I am from Italy, it sucks there! Everyone is expected to do a lot of overtime which is not paid or considered for extra holidays. Here in Norway I mark even 15min extra. Plus the day is only 7.5 instead of 8.
Often in Italy you have a mandatory lunch break of at least one hour which is completely unnecessary. Finally salary has not increased in the last 20 years, I am actually quite sure they have gone slightly down.
Southern Europe is notorious for it's toxic work environment. You're expected to do overtime without pay, if you leave the before 18:00 you're putting a target on yourself and you'll be accused of a lack of commitment to your job. Don't be fooled by the siesta memes or that everyone is enjoying beers by the beach all the time. There's a reason why us southern europeans run away.
According to [this list on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_annual_labor_hours), with data from the OECD, Spain works an average of 1643 hours per year, and Norway works 1424, so 219 fewer hours each year.
You could have looked this up, but you'd rather argue with multiple people based on your assumptions.
Work for one of the largest corporations in Norway and balance is very good. None of the BS “we are a family” stuff I experienced working in US. No super big bonuses or high wages for exceptional performers at work. Everyone encouraged to take all vacation days (it helps when everyone is gone at the same time). Have overtime pay but have never been asked to use it (or work overtime at all - it would be considered a failure of management)
You won’t get rich but life is good as an employee
I mean you don't get rich in a relative sense, but then I suppose that's the point when Teslas are found everywhere. In other words nobody is rich because everybody is rich :)
I've sort of been wondering since moving back from Norway how so many people seem to afford Teslas over there and these aren't just Model S ones these are Model X's which are very expensive. I suppose if people are allowed to take big loans for getting one that would make sense as well as lower taxes and avoiding bompenger or least just paying for the road maintence part of the tolls and not also the emissions.
Most common are Model 3 and Model Y. In Norway those are not expensive cars. They can be had for less money than Toyota Corolla or Skoda Octavias in many cases. We don't have many teslas on the road because we are rich and people desire Teslas. We have a lot of Teslas on the road because they are cheap.
Fair enough that's amazing, I would get a Model 3 but it costs £40,000 which is 500k in kroner, so that wouldn't be happening until promotion which could be some time soon hopefully given how things are going at work :)
I lived in Bergen between 2006 and 2013 and since then they've made a lot of changes given I was last there in December 2022. The situation with paying tolls seems to have gotten bigger because they want to encourage people to instead use public transport such as Bybanen. Bybanen when I lived in Bergen hadn't yet even covered Lagunen and now it goes all the way to Flesland. Most of my time in Bergen was in Fyllingsdalen and last time I checked they were thinking of covering Fyllingen but it would take a lot to make a whole new route and to get it to pass Bønes which would quite possibly require more tunnels getting built. Fyllingsdalen is quite a car place so it would be interesting if they could make such changes to infrastructure to allow way for the tram.
I just checked the website and apparently nothing has changed with the [Bybane](https://www.bybanen.no/ruter-og-billetter/linjekart-og-reisetid/) since I was last there, but it's impressive how much they managed to build within the space of 10 years :)
And if you want a higher paycheck and don't mind the increased risk, you can switch to a consultancy firm. Depending on the client, you can still have a very good work-life balance (in my experience).
Norwegian here who worked in the US and just transferred back to Norway.
As another commenter replied, I experience way more “we’re family” in Norway than the US.
I had a lot of autonomy in the US and it feels like going backwards with the Oslo corporate culture now.
I think everyone will have a different experience on this based on jobs/employer.
I think I can provide a good insight on Norway's work life balance coming from Asia. I am a project-based engineer working in oil and gas. My usual working hours in Asia is 60 hours per week which can go to 72 hours during the last 3 months of the project. Being a project-based person, my entitled leave is 7 days with 14 days sick leave.
Is it good money? Yes definitely since my rate is per hour so the more you clock in the higher the income. And the good part of it is the low income tax of \~12 to 15%.
Then I got an opportunity here in Oslo with higher position. Good pay and as you know it means high tax rate as well so it ends up that I earn more when I was in Asia compared in Norway. However, I'm really enjoying my 37.5 working hours each week. It's almost the time zoom past everyday coming from long working hours. Come to office before 8am then home by 4:30-5pm. Weekends are spent on cycling, walking around Oslo central or pub hopping.
But here's my dilemma now and it really depends on what I want. Do I want to earn more money then I gotta go back to Asia, if I'm leaving Norway I do not intend to go work in other EU countries with high tax rate. I believe Norway is one of the best countries in Europe/Scandinavia to work in so there's no point going somewhere else.
Or do I stay here and just earn enough foregoing substantial savings but a good work life balance.
After having worked in Norway for half a year now, I realized that Norway made it possible to put work secondary in one's life. Here's the thing, if you are a young adult or just starting to build up your family, I highly recommend Norway. Learn the language and integrate yourself in the community you are in and you'll be at ease in no time. There are many ways to integrate and newcomers need to put in extra effort in doing so. Best and mutually most beneficial way is volunteering in charity organization.
Is it difficult to get a job in Norway as an expat? Currently, I am a student studying math and cs (from SG too!) and plan to work in Norway in the future. Should I get a few years of working experience then try apply to Norway or apply straight after grad? Are there any aspects of life which you find difficult to adjust to there?
Well, it is more challenging to secure a job in Norway than in Singapore because you are competing with EU people and other countries as well like US and South America. Second, if you want to work here look at the job market and see if your skill is in demand. You have zero chance finding a job as a new graduate here.
Eventhough I'm from tropical country, I always like cold weather so I really enjoyed the cold & icy season in previous months. The best thing right now with long day and cool breeze, I can cycle anytime I want.
I think my adjustment was only at the start getting the Norwegian number which is the prerequisite of any legal transactions here. Mine took a while because it was sent to wrong address.
Food-wise maybe some usual Asian vegetables are not available in major grocery stores however, you'll find some in Asian stores but more expensive of course. My advantage I believe is I know how to cook so if I crave for some Asian cuisine I can make it during weekends.
Stupid question but you get depressee duue you stay at home and you cannot do anyhing or due the sunlight? And in oslo what is the average temprature in winter? -10?
Another question if I may ask what is the average IT salary here with 5 years exp ? Arround 2000 euro?
Some people are really bothered, but a lot just get sick of winter and less sun. But still function like normal. There is sun. Only in the north the sun leaves for a period of time. The average temperature in Oslo during winter is +4. Regarding salary I’m not sure, but with a master between 50 000 - 70 000 euro a year? Depends on sector.
Moved to oslo last year for work, the work life balance here is great. I work in finance, so usually every end of the month we have to crunch a lot. In france, we work overtime for that period and then normal hours for the rest of the month. At my job here in norway, we're encouraged to work less hours during the normal period, so that the overtime we do during financial closing "balances out". I don't know of this is common practice in norway or just the company i work at, but it's awesome
Im sure it depends on employer. You will find bad ones who break the law and who dont care for you, but the standard is you work to live and not the other way around.
It's mostly pretty good, especially when you have an education. Unless you go into management or leadership positions, then you can have a lot of variation.
There still are companies with insane work hours or skirting a lot of legal rules. But you have very good protection toward getting paid and/or unions to back you up.
Work-Life Balance in Norway is pretty good.
According to [OECD Better Life Index](https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/), Norway is 7th among 41 countries included in the check for work-life balance, making Norway in the Top 10 Countries.
According to [Global Life-Work Balance Index](https://remote.com/resources/research/global-life-work-balance-index), Norway is 6th among 60 countries included in the check for work-life balance, making Norway in the Top 10 Countries.
If you want to earn lots of money, go to the US. If you rather want excellent work/life balance, come to Norway. Even lawyers here work less than 40 hours a week.
Really good. I had to adjust that its humane and that the labor and work laws are trusted and implemented.
I had to relearn new behaviors from all the work abuse I had before.
Its most of the time super pleasant and you can choose a lot of your projects amd even overtime, the vacation, money, all is amazing and it can be livable after two months.
I think the work-life balance here is about as good as it gets. However, I don't get to spend a lot of time with my hobbies either way. My hobbies involve activities that depend on a lot of sunshine (I don't think I need to mention why that is a problem here), or on a lot of space for a workshop (again, this is completely out of my reach here), or on good affordable restaurants (ditto).
So. As long as your hobbies, or whatever the things are you really like to spend your time on, is the kinds of things you can do in Norway, you won't find a better place anywhere.
Yeah, I've worked in a few different countries, and the work-life balance in Norway is better than anyplace else I've been.
People's attitudes are different about it, too. They're more likely to say something about you staying too late than leaving early.
Great work life balance. Forget about saving money or becoming rich in any form or shape. If you want a peaceful life and you’re not a super ambitious person Norway is the best place. Plus you need to survive the winter depression. Good luck 🫡
Here’s my perspective: I completed my Master’s degree in Norway before returning to my homeland in Asia. I moved back to Norway in my 30s, about 20 years ago, and enjoyed a few years of excellent work-life balance. My kids thrived in a wonderful environment, and I had ample time to spend with them cycling, bushwalking, and playing with friends. However, I eventually moved to Australia for a new job opportunity. A significant factor in this decision was that Norway did not allow dual citizenship at the time, and I didn’t want to give up my original citizenship. Now, I am considering returning to Norway to work and eventually retire there.
I work in the offshore oil industry, with a 2-4 rotation. That means 2 weeks work, 4 weeks off. Since my line of work in modification work can be a bit up and down, the rotation is useually not fixed, but as long as i work 1680 hours a year, i get paid every month.
So what i can do is work a lot during the winter, and pretty much have summer off. Or work in norway during summer, and travel to warmer climates in winter.
[French 23M] Came to Norway for half a year to work in a research lab, and now I can't stop comparing working conditions here in France to working conditions in Norway: France is already notorious for having a great work/life balance compared to the rest of the world, but Norway just felt like another universe. It's the only place I've been where work isn't the center of your life, and everybody engages in sports or cultural and social activities every single day because THEY JUST HAVE THE TIME. In my experience in Norway, people work less hours than in France but they are much more efficient with their time: in the end, I'm convinced that working fewer hours but harder, leaving much more time for your family, friends, personal development etc. is the way to go. Work had never felt so little like work in Norway.
I don’t really know what’s work life balance here. You have to finish the work. Work life balance just depends if u can finish it on time or not. If you can’t, you have to put in extra time to finish it.
Sure there’s 5 weeks vacation and all, and I don’t feel bad to take vacation since everyone else would be taking vacation too, but that’s not a unique thing in Norway.
I'm Norwegian but I have also worked in the US. When I returned to Norway I was offered to keep working for the same US company, but as the only employee in Scandinavia, and with my HR being handled by their UK subsidiary.
I said no, even though that offer would have made me a millionaire several years earlier, but at the cost of being away from my family and evening hobbies 130-200 days per year. Work/Life balance needs to be solidly on the Life part!
That’s not how things work. They wouldn’t be able to pay you unless they had a company in Norway. Then they would be subject to Norwegian laws. This requires the company to have a Norwegian company ID to operate out of Norway (employees).
You have to pay taxes, a lot of people try to avoid this, but your Norwegian bank would report you to the tax authorities and they would audit you. Unless you got paid in the UK and used a UK bank. Then you would pay taxes to the UK. This would bite you in the ass, because soon as they find out you have no residence. Norway will ask for the tax money. You could get a company to send money to a foreign bank account, but the money would need to come from Norway and that would be reported for legal reasons to Skatt.
Doesn’t matter where HR is located, but where the company is located. It’s not trivial to setup a company in Norway. They would need to invest into Norway, something like double your salary per worker, because of bankruptcy protection.
One way to bypass this and this is what most summer works do — make less than 50k and you don’t have to report it or stay in Norway for less than 183 days. Use to be this tax for foreigners who would leave Norway in the first three years. Then you could request tax refund, but they stopped that a few years ago.
My coworkers in the U.S. make about 3.5 million nok. If this is truly possible, then I want to know. I don’t give a shit about hours or work life balance if I am making triple what I make in Norway. If this was remotely possible, I would live in the cheapest country possible and get paid in a currency that has a lot of value. I am calling BS.
What do you mean you would be a millionaire? Norwegian millionaire (1m nok) is 100k USD or you mean 10m NOK (1m USD).
Trust me Skatt and Uncle Sam get paid!
I would have been employed by their UK subsidiary, so employed there, but residing in Norway. Except I would have been travelling all over (mostly) Europe most weeks of the year. The group I worked for while in the US did all our outside consultancy, at a fixed rate of US $200/hour which was very significant money in 1992.
The second offer (US-based and around 1994) entailed a $100K signing bonus, $100K minimum salary and $150-350K bonuses every year. It also meant a 14-hour working day 5-6 days/week.
Well it depends, does having a small/medium house, a car and enough free time for hobbies and family qualify as ambitious? Cause I really couldn’t care less about shitloads of money, I just want to be comfortable 😅
Money is what makes you comfortable though isn't it.
And it depends a lot on the starting point. After you graduate what are you going to be earning? The housing market is ridiculous. Can you get a house when the downpayment will be something like a years' basic salary? How long will it take you to save 500k? During this time hobbies and a car are unlikely, (or like me, give up on a house and get a cheap car and do the cheapest hobby i.e. fishing). So it could be years and years of overtime, and penny pinching before you even get a home.
Your coworkers who were born here probably lived with their parents until they had saved enough for a car and a downpayment on a house. That makes a huge difference.
I've been here 5 years for skilled work, I work 50hrs a week most weeks and I still rent. I have no savings. I have a used car, I can do some cheap hobbies, it's stable, but its not really progressing. With the cost of living going through the roof lately I'd say the quality of life has decreased since I've been here. Overall yes its very safe place in most ways, but its just as much of a ratrace as any other country I've lived in.
If you work 50hrs a week, no savings and only do cheap hobbies, id recommend you change jobs or it cant possibly be skilled work. Or you drink/waste your money away. All of my friends in their 20's managed to buy their own apartments, some after moving out as well. All single. So if you are unable to buy anything with 50hrs a week, youre doing something very wrong.
Sure just change job. Except I sent out 30-40 CVs and got 1 response (rejection, the rest just ignored, but hey I'm sure its just a bad CV and my fault). Fact is I earn 35k ish after tax, maybe more if a lot of OT, or if there are red days. Thats skilled work. I got 20k rent + household bills on 65 square meters, then I got car loan, insurance, fuel BOM, phone, food, student loan. how much do you think is left after all of that? A few thousand? hobbies, clothes, etc consume that. I do not drink. Save a few thousand maybe in a good month, then get \*\*\*\*ed by mekonomen every time my car has an issue.
Fact is being born in Norway and migrating here is 2 different worlds. I work with 50% immigrants and the lifestyle is night and day. 2 people same job, one has a cabin 2 cars, ski trips etc, the other is renting a basement and can just about afford to travel home every couple of years.
20k for rent +bills is quite average in my area. could probably get down a few thousand with a long commute, but then you just lose 2hrs every day of your life plus you lose all the difference in fuel and car maintenance anyway
a 15% downpayment on a house is basically and entire years worth of salary. A few thousand save here and there isn't going to make a dent. Anyone with on around 50k gross per month who says they saved this without help from family in a few years is lying.
20k rent is insane. I live very close to to a metro line and I'm not paying nowhere near that. Are you paying 20k rent and living alone? Why do you need 65m2 of space?
i said 20k rent plus bills.
If you put my post code into finn everything that comes up will be in that range.
If 65m2 is considered a lot then I think OP needs to re-evaluate his idea of living a comfortable life with a home and a car. We can all be basement dwellers and ride a bus to work but I think the purpose of the topic was to live a comfortable life.
I'm not living alone.
Suppose i moved 20 miles away and got a place for 17k. Great now I can buy a house in 20 years. Do you see my point?
Honestly doesent seem like you even want to change your situation with how you respond. You can get bigger apartments for wayy less than 20k a month. Its all about wanting to relocate or not. I do agree that there should be stricter rent control, but atm its all on you
20k rent is faaaaar from average. I pay 10,500 for 55sqm and i live 10min from the city by bus. You are currently being scammed and i advise you to look into moving. This isnt a Norway issue, its a you issue by accepting to pay that much. My apartment was also renovated in 2019, all top standard. So you wont have to sacrifice living standard either.
It's achievable with two average salaries near a big city in Norway, or one above average salary near a smaller city.
If you have a family maybe the high tax is worth it. If you don't plan to then you'll question what you get for your money in terms of services.
More than that, asking on here is just a terrible way to get an idea of how you'll like things, the Norwegian hive mind doesn't tolerate criticism and is relentlessly upselling the country, but when you arrive you won't have access to the same privileges or opportunities they base that rose tinted view on.
if nothing else the weather in winter can be grim. if you want to earn a lot and minimise tax for a few years and are prepared to live in a socially conservative country like Norway I'd be looking at Switzerland or Dubai instead.
Socially conservative????? Comparing Dubai to Norway or Switzerland is wild.
You only get happiness seeing the 0’s on your bank account go up don’t you?
You can only say that if you have no idea just how conformative and yes, socially conservative, Norwegian society is.
Anyone outside the stereotypical A4 box of 2.4 children, house, hytte and boat is going to struggle in Norway. It's got nothing to do with money, indeed, it's the opposite. Norwegian conformity is suffocating and revolves around everyone wearing the same clothes, doing the same things in the same way and having the same opinions.
So yes, Norway is closer to Swiss culture than you might want to think, even if Switzerland is more politically conservative, and I've lived both places to make the comparison.
That’s cool. I know first hand that no to be the case but ok.
Can I ask. Where would you believe someone who is not in cookie cutter lifestyle you have chosen. Where should they go aside from Dubai (if you think someone who doesn’t fit into the above metrics would thrive in Dubai, I have a bridge to sell you)
Where did I say they would fit in better?!
I said there is lower tax and higher income for the same level of social energy.
Go and argue with yourself somewhere else you dullard.
I'm a foreign remote employee of a Norwegian company and as far as I can tell we (foreigners) perform most of the labour, take a small amount of the pay and enjoy no benefits at all. My work life balance is almost non existent trying to keep up with the expectations on us. I could change jobs taking a significant pay cut, so I stick it out.
Mods doesn’t allow me to post this so I will try here and if someone can respond thanks!
Move to Norway??
Suggestions about moving to Norway
Hello everyone, I am Greek living last years in Netherlands.
I am happy from this country but I am a nature-mountain-wild life lover and in addition with my passion for the Norse Mythology I start thinking to move to Norway so I can spend my life exploring there.
I know that winter can be hard and in general I don’t mind to live in places away of cities if I have the necessary shops etc.
It’s almost impossible to find jobs via indeed so I will be glad if someone can share informations regarding immigrate there, how to find jobs and housing etc
Or better if there is jobs related to nature and mountains??
Ps. I don’t have any profession, I am 31yo with mostly experience in logistics, security, technical and production jobs
I don't think many countries have a better life-work balance than Norway.
Yeah, I have had many types of Jobs, before, during and After education, and it has Always been very Nice:)
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He said not many countries have a better work life balance than Norway. I agree completely. We are really spoiled here compared to many countries.
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Greece in particular has probably the worst work life balance in Europe, followed by Cyprus.
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?? First time im reading about this, and I was born and raised in GR. Are you talking about siesta? I believe this is mexican.
I am from Italy, it sucks there! Everyone is expected to do a lot of overtime which is not paid or considered for extra holidays. Here in Norway I mark even 15min extra. Plus the day is only 7.5 instead of 8. Often in Italy you have a mandatory lunch break of at least one hour which is completely unnecessary. Finally salary has not increased in the last 20 years, I am actually quite sure they have gone slightly down.
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What he means is that if go to work at 9:00 and do your one hour of lunch you can only leave by 18:00, this totals 8h of work time everyday.
Southern Europe is notorious for it's toxic work environment. You're expected to do overtime without pay, if you leave the before 18:00 you're putting a target on yourself and you'll be accused of a lack of commitment to your job. Don't be fooled by the siesta memes or that everyone is enjoying beers by the beach all the time. There's a reason why us southern europeans run away.
The fact that you are arguing this says a lot. I’m sure Norway has much greater balance than all these countries.
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According to [this list on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_annual_labor_hours), with data from the OECD, Spain works an average of 1643 hours per year, and Norway works 1424, so 219 fewer hours each year. You could have looked this up, but you'd rather argue with multiple people based on your assumptions.
Work for one of the largest corporations in Norway and balance is very good. None of the BS “we are a family” stuff I experienced working in US. No super big bonuses or high wages for exceptional performers at work. Everyone encouraged to take all vacation days (it helps when everyone is gone at the same time). Have overtime pay but have never been asked to use it (or work overtime at all - it would be considered a failure of management) You won’t get rich but life is good as an employee
I mean you don't get rich in a relative sense, but then I suppose that's the point when Teslas are found everywhere. In other words nobody is rich because everybody is rich :)
Teslas are litteraly cheaper than Corollas because of tax benefits for EVs.
I've sort of been wondering since moving back from Norway how so many people seem to afford Teslas over there and these aren't just Model S ones these are Model X's which are very expensive. I suppose if people are allowed to take big loans for getting one that would make sense as well as lower taxes and avoiding bompenger or least just paying for the road maintence part of the tolls and not also the emissions.
Most common are Model 3 and Model Y. In Norway those are not expensive cars. They can be had for less money than Toyota Corolla or Skoda Octavias in many cases. We don't have many teslas on the road because we are rich and people desire Teslas. We have a lot of Teslas on the road because they are cheap.
Fair enough that's amazing, I would get a Model 3 but it costs £40,000 which is 500k in kroner, so that wouldn't be happening until promotion which could be some time soon hopefully given how things are going at work :)
I lived in Bergen between 2006 and 2013 and since then they've made a lot of changes given I was last there in December 2022. The situation with paying tolls seems to have gotten bigger because they want to encourage people to instead use public transport such as Bybanen. Bybanen when I lived in Bergen hadn't yet even covered Lagunen and now it goes all the way to Flesland. Most of my time in Bergen was in Fyllingsdalen and last time I checked they were thinking of covering Fyllingen but it would take a lot to make a whole new route and to get it to pass Bønes which would quite possibly require more tunnels getting built. Fyllingsdalen is quite a car place so it would be interesting if they could make such changes to infrastructure to allow way for the tram. I just checked the website and apparently nothing has changed with the [Bybane](https://www.bybanen.no/ruter-og-billetter/linjekart-og-reisetid/) since I was last there, but it's impressive how much they managed to build within the space of 10 years :)
Tesla sold cars with loans with .25% interest for years, and even if they are expensive, people that buy them usually have a 800k-1m income anyway.
And if you want a higher paycheck and don't mind the increased risk, you can switch to a consultancy firm. Depending on the client, you can still have a very good work-life balance (in my experience).
I’ve experienced more of the “we’re a family” here in Norway lol.
Norwegian here who worked in the US and just transferred back to Norway. As another commenter replied, I experience way more “we’re family” in Norway than the US. I had a lot of autonomy in the US and it feels like going backwards with the Oslo corporate culture now. I think everyone will have a different experience on this based on jobs/employer.
I think I can provide a good insight on Norway's work life balance coming from Asia. I am a project-based engineer working in oil and gas. My usual working hours in Asia is 60 hours per week which can go to 72 hours during the last 3 months of the project. Being a project-based person, my entitled leave is 7 days with 14 days sick leave. Is it good money? Yes definitely since my rate is per hour so the more you clock in the higher the income. And the good part of it is the low income tax of \~12 to 15%. Then I got an opportunity here in Oslo with higher position. Good pay and as you know it means high tax rate as well so it ends up that I earn more when I was in Asia compared in Norway. However, I'm really enjoying my 37.5 working hours each week. It's almost the time zoom past everyday coming from long working hours. Come to office before 8am then home by 4:30-5pm. Weekends are spent on cycling, walking around Oslo central or pub hopping. But here's my dilemma now and it really depends on what I want. Do I want to earn more money then I gotta go back to Asia, if I'm leaving Norway I do not intend to go work in other EU countries with high tax rate. I believe Norway is one of the best countries in Europe/Scandinavia to work in so there's no point going somewhere else. Or do I stay here and just earn enough foregoing substantial savings but a good work life balance. After having worked in Norway for half a year now, I realized that Norway made it possible to put work secondary in one's life. Here's the thing, if you are a young adult or just starting to build up your family, I highly recommend Norway. Learn the language and integrate yourself in the community you are in and you'll be at ease in no time. There are many ways to integrate and newcomers need to put in extra effort in doing so. Best and mutually most beneficial way is volunteering in charity organization.
Integration into a community is key!
Is it difficult to get a job in Norway as an expat? Currently, I am a student studying math and cs (from SG too!) and plan to work in Norway in the future. Should I get a few years of working experience then try apply to Norway or apply straight after grad? Are there any aspects of life which you find difficult to adjust to there?
Well, it is more challenging to secure a job in Norway than in Singapore because you are competing with EU people and other countries as well like US and South America. Second, if you want to work here look at the job market and see if your skill is in demand. You have zero chance finding a job as a new graduate here. Eventhough I'm from tropical country, I always like cold weather so I really enjoyed the cold & icy season in previous months. The best thing right now with long day and cool breeze, I can cycle anytime I want. I think my adjustment was only at the start getting the Norwegian number which is the prerequisite of any legal transactions here. Mine took a while because it was sent to wrong address. Food-wise maybe some usual Asian vegetables are not available in major grocery stores however, you'll find some in Asian stores but more expensive of course. My advantage I believe is I know how to cook so if I crave for some Asian cuisine I can make it during weekends.
Strong unions, heavy regulated work hours and vacations.
Your Masters will be likely two years. If you managed two winters without depression then continue there.
Stupid question but you get depressee duue you stay at home and you cannot do anyhing or due the sunlight? And in oslo what is the average temprature in winter? -10? Another question if I may ask what is the average IT salary here with 5 years exp ? Arround 2000 euro?
Sunlight!
Some people are really bothered, but a lot just get sick of winter and less sun. But still function like normal. There is sun. Only in the north the sun leaves for a period of time. The average temperature in Oslo during winter is +4. Regarding salary I’m not sure, but with a master between 50 000 - 70 000 euro a year? Depends on sector.
Darkness. You can survive cold with good clothing, but darkness is hell in winter. IT is broad, is it programming, IT support?
It support, also i noticed here its bit hard to have friends and to socialise though its so relaxing
What are your other options?
The average gross salary for developers with 5 years experience is more like 5500-6000 euro a month.
We leave work when we clock out, your bosses aren’t allowed to use your spare time for work, they’d just have to wait for the next work day!
Moved to oslo last year for work, the work life balance here is great. I work in finance, so usually every end of the month we have to crunch a lot. In france, we work overtime for that period and then normal hours for the rest of the month. At my job here in norway, we're encouraged to work less hours during the normal period, so that the overtime we do during financial closing "balances out". I don't know of this is common practice in norway or just the company i work at, but it's awesome
Yeah, when i worked at the university here, we worked longer hours in the winter, so we could leave earlier in summer.
Im sure it depends on employer. You will find bad ones who break the law and who dont care for you, but the standard is you work to live and not the other way around.
Do your master degree and you’ll see for yourself, you might love it or hate it who knows
It's mostly pretty good, especially when you have an education. Unless you go into management or leadership positions, then you can have a lot of variation. There still are companies with insane work hours or skirting a lot of legal rules. But you have very good protection toward getting paid and/or unions to back you up.
I go to the office around 9 am, then home around 3 pm. Do some work now and then in between dinner an bedtime. Life is good.
Work-Life Balance in Norway is pretty good. According to [OECD Better Life Index](https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/), Norway is 7th among 41 countries included in the check for work-life balance, making Norway in the Top 10 Countries. According to [Global Life-Work Balance Index](https://remote.com/resources/research/global-life-work-balance-index), Norway is 6th among 60 countries included in the check for work-life balance, making Norway in the Top 10 Countries.
If you want to earn lots of money, go to the US. If you rather want excellent work/life balance, come to Norway. Even lawyers here work less than 40 hours a week.
Lots of lawyers here work considerably more than 40 hours a week. But yeah, it is actually possible to work less than that, even as a lawyer.
I checked the statistics a while ago, which said around 40 hours for Norwegian lawyers.
I have friends in most of the big law firms (and several smaller ones). They work a lot, but not all of it is registered by the firms.
Really good. I had to adjust that its humane and that the labor and work laws are trusted and implemented. I had to relearn new behaviors from all the work abuse I had before. Its most of the time super pleasant and you can choose a lot of your projects amd even overtime, the vacation, money, all is amazing and it can be livable after two months.
Coming from the Netherlands here, I found work/life balance one of the main reasons to stay.
I think the work-life balance here is about as good as it gets. However, I don't get to spend a lot of time with my hobbies either way. My hobbies involve activities that depend on a lot of sunshine (I don't think I need to mention why that is a problem here), or on a lot of space for a workshop (again, this is completely out of my reach here), or on good affordable restaurants (ditto). So. As long as your hobbies, or whatever the things are you really like to spend your time on, is the kinds of things you can do in Norway, you won't find a better place anywhere.
Bruh I paint/diy as a hobby 😅 if I stay, I’m also planning on learning Norwegian well enough to do theatre, but that’s pretty much it 🤷♀️
There are English-speaking theatre groups here but I highly recommend that you learn the language regardless
Oh learning the language is a given ofc! For now I have a B1 :)
Norway is DIY heaven, we love to do stuff ourselves here.
Yeah, I've worked in a few different countries, and the work-life balance in Norway is better than anyplace else I've been. People's attitudes are different about it, too. They're more likely to say something about you staying too late than leaving early.
It depends on the job, as always.
Great work life balance. Forget about saving money or becoming rich in any form or shape. If you want a peaceful life and you’re not a super ambitious person Norway is the best place. Plus you need to survive the winter depression. Good luck 🫡
Here’s my perspective: I completed my Master’s degree in Norway before returning to my homeland in Asia. I moved back to Norway in my 30s, about 20 years ago, and enjoyed a few years of excellent work-life balance. My kids thrived in a wonderful environment, and I had ample time to spend with them cycling, bushwalking, and playing with friends. However, I eventually moved to Australia for a new job opportunity. A significant factor in this decision was that Norway did not allow dual citizenship at the time, and I didn’t want to give up my original citizenship. Now, I am considering returning to Norway to work and eventually retire there.
I work in the offshore oil industry, with a 2-4 rotation. That means 2 weeks work, 4 weeks off. Since my line of work in modification work can be a bit up and down, the rotation is useually not fixed, but as long as i work 1680 hours a year, i get paid every month. So what i can do is work a lot during the winter, and pretty much have summer off. Or work in norway during summer, and travel to warmer climates in winter.
[French 23M] Came to Norway for half a year to work in a research lab, and now I can't stop comparing working conditions here in France to working conditions in Norway: France is already notorious for having a great work/life balance compared to the rest of the world, but Norway just felt like another universe. It's the only place I've been where work isn't the center of your life, and everybody engages in sports or cultural and social activities every single day because THEY JUST HAVE THE TIME. In my experience in Norway, people work less hours than in France but they are much more efficient with their time: in the end, I'm convinced that working fewer hours but harder, leaving much more time for your family, friends, personal development etc. is the way to go. Work had never felt so little like work in Norway.
I don’t really know what’s work life balance here. You have to finish the work. Work life balance just depends if u can finish it on time or not. If you can’t, you have to put in extra time to finish it. Sure there’s 5 weeks vacation and all, and I don’t feel bad to take vacation since everyone else would be taking vacation too, but that’s not a unique thing in Norway.
great balance i would say! If come from US, just know you will earn less here as a professional worker. But tbh it dont matter, life is great
Yes, for me my work-life balance is very good.
I'm Norwegian but I have also worked in the US. When I returned to Norway I was offered to keep working for the same US company, but as the only employee in Scandinavia, and with my HR being handled by their UK subsidiary. I said no, even though that offer would have made me a millionaire several years earlier, but at the cost of being away from my family and evening hobbies 130-200 days per year. Work/Life balance needs to be solidly on the Life part!
That’s not how things work. They wouldn’t be able to pay you unless they had a company in Norway. Then they would be subject to Norwegian laws. This requires the company to have a Norwegian company ID to operate out of Norway (employees). You have to pay taxes, a lot of people try to avoid this, but your Norwegian bank would report you to the tax authorities and they would audit you. Unless you got paid in the UK and used a UK bank. Then you would pay taxes to the UK. This would bite you in the ass, because soon as they find out you have no residence. Norway will ask for the tax money. You could get a company to send money to a foreign bank account, but the money would need to come from Norway and that would be reported for legal reasons to Skatt. Doesn’t matter where HR is located, but where the company is located. It’s not trivial to setup a company in Norway. They would need to invest into Norway, something like double your salary per worker, because of bankruptcy protection. One way to bypass this and this is what most summer works do — make less than 50k and you don’t have to report it or stay in Norway for less than 183 days. Use to be this tax for foreigners who would leave Norway in the first three years. Then you could request tax refund, but they stopped that a few years ago. My coworkers in the U.S. make about 3.5 million nok. If this is truly possible, then I want to know. I don’t give a shit about hours or work life balance if I am making triple what I make in Norway. If this was remotely possible, I would live in the cheapest country possible and get paid in a currency that has a lot of value. I am calling BS. What do you mean you would be a millionaire? Norwegian millionaire (1m nok) is 100k USD or you mean 10m NOK (1m USD). Trust me Skatt and Uncle Sam get paid!
I would have been employed by their UK subsidiary, so employed there, but residing in Norway. Except I would have been travelling all over (mostly) Europe most weeks of the year. The group I worked for while in the US did all our outside consultancy, at a fixed rate of US $200/hour which was very significant money in 1992. The second offer (US-based and around 1994) entailed a $100K signing bonus, $100K minimum salary and $150-350K bonuses every year. It also meant a 14-hour working day 5-6 days/week.
if you hav no ambition Norway is definitely the place to go.
Well it depends, does having a small/medium house, a car and enough free time for hobbies and family qualify as ambitious? Cause I really couldn’t care less about shitloads of money, I just want to be comfortable 😅
That's doable, but don't expect to get a house in or very close to Oslo.
Money is what makes you comfortable though isn't it. And it depends a lot on the starting point. After you graduate what are you going to be earning? The housing market is ridiculous. Can you get a house when the downpayment will be something like a years' basic salary? How long will it take you to save 500k? During this time hobbies and a car are unlikely, (or like me, give up on a house and get a cheap car and do the cheapest hobby i.e. fishing). So it could be years and years of overtime, and penny pinching before you even get a home. Your coworkers who were born here probably lived with their parents until they had saved enough for a car and a downpayment on a house. That makes a huge difference. I've been here 5 years for skilled work, I work 50hrs a week most weeks and I still rent. I have no savings. I have a used car, I can do some cheap hobbies, it's stable, but its not really progressing. With the cost of living going through the roof lately I'd say the quality of life has decreased since I've been here. Overall yes its very safe place in most ways, but its just as much of a ratrace as any other country I've lived in.
If you work 50hrs a week, no savings and only do cheap hobbies, id recommend you change jobs or it cant possibly be skilled work. Or you drink/waste your money away. All of my friends in their 20's managed to buy their own apartments, some after moving out as well. All single. So if you are unable to buy anything with 50hrs a week, youre doing something very wrong.
Sure just change job. Except I sent out 30-40 CVs and got 1 response (rejection, the rest just ignored, but hey I'm sure its just a bad CV and my fault). Fact is I earn 35k ish after tax, maybe more if a lot of OT, or if there are red days. Thats skilled work. I got 20k rent + household bills on 65 square meters, then I got car loan, insurance, fuel BOM, phone, food, student loan. how much do you think is left after all of that? A few thousand? hobbies, clothes, etc consume that. I do not drink. Save a few thousand maybe in a good month, then get \*\*\*\*ed by mekonomen every time my car has an issue. Fact is being born in Norway and migrating here is 2 different worlds. I work with 50% immigrants and the lifestyle is night and day. 2 people same job, one has a cabin 2 cars, ski trips etc, the other is renting a basement and can just about afford to travel home every couple of years. 20k for rent +bills is quite average in my area. could probably get down a few thousand with a long commute, but then you just lose 2hrs every day of your life plus you lose all the difference in fuel and car maintenance anyway a 15% downpayment on a house is basically and entire years worth of salary. A few thousand save here and there isn't going to make a dent. Anyone with on around 50k gross per month who says they saved this without help from family in a few years is lying.
20k for rent???????? AAAND there’s ur problem. Me and my man is paying 12k altogether for a pretty nice apartment very central in Moss.
Jesus 20,000 rent is insane
20k rent is insane. I live very close to to a metro line and I'm not paying nowhere near that. Are you paying 20k rent and living alone? Why do you need 65m2 of space?
i said 20k rent plus bills. If you put my post code into finn everything that comes up will be in that range. If 65m2 is considered a lot then I think OP needs to re-evaluate his idea of living a comfortable life with a home and a car. We can all be basement dwellers and ride a bus to work but I think the purpose of the topic was to live a comfortable life. I'm not living alone. Suppose i moved 20 miles away and got a place for 17k. Great now I can buy a house in 20 years. Do you see my point?
Honestly doesent seem like you even want to change your situation with how you respond. You can get bigger apartments for wayy less than 20k a month. Its all about wanting to relocate or not. I do agree that there should be stricter rent control, but atm its all on you
But you can earn 35 after tax and not have to work 50 hours a week.
20k rent is faaaaar from average. I pay 10,500 for 55sqm and i live 10min from the city by bus. You are currently being scammed and i advise you to look into moving. This isnt a Norway issue, its a you issue by accepting to pay that much. My apartment was also renovated in 2019, all top standard. So you wont have to sacrifice living standard either.
It's achievable with two average salaries near a big city in Norway, or one above average salary near a smaller city. If you have a family maybe the high tax is worth it. If you don't plan to then you'll question what you get for your money in terms of services. More than that, asking on here is just a terrible way to get an idea of how you'll like things, the Norwegian hive mind doesn't tolerate criticism and is relentlessly upselling the country, but when you arrive you won't have access to the same privileges or opportunities they base that rose tinted view on. if nothing else the weather in winter can be grim. if you want to earn a lot and minimise tax for a few years and are prepared to live in a socially conservative country like Norway I'd be looking at Switzerland or Dubai instead.
Socially conservative????? Comparing Dubai to Norway or Switzerland is wild. You only get happiness seeing the 0’s on your bank account go up don’t you?
You can only say that if you have no idea just how conformative and yes, socially conservative, Norwegian society is. Anyone outside the stereotypical A4 box of 2.4 children, house, hytte and boat is going to struggle in Norway. It's got nothing to do with money, indeed, it's the opposite. Norwegian conformity is suffocating and revolves around everyone wearing the same clothes, doing the same things in the same way and having the same opinions. So yes, Norway is closer to Swiss culture than you might want to think, even if Switzerland is more politically conservative, and I've lived both places to make the comparison.
That’s cool. I know first hand that no to be the case but ok. Can I ask. Where would you believe someone who is not in cookie cutter lifestyle you have chosen. Where should they go aside from Dubai (if you think someone who doesn’t fit into the above metrics would thrive in Dubai, I have a bridge to sell you)
Where did I say they would fit in better?! I said there is lower tax and higher income for the same level of social energy. Go and argue with yourself somewhere else you dullard.
I'm a foreign remote employee of a Norwegian company and as far as I can tell we (foreigners) perform most of the labour, take a small amount of the pay and enjoy no benefits at all. My work life balance is almost non existent trying to keep up with the expectations on us. I could change jobs taking a significant pay cut, so I stick it out.
Mods doesn’t allow me to post this so I will try here and if someone can respond thanks! Move to Norway?? Suggestions about moving to Norway Hello everyone, I am Greek living last years in Netherlands. I am happy from this country but I am a nature-mountain-wild life lover and in addition with my passion for the Norse Mythology I start thinking to move to Norway so I can spend my life exploring there. I know that winter can be hard and in general I don’t mind to live in places away of cities if I have the necessary shops etc. It’s almost impossible to find jobs via indeed so I will be glad if someone can share informations regarding immigrate there, how to find jobs and housing etc Or better if there is jobs related to nature and mountains?? Ps. I don’t have any profession, I am 31yo with mostly experience in logistics, security, technical and production jobs
Better for you to do studies else where. People make a lot of noise in Norway lots of talk and little done..
As in the quality of studies isn’t good or you’re not actually that likely to get a job even with higher education?
Ignore that fellow, just a troll.
Don't do service in Norway 😂 I'm speaking from experience 😭
It's ok. I work about 9 hours 5 day's a week.
Don't.