Happy Anniversary, baby.

Next week it will be exactly one year since I first stepped off the plane in Sweden. With a song in my heart and a spring in my step. To celebrate, I'm going out with 2 other expats who arrived on pretty much the same day as me. In honour of the occasion, we have agreed on the following rules of engagement for the evening: Whichever one of us has lost the most money, and has their hopes and dreams dashed the most, over the past 12 months, gets to drink for free for the rest of the night. Proof may be required to be viewed. I thought I would be a dead cert winner for the top prize. But, as it appears I'm the only one with a full time steady job ( and therefore some kind of income ) after 12 months, I'm going to be at a distinct disadvantage. With the oil barrel price of alcohol in Sweden, I'm lamenting my cursed luck.

My kingdom for a job

Having a job in Sweden is great. You won't find better working conditions anywhere else. 5 weeks leave per year, excellent salary, unlimited sick leave, and all the coffee you can drink. Getting to that state of utopia is not so easy. First thing to accept when you come here is that you're not the same as everyone else. You're different. Accept it and move on. The key to getting started in a career in a new country is preparation. You will need a qualification if you are going to stand a chance of working in your chosen field in Sweden. And a good one. Remember that all schoolkids in Sweden start their working life with a qualification that is at a higher level than a polytechnic diploma, and as good as many bachelor degrees from other countries. So study hard before you come. Attain a degree as a minimum, a masters if you possibly can. Become a member of an orgainsation that is recognised in Europe. Stay away from US industry groups. It'll only confuse things. Then you might have a chance. Don't come here and try and sell your "years of life experience" in I.T., project management, etc. You'll get laughed out the door. Well, not literally, because Swedes are too polite to do that. But you get the idea. This is possibly the most educated country in the world. I can't stress the importance enough. Unless you like washing dishes that is. And there's nothing wrong with that. Which leads me on to expectations. Be reasonable. Don't expect to walk in at the same level you left in your home country. Be prepared to have to climb that ladder again. And you'll need Swedish work experience to do that. Something, anything, on paper. For the most part, the majority of Swedish employers are not really interested in what you've done outside of Sweden. And that's not having a crack at Sweden, the same thing applies in most countries. it's local experience that counts. So get some. Once you've been working in Sweden, you'll never accept working anywhere else. It's great. So do the prep work, and be flexible. Give them a reason to employ you over a local. Then sit back and enjoy the one hour coffee breaks.