(edit title) Swedish Fluent Enough to Work? How long did it take to find work in your field? Options

[heato0288]

Hej,

I'm curious about what experiences you all have had learning Swedish and then finding work in your field in Sweden. I'm about to graduate with a masters in urban planning in the US, and the plan is for me to follow to Swedish girlfriend back to Sweden next spring to start a life there. The only problem, of course, is that I have only the most basic Swedish language skills. After becoming fluent in Spanish (after years of study and years in Latin America), I know how tough it is to get to a professional level in any second language. I also know that it is an absolute requirement to speak the local language of the place you want to work. I've done my homework and I know that Swedish municipalities have planning departments, urban planners, comprehensive and detailed plans just like the states. The linguistic transition is what concerns me.

Has anyone out there done anything like that? How long did it take you?

Thanks.

[gplusa]

I've been working for 4 years as an engineer for a large consultancy in Sweden. Like you, my role can be covered within the state system, or privately, and both roles require a high level of technical Swedish language skills. I can appreciate your concerns. I was never worried about the technical aspects, but not being able to communicate at the right level, professionally, gave me large degrees of panic.

I arrived into Sweden with a level of Swedish that sat somewhere below Basic. Huge mistake, but that's a lesson in arrogance for you. I looked pretty good on paper and managed to score a couple of job interviews straight away. It became very obvious during those interviews that I wasn't really going to be taken seriously without an improved knowledge of Swedish. So I backed off the job hunting and enrolled in the Swedish language course here. Two months into the course, I sought and was offered another interview with a different company. My Swedish wasn't a lot better after only 2 months, but it made a huge difference to the attitude of the employer as they could see I was trying to improve what was an obvious weakness for me. So the problem they saw today was only a short term problem and they could focus instead on my technical ability.

We made a deal that I would start the following month, which was 4 months after arriving, and 3 months after starting the Swedish language course. At first I was offered a 2 month place as a Praktikant. In this role, I basically worked for free, I think I got about 1000 SEK a week to cover transport etc. A lot of people have a lot of opinions about the Praktikant scheme, but it worked brilliantly for both myself and my employer. They got 2 months to see what I could do, without taking any risk, and I got 2 months to find out what the hell they did and how they did it. I didn't feel like they were expoiting me in any way. I figured I was working on stuff where they had no budget money left, so I was free labour for them. But, it's not like it was taking me away from anything better. 8 hours in an office for free was better than 8 hours on the couch for free. I could also tell this was a genuine trial which was up to me to screw up. By the time the 2 months was up (and I was also continuing with my Swedish language class at the same time) I had picked up enough of the technical language, as well as a good knowledge of Swedish specific technical systems and procedures, for the company to actually be able to earn some money from me. I now became a genuine asset to them and was offered a permanent position.

It's now been nearly 4 years, and I think I've been able to hold my own in verbal technical discussions for about 2 of those years without being a bit unsure if I've actually picked everything up correctly. The accent still throws people, but they get used to it after a few minutes. Having formal Swedish classes is vital in your role, in my opinion. I managed it through night classes, while working here, for a couple of years. As you know, correct use of language is critical in technical and legal documentation, and that's not something that you can just "pick up". My written skills improved a lot quicker than my verbal skills but even today I ask someone to double check anything that has any kind of legal implication. Just to be sure.

As far as the job market go, the local councils (kommun) are a bit tough to get into as a planner, as their numbers are not great. They outsource most of their work to consultancies such as mine. My local office has 50 staff, covering everything from building design, through to bridges, roads, and environments works. We have 4 specialist urban planners sitting with us. They work directly with local councils and government organisations as clients, supplying all of their planning requirements.

[Dodgerman]

Great reply gplusa!
I moved here in December with a similar arrogance knowing that the majority of Swedes in the workforce speak English or are required to speak English for their jobs, I thought it wouldn't be so much of an issue not having Swedish down packed. I only knew a little bit of Swedish before I came and I too studied a similar degree in Landscape Design. I have worked as a landscaper during my 4 years at University and worked as an Estimator and in Sales for 3 years after that.

To answer your question out-right. No, my qualitfications and experience have not helped me secure a job in Sweden as I am unable to even secure a job mowing lawns.

I too am currently studying Swedish and am picking it up very quickly, but it is still a very tough market to break into.

My advice to you would be:
1. Start Swedish lessons now!
2. Apply for potential jobs at company's you like now! At least let them know you are interested and when you will be here.
3. Be prepared to be rejected alot or not to even receive a reply. (Most companies prefer email applications)
4. Save your pennies now (doing this saved me for my current job-less position)

Another hint is that your potential employer can receive up to 80% of your salary back from the government as you are an immigrant to Sweden. Although this sounds fantastic, it has not helped me secure a job either. Madness!

Hope this helped. Good luck!

[heato0288]

Thanks for the responses! Those give me a good starting point. That's basically what I imagined...your chances of getting hired a directly proportional to your language ability.

[gplusa]

That's a good point which I had forgotten about. Although I sourced the job myself, I (or rather my employer) received a subsidy from Arbetsförmedlingen of around 70 or 80% for the first 6 months I was employed. All that was required was that I be registered with Arbetsförmedlingen, which I did 2 weeks after arriving. That's a good carrot to have dangled in front of an employer. You get full pay, but you cost your employer next to nothing for a half year. My employer negotiated directly with Arbetsförmedlingen, I didn't have to do anything.

[klubbnika]

gplusa, you are a builder. They don't need to speak too much to do their job.

To clarify, one's profession is decisive when it comes to your chances of getting a job in Sweden.
If it is not among the ones with severe lack of people, you have to have so called "contacts" to get a job (nepotism, cronyism).
The level of your language is of secondary importance.

[gplusa]

Since when was I a builder, Pumpernickel ?

The resident fool resurfaces. Must be school holidays again.

[byke]

Name calling never provides a valid response to a difference of opinion

[ljtaylor88]

This is a great post. I'm in a similar situation to the OP, moving over for love etc, and I'm an architect. I applied for a job as an au pair, which may seem like a step down for me, but I know I will struggle if I hop straight into an architects' office without a more competent grasp of Swedish. I explained to the family that I still intend to become an architect in Sweden but that, for now, I'm really looking to "find my feet" and improve my Swedish. They are really understanding of this - I think that's the key, really, to find an employer who is understanding (but hey, ain't that always the case?).

What is interesting is that my boyfriend and his friends were all "Why are you bothering learning Swedish? We all speak English!" which is VERY EASY to say when you're fluent in both languages! By the way, I have noticed that Swedes, generally speaking, are not very good at professional English...

[Dodgerman]

ljtaylor - I had the exact same thing. All my swedish friends asked me 'why are you bothering to learn swedish, we all speak english?' At that time I was learning swedish so I could converse with my girlfriends parents and grandparents who spoke minimal to no english. Little did I know how important knowing swedish would be to get a job.

The majority of swedes that I know in my age group 20-28yrs or so speak very, very good english. Some are just afraid of getting it wrong. It also doesn't help when they are teased by other swedes for saying something wrong in english.

Unfortunately there is alot of 'black money' jobs out there, which I have been forced to resort to.

Arbetsformedligen is great for the employer incentive however, they are useless for anything else. They wont help you find a job or if you are like me and have come here for love, allow you to receive any form of government benefits if you haven't already worked for 6 months.

I hold a massive grudge against this organisation.

[klubbnika]

Since when was I a builder, Pumpernickel ?. The resident fool resurfaces. Must be school holidays again.

Or, sorry hun.
Is "construction worker" a more correct term?

[skogsbo]

The resident fool resurfaces. Must be school holidays again.

Perhaps they are cleansing London of it's trolls before the Olympics?

Like a little ray of sunshine back into our troll-less lives. Hi Klubb!

[klubbnika]

Hey, skogsbo. I missed you too.
How is life in the forest?

[skogsbo]

How is life in the forest?

bit breezy today, the coffee pots empty now, so it's back out to work for me.

Happy trolling!

[dejan.p]

Hi,

I am in similar situation to some of you guys. I have a Swedish partner and want to move to Sweden. We are now living in Spain together and studying Spanish on our gap year. I am still emloyed for my company in Australia and working remotely from here 1-2 days a week which is enough to cover Spanish life expenses however if I go to sweden I will have to find something that is more frequent.

I dont speak any Swedish however I have been told that its not a problem if you work in the engineering industry - by the sounds of this discussion thats not the case. I have over 5 years experience as a designer in a very strong international firm however they dont have an office in Sweden. My plan was to apply for jobs in the hope to get sponsored for visa. I have a few contacts however I am now thinking about holding back on applying for work until I have some level of Swedish.

My other issue is whether to apply for the partner visa or try and get sponsored. Will employers just ignore my application when they see that I have no visa and that I dont speak any swedish. I also dont want to apply with any of my contacts which I think are likely to hire me because I want to be in the best position possible for the job (ie with some swedish and also with a visa)

Any advice or help is appreciated.