Jobs in Gothenburg for English Speakers

Hi Stu! You should post an ad in the Gothenburg classifieds > job section.

Good luck
Christine

Hi my man is coming to live with me in gothenburg im swedish he is canadien.
Im super stressed out to find a job for him. it seemsto be impossible. I want him to try live here. i have been in canada for 3years, so we wanted to try  it out here.

Did u find a job yet and how are u finding everything???

Moderated: Please post on classifieds section.

***Your message was not deleted, but was moved to a private folder for analysis.

What's the problem with the post?

Hello Runninball,

Your post has been moderated, because I think it is not related to the discussion. Besides, football advert or other related advert shall be put in the classifieds section.

Thanks for the kind comprehension.
Sorry for the off-topic.

Hey, I am no to Sweden as well and have am very limited to speaking Swedish. How is SFI? I really need to take a few classes.

Hi Claire

The SFI classes are great!  I enjoy it a lot!  The classes are closed now, it will only start again in August.  I met a lot of new friends and the teachers are great.  I learned to read and write in 1 month.  Talking is a bit difficult, but I´m positive and hopefully in August my speaking will be better!  Good luck!

Hey,
I've been actively job seeking too, but I'm hitting a wall with employers all saying that "you're great, but you don't speak swedish, sorry" - its frustrating.
I need help - I'm running out of ideas (and money!).
Also, the SFI classes for November were cancelled due to too many people wanting them (!? i don't get it either) so I'll have to wait until January, which makes getting job that much more in the distant future.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Monika

>Any ideas?

First and foremost: Leave now before the rigid system, frigid social life, prolonged unemployment, and dark winters derange and extinguish your North American optimism.

If that hasn't scared you off, then look for language tutors (university, high school, ABF, Komvux, Folkuniversitetet, Folkhögskola). Buckle down with several Swedish language programs (check the city library; get the Assimil and Pimsleur courses, as well as a good grammar book and dictionary) and start learning the language. Try to spend as much time as you can speaking it with native speakers every day.

If you have a good plan from a tutor or linguist, speak regularly and study a few hours a day, you will learn much quicker than through any of the courses offered for immigrants. By speaking the language you will also be networking (which you should be doing as much as possible, because even in rational ol' Sweden most people get work from people they know).

Edit: Stockholm offers a lot more jobs for English speakers, but then there's more competition there.

well, i guess if you're still here, that's a good sign, right? i was definitely considering leaving, but I think I'll stick out this cold frigid winter just to see what comes of it. I hear Swedish springs and summers are meant to be amazing. and ive got a job interview tomorrow! So here's hoping...
thanks for the reply and all the info!

Hi Monika

Sorry only replying now.  I agree with NotesfromtheNorth.  That's the best advice.  PS. I got a jobb in the end as a language teacher and assistant.  So there's always that possibility!
Good luck with the jobb interview.

Ile

About jobs in Sweden, I think it  is so difficult especially for us who are coming out of European union.

I came to Sweden in May 2008. I applied to hundreds of jobs they said sorry you don't speak swedish, so I started swedish classes SFI and then continued to svenska som andra språk. After I finished I applied for jobs again but they said sorry you have education from abroad, you need education from here because we do things different. I went to Handelhögskolan to study "Företagsekonomi" this time they said that I don't have experience from Sweden. Upp to this point I believe that they don't want to let me in because how will I get that so called experience from Sweden if no one dare to employ me.

At last I decided to open my own business. My advise for you who is looking for a job is to start something of your own. If you have experience on something or have passion for something. Try to put your ideas on business plan and present it to arbetsförmedlingen.

> I applied to hundreds of jobs they said sorry you don't speak swedish, so I started swedish classes SFI and then continued to svenska som andra språk. After I finished I applied for jobs again but they said sorry you have education from abroad, you need education from here because we do things different. I went to Handelhögskolan to study "Företagsekonomi" this time they said that I don't have experience from Sweden. Upp to this point I believe that they don't want to let me in because how will I get that so called experience from Sweden if no one dare to employ me.

This is how the system works here. Now, I don't know your background or qualifications, but assuming they meet international standards and, say, local safety regulations, there are still many unwritten rules that will keep you from getting work. Add to this hegemonic mindset one nationwide, rigid employment system, and you see why there is no job "market" here. Also, even if you're Swedish, it's very likely you'll have to apply for thousands of well-paying jobs before you get one, unless you know the right person.

Hey thanks for writing back. You're the second person to have this experience of trying everything and nothing works.
What did you end up doing in the end? The other person told me they started their own business. So far my only employment here has been teaching English. It's good at first, but it doesn't pay so well and it certainly isn't long term, at least as far as I can tell.
P.S. My SFI classes for November were cancelled due to too much interest, and were rescheduled for January. So far everyone has said to me they wont hire me because I don't speak Swedish. I just assumed that once I had taken the SFI classes things would get easier.
Did you work with Arbetsformedlingen to help you get a job?

I visited arbetsförmedlingen many times but they couldn't help me. The problem is they can not force or have influence on employers to employ me. I remember there is a time I ask arbetsförmedlingen to help me to get praktik. We tried different employers but still it didn't work out.

The thing is I wanted to continue working in my profession (accounting) for the sake of passion I have for accounting (I love working with numbers), not how much I'm going to earn out of it. There is a time arbetsförmedlingen offered insteg job, that means any employer who will employ me will get refund of about 75% of my salary from arbetsförmedlingen.

Monika E L wrote:

Hey thanks for writing back. You're the second person to have this experience of trying everything and nothing works.
What did you end up doing in the end? The other person told me they started their own business. So far my only employment here has been teaching English. It's good at first, but it doesn't pay so well and it certainly isn't long term, at least as far as I can tell.
P.S. My SFI classes for November were cancelled due to too much interest, and were rescheduled for January. So far everyone has said to me they wont hire me because I don't speak Swedish. I just assumed that once I had taken the SFI classes things would get easier.
Did you work with Arbetsformedlingen to help you get a job?

I don't think my experience was the same as yours, although similar. No one's situation will be your situation, you have different experiences, perspectives, skills and traits. I've been here a long time and find it home now. Since I was so young when I came here my job opportunities were limited to working class jobs, which was just what I was looking for then. The problem is if you're educated, have a family, are getting older, or want to get somewhere - jobs to help with these things are difficult to come by, even for Swedes. I'm basing this on experience, but also experience in Gothenburg and Stockholm, as well as the reports of researchers, of many friends, and of dozens of coworkers over the years.

A pattern you'll find is that immigrants from the East or South wind up with the worst jobs or they start their own restaurants.
Privileged immigrants from the West like you or myself work with languages (like you're doing and I'm doing) or start businesses in the tourist industry, especially from mid-Sweden up.

About 30 years ago Arbetsförmedlingen could get people jobs. Now only a few procent ever get jobs through it. The main reason people go there is because they are forced to: In order to get unemployment benefits you have to register at Arbetsförmedlingen.

Arbetsförmedling is great a creating jobs -- for the bums who work there and proselytize about the virtues of menial work and degrading education programs, which they themselves seem only a small step away from.

My SFI classes for November were cancelled due to too much interest, and were rescheduled for January. So far everyone has said to me they wont hire me because I don't speak Swedish.

It takes years to learn a language. Even if the course starts in January - when do you expect you'll know Swedish and be able to get a job with it? I highly recommend going to private tutoring immediately. I think you'll find the SFI courses are poorly structured and not very helpful at rapid language assimilation. At the least complement SFI it with serious study. A complete SFI course (to gain elementary level Swedish will take years), then you have to move on to Svenska som andraspråk A & B (one term each) if you want gymnaisum equivalency in order to get into the university. With SASB finished, you can use the certificate as validation of your Swedish (you won't have to though if you know Swedish well enough by then).

Did you work with Arbetsformedlingen to help you get a job?

I strongly recommend avoiding Arbetsförmedlingen. In order to get help from them they put self-contradictory demands on you and will severely limit your ability to get work, study, etc. Stopping by to look for information I do recommend however.

cengstrm wrote:

I visited arbetsförmedlingen many times but they couldn't help me. The problem is they can not force or have influence on employers to employ me. I remember there is a time I ask arbetsförmedlingen to help me to get praktik. We tried different employers but still it didn't work out.

The thing is I wanted to continue working in my profession (accounting) for the sake of passion I have for accounting (I love working with numbers), not how much I'm going to earn out of it. There is a time arbetsförmedlingen offered insteg job, that means any employer who will employ me will get refund of about 75% of my salary from arbetsförmedlingen.

As you've found out, the jobs they provide are mostly praktik/job programs, which means you provide cheap labor for government departments without gaining any experience in your desired/proper field. I have come to see this as a form of dishonest abuse of potential labor. It is upheld in order to keep unemployment statistics down. Some people call it wage slavery, since you cannot say no to the praktik if you want to keep getting benefits, and yet all you get paid are benefits - which equals a terribly low hourly wage.

The other nasty catch is that since the system is set-up like this, the employers lead praktikanter/trainees on. Arbetsförmedlingen tells you your praktikplats will lead to a job, but the company/organization has no intention of hiring you, because you're cheap labor, which they can get handouts for. It's fully detestable and things like this demonstrate that Sweden is far from a socialist paradise.

Accounting should be able to get your work in bokföring, redovisning, revisor... Have you looked up equivalency tests for accounting? Revisorsnämnden perhaps? If you have equivalency and know the tax system you should have no problem starting your own accounting firm with an F-skattsedel.

Yes, I contacted Revisorsnämnden. They said I can not do the exams untill I finished undergraduate courses and work with revisor for a couple of years. Studying undergraduate courses was easy although boring because I had studied them before and worked for many years. It is just a repetition. The difficult part is to work with revisor from Sweden. I applied to more than 150 revisionbyrå, bokföringsbyrå and redovisningsbyrå. The answer I got was the same "Sorry we don't have place for you". Interesting part is I worked with Deloitte (International auditing firm) in Tanzania for 5 years. Deloitte use same principes all over the world. But when I approached them here they came back with a different story with indirect way of saying "no".

cengstrm wrote:

Yes, I contacted Revisorsnämnden. They said I can not do the exams untill I finished undergraduate courses and work with revisor for a couple of years. Studying undergraduate courses was easy although boring because I had studied them before and worked for many years. It is just a repetition. The difficult part is to work with revisor from Sweden. I applied to more than 150 revisionbyrå, bokföringsbyrå and redovisningsbyrå. The answer I got was the same "Sorry we don't have place for you". Interesting part is I worked with Deloitte (International auditing firm) in Tanzania for 5 years. Deloitte use same principes all over the world. But when I approached them here they came back with a different story with indirect way of saying "no".

Tough road you're on. And you've studied all the economy and law you need to? Have you tried small revisorer firms? (Revisor means accountant, for anyone reading this and who doesn't know.) I'm no expert at getting jobs as I'm self-employed, and accounting is not my area of expertise. Honestly, I hate when people give me advice, but it seems like you're looking for it. Like many people, I can say you should make sure you have the best CV possible (pay a designer to do it for you if you can't and make sure the content is logical and succinct). Otherwise, start your own business with some related field. Or how about volunteer work or getting involved in a local organization that would appreciate your wonderfully marketable insights into "international business and accounting"?

Edit: P.S. 150 job applications may not be as many as you think. I know people with much expertise in their fields who got laid off in 2008-2009. They've all had to send in thousands of applications before they got new jobs. Welcome to 21st liberal capitalism.

Thanks for the advice. I have already register my company (CPE Redovising), and already found some customers (small businesses). I like to practice more with medium sized companies or even large. I know it will take time before I reach there but the most important thing I want is to work with authorized auditors or accountant in order to be allowed to do exams with Revisorsnämnden.

Thank you for nice advice!

Hi All. Just like to add my experience. I moved from Brighton in the UK to Sweden (near Alingsås) this time last year to live with my Swedish boyfriend.
Back in England i worked as a welfare officer for the RSPCA for over 12 years,I also hold Horse riding qualifications and Assistance dog training experience. I have always worked hard and i am not shy of mucking in and rolling my sleeves up and learning new skills so i thought that i would be able to continue to work with animals in some way......Many many adverts and phonecalls later still no regular paid work.
Part of the problem for me was that i had a 7 month wait for my personal number which i was told i needed to enter language school...Now i have received the paperwork and the ok to stay here the classes are over subscribed so i shall have to wait a little longer.In the meantime i am fast losing confidence in my ability to the point of becoming depressed! I think many Swedish people are unwilling to consider an 'Foreign' employee.At least i don't think it's personal!!?? Compared to the Brits i have found most Swedes very private,cold people to approach thus making networking difficult.I agree with the previous comment that it seems you can't win...You need to speak fluent Swedish...You need to have Swedish qualifications...You need experience in Sweden!! etc etc. I am fortunate enough to still have an income from the UK and i am also considering setting up my own business caring for animals but i wonder if the Swedish people are open to accepting 'outsiders'??    Apart from the work issue i love my new life in Sweden.It isn't all bad so hang on in there!!...Like everyone else, i am always open to further advice on gaining work so please feel free to post to me.

"I am fortunate enough to still have an income from the UK and i am also considering setting up my own business caring for animals but i wonder if the Swedish people are open to accepting 'outsiders'??    Apart from the work issue i love my new life in Sweden.It isn't all bad so hang on in there!!...Like everyone else, i am always open to further advice on gaining work so please feel free to post to me"

I think that is good idea to start your own business. I gave up looking för job and instead I have my own accounting firm. Customers are coming in day in day out, så I never regret doing it.

My advice for you if you are planning to start your own company is to visit arbetsförmedlingen. You can get some allowance through them that will boost you for 6 months while you are waiting for customers. In additional to that you will get training on how to do marketing in this society. I found this training very useful.

If you have questions just drop me an e-mail at info@cperedovisning.com

Hej !

Does anyone know of any bar jobs available for me over the summer months ?
I am moving to Gothenburg in 3 weeks and have a job for 1st September sorted just need some work over the Summer.

Many thanks for your time replying ... Neil !

Hej Neil, where you from bro?

I heard theres some Aussie Bars in Gothenburg. Might have luck with the language thing.

Im arriving Got. 5th May and will hit the ground running. Have a Residential Permit. Based in Lerum. Recently been Driving Waste Trucks/Machinery for last 3years, Solider in NZ Army p/t, and keen to work with recycle product,Transport driving work. I have an International licence for many vehicles, along with my New Zealand Licence. Been told I cant transfer these into Swedish Licences, anyone know anything different? Probably have to start from scratch huh. If anyone has gone through the whole system to get a car,heavy truck, forklift.. licence, I'd be real keen to hear how you got on. English options..? Costs..? Time it takes..?
Then.., how would I get on with entering the Transport Job Market? Who really knows untill ya try!

But of course I'll be happy to be cleaning toilets if I have too! A jobs a J O B.

Any Kiwis around wanna put down a Hangi/BBQ  with/for our new friends and family in Sweden holla back. Could be fun to diga hole and set fire to someones backyard. Wonder what Ilk / Raindeer from a hangi taste like..?

Bringing homemade Feijoa Jam and Marmite to share with our Fika (coffee & Cake)should we meet up. Lena and I would be xcited to have a visit..come on down!

Tack Sa Mycket! xyz

Hej Man !

I am from Southampton U.K .. I will be moving to molnlycke on 2nd/3rd May with my swedish Partner Emma and our little 6m old boy Jack !

Sounds like your getting things sorted !

Good luck Bro !

Neil

Hey everyone! My name is Jenna and I just wanted to tell you all that you're not alone. As many above have shared their experiences, I must say that I have had some very similar, except with less of a wait period.

I came here from Canada to live with my boyfriend December 1st 2011. I got my residency permit shortly afterward on December 23rd, but only because we filled out all the paperwork and got a move on it while I was still in Canada. I am a linguistics major with a psychology minor and have even interned for doctors in my past.

I diligently started studying Swedish via books and Rosetta Stone as soon as I got here and my SFI classes started in March.
I have applied for many jobs, but unfortunately I don't speak enough Swedish.

My best advice I've gotten is to apply to some of the Ferry lines like Stena Line and Color Line and some of the Australian bars on the Avenue. I got a 3 day job aboard the Stena line so far, so I'm hoping that's a great into-job.

I understand what you're all going through, but keep your heads high! Unfortunately I am experiencing a lot of the same difficulties - not enough Swedish skills, my experience and schooling is foreign, etc. Hell, even though I'm a linguist it still doesn't permit me to teach. I get turned down quite a lot, told to come back when I know more Swedish... and admittedly it does weigh on the mind, but I want to encourage everyone just keep trucking along.

It also helps to have some great support! My boyfriend is my only companion so I sometimes worry about stressing him out, but really he is the best support I've ever had. I only hope I can do the same for him if he ever needs it. To those who are feeling depressed, it's hard, I know. It's hard to be giving it your best shot and get continuously turned down. I think arbetsformedlingen also offers some kind of counselling for those who are having some mental battles associated with being in a new country.

Good luck from me to all of you, and wish me some luck too xD (kinda in the same boat, running out of money...) If anyone needs someone to talk to, feel free to PM me!

-Jenna

Very well said, Jenna.
Just about Arbetsförmedlingen - it was really useless and very disappointing for me and all my non-swedish friends. You can try to get some kind of support or direction there, but don't keep your expectations too high.

xxx

THANKS FOR THE POST JENNA !!

NICE TO BE POSITIVE ABOUT A LIFE CHANGING MOVE !!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE !!

Siyana wrote:

Very well said, Jenna.
Just about Arbetsförmedlingen - it was really useless and very disappointing for me and all my non-swedish friends. You can try to get some kind of support or direction there, but don't keep your expectations too high.

xxx

Thank-you!

I've heard some mixed reviews of arbetsförmedlingen from so many people. My personal experience was interesting. I registered with them one day and then I got a letter in the mail requesting a personal meeting. The lady that helped me was AMAZING! She asked me if I had applied for any jobs (and ofc I had) and she told me that I was really ambitious and gave me all of the paperwork for both myself and prospective employers that was necessary for instegsjobb and nystartsjobb. It was really perfect and I think that the instegsjobb really offers a cutting edge for some people applying to some of the smaller employers who may not be able to afford a new full staff member. She then sat at her computer and we went through potential employers and she printed them off for me, even though I could do that from home. She would say things like "Oh, Hotel Flora, they're really nice there, relaxed environment" and other helpful little tidbits which are always nice to hear about companies that you're unfamiliar with.

NEIL FRANCIS wrote:

THANKS FOR THE POST JENNA !!

NICE TO BE POSITIVE ABOUT A LIFE CHANGING MOVE !!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE !!

Thank-you so much! It's definitely life-changing and I hope that everyone get everything sorted so that their stay here is enjoyable! I want to post as much as possible to help others because I kind of blindly worked my way through the system, but now that I know what has to be done there are definitely ways that I could have gotten through the process better and I love to share!

Jenna, you should consider yourself really lucky then! )

Siyana wrote:

Jenna, you should consider yourself really lucky then! )

I really do. After reading some things on here of people who have been here for quite some time and haven't found paid work yet, or people who have had to wait forever for residency and personal numbers, I am now considering myself very lucky.

I have been really diligent with my papers, always adhering to meetings and trying to participate in as much as possible (even in an SFI soccer competition).

The only area I still wish I had been more attentive to was learning Swedish. I did start as soon as I arrived. I was studying for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week with a computer program that also helps with pronunciation , and I must say it has helped me in more ways than I could have imagined. I am zooming through SFI and will continue to do a combination of both home-study and school-study.

I've also been building hula hoops in my spare time.

Just keep moving

That's the way to go!
I will finish my Swedish classes in about a month (yey!!), but still there is a lot more to improve, esp. in the speaking part
Advice- watch  TV, some series or a show, with swedish text. It helps a lot.  Plus thre is a site with lättläst  news in Swedish, http://www.8sidor.se/ , with pronunciation and everything. Take the free newspaper Metro every day, can be useful for the everyday language
And get a library card, the 1st one is free, and take books to read..

Siyana wrote:

That's the way to go!
I will finish my Swedish classes in about a month (yey!!), but still there is a lot more to improve, esp. in the speaking part
Advice- watch  TV, some series or a show, with swedish text. It helps a lot.  Plus thre is a site with lättläst  news in Swedish, http://www.8sidor.se/ , with pronunciation and everything. Take the free newspaper Metro every day, can be useful for the everyday language
And get a library card, the 1st one is free, and take books to read..

Actually yes! I got the exact same advice from a friend of a friend! She told me that once you actually have a grasp of the language and the pronunciations to pick up the Metro and read it every day. She said she did the exact same thing and learned Swedish in just under a year. Even though you might not know all the words, one can develop a contextual understanding and even figure out the unknown words on their own!

The library is actually a really great idea. When you say the 1st one is free do you mean the first library card or the first book you take out?

Sorry, I mean the first library card. You just need your ID and it is ussued right away and ready to use.

Hi guys,

I am considering moving to Sweden. Can anyone suggest some good work agencies around the Gothenburg area?

Thanks.

Lawreba wrote:

Hi guys,

I am considering moving to Sweden. Can anyone suggest some good work agencies around the Gothenburg area?

Thanks.

Manpower is one of the best, do you speak Swedish?

@ Lawreba: welcome to Expat.com!

You may as well check out the Jobs in Gothenburg section and create your CV, it could help!

Thanks,

Francesca

Hola. alguien podrìa decir algunas costumbres de las bodas suecas y si es mal visto que las mujeres usen pantalones en una boda? se debe usar solo vestido? o existe algun color que no debe usarse o que se deba usar?
espero su respuestas..porfa..estoy invitada a un matrimonio en suecia.

Hi promarce, could you please post in English in this Anglophone forum?

Thanks,
Harmonie.