To ask how to move to Scandinavia?

[Vikingintraining]

Doing the shameful "posting here for traffic" thing, apologies, and with a changed username for anonymity.
It's just me, no DH or DP or any kids, mid 40s.
I want to move to Norway, Denmark or Sweden, no preference, I love them all and know them very well through holidays. You know when you just feel at home somewhere, like you belong there. How do I make the move to live over there? Has anyone done this who could offer me useful and practical advice?
I've learned some language and can hold a basic conversation in each language but nowhere near to fluency.
Work is an obvious area of difficulty, I need to earn enough to live comfortably but without fluent language do I have a hope? I have looked online for jobs but not had any luck.
I work in media/communications. And I do work full time from home so in a sense I could be anywhere. Can I be employed by a UK company but live overseas?
Help me people of Mumsnet, I want to emigrate!

[Alaimo]

In addition to the practical advice already given, I think it's also worth emphasising how different holidaying vs living somewhere is. Of course everyone is different, but out of the migrants I know in Sweden, those with kids tend to find it easier to settle in than single people. While there are plenty of open, friendly, outgoing Swedes, probably the most prevalent complaint of migrants in Sweden is how difficult it is to make Swedish friends, especially if your language skills are limited. It is a bit easier if you work for an international organisation or live in a bigger city, but I think it's not unusual for people to end up with an international circle of friends without a single Swede among them. If you're someone who is happy in their own company then this might not matter so much, but if you're someone who craves lots of social interaction then life here can be challenging to start with.

[Rubyupbeat]

I've lived in Norway and Finland, both wonderful places, but Norway just beats Finland to the top for me. I would like there tomorrow for the rest of my life, but there are too many people here that I would really miss.

[Vikingintraining]

@Dutch1e Thanks for the comment. What sort of difficulties did you have getting a residents permit/visa, what were the main struggles?

[Vikingintraining]

@melodypondisasuperhero Thanks for the comment. When you say if I am experienced enough in my field (I am very experienced!) I wouldn't have a problem getting a job as an English speaker, do you mean that English would be the language spoken at work? I have heard that a lot of international companies use English as a working language in all offices but I wasn't sure if it was true as I've never worked for a large international company.
I don't think it would work to split time between two countries, thanks to brexit there is now a limit of the number of days.

[Vikingintraining]

@Klarajannsson I LOVE the bridge! Brilliant series. I've not heard of Twin but will look it up.

[Vikingintraining]

@BuckysArm Thanks for that link, looks very useful!

[Vikingintraining]

@Alaimo Thanks for the comment, I see your point about not wanting someone from overseas when locals already speak such good English, I need to find a gap in the market that sets me up as the best candidate. I've already signed up for LinkedIn alerts

[Vikingintraining]

@Yogatomorrow Thanks for the suggestions/link, very helpful, and I will be sure to be direct with my questions Yes, damn brexit...

[Vikingintraining]

@sonjadog Thanks for the comment. When you say there are lots of companies that work in English, do you mean the language spoken in the office between colleagues is English? I had heard this is the case for international companies but wasn't sure if it was true.

[Vikingintraining]

@Truthlikeness Lol! Well done to your friend, certainly a good way to do it. I hope she gets a good staff discount at ikea!

[JimLaheysWhiskeyBottle]

Hei! I can help, I'm English and live in Norway, I've also lived in Stockholm. Although most people can speak English, that's not always the working language. Unless you move to a main city (Stockholm, Oslo) your working language will be the national language (mostly). I'm a fully qualified teacher, got my degree (a good grade) and taught in England for some years. Then moved abroad for teaching. I have had my qualifications certified in Norway and Sweden now, so I have the equivalent teaching qualifications here.
You either need a job here or the ability to support yourself, you'll need to provide proof of savings etc. It is very strict.
You could come as a student, maybe look into postgraduate options, that could be an easier route. Then after studying it might be easier to find work.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I've spent 8 years between Norway and Sweden so I might be able to help. :)

[Vikingintraining]

@Lndnmummy Thanks for the website suggestion, I will check it out. Yes, brexit really is a pain in the @rse, unfortunately life circumstances mean I wasn't in a position to move before now, it absolutely would have been easier a few years ago though.

[Vikingintraining]

@SwedishK Good suggestion, thanks.

[Vikingintraining]

@Norwaydidnthappen Wow, I don't know how he manages! I would never move without learning the language properly. My only restriction at the moment is the time it takes to become fluent. I've taken courses but they all start off so basic (numbers, colours, food, etc). I've found that when I am immersed I can pick up language much easier so my hope would be to really pick up fluency once I have moved.

[Dutch1e]

@Vikingintraining I'd met and fallen in love with a Dutch man and although expensive and long it was possible to get a residency permit via my relationship with him. But before we went down that route I thought it would be good to investigate other options. I worked for myself with international clients and naively thought that because I had an independent income that it would be relatively easy.

The hurdles were just too high.... without a major financial investment in founding a Dutch company, let alone the thousands and thousands in application/lawyer fees, there was no way they'd give me a freelancer/entrepreneur/business residency permit. Digital nomad visas still don't exist here either. It had to be a local job offer through an employer who would sponsor my residency. I'm also too young for a retirement visa, and none of the other categories applied to me, so we went the partnership route after all

[Vikingintraining]

@Yetmorecrap Oh gosh that's not good to hear but thanks for sharing, I will bear in mind! I hope things work out for you either there or here wherever you end up.

[PandoraP]

I am Norwegian living in London...

I think the easiest way to move between any country especially post Brexit is to get a job in a company in the U.K. and ask for a transfer if they have a branch in Scandinavia. Most Brits I know in Norway have moved with their companies (science, oil, banking) and many have a Norwegian spouse.

I wonder what it is that attracts you to Scandinavia. Have you ever been to Norway in winter? 🥶

I am also impressed you can hold a conversation in all 3 Scandinavian languages. You must be some linguist. I cannot hold a long conversation with a Dane just impossible to understand and I actually doubt they understand themselves

[Vikingintraining]

@ScepticalBandicoot Thanks, I have a British passport, so brexit really is a pain in the @rse for my life plans! Good idea about focussing on one though, thanks for that suggestion.

[Vikingintraining]

@Linguaphile Brilliant website, thank you! I've been looking at British embassy and foreign office jobs but not often things come up there. Haven't seen this website though, thanks!

[Vikingintraining]

@Phrenologist Yes I've been lucky to spend a really significant amount of time in each of them, enough time to really get to know each country. They are all three different countries, yes, but I could imagine myself living in each of them so therefore have no preference, no puzzle.

[Ridgere]

I've lived in four countries and deciding exactly what city/region to live in and how to prepare for that is hard enough when you're thinking about one specific country, let alone three.

Have a proper think and decide more specifically where you want to live. That will make it MUCH easier to focus on learning the language and researching visa requirements, the job market, costs of living, etc.

[Vikingintraining]

@Alaimo That's interesting and useful to know, thanks. I really do like a lot of social interaction and I would hope my language ability would rapidly improve once I lived somewhere, but I'd be disappointed to only have international friends rather than also some local friends.

[Vikingintraining]

@Rubyupbeat I've never been to Finland, it's on my travel wish list!

[CopenhagenMummy]

ihcph.kk.dk/

You find most info here and welcome if you chose Denmark 🇩🇰

[Vikingintraining]

@JimLaheysWhiskeyBottle Thanks for the advice, that's very helpful. Actually I have been interested in post-grad study for a while so perhaps that could be a good way in, I hadn't thought of that. Everyone is different of course but just out of interest which did you prefer living in?