Moving to Norway any tips?

Hail and well met. I am from Canada and have always played with the idea of moving to Norway but today was the last straw, I have now dedicated my life to moving to and bettering Norway. I am sick of this country in which I live; no one cares about anything here.

---rant--- skip ahead if you don’t care.
My last straw was the experience I have had with the busing system today. The driver was 15 min late, he suddenly tells me that the fare has gone up, there was a used condom on one of the seats (he told me "well what do you want me to do about it?") and when I got off the bus, inside the bus stop was a dirty diaper and none of the sidewalks were shoveled. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest I was so angry, I mean we pay quite a bit of tax here and nothing is being done. People may think that I am over reacting but this shit happens continuously and I am sick and tiered of being the only one who cares about creating a better country and a better future for next generations.

Anyways, back to my questions. Does anyone have any tips for me? What jobs are needed over there in Norway? I heard trade skills are in demand and so is the IT field, both of which I am familiar with (welding and computer networking). Would it be difficult for someone that doesn’t have EU status to move in there (Canada)? I was also thinking of moving to a city like Bergen.

Many thanks.

Hey Dude, I'm from Australia and i want to move to Norway, not because Australia sucks but because Norway is awesome.
I've been studying some of the language.Get "Teach yourself Norwegian", by Hodder Education. It's really comprehensive and very easy to learn.(C.D's and book)
Alot of people speak english but not very well.

There are alot of jobs in Norway so that shouldn't be too hard. They care alot about being proffessional and good customer care.

Canada was once a great place, now it’s only great if you aren’t Canadian. Anyways, I have been learning a bit of the language myself as well. I got a book and audio tapes (they look really crusty) from the library, it’s called Colloquial Norwegian. I am definitely going to check out the book/cds you mentioned, trying working with tapes is a major pain.

I was wondering if anyone can suggest some schools in Norway. I am about to graduate from a photography school in California this winter and am trying to find a art school in Norway and then hopefully live there for a while. I've been reading up on Bergen National Academy of the Arts and Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Does anyone know anyone that goes there or heard good things about them? What are the key differences between Bergen and Oslo?

I love the outdoors, hiking, scuba diving, skiing, and surfing and these are all things that i try and photograph as well so I am trying to find an area in which I can learn and have fun and travel.

Norway is awesome, I'm moving there as well. Cheers!

I live in Norway, Bergen, and I like it. I even know a couple of Canadians and Australians who love Bergen as well, after having lived here for years.

If you're an artist of some sort, or aspire to be an artist, I recommend living in Bergen. Oslo is a heartless wannabe-city. A place to visit, not live in.

Bergen is said to be a real place, genuine, a city with soul, a city with caracters. You might have to learn how to master irony, and see through the (well meant) sarcasm, but when you do you'll find the warmest and most welcoming people in Norway.

And I'm sad to read all the posts about muslims in "recent Norway discussons". Norway is really a welcoming country, and I reckon you all see right through the ignorant bastards who judges single individuals based solely on their own lack of confidence, based on their own fear of the unknown, based on - ignorance.

We welcome all, and recognize the need we have for cultural education through welcoming YOU, wherever you are from.

Norway is not afraid. And thats why Norway is a great little country, with freedom and health, well-being and prosperity.

For you.

Hey.... My sister just moved to Norway and is getting married next week. Does anyone know if that makes the process of moving to Norway easier, as far as immigration rules goes?

Eisdreamin1: Yes, very much easier. If she marries a Norwegian she will automatically get living and work permit and will in general be treated like a Norwegian Citizen. After a shorter period of time than if not beeing married she will have the option to become a Norwegian citizen if she would want to.

Kenneth: I guess the art and photography schools in both Oslo and Bergen are good. If your choice therefore will be based on possibilities to enjoy the outdoors it is easy: BERGEN! As a central city in the coastal western part of the country it is in great proximity to places you can do all the sports you mention:) Of course, if you move to Stavanger you're in the middle of the biggest surfing scene in Norway with beach and some point breaks continueasly down an area of approximately 2-3 hour driving.

Stu: Depending on the job you're after I think you don't necessarily need to learn Norwegian. Many businesses use English as their office language. I think the Norwegians are pretty good in English and you can pretty much manage in every situation with English only.

Hi. I am an norwegian as well, I now live with my american husband in Florida. I have to say a couple of things.
It is not always as easy as everyone thinks to get residence permit in Norway (or anywhere) even if you are married. Yes, it might be faster than being single, I wouldn't know. All I know, is that my husband didn't get a residence. It is very important that the norwegian person has a good paying and very stable job, you need to prove that "you" earn enough to provide for both of you while the application is in the works, and the "foreign" person are not allowed to work. It is not as easy to get a job on the "black market" in Norway as in many other countries, and that can make it hard to live on only one paying job. Norway is kinda expensive to live in. Don't take me the wrong way, I love my home country, it is beautiful and a really nice place to live, but it's also not always as easy as everyone wants it to be. I also want to comment on Bergen, it is a beautiful city, I have always loved it, more than Oslo to be honest. It is smaller in size, but it has a lot of beautiful architecture and it is cozy. It is one of the less snowy cities, it rains a lot! That is something to remember :o) It is placed right by the sea and in the background and all around it there are mountains.
IT jobs are needed, also something that is safe and always needed is health care workers, police officers, firefighters and educators. Some pay more than others of course.
I wanted to say, italian sausage is imposible to find!:P
It is really a great and beautiful country! I've heard people say "you can never take a bad picture of Norway"

Hi, I am from India and living in Oslo for the last two years and working in the IT industry. There are quite few jobs in the IT industry here. Most companies prefer that you understand and read norwegian. You might want to do a bit of research on the net and learn some basic words and phrases. It's not a very difficult language especially if you are a native english speaker (I am not, and I managed to learn it). Once you get a job offer from a norwegian company, getting a work permit is a walk in the park as all the government organisations are very well functional. Overall Norway is a wonderful country to live in, people are very nice and welcoming ( A little shy though as you need to make the first attempt to interact with them but once you break the ice they are very helpful.) You may find a few rotten apples, but as Leah said just ignore them. Overall, you wont regret ever coming here.

I live in Oslo and have travelled to Bergen. I have found that everyone in the shops, transportation and most people here speak nearly excellent english. They learn it at a young age from watching the American shows on TV (ie The Simpsons, Cheers etc.)
It does help to speak the language though as they find it a huge compliment.
Norway is a fantastic place to live, especially if you have or are planning to have children. The public transport is top notch and more often than not on time (in bad weather you may wait for a few extra minutes) and is pretty clean.
Many Norwegians don't have a problem with people migrating here but you could come across a few who aren't so open minded.
Food wise, be prepared for a culture shock. The fruit and veg is the same plus or minus a few things, the spices are few and far between (unless you go to the ethnic shops) but the meat... it is very hard to come across beef or pork for roasting unless you find a butcher. The cheese is all yellowy-white and quite boring tasting, cheddar is hard to come by.
If you live near the coast or a fjord, you can meet the fishing boats as they come in (around 8 am) and pick up a wide selection of fresh fish on the cheap.

Now, I found getting a permit was very hard and I hold dual citizenship (Canadian and British). Now that I am expecting, I am allowed to apply for a permit though my partner (family immigration permit). The health care system here is second to none. I had emergency surgery here in july 2008 and was very well taken care of. In fact, the only people in Norway I've found to speak little or no english are Doctors and Surgeons as they have no time to watch TV! The nurses speak pretty good english though.

In conclusion, my Norway experience has been a good one. Friendly people, lovely scenery, long sunny summer days and lovely snowy winter ones. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

My advice, if you are moving for the reasons stated, don't do it. From the view of an outsider looking in it looks like a utopia but having lived here for 10 years I promise you that it's not. You will pay more tax, higher prices and still have to put up with the same sort of crap you are complaining about. If you want to move for other reasons then fair enough but the given the ones you have I think you would be setting yourself up for a painful and disappointing fall.

Stu wrote:

Alot of people speak english but not very well.
There are alot of jobs in Norway so that shouldn't be too hard. They care alot about being proffessional and good customer care.

No they don't!!! Customer service is almost none existent here and yes they are very professional if that means that they are extremely inflexible and "jobsworth" about every thing.

I am English and my boyfriend is Norwegian. We are pregnant and thinking about moving back to Bergen to have the baby (we're not married). I wondered if someone can tell me what the advantages of having the baby there are? Do fathers recieve paternity pay?(my boyfriend has a business in Norway). I am working currently and would receive maternity leave for 3 months if we were to stay where we are now but it might be better to be in Norway!
Stuck! can someone give me some advice please.

Not sure about paternity pay, but you would receive monthly allowance for the baby. Also, if he/she is born in Bergen, he/she would become a norwegian citizen by virtue of being born there and one of the parents being norwegian.

Yea that Oslo Airport is a killer

NlikeNorge wrote:

Norway is awesome, I'm moving there as well. Cheers!

The average Norwegians are mostly more polite and kind to foreigners(not with dark skin)!Dont ask me why,but I have studying it.
Bergen is a lovely place I think,but stay away from Oslo and near by.Yep,its just a place to visit not live in.
God Luck!and Welcome!

Here's a couple of fun facts about Norway and Norwegians for those of you that are contemplating a new life in Norway :-)

http://funnynorwayfacts.blogspot.com/

My tip is Doooont move here
It is Veery booring and the plp here Waaw WeirDoos

I am about to have the shipping company come and get my stuff to move to Bergen. I'm wondering - how difficult really are the customs officials.
I DON'T have anything new, but I DO have a lot of stuff (6 cubic metres!) and I don't know if I can itemize it that accurately.

Has anyone had any experience with having to pay duty or getting things held up?

Always nervous when I pack up my material life and send it off somewhere new!!