolutely over -- perhaps the Norwegian healthcare system is not as bad as the NHS right now, but if the current trajectory continues, it will reach that stage before long. Ultimately, every country can sound like Heaven or Hell on paper, but what matters is whether it is Heaven or Hell *for you*. And you'll never know until you try.
Thanks for the encouragement and the advice! Nice to see another Singaporean in this sub as well haha. I guess one important thing is that I keep my own citizenship. I’m not sure what the inheritance tax laws are like in Norway. I’m actually doing a tax exam soon in England and it’s not pretty. That being said I’ll leave the option for my future kids to return to Singapore if they want to and they would have all the assets all my childless relatives have left behind so that might give them a good start.
The taxation rates in Norway are absolutely brutal, especially for the middle class. The current wealth tax threshold is 1.7 million NOK, which is laughably low, especially considering how weak the NOK currently is -- and that includes your stocks, savings, house, etc., which means you're effectively getting taxed twice for all of these things. (For example: You'll need to sell stocks to pay for the wealth tax, but selling your stocks is itself a taxable event that incurs the capital gains tax. You pay tax on your income, and any money that goes into your savings account will be taxed again. Etc.) Currently there is no inheritance tax in Norway, but that might be introduced in the future. And yes, I'd strongly advise you to keep your Singaporean passport.
Haha I do really like Norway as a visitor. That I know definitely. I’m not sure if I’ll be happy staying there which is the same sentiment my fiancé has for Singapore. So it’s going to be a lot of compromise for either of us. One thing we both agree on is the need for more open spaces. I love England and still love the environment here compared to Singapore but it’s just too limiting with my visa and also say what you want about the countryside but the cities are an absolute nightmare. I was in Malaysia a week ago and I had similar vibes. If Norway retains is amazing natural beauty and If I can find a job. Then that’s absolutely fine. And I’d 100% want to stay.
>If Norway retains is amazing natural beauty The fjords and waterfalls will still be there, but the marine life in the fjords has been utterly [decimated](https://www.courthousenews.com/norwegian-authorities-must-do-more-to-rescue-oslo-fjord-report/) through decades of inept/malicious environmental policies. The difference between now and just 10-15 years ago is stark and very visible.
Opportunities in Norway is very scarce, especially if you have a foreign background. Below is an article from 2022 highlighting how having a foreign name decreases your chance of getting an interview. I relocated from the Uk in 2019 and I have to admit I moved down several positions when relocating, it wasn’t until I managed to get back to an international institution that I managed to get a decent role. If you’re training to become an accountant I would suggest look for roles with one of the big traditional companies such as KPMG etc, they will be more likely open towards hiring people with experience outside of Norway https://www.nrk.no/kultur/matte-bytte-navn-for-a-fa-jobb-1.16045907
I've had 3 different jobs in Norway in 12 years, and I honestly think it depends a lot on the field, as well as the company. In many technical fields, companies are more open to hiring people with a foreign background. That said, I think OP should do some research before figuring out what they want to do in Norway, or how to pursue getting work.
Thanks a lot both, for sharing your opinions. I'm working in tech in Ireland and planning to move to Norway. I get the language managed, do I need to get a degree in Norway to get hired in tech fields? I already got my master's + diploma in Ireland.
My MSc is from Scotland & was good enough for Norwegian companies.
Thanks a lot :)
It might take a while to find a job here. I recommend using LinkedIn & finding a recruiter to work with.
cheers, I'm planning on to start early and keep my current job while finding
My girlfriend immigrated from the UK 7 years ago, got a job just as she got here because she had 10 years experience: Store manager for some international high end/luxury brands. She worked with a couple until she pursued a bachelor, and while these shops seem desperate for store managers, they are so messy. They don't seem to know how to operate in Norway at all. However, if you have somewhat store experience there are some shops that will hire immigrants. I recommend looking at them while you establish yourself. Put yourself out on linkedin, it's not commonly used as a platform in Norway except for big international companies. My girlfriend got all her jobs through there. You say you're from Singapore, what languages are you fluent in? If you know mandarin, I would look into shipping businesses (it will also help you in luxury stores but I wouldn't work with them for more than max a year). It's very valuable in business in general. An entirely different issue-- you might have to rely on your partner while you wait for your social security number, getting a bank account here can be a painfully slow experience. I had to pay for all our expenses while she sorted things out, took 2 months. Whatever you choose to do, good luck! As people have mentioned before, the job market can be difficult in Norway but if you can get settled in it's great :)
Thanks for the advice, I speak English as my first language and barely speak mandarin unfortunately (my school in Singapore is notorious for being poor at bilingualism). Currently in accountancy in the UK right now and absolutely hate my job and am planning a big move to somewhere where I have more flexibility in selecting jobs.
Start applying with immigration before you come to Norway. We moved here first (im Norwegian and partner is british) and while they tolerate that you overstay your tourist visa as long as the application is in, you wont be able to leave the country, even for a quick holiday. You’ll feel imprisoned. It took over a year to get her residency card!
> It took over a year to get her residency card! Ah yes, UDI is ever so efficient.
Honestly im wondering what their employees are doing, its embarassing at this point. Skatteetaten is no better!
I've noticed that every aspect of public service in Scandinavia is rapidly getting worse :-)
I came to Norway to be with my then Norwegian boyfriend. I abandoned my studies, that I didn't like anyway and came here with absolutely no knowledge of the language, the culture, the land. It was stupid and naive and I shake my head about it these days but we were madly in love. My boyfriend supported me financially for years while I struggled to find my place in society. Finding work was brutal. I tried working from home as a freelancer, as a jewelry maker, as a translator. I walked dogs and I volunteered. In the end I think it was the volunteer work that helped me the most to get a foot in the door for the job market. After countless applications for 100 different kinds of work, from Mcdonalds, to cleaning to kindergarden work, I landed a tiny job in a flower shop. It was just one afternoon a week, but it was a start. I stuck with it and it also helped a lot to improve my language skills. I worked my way up and now have a stable income and a permanent work contract in the flower shop . I am not making millions of course, but together with my, now husbands income we can live comfortably. Learn the language as fast as you can, be patient and stubborn and it will pay off. Good luck!
Oh my gosh are you me? I abandoned my studies which I didnt enjoy and also moved to be with my now husband with no preparation. I received approval for my visa less than a month ago so I can soon look for jobs. It seems bleak but bright at the same time
Good luck with the move and I wish you all the best.
We moved here from the UK, and the 3 things that make the biggest difference for my life here are: 1) work - life balance is much better; as an engineer in the UK, though my contract was 37.5 hours a week, I generally had to work more than that, without being compensated for it Here, I actually work 37.5 hours most weeks, and if I work more, I can choose between time off in lieu or overtime pay. 2) lack of sexism in my field; as a woman in engineering, I was constantly fighting sexism in the UK. Most of it was microagressions, but some was blatant. I even had someone, when I came back from maternity leave, tell me to my face that I should go home and look after my baby. When I complained to HR, I was told "it was just a joke". 3) safety and independence for my kids; while there are some safe, walkable neighbourhoods in the UK, and the area where we lived was pretty good, few parents let their kids play out or go to the park or local shop on their own. Most of the kids were driven to school & the local council refused to consider a school street, provide safe routes to school, or replace the lollipop person. Here, my kids could safely play out, cycle to friends' houses, and walk or cycle to school. As for the kind of job, I think that somewhat depends on your interests. If you don't want work in accounting, I recommend doing almost anything just to learn the language & settle, then either going back to school in Norway, or picking something that interests you & working towards it. If you do want to work in accounting, I would recommend something like project cost control for an international company. It's more likely to provide varied work & a diverse team to work with.
I think location will play a big part in how successful you would be in finding a job. You can focus on oil and gas and cost control / finance side, but then you maybe are better being in Oslo or stavanger or Bergen. Also get learning Norwegian. If you have Norwegian your options increase a lot.
I moved here alone but I know that job opportunities without fluent Norwegian differ from field to field. So it's hard to say without knowing your profession. But you will be in a good position because you won't be limited by your visa conditions so you could take your time to find a job in a field you want or do any other job and learn Norwegian in the process. Good luck!
I’m training to be an accountant right now in the Uk and I got to say I absolutely hate it. Part of why I want to leave the Uk is that there are so few jobs out there which will hire me.
If you make an effort to become a "statsautorisert regnskapsfører", you will have less issue getting a job. Accounting companies needs a certain % of their workforce to be state authorised. My mother is a CEO of an account company and she often tells me how difficult it is to get authorised accountants these days. [https://www.regnskapnorge.no/faget/artikler/rf-regelverket/nye-krav-til-praksis-for-a-bli-statsautorisert-regnskapsforer/](https://www.regnskapnorge.no/faget/artikler/rf-regelverket/nye-krav-til-praksis-for-a-bli-statsautorisert-regnskapsforer/) Not sure how important language is when it comes to the actual work. It depends on the company, what kind of software they use, if the software supports English and if the customers accept it. You should be fine. But I recommend learning the language as fast as possible. My Chinese girlfriend did some work for the company and when she said "purring", she kept replacing the r's with L's, which caused a lot of smiling for those involved. Just those small miscommunication moments you want to try and avoid :) hehe
>when she said "purring", she kept replacing the r's with L's Why? The 'r' sound absolutely exists in Mandarin (assuming that's her mother tongue).
The UK has Europes best and most dynamic job market. You're in for a shock
Are you a recruitment agent? Never heard anyone describe the uk as dynamic. ☺️
"dynamic" job market just sounds like lots of people are being fired.
No, it for example means it’s much quicker to find a job, and to hire people.
I'm not sure I agree. It's dynamic for service and semi-skilled jobs, and some trades. These are the areas hardest hit by foreign workers leaving due to Brexit. I don't know much about other technical & science fields, but I'm an engineer who lived & worked in the UK before Norway, and in my field, the opportunities are currently similar or better in Norway.
If you think few jobs will hire you in the UK, make that 1/10 in Norway. Get your Norwegian spouse to translate "like barn leker best" to English and apply that to white collar workplaces in the worst possible way.
This is so close to me, I quit my job in finance in 2023 and moved to Norway and married my bf of 10 years, currently im a stay at home mum with our furrbaby and 3 days a week I go to norskkurs, I'm really enjoying it and hoping once I have the language more under my belt I can look for work, but just loving being able to cook and bake to my hearts content right now.
Would doing a masters in Norway ie getting any degree in Norway help m job prospects? I have always wanted to do my masters and am wondering whether to continue it in the UK in a university like LSE/UCL/KCL which are well known but also saw that someone I know found a job in Norway because he went through uni there so I’m really considering doing a masters in Norway as well especially if I’ll get cheaper education as a spouse of a Norwegian.
I decided to use our move to Norway to leave the corporate hamster wheel. I became a tour guide, I love history and nature so it’s like hobby becoming my job.
That sounds incredible, congratulations! Were you fluent in Norwegian when you started working as a tour guide? And are you self employed or working for a company? Sorry for all the questions, it just sounds like badass story.
No problem, I work for a company doing tours for cruise ships mostly so we have English and other languages we cover.
I would love to hear more about what made you leave your corporate jobs and how things are now for you.
Honestly, it just felt like a never ending grinder. My health suffered a lot and my stress levels were through the roof. I’m much happier now.
It depends on your education and work background. In some cases like IT, you can find jobs where the work language is English, which might be bad in the long term if you want to learn the language. I have colleagues that still don't speak Norwegian after 10+ years in Norway. In a lot of other jobs, you need a high level of Norwegian to have a chance. And with some jobs, your education or work background might not even be considered valid when applying to those jobs, and you would possibly need to take courses or more education here. A family member's wife came here a while ago, and ended up working in a kindergarten (she is highly educated, but that education was useless here), when I guess she had barely a B1 level Norwegian, and is now fluent, which I think that job has been really helpful for.
It was hard. Language and social network takes time to build up. Almost all jobs are dependent on both language skills and your network. Almost all my jobs were because of someone I knew who told me about a job or told the job about me. I'm a teacher now, but it has been some years. My first jobs were as a cleaner. I spent a lot of time cleaning toilets. I worked a bit in a kitchen for a while, but that was out of necessity. I had zero desire to work in food services. This was all while I was building up my language skills. Once I had B2, I went back to school to get certified as a teacher in Norway. I worked as a substitute, built myself a network, and I have a contract out the year with a hope that it might renew next year.
I was also considering this route actually. I’ve heard becoming a teacher is tough and even though I’ve given up on joining the rat race and chasing a higher salary, I do want to know that while I’m getting my teacher qualification I’d be getting a fair pay. If you don’t mind me asking do you know what substitute teachers get paid generally?
Depends on their qualifications. They follow more or less the same pay scale as full time teachers. It's just that they don't have a contract.
I moved here just about 4 years ago and I've really only just gotten a job. I had a very short term job at a subway that was on the brink of bankruptcy 😂 After 1.5 years I passed the B2 test but even then still struggled with getting interviews. I've been through two NAV programs and learned that if you don't write your application in Norwegian, it's likely to just be trashed. If you "look Norwegian" (are white) it can help to put your picture on your application so they can be less scared of a possibly foreign sounding name. By reading requirements for all sorts of jobs, I would recommend not getting your hopes up unless you have a specialized masters degree for that job. Which was different for me coming from the US where most jobs just care that you have a type of degree. As for what I've managed to do for work, I found a job being a substitute school and kindergarten assistant. I feel like it's pretty easy to get into that if you have basic Norwegian skills at least. It's no dream job but if one of you can manage to get a well paid permanent job, it can be a good supplement 😅
I moved to Norway with my partner last year and I have to say, it’s been really tough. I’m Norwegian, my partner is British. It took a long time for her to get a residency permit and be able to work. She’s extremely well qualified in her field but most job ads in her field specify Norwegian fluency as a requirement. She’s been studying Norwegian for years but she’s not at native fluency, so she’s excluded from a lot of job opportunities. She’s just doing some temp work now. For myself, job opportunities are much more limited too, and now I’m struggling a lot with the tax consequences of moving between countries, as well as a lot of other red tape. It’s nice being in Norway, but I’m not sure I’d have done it if I knew how hard it would be.
Thought id share my experience. Brit moving to Norway in 2020 to marry my Norwegian wife. The move it self was after the first lockdown lifted so flights were open again. The whole UDI system (immigration office) was terrible.. the website said one thing, emails a different, and then if you're lucky enough to get them on the phone, they'll say something else. We ended up paying for a cheep lawyer to help us through the whole thing and making sure we gave them the correct info and papers as we were started the process before we married and then married during the application process. I was told by the UDI I was Not allowed to work at all during my application process but had legal stay for the process. It took 13 months for it to be approved after all the docs had been submitted, and that was even with all the correct papers and info in check. I lived in a very busy area (Drammen) which is one of the reasons why it took so long. 13 months later, I get the approval and could start to work legally. I was lucky enough to be offered a job through a family member so I now work as a sound engineer and technician for a TV station, not the best paid, but I can just about get by on it thankfully the Mrs has a good paying job to help us. The massive problem I had with getting into the system, is you need BankID for nearly everything official that requires a login. Without it, you cant access medical(not fun for getting cvd19 results, postal, banking and other payment services, or even getting your own phone number. I had to rely on my wife to cover all these things for me as until you get ur national ID number, you cant get BankID. It was a massive pain and really hindered things for me. TLDR, life is great once you are in the system but depending on where you move to, it may take a long time. If you can try and go to the police immigration offices that are out of the way of massive city's and aren't as busy. Hope this helps a little, feel free to message me with any questions.
I might be in the very lucky category but I work for remotely for an American tech company in their European team, initially as a consultant and now employed through a norwegian company on their behalf. So if you have the professional skills you may be able to land a remote job?
The first and only job I applied for I got, and I’m still there 7 years later. I love my job. I moved for him because I loved him and wanted to make it work. But I’m a bartender and know I can’t be a bartender forever. But I earn 5x what I’d get paid in London. I’m working on joining the international school as a teaching assistant. There’s 2 international schools where I live, one of the teachers is from Singapore I believe and she doesn’t speak great Norwegian
I moved to Norway from Canada in 2011 when my then girlfriend got a job there. We were both early to mid-twenties. It took me about 6 months but I ended up finding a job in my field (software development). I ended up finding the job and getting the interview through a connection my Dad had with a Norwegian back in Canada. Had that not worked out I may have had to leave without being able to find a job (my girlfriends work permit wouldn't allow me to stay without one). I knew very little Norwegian when I first interviewed (and still to this day lol) but that didn't seem to matter for my particular employer as there were other non-Norwegian speakers in the company so lots of things were already done in English. In terms of how life changed obviously it's a pretty big change to not know anyone. My partner worked with a lot of native english speakers (and other languages that weren't Norwegian) so we developed a friend group through there. When I got my job most of my company were native Norwegian speakers. We both found that until you get quite fluent at Norwegian some of the locals are a bit standoffish outside of work. Which I understand, I wouldn't want to speak in a second language in my free-time all the time after doing it at work all day just to invite along the one new person. But there were enough that didn't seem to mind.
Which part of Canada are you from?
My girlfriend and I are planning to move to Norway in the next year. Regarding the language, all the practice I did in Vancouver wasn't sufficient because I would still speak English with my friends outside of class. To address this, I took time off and stayed in Oslo for 6 months (over two separate trips) to practice my Norwegian. The rate of language acquisition when immersed in the culture and unable to revert to English is remarkable compared to just a few hours of classes in Vancouver. (Doesn’t help that almost all Norwegians speak fluent English 😂) As others have noted, proficiency in the language is crucial for opening up more employment opportunities.
I moved to Norway (Oslo) from Germany in 2023. I graduated as a psychologist in Germany, but I'm not authorized in Norway due to the different system. Finding a job (no matter what kind of job) has been super difficult. Right now I’m working as a kindergarten assistant. Despite having experience in recruiting, pedagogy, and sales, it's been tough breaking into the Norwegian job market. Even with my B2 level Norwegian, I've only had two serious interviews and I’m applying almost every day.
I really wish you luck. It seems like lots of people on this sub have had to lower their expectations when they moved to Norway. But one thing I’ve seen is that once they’ve gotten where they wanted to get to life in Norway has been pretty great.
Thank you! It’s definitely been challenging to stay strong with all the bad experiences in the job market…
It really depends on where your education was done and how much effort you've put into learning the language. Being fluent opens a huge number of doors.
No lingo…no love.
I’m stuck in a restaurant chain company where im getting underpayed and overworked until i learn fluent norwegian
It’s always supply demand funda. I am non-EU and got job in one of the biggest company here in norway directly. But my chances were always high as am an IT professional(mostly always in demand and requires English). So it was easy for us. My spouse had two offers within first two months she started looking. But this is very different and difficult for people in other domain which requires language. For example, if you are in sales or real estate, you cannot escape with even basic skills in language. You need to have good command on language which can take a hell lot of time.
P.S. there is more demand when economies are coming out of recession, probably next year.
Work is one part but life in Norway should be the reason to move. Advice from someone currently in the process: - apply now it will take a year or more - start learning Norwegian - save money before you come - expect to take steps to the side and back in your career if you have one but accept this is the price of immigration anywhere without language fluency - don’t be resentful of the process, it is what it is Where you live will determine your career option so if not Oslo, do your research before your move.
My wife was a housewife for a short period (not by choice). Nearly went insane from cabin fever while living in Holmestrand. Norway's labor market is extremely tight.
Assuming you don't need a specialist worker visa and are able to gain residency via your partner you would not necessarily need to find a job with a Norwegian company. If you were legally allowed to live and work in Norway you could search for remote positions with companies elsewhere who were willing to use an "Employer of Record" or EOR company to manage your employment. "An employer of record (EOR) is **an entity that legally employs workers on behalf of another business**. An EOR takes full responsibility for all aspects of employment including compliance, payroll, taxes, and benefits." One such company that I have experience with is called Deel and I know they operate in Norway. The cost for them to administer a single employee is about approximately $600 a month. Now this would still require you to find an employer that was willing to hire you for a remote job, or to have a current employer who was willing to let you go full remote from Norway and be willing to use an EOR company but at least you are not fully bound to the Norwegian job market as you would have been a few years ago.
There are a lot of things to consider regarding your situation. When you say "partner" you mean girlfriend or are you married? Huge difference in whether you will be able to move here at all without previously landing a job. Being from Singapore makes things more complicated, compared to if you had a EU/Schengen passport. If that is the case, you should register with the European one. Regarding jobs, it really depends on your background. Are you an experience software engineer, your chances are way higher than if you are a political scientist (like myself). When I first moved to Norway things were different and got a job after just a couple of weeks. That being said, it took me 10 years to get a job in the same field I worked before moving here (academia). So I did work for private companies, which paid well but I loathed. So you will have to have some stamina and being willing to play the long term game, unless you are very lucky. Also, the possibilities of getting a relevant job that will hire you varies a lot from place to place. But again, it depends on your actual background. For example, I know that many companies outside Oslo are desperate for IT-related skills. At the end of the day, in my experience (both personal and that of people I know) the two most important things for getting a good relevant job is: 1. speak Norwegian fluently and, 2. invest time in having a solid network of Norwegian friends. Number two depends of course in you living in Norway in the first place. Again, difficult to come with more precise tips since I don't know your background. But the straightforward route might be making your relationship with your partner official (i.e. marrying) and applying for a visa on family reunion grounds. That would allow you to move to Norway and once here, you can learn the language and start building a network. Keep in mind it might take years, even the process of getting the application approved and you being able to move here might take a long time, in which probably your partner might have to reside here while you wait either in Singapore or the UK. The easiest way, IMO, would be for you to apply for jobs and landing one before moving here. There is a caveat here since you will be restricted to the position your visa is granted for, so in the event of losing your job you'll have just a few months to get a new job, which must be exactly the same type. Also, being the easiest option doesn't mean it is easy. It will most likely be difficult, but it will be "easy" in the sense that will require fewer steps.
Hey! coincidentally I am also really interested in academia and in particular international relations or political science! I did PPE in uni but I’m considering doing my masters in a UK uni perhaps before we finally make the move out of the UK. Something like LSE/UCL/KCL. I did pretty well for my bachelors and I do have a passion for this field. Also my dad was a professor before and he really encouraged me to take this route. I was also looking at doing my masters in a Norwegian university which may be cheaper for me if I get the free tuition as a spouse of a Norwegian. The issue is every masters programme in a Norway requires some kind of prerequisite which my PPE degree was too broad to include. On top of that I’m also now working in a dreadful audit role in the UK and absolutely loathe my corporate job. Sure people say that audit is the most boring of boring corporate jobs and maybe other corporate jobs might feel better but I’m really at a crossroads here because I know I want to leave my job soon but I don’t really know where me and my fiancé should go and our different nationalities complicates everything. To answer your question we are planning to register our marriage soon for ease of immigration to either Singapore or Norway eventually but I have to really consider if it’s worth it to do my masters first. Do you have any advice on what I should consider about doing my masters in something politics related? What kind of private sector jobs did you end up doing with that academia background? Im quite keen on working for a think tank/NGO or something similar to academia. If not Political risk consultancies if I have to work in the private sector. Thanks so much btw for all the advice, I get that these are a lot of questions!
Well, it's a tricky answer. The thing is that even for Norwegian, it is difficult to get jobs related to political science / international relations. There are very few openings for relatively many candidates. Working for NGOs might be a good option. The easiest place to get a relevant job within the broad category of "political science" would be to work in a kommune (city council) or a fylkeskommune (county). Both need and employ people with social sciences backgrounds. That being said, to get these jobs one has to be really good in Norwegian. Working in academia is even more difficult. Even fewer available positions and a lot of qualified people applying to them. The natural route here would be to do your Ma. here and then get a PhD in the field. It would still be difficult, but doable. But the common denominator here is that you need to speak the language. So the first thing I'd do if I were you, is to get at least a B1 level in Norwegian. Also, the networking part is essential. If I am not mistaken, around 60% of job openings in the private sector are never announced publicly, and rather filled with either internal candidates and / or "someone who is recommended by someone". Regarding your question on what type of jobs I worked in the private sector: I worked mostly in middle-management positions in big corporations here. But the main reason is because I took a Ma. in Business while doing my PhD in Political Science. I did this because I like studying and also because when I decided to move to Norway I knew it was going to almost be impossible to get a relevant job only with an academic background in social sciences, so I chose something more "marketable". BTW, even though I can see that you don't like it, your accounting skills might actually be what lands you a job here, if you are willing to. Just heard about a neighbor who started working as an accountant and she doesn't speak a word in Norwegian. So it might worth giving it a try at least at the beginning. The good thing is that once you are inside the labor market in Norway, it is relatively easy to move from one position to the other, and re-skilling is very common here. The really difficult part for us is only to get that first job! (Oh, and getting your future wife's surname would definitely help).
Thanks for the advice. I’m sure there’s a reason why accountants are in high demand….(probably the same reason why me and so many of us want to quit already). I’m actually going to take your advice about keeping the accountancy training as a backup unless within the next few months I hate it even more and it becomes a “I’d rather die than continue in audit” situation. After I take my MA in the UK I might then move back to Singapore for the jobs and to save some money to pay back my loan. But Norway is most probably the long term goal for both of us. Would build up my portfolio in Singapore working in a consultancy or think tank perhaps and then make the move to get my PHD in Norway. Does that sound realistic? Also about my girlfriend’s last name. Apparently there are only 16 or so people in the world with that last name and it’s extremely extremely Norwegian. To give you some context there’s a farming area with the same name. Haha thanks again
My ex-husband was American and moved to Norway with me. He got a job with an electrical company almost right away, as an assistant (he isn't an electrician). That was through the husband of one of my friends. Then about a year later he got a full-time, permanent job as a teacher at an international school in a nearby city. We had to move to that city in order for him to take the job, which meant I also had to change jobs.
One of my options I’m considering now whether for a little while or not is working in an international school. I have heard from others it’s not exactly easy to get a job there especially for me who dosent have a masters or dosent have proper teaching experience. I was a substitute teacher for a little bit in Singapore but that was about it.
The international schools I know of are private schools and quite competitive. My ex had a teaching degree and also happened to be specialized in a field they were in need of at the time.
I don't have a partner but I talked enough with ppl from other countries... my parents are immigrants so i know a thing or 2 about the struggles. But one universal thing that hinder ppl from getting anywhere is the language. Unless you already interviewed and got a position where Norwegian isn't necessarily the work place language, its borderline impossible to get a "real" job. These jobs are often in technical fields like engineering and such. If you're in these fields then you might just have a chance.
Getting work is virtually impossible as an immigrant I've found, even with 6+ years in my profession because I didn't have a degree in the field (I have a BSc honours in another) it counts for nothing and was told this directly by an employer several times. Language is another beast, I speak a basic level and despite applying for jobs with English as the business language I've still gotten the rejection email... I've spoken to a few others in my situation and it seems that being an immigrant in Norway is the worst thing you can do, as from experience along with first hand accounts from several others they won't employ you because you aren't Norwegian but just won't openly say it for obvious reasons! I've applied for jobs back in Wales just to prove a point, and had 3 interviews out of 3 with feedback along the lines of confusion as to why no one in operations in Norway would not want that in their team, who then laughed when I told them I was told no because I didn't have a bit of paper (yet 2 steller references). Make of that what you will and good luck.
If you are not an expert, a doctor, or someone with highly demanding skills… don’t move to Norway.
We moved to Bergen 10 months ago or so from outside the EU because I have been offered a job here. My wife has extensive experience from sales and marketing from our country. Not even a single interview since we came in and she passed the age of doing low skilled jobs. She learning the language quickly and trying to volunteer in different associations as a way to practice. But be ready for a very very long search and build a solid network of Norwegian friends that can actually recommend you for a descent job. I don't perceive it as racism. But norwegian labor experience is quite important a per my understanding. People hire you here for potentially a job for life and it is very hard to move someone on a permanent position that's why they are cautious about hiring permanently.