3. Working in Stockholm

1. Can I easily get a job there ?

Do you know Swedish? Are you in the IT business?

If the answer to both questions is yes, it is a piece of cake. 5 applications may be more than enough. If you are in the IT industry but you don't know Swedish, then you will have to struggle a bit. That is why my first advice to people who arrive here is: LEARN SWEDISH! Plus what I mentioned earlier about being flexible etc.

If you are not in the IT business but still an engineer it might be slightly more difficult but still feasible. In any other case, try learning Swedish first.

2. How is it working with the Swedes ?

One of the great things about Sweden is the working environment. The Swedes bring their way of living in their work. Things are considerably relaxed (even though they think that they live under huge stress ... this is where we laugh).

A day at the office normally includes a lunch break, several walks towards the coffee machine and possibly a few meetings (which are not always necessary). Exactly because they don't want to leave things un-scheduled, almost everything is structured and most of the times well-planned. They are people who mind their own business and will not criticize you unless you do something extremely stupid. But, don't be fooled. They are not lazy nor do they not socialize. If you show enthusiasm and be social, they will often share that attitude and may even become good friends.

Unlike what people think, Swedes do not only think about work. They wait for the weekend as soon as Wednesday comes. Most of them have interests which they anticipate to follow during the weekends. Overtime is not their thing, unless they want to take some extra vacation during the summer (they usually exchange their overtime hours for more vacation days and not money).

There are many more to say about them, but what I can sum up is that they are really nice people to work with. When you do not have a lot of intrigues or conspiracy in your working environment that naturally brings equilibrium and peace and thus helps you be more productive and this seems to be a reality here (this is what my experience has shown up to now).

3. People say companies in Sweden pay well. Is it true ?

YES, under conditions. But I can only talk about the IT industry.

When you first get hired, coming directly from school with no working experience, the labor unions suggest that 27000 SEK/month should be the starting salary (before taxes). That is not always true though. Big companies might pay less than that (around 25000 SEK/month), but you should expect these numbers to rise significantly and rather fast. Of course, it depends on the quality of your work and your ability to "sell yourself".

A good way to increase your income is by switching jobs (not very fast thought because this might prove to be a disadvantage for your CV). I am not fully aware of the tax system of Sweden, but the general rule is that up to 27000 SEK/month, the tax is 28% and after that it rises to 54%. I don't know more details about it or ways to save money or what is the exact percentage, but that can give you a very very rough estimation of how things work. If you need more information, I advice you to refer to this skatteverket (tax office) web page and the linked document.