What to expect

Hi Haseeb and welcome to Expat.com!

You may take a look at the different threads in Bergen forum.

Do not hesitate to post an advert in the section Jobs in Bergen too.

Wish you Good Luck,
Harmonie.

Thanks for the reply Harmonie.

Yeah I will. But I would also like, if somebody can answer my questions here too.

Thnx
H.A.

Its very difficult to get a job in Norway without speaking Norwegian first.

Of course you need to pay tax, everyone does and its a high tax. A low paid job would typically take 36% of your salary as tax.

It would be extremely difficult to manage living expenses with the money you'd get from a part time job because the cost of living is so high in Norway. Even essential things like bread and milk etc are very expensive.

If you're going to work with the public then you'd need to speak very fluent Norwegian, which could take years. I know people who have lived in Norway for a long time without learning Norwegian properly.

Also you have to think about the harsh winter, it becomes -20 celsius and you need lots of clothes to keep you warm, which is also expensive...

Thanks for the reply Tillukka.

But that really does not answer my questions. I do know that its hard to get the job if one does not know to speak Norwegian. But still there may be chances. So I don't think that it can be generalized that one can not survive at part-time income though he lives on very tight budget.

Since I am from Pakistan, and I've heard that Pakistanis are the 3rd largest community of immigrants in Norway, so I may want to take a chance. The rest is on my luck I think. Beside, my first objective is to complete my Masters & i am a quick learner if learning Norwegian is concerned. So I think I might be able to learn and speak good Norwegian in two years.

As far as weather is concerned, i like cold weather as of Norway

Takk for svar
(one of the 5 sentences I've learned of Norwegian.)

Haseeb