Looking for work/jobs in norway for someone who mainly speaks English

Apart from checking the job sites like finn.no and nav.no, I would send applications to the gyms in Stavanger and around. If you have something special to offer as a personal trainer, point it out. The more you can offer, the better your chances of getting a job.  Norway has a relativ big but also competitive gym business structure. A few big chains are: SATS Elixa, itrain, aktiv trening.... you  can also search locally via 'gule sider. no' under treningssenter for more potential employers.

God luck!

Really... Don't know whay some people likes to give fake hopes...

Man, be and think as the adult I want to imagine you are; If you speak excellent English and you want to work in a gym in Mexico, who is gonna hires you???

If I speak perfect English and Spanish and I want to work in a gym in Norway, who is gonna hire me???

For whatever job that requires interaction with norwegians you must speak norwegian, that is simply obvious.

You will find many young folks that, do not understand English and in fact they don't have to.

Again...

1.- Check from your own place, jobs for what you do or you can do in the area you want to live in.

2.- Check how many jobs per day appear in that community and think, how far is from you.

3.- Think, how many more that speaks Norwegian are already applying for the same position.

4.- Test what I'm telling you: For each job you see that you like or you think you can do; Sent an e-mail or apply from your home.

See how many actually answer and call even if you wish...

There's no difference in applying from your house or here, just test yourself and open the eyes to reality.

If is not easy for a norwegian that is actually local, what makes you think guys that is gonna be better for you?

The more hundreds come each month to Norway, the worst is for them and for us here also.

@Jorge Adrian

sorry to hear that you have obviously such a hard time finding a job.
But I know many non- Norwegian-speakers who have found jobs and I know that some gym instructors can't speak Norwegian. Key is, to offer something the average Norwegian can not or will not do. For example: If lukas 502 can teach a training technique unknown in Norway and the employer sees a market opportunity he might get a job very easily. It is all a question of market and demand (and luck).  I don't think I give fake hopes, just practical tips how to approach the job search best. Of course, sooner or later you should learn the language, but there are quite a few international companies in Norway where the working language is English. Generally, the further up you go the qualification ladder, the less important the Norwegian language skills become. Everybody has a different story and experience, but to draw from your personal experience to a general job market situation would be unbalanced.

Man, I have no gain with arguing with you or someone else here, what for?

Make people feel bad or stop their dreams, talk about me? What for? is not my goal, at all.

I have only 2 years in Norway, I had the chance to meet some folks from here and there from different countries of the globe in Norway... I have lots of experience:

CV : theuniverseisyours.wix.com/jorge-gomez-cv

Linkedin :
keepitcleancompany.com/Ansatte.html

But all that means nothing, is as this for me as for most part of the people I know.

About the counted companies that hires you without Norwegian language; Do you know how many apply there? All foreigners want the same, a job without speaking norwegian, and do you think that they hiring all the time... No.

We are a pain in the ass for the system and parasites of society when we can't pay our own bills.

Hundreds are coming to Norway with one thing on minds: MONEY, and that is understandable, everyone wants a better life and a future with hope, but take a serious closer look to what is really happening here...

The government is not creating any job for foreigners, that doesn't exist, the number of emigrants is biggest than the number of jobs opportunities, each year lots of teenagers are searching for the same and they are  Norwegians.

The more people comes each year the worst it is, oppen your eyes or your browser and search for jobs in Norway for people like us... No chance, some exceptions and for those, there are already thousands of people that feets and not all of them will get hired.

Do you really want to help them? Help one of them, choose only one and help him/her, because; When you write about jobs for English speakers, opportunities, many chances, people you know, norwegian is not really necessary... Then you should teach us how to do it ?!?

Be realistic and mature: The hopes you write about you write for him, but there's hundreds or thousands more planig to come to get a job with the same backgrounds, reading your promisess of success and good chances and everyone knows that it doesn't exist in any country for the tons of foreigners arriving to a new place.

For how long do you think that Norway is gonna be able to sustain this, use tax money to help unemployed folks Norwegians and foreigners?

Do you really want to help? Help him, but do it for real, not writing happy stories for kids no, find him a job, tell him how expensive is the rent, a norskkurse, food, help him with an opportunity for a job, for good.

Because write about a reality that doesn't exist, and give hope for another 700 reading your comments and coming the next month with the same fake dream is not any help. Not for them and not for the country.

The line to get free food and a night under a roof in Bergen is long and getting longer every day; Ask them, they just want a chance, a simple opportunity!

Call NAV, ask how long is the list to be a cashier in whatever community, check finn.no, and answer yoursel.

I think that if you really want to help, you should inform yourself first, before to invite more folks you will never face to give a hand for real, when they can't get a job after many months and months in the best of the cases.

My company is not running, it was a waste of money and lots of troubles: Foreigners are doing the same job as us illegaly for very little money, they don't pay any tax or nothing at all and they are destroying the business.

And I'm not mad, I understand their needs. They are human being with debts, kids, and who knows what else?

They are already here and I wish to everyone the best of luck, but invite more and more folks is not gonna make things better.

I'm no one to deny them to come to Norway and try, but I'm not gonna write about things I don't know or I imagine.

I think, that is more helpful to talk with people about the truth, because if someone some day knocks my door asking me for the jobs I was talking about in expat, what I'm gonna do?

Inform people with real facts.

@ Jorge Adrian

real fact is, that me and my partner are not Norwegian and both found good jobs. Same for ca. 50 other foreigners I know and who speak little or no Norwegian.
Is it easy to find a job? No, but this applies to nearly any country in the world. Is is possible? Yes, if you hit a niche and are lucky.
I'm not creating hopes or invite someone, just trying to give constructive advice. You are rambling on that they become a burden for the system, but that is not true: You can only claim benefits in Norway if you paid into the system by working.  Every EU immigrant has 6 month to find a job, otherwise they have to leave.  So what harm is done to Norway if someone tries his or her luck? It doesn't cost the government a single NOK (apart from the salary for the person at the police / UDI registration).
Fact is also that there are over 13.000 job ads on finn (checked today).  For such a small country, that is not a bad number, so why is there still such a 'high' unemployment (as you claim)? Every labour market has an imbalance in what is needed and what the population can offer. And the gap is filled with immigrants.  Norway is not an Eldorado for workers any longer but it is not as bad as many other countries in the EU and by law they can not prevent other EU citizens from trying their luck.

Unfortunately, I could not open your website or CV, so I can't say anything about your story.

Unemployment Rate in Norway Tuesday, January 13, 2015

tradingeconomics.com/norway/unemployment-rate

Unemployment Rate in Norway increased to 3.80 percent in October of 2014 from 3.70 percent in September of 2014. Unemployment Rate in Norway averaged 3.44 percent from 1997 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 4.70 percent in July of 2005.  Actual unemployment in Norway 3.80% July 2014.

Actual   Previous   Highest    Lowest    Dates            Unit Frequency   
3.80         3.70          4.70          2.30        1997 - 2014            percent Monthly   

This page provides - Norway Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Content for - Norway Unemployment Rate.

Last refreshed on Tuesday, January 13, 2015.


Norway Labour              Last       Previous   Highest    Lowest         Unit   
Unemployment Rate      3.80      3.70           4.70           2.30            percent
Employed Persons           2635.00   2638.00    2640.00      2341.00         Thousand
Unemployed Persons    102.00    91.00    135.00      22.00         Thousand
Job Vacancies              67600.00   57800.00  72000.00  1395.00
Long Term Unemployment 0.80    0.70            1.00           0.30             percent
Youth Unemployment Rate 7.70     7.80            15.70         6.50             percent
Productivity                    116.48      115.80      120.42      61.77           Index Points
Wages in Manufacturing    146.40    147.30      148.30       78.90           Index Points
Labour Costs                 160.90      156.40      160.90       71.70          Index Points
Population                       5.11            4.99    5.       11               3.58            Million


Do You Really Want To Live In Norway?
mylittlenorway.com/2010/04/do-you-really-want-to-live-in-norway/

Nearly 15,000 illegal immigrants who have been told to leave Norway are continuing to stay in the country, causing a potential crisis for the over-stretched immigration services and a security problem for police.
thelocal.no/20140903/illegal-immigrants-in-norway-nears-15000

Norway:
google.com/search?q=Unemployment+in+Norway&oq=Unemployment+in+Norway&aqs=chrome..69i57.7735j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=attacks+from+foreigners+in+norway

What are your chances of getting a job?

targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/working-abroad/328485-working-in-norway
Networking and personal recommendations aid job searches in Norway, so it may be more difficult for graduates without Norwegian connections to penetrate the job market. The majority of jobs in Norway require knowledge of the Norwegian language or another Scandinavian language. Some jobs do accept those who just speak English but these are usually seasonal agriculture jobs or roles in hospitality. Not knowing Norwegian will dramatically limit your job options.

finn.no available Jobs in Norway   13 431 positions  13/Jan/2015
finn.no/jobb/

Unemployment in Norway           102 000  Hundred, two thousand people. 13/Jan/2015
tradingeconomics.com/norway/unemployment-rate

Hundreds and hundreds arriving per month under the flag of "love, fake marriages, real need, work permissions, students, illegals, refugees", etc... And you are attracting more and more statistics in red numbers with silly promises of success? Your recipe of getting lucky with all respect, is a childish nonsense.

Hope they go knocking at your door, so you can help them and prove that I'm wrong.

Jorge Adrian

3.8 % unemployment is VERY low! Your statistics prove that the job market situation is actually pretty good. Norway together with Switzerland  have the lowest unemployment rate in the whole Eurozone. Spain and Greece struggle with way over 20 % at the moment, so no wonder that many professionals look for opportunities in Norway.  Legally they are entitled to it,  so there is no point in complaining.

No one on this forum encourages illegal or fraudulent immigration methods. 

.. and yes, if a refugee comes knocking on my door, I would try my best to help. It is our duty.

Don't be ignorant, those are not "my" statistics, are Norway statistics.

13,431 jobs to cover 102,000 people without job and you say this is pretty good?

Can you count???  The fact here is a low porcent doesn't means that we are good precisely neither.

WE HAVE "1" JOB FOR EACH "10" NEEDING A JOB.  And the red numbers are up each year.

Do you want to make it worse to understand better? Norway is not creating hundreds of jobs per week or per month as hundreds comes to Norway to work or to live each single month.

And yes, unfortunately the good people from spain appears even in the norwegian news in YouTube vids, collecting empty bottles from trash cans in the streets to survive...

Why don't you offer other country? Any ways, you're not paying those daily millions NAV spent here for unemployment...

If help refugees is YOUR duty, man offer yourself to do it in an specific manner but for real ! No just bla, bla, bla.  they are lots already all over Norway.

You're just exposing your ignorance with happy posts, promising now help for more people to come when you're even writing as an anonymous individual.

You're just posting nonsense, that's your help for foreigners and your contribution to Norway.... No norwegian is inviting more immigrants, actually some immigrants are messing for real everywhere already, whatch the news. ( murders, rapes, violet attacks, a group is demanding their own independent city in Oslo )...

Good luck Madre Teresa, offering the resources of a country that is not even yours...

By the way, why don't you offer your own country ?

Jorge you are essentially hijacking someones thread here hoping for some advice on Norway on an expat forum... you know, where people go to get advice about moving to a different country?  Your advice, is don't move.  That's fine, that's your opinion, but stop posting walls of text fending off people who genuinely want to try.

If they wish to look for a job that is their prerogative, not for you to just blatantly dissuade them from doing so.  Unemployment in Norway is ridiculously low compared to other EU countries.  Yes the language barrier is a problem, is it an insurmountable problem, no, no it's not.  If you try hard enough you can find work, but don't expect it to be easy.

Stop acting like a one-man-band trying to dissuade people from trying to start a new life somewhere, it does work out for some and usually it's the ones who try hardest that succeed, why wouldn't we want them people to come.  It's not like some Romafolk coming just to sit begging on the streets like a scourge.


On-topic: Lukas, I would suggest you do try and learn at least basic Norwegian and get a job before you come.  If you don't have a job and come to Norway any savings you have will not last long really.  It will not be easy, but it is possible.

Thanks GaryO,

but please allow me one more 'off topic' post in this thread...

@Adrian Jorge
Sorry but YOU can not count (read the statistics you posted):
Job Vacancies              67600
Unemployed Persons    102 000
That means less than 2 applicants for every free job. (Finn is just ONE source of job ads and not complete).
And before you judge other people: yes, I have refugee friends and do not only bla bla.  Your xenophobia is pretty hypocritical since you live in a foreign country yourself....

Not all individuals qualify for all the vacancies, for each job you think you're good, are hundreds with references and education than can make it better for real. Don't be ridiculous, do you think that enterprises, companies, chains, etc. are going to hire whatever individual just because they have a vacancy and the numbers in your ridiculous imagination match?

(Moderated: rude comment not tolerated here) And numbers are going high each year.

Call NAV and ask how large is the list on hold to be a simple cashier in a store. Each one of your lines reflects your ignorance; Jobs in other websites are pretty much a copy of the same vacancies listed at finn and a mega bunch, are out of date posts.

Their business is collect as much information for their data base and make profit in lots of ways with it. Grow up.

My "xenophobia" is an opinion on base of what I experience myself, in base of people I know in really hard situations, on base of listening guys complaining in the norkkurse, on base of migrants begging in the streets, on what we all see in the news and in what is really happening.

Of course I came from another country, that's why my name is Jorge; But I didn't came to invite all the world to come here like if this is my house and I pay the party.


You want to help, don't say it, do it and be quiet, no one get any medal to help once in a while some folks and no normal person is posting in the net "Hey look at me! I help people!"...

Lukas or whatever person out there wanting to come to Norway:

Many norwegians see us as lazy, gold seekers, and abusers of the system, this is the  reputation we already have.

Don't try... Learn the language with intention to talk norwegian, invest time in your mind, cause knowledge require effort, but the price of ignorance is higher and I'm talking on basis of experience.

Inform yourselves directly in the websites, e-mail, or phone numbers of the store, restaurant, hotel, chain, etc. where you think you can have a chance, where you have experience, or where you are able to do the task.

Ask for job opportunities from your house, test how many reply, test yourself, make a good CV with a cover letter explaining what you can bring and so on, check for examples on the net, and answer yourselves if the norwegian language is not so necessary and how hard or easy is to get a job.

Come guys with your savings, you will need them, all is expensive here and please, behave as responsible adults, cause people are fed up with foreigners messing with the system and with norwegians here, they didn't do more than open the doors for everyone to come here, to after a while see and experience abuse, and horrible acts some monsters does, asking for demands and rights that are a dream in their own countries.

Almost no one is going to Mexico, Salvador, Panama, etc. Why? America have nice weather, cheap good food, space... : There Is no NAV, no life support, no high salaries, and latinos are not joking around...

I know that I sound like I'm a bad, negative person, trying to stop migration; Reading a bit about this country, no so many countries helped in the war at all, and you will discover that Norway was very OK before to discover oil, before this migration was not an issue, after this, good and bad things are result of it, migration is not really a positive one, not for norwegians and not for the immigrants already here.

Really? I came to Norway for 12 years ago and I could speak only English. And I did it so for 7 years. Since the last years I speak also Norwegian . I made it so speaking only English . That means it is possible if you have enough will

no_clue, Jorge Adrian, GaryO

I hope that each of you get rich in Norway and have a successful business there. If that happens, please don't forget to hire me, I wanted to live in Norway but I am just a poor fellow, I cannot afford to go to Norway. Btw, aurora borealis is my dream, I hope to see it personally in this lifetime. You are all great! Peace! 😊

Hi ...bern here 2 years
Don't speak the language
It's not guaranteed thst you will have better life if you speak the language  anyway ..it is expensive but meeting people and get ing informed about all the help and support available ....you can be just fine
I work for a cleaning company .. rent a room and go and get free new clothes and food
So all the money I earn I save

So if you have the determination you will make it anywhere

@Lukas: Finding a job while speaking good English and no/bad Norwegian is only possible if you offer something in your skillset that Norwegians to not have and is in demand. I am not talking about "I'm very nice", I'm talking about specific techniques or knowledge that makes you desirable.
The safest way to get a job is to find it before you move, possibly having the company you'll work for sponsor your visa application (if you're not EU-based).
Sure, finding a job is not easy but it never is, no matter the country. You have to bring something to the table and have a positive attitude about it.

@Jorge: Man, you should really chill.