Sweden: pros and cons
Here are a few pros and cons for Sweden. First, the pros:
- It is, reportedly, the least religious country in the world. That means very little religious interference in government as well as education. It also means no ridiculous restrictions on stuff like stem cell research.
- Universal health care. It might not be the best in the world anymore and every now and then, you’ll have to wait a while for treatment, but at least you don’t have to worry about insurance and whether it covers everything you need. In general, I would say it works really well.
- All foreign TV programming is subtitled as opposed to dubbed as it is in many other European countries. As a result, Swedes are generally pretty good at English.
- Free education. All education, including university studies, is government subsidized and costs you nothing. Currently, this applies to foreign students as well, but that might change within a few years.
- Sweden is a very environmentally concious country and so are its people.
- Gun control. It’s true that guns don’t kill people, but I believe people are far more likely to kill each other if they can buy a gun like they can buy a bag of Doritos.
- Summertime in Sweden is lovely. Hardly ever over 90°F (32°C) and lots of golf courses :)
Now, some cons:
- Taxes. Suffice to say, if your ambition in life is to get rich, I would avoid Sweden. Personally, I don’t mind it all that much. I feel that the benefits outweigh the cost. It also feels good knowing that by paying taxes, I am helping not only myself, but also the less fortunate Swedes.
- Wintertime in Sweden is pretty miserable. At least in the southern part of Sweden where I live. November through February is a cold and wet period we could all do without.
- Immigration is a problem. It’s a very touchy subject though because discussing it you run the risk of being labelled as being hostile towards immigrants or even a racist. Immigration over the last 50 years has brought with it a lot of positive aspects. Sweden is now a multicultural nation. Currently, a large part of the immigrants originate from Iraq due to US warmongering.
- Swedes are the sickest people in Europe, at least if you look at the number of days Swedes are home sick from work each year. Obviously, we’re not sicker than anyone else. There is however a lot of cheating and scamming going on because being home from work doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t get paid.
- Swedes have a tendency to be a bit introvert and shy. People coming here from the US or some other country where people are very outspoken and approachable usually find that Swedes are difficult to get to know. Sad, but true.
- There are no Swedes in Formula 1.
Did I miss anything?
57 comments
Pro: Pretty equal, rights-wise. At least compared to many other countries.
Con: We are, sometimes, a bit full of ourselves and exaggerate how good our country actually is. (Not that you did, though.)
Con: Basshunter is a prominent Swedish musical export.
I’d say that immigration is a problem right now because it doesn’t work as is. There’s a bad system set up that in many ways ignore the people to follow “procedure”.
I read somewhere the other day that the most famous Swedish landmark is the ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi. Not to take anything away from the ice hotel, but that’s pretty sad.
Good list, but you should label it something with “Top 10…” and it will do good on Digg :-)
On the immigrant issue, please differentiate between voluntary immigrants and refugees.
Pro: Swedes will hardly ever critize you even if you don’t do well, so it’s easy to live in a illusion of being perfect.
Con: Swedes might hate you in secret but you’ll never get the opportunity to improve because nobody will tell you what you do wrong.
Good point on immigration. Finns are the largest immigration group in Sweden and have been for many years. And you’re a voluntary immigrant from Denmark. At least you were last time I saw you :)
As the outsider in the group (now 1+ years here) this list is a pretty damn good summary :)
I hope that zero costs for foreign students stays in tack a little bit longer, at least until I get over there for a year abroad. You also forgot to mention that Sweden has some of the best pastries and stuff!
Ethan: I looked it up and I think you can relax. There has been discussion in the government regarding tuition fees for foreign students, but there are no plans to introduce them.
Hi Mr.Andersson,
I’d like to ask you a couple of questions. If youre not too busy, would you kindly send me an email so I can introduce myself?
Thank you,
Alex
Hey, your blog suddenly went political! What happened to you? ;)
Otherwise, I agree with you all the way. I think the immigration part though is the most important issue today in Sweden, and it is sad that you are not allowed to discuss it openly without being called a racist in Sweden.
Because, after all, immigration in Sweden has failed. Myself, being a child of immigrants from the early seventies, I see a HUGE difference between immigrants from that time and those who come today. It is way to easy to get a swedish passport without any effort at all. Multicultural nations, OK, but you have to have some sort of plan or idea how to integrate people from cultures far away from ours.
Heck, back in those days, listening to my parents, you had to work your ass off to survive. Today it is different.
And then the demographic issue. While european families suffers(?) from more and more demanding careers, leading to divorces and less children, our immigrants come from conservative cultures where having a big family is a big priority. We are going to be a minority in 20 or so years. What then?
Sorry for the rant. :)
Regarding the blog going political, I don’t feel like I have a choice anymore. I feel like there’s now more shit going on in the world than ever before (*cough* McCain/Palin *cough*).
I agree 100% regarding the immigration problem in Sweden. It’s a problem that has many facets. I heard on the news yesterday that it takes 9 months for the immigration authorities to process a asylum application. 9 months!
Unrelated: Spam is getting harder and harder to detect. Look at the comment by Alex above. I have no idea if that’s spam or if Alex really wants to get in touch with me. Are you for real, Alex?
pro: women
con: women
I have the solution to the immigration “situation”.
Anyone who steps over the Swedish border (and anyone is welcome in my book), gets handed a note where it says:
1. Learn Swedish ASAP
2. Get a job (and start to pay tax)
3. Don’t break the law
If you manage this you’ll get your citizenship in 3 years. If not, it’s bye bye.
Problem solved.
/D
Yes, this is a pretty good list.
I live in Sweden myself, and this is very accurate.
Still, the best thing about Sweden is:
You can, pretty much, do whatever the hell you want.
You don’t need any permissions, unless it’s very important.
And I agree on the immigrant issue. It’s quite bad.
/Daniel
You did miss something.
VERY MANY people, and I don’t just mean old ones are either terrible in English or it is non-existent. I’ve had people getting pissed off, and talking about me in the 3rd person because they don’t understand me.
Rudeness.
Shy people? I see a public that is miserable and scared of one another.
Suicide: were there an Olympic event for topping oneself the Swedes MAY not win, but they would probably earn a bronze.
The weather: it’s often 30C in the summer, which is too hot!
My Pros: the good people are very good and very loyal. It is better to be in a Swedish band in many ways than British/yank as people turn up. Yes, the musicians union here is of the high standard one would expect from a former communist country.
Great isolated beaches, lots of very handsome well-read women.
Therion are Swedish.
Another thing to mention
TERRIBLE EMPLOYMENT, and it doesn’t matter if one speaks Swedish, or has even been here all of their lives. If you have
1) an accent = Few jobs.
2) a foreign name = Few jobs.
3) not able to speak Swedish = the phone slammed down on you, and of course no job.
Steven: I wonder what you’re comparing Sweden to. Obviously not speaking Swedish will make it difficult for you to get a job in Sweden. And regarding having an accent or a foreign name, I doubt the situation is any better in other European countries.
I don’t buy that Swedes are bad at English. Quite the opposite. I believe Swedes in general speak very good English, at least compared to most other European countries. They might have an ugly accent, but the grammar should be all right. If you think Swedes are bad at English, stay away from France, Spain, Italy, Germany etc.
People FEAR being labeled ( so to speak ) for so much as criticizing so-called multi-culturalism ? ! Such a function is a facet of a Democracy. Swedish immigration policy is stupid and self-defeating, so smarten up, because other nations in the EU are discovering this reality.
If I were living in Sweden — I would expect to …. speak SWEDISH !
my partner is swedish and i lived in goteborg for a year, bearing in mind the 10 percent unemployment i would have to agree getting a job even for swedes is very difficult nye on impossible, swedes are very honest which is of course a good thing however sometimes to the point of boring. sometimes thier honesty can get in the way of them enjoying themselves. there is an overriding fear you can allmost feel when your there they are not only scared of each other but they are scared of society as a whole. the only people who will ever talk to you are the drunks (and there are plenty of these) a swede would rather walk to the other side of the city to look find out the time from a big clock than ask a stranger in the street. and they look so shocked when id ask like i was about to rob them. my partner has now learnt that you can get away with certain things and not pay full whack for everything! and speaks english now not american!sweden is a beautiful country with smart and beautiful people everywhere and a very safe enviroment. and one last thing the girls are sweet and easy to fall in love with so be carefull!
I agree with most of what Rickard posted but some of the comments by others on immigration just seem a bit ignorant. I especially found the following comment disturbing:
“And then the demographic issue. While european families suffers(?) from more and more demanding careers, leading to divorces and less children, our immigrants come from conservative cultures where having a big family is a big priority. We are going to be a minority in 20 or so years. What then?”
How can this not be understood as something racist? By “we” is the commenter referring to “white” people? So, a person with a criminal background from Eastern Europe would be more desirable than an immigrant family from Africa even if both the mother and father were honest and hard-working? This brings to light one of the common problems I see among immigrant groups in Sweden, the attempts to raise one’s own status by saying that other immigrant groups are of less worth, or generalizing that the current group of immigrants are lazy bums who live off the state when compared to the immigrants that came here in the 1970s.
Otherwise, I’m with David on this issue. I think the most important bits are “paying taxes ASAP” and “don’t break the law”. A friend of mine moved here with her job from overseas. If she hadn’t moved here, that job wouldn’t even exist in Sweden. She only speaks English at work, but her Swedish is okay. If we were going to test people’s Swedish before granting them citizenship, how do we guarantee the impartiality of those conducting the tests?
My wife and I were thinking about moving to Sweden after we graduate from college. My question to the locals is-how is society compared to the United States? unemployment, racism etc.
Tyrone: Foreigns from US are fortunate in Sweden. Sweden is very american. Many loves your films, food, music and so on. You would probably recongnize yourself. But it is true the part of the unemployment as foreigner. It is MUCH esier to get a job being Swedish with the looks, name and so on. Even the second generation of refugees have a hard time getting a job. So there is some racism light. But there are some foreign comapnies that would welcome you if you have a good ecucation. But as an american, it is easier even at Swedish companies.
School is far from elite, but every kid are welcome. If you have really smart kids, and it is important for you they have a top education in maths/technical science take another country or bee very picky in choosing the right school!
No extra insurance for medical care if you are Swedish citizen! Not for foreigners. University och schools free for everybodey.
The wether is dark in wintertime. Dark and cool.
Finally, you are welcome to Sweden.
/Siri :0)
Tyrone, Sweden’s a great place to live in, especially if you and your wife eventually decide that you want to have kids.
You may feel isolated if you don’t learn the language and most Swedes take a while to warm up to other people, but Swedes are generally eager to show off their English especially to Americans, the British, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and Irishmen.
Best thing is to find a job in Sweden while you’re in the US and have them help you with relocation. Failing that, provided you have a degree in Engineering or Computer Science, I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble finding a job over here. Over 1.5 million jobs are going to be freed up over the next few years as people born in the 50s retire.
Rikard, l think Stephen was wasnt referring to Swedes having an accent but rather to someone living in sweden speaking swedish with an accent.
my friend lives in Malmo and she has been styding endlessly to improve her chances of getting employed but zero.. so now she has decided to work for herself..
l think there is a problem there..
Linda: I’m convinced there is a problem, but I’m just curious if it’s actually less of a problem in other European countries. I doubt it.
swedes are terribly unsocial, I say terribly! which means you get depressed after a couple of months living here even for a retired 80 years old man, these people seem to be totally dead!
nika: While I agree that Swedes have a pretty thick shell that you need to break through, I do believe that Swedes are a very amicable people. I think I prefer this to the superficial social behaviour of people in certain other countries. If you ever walked into a store in the US, you know what I mean.
Can someone describe the process of, say, an American getting Swedish citizenship. I’m interested in moving there, going to a university, and/or getting a job. Thanks.
Ryan, all the information you need is listed at Migrationsverket.se. It’s a lot easier if you already have a degree and secure a job while you’re in the U.S. After that, basically behave yourself and you should be able to apply for citizenship after five years. If you are married to a Swedish citizen for at least two years, then the requirement is lowered to three years of residency.
If one of your parents was a Swedish citizen and you’re under 22 years old, then you’d better get a move on if you wish to reacquire your citizenship.
As a UK Citizen who has been a resident (& immigrant!) in Sweden for the last 7½ years, I can substatiate everything you say. I’m glad that nobody threw me out for not learning Swedish though, because I can use my English every day to get by … the Swedes LOVE to speak English … especially in the bar! The good news is that I pay loads of taxes … so they love me ;-)
I am a UK citizen living in London, I have a Swedish partner and 2 children. She hasn’t lived in Sweden for over 10 years and we are planning on moving back for a lifestyle change. Reading this blog for me has been great offering me all of your thoughts on residing in Sweden.
My questions are:
1. Do I really NEED to learn Swedish – is it that important? For me I was looking forward to SFI! ;O)
2. The people I have met over the years have been very warm and extremely welcoming – interesting comments regarding introverts, is it THAT bad? You can’t even look at someone in London!
3. I am currently in the process of selling my business in London and intend on starting a new one operating out of Stockholm – is it really that hard for a ‘immigrant’ / foreigner to gain work?
4. Having researched the schooling system / universities etc.. for the children’s future, all good – BUT keen to see if anyone else has moved their children from the US / UK to Sweden and what the differences were?
5. Immigrants – I have to say that diversity is a great thing, however, policies need to be updated regularly which both the UK and seemingly most of the EU have struggled with leaving it open for people to take advantage. I do think that Stockholm has benefited from people from all over the world coming in to work and live, i was there the other weekend and was amazed at how much some areas had changed, i think for the better but like London things can go over the top so policies need to be changed so that people who want to come into the country are left in no uncertain terms what they need to do – work, pay taxes, integrate and behave! it’s not that hard really!
I welcome your comments
Steve
Hi there.. this blog is really helpful. would you happen to know if there are news on tuition fees for foreign exchange students as of today? was planning on being a foreign exchange student next year but that might not be possible if there are tuition fees as i hear everything is VERY expensive in sweden.
I am actually a bit worried about the comments on how cold the swedes are, unemployment for foreigners and how you have to learn swedish.. i might just be so miserable if I go to stockholm next year. What do you guys think, is it still a good idea to study there for a year or so?
Steve: 1. No. Like I said in my initial post, Swedes are generally pretty good at English.
2. I don’t think it’s that bad. Swedes may have a shell, but it pretty thin.
3. I guess that depends on what you do for a living :)
pearl: I’m sorry, but I have bad news. Starting next year, Swedish universities will introduce tuition fees for non-Swedish students. The actual fees are decided by the universities. I don’t have any numbers, but since universities will only charge enough to cover the costs of the education, the fees will likely be anything between $5,000 and $15,000 per year depending on what type of education you’re after.
I have a question? If you were born in Canada and moved to Sweden as a baby and raised there, can you get a job without a college education or is it nearly impossible?
kathy: Of course you can. Can’t you do that everywhere? A college education of course helps and you might be able to get a job that pays better, but it’s in no way a prerequisite.
Rickard,
I dont know the history of your good self but I think theres a bit of sugar coating going on here. Which is probably a little bit typical of my experience with Swedes when talking about their own country from and outside perspective.
Going back to comments made a couple of years ago, where you said the education system was free of charge.
“Free education. All education, including university studies, is government subsidized and costs you nothing……”
~ What you failed to say here was that in reality very very few swedes actually go to college for free. The wider truth is that college is free but every student finishes college with quite an amount of student debt hanging over them. Why not just live at home while your in college?? Because its not the swedish way!! Swedes have it in their nature to leave home as soon as they can. They want out as soon as they can get out. MAYBE, and im not a religious person, but just maybe the most unreligious country in the world lacks a bit of family strength. Divorce rates on a par with the US and a real eagerness to NOT get tied down with someone in a relationship but instead play the field for as long as you can. (apologies for massive generalisation here. I understand that its only really feasible to live at home and go to college if college is within a certain distance. Obiovusly you cant live in Kiruna and go to school in Stockholm)
Secondly: Your after telling that man Steve that:
“Steve: 1. No. Like I said in my initial post, Swedes are generally pretty good at English.”
when he asked you
“.Do I really NEED to learn Swedish – is it that important? For me I was looking forward to SFI! ;O)”
This is completely leading this man up the garden path…with typicl swedish sugar coating. The ‘oh sure everything is great and works in sweden’ line that swedes feed to everyone abroad.
The reality of this is YES, swedes are better than even the english at speaking english…and they will always talk to you in english when they meet you. However, to tell him that he doesnt need to learn swedish or go to SFI is wrong. If Steve is a millionaire and doesnt plan on working and just living and enjoying sweden then he’ll be fine…but if he wants to get a job, he’ll need a pass from SFI. If he wants to start a business and has to take delivery of items or order items from suppliers or query where something is…..then you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll need swedish. Outside of the main cities and the tourist “hot”spots people have little to no english. This includes just outside the city areas too! Do you really think that the Swede who voted for the SWEDISH Democrats (5.70% of swedes apparently) will be so eager to speak to you in your native tongue of English when he has a chip on his shoulder while going on about his deliveries.
(Apolgies for further generalisations about the idea that a delivery man has no english and has associations with the Sw. Democratic party but if you want to give an example of something you have to use something and someone. it couldve easily been a banker giving you, or not giving you a loan because your over there in sweden and havent bothered taking the system seriously and not learned the language)
Hello & thank you for this blog.
I am from Australia, my partner is from Sweden. We met in Australia a couple of years ago. At some point I think it is inevitable that we will move to Sweden.
This excites me, but equally, it scares me, for the following reasons.
1. I do not know much Swedish (there is basically nowhere to study classroom-style Swedish classes in my home state, and my self-learning is at a very slow pace); and
2. My greatest concern is that while I was born in Australia & feel 100% Australian, my background is, well…i’ll just say this – I don’t have white skin. As it is, people here assume my Swedish partner is the Aussie one and that I am the immigrant! It hasn’t been an issue in my life, but the tensions are increasing here for many reasons.
I am educated and keen to work and pay my taxes but am concerned about my prospects of fitting in.
Are there any words of wisdom anyone could throw my way? I would so love to give it a go, Sweden is a terrific place. I hope my fears are unfounded.
“US warmongering.” Sweden came dangerously close to becoming a German-speaking country about 60 years ago. This disaster was averted to a large degree by those you now call “warmongers.” You have a lot of nerve, my friend.
Paul: The world obviously appreciates what the US did during WW2, but that was, like you said, 60 years ago. It didn’t give the US a free pass to roam around the globe for all eternity, invading whichever countries it sees fit.
Food!
While I wouldn’t call it bad nor poor, it does feel like many things are missing to the taste of a southern european like me. In particular, the range of available vegetables is a bit limited.
On the other hand, top quality potatoes you guys have.
This question is for Pedro, or any other foodie: can one buy the full range of Indian, Mexican, Italian,etc spices and specialty foods? Pedro, what is the chorizo situation in Stockholm? I’m only half-joking. How multicultural is the food culture in Sweden?
1. Language
I would’ve thought that learning the local language (in this case Swedish) is a given if you want to get a good job in a foreign country. Obviously you could go for a English speaking job, but learning a bit of the language will make it easier to integrate. Just like it would in every other country.
2. Work for Foreigners
Depends on skills, industry and at times language skills. I have worked in 3 different countries outside Sweden (currently working in London) and have come to accept that a “guest” will always have to try that little bit harder when it comes to competing with the inhouse talent…
I don’t think it’s impossible to get a job, but you’re not doing yourself any favours by not speaking any Swedish and not having any key skills. It could be worse. It could be Italy where you could have impeccable Italian and qualifications upto your ears and still loose out to a lower qualified person, only he or she is Italian and you’re not.
3. Racism
Not much worse then anywhere else.
You will get narrow minded idiots everywhere.
Dear Rickard,
First of all, compliments on the great website! It gives you some really useful and practical information.
I have the possibility of working as a primary school teacher in an area called Nacka near Stockholm. I am in the process of negotiating my salary with the Headteacher. Based on the research I have done by looking at various blogs, I guess I might get something like 24000 SEK before tax and after tax it might be 18000 SEK. Would you say that is right?
I have the following questions for you:
1) I would be moving over with my wife and two children. Is 18000 SEK enough to have an ‘okay’ lifestyle (like a typical Swede)? I know the salaries are much lower than UK teachers’ salaries, but that alone wouldn’t put me off moving.
2) I would be prepared to either walk to work for half an hour (like I do now) or take public transport for up to half an hour. If I was willing to commute, what kind of rent am I looking at (average) for a 2 bedroom flat/house?
I’d appreciate any information you can offer with regards to this.
Kind regards,
Maz
24000 before tax seems about right as a starting salary for a primary school teacher.
1. Yes, provided that your wife will also work. 18000 for a family of 4 is stretching it a bit. It’s doable, but don’t expect a life of luxury.
2. I believe you could find a decent 2 bedroom flat for somewhere between 5000 and 7000.
Cheers,
Rickard
Hello Richard
Love your website but I really think you need to be careful on what you say. I live in the U.S and if you consider our fight to be warmonguring then answer me these two questions at least. what would your country do if a terrorist group decided to attack you and kill thousands of people through suicide attacks done through airplanes in the most populated area of your work place on the sole reason that they did not like you or your country? My next question is if the U.S did not act then what would happen to your country if the al-queda decided to switch targets because it just felt like it? in a way we are surpressing the terrorist and sending them a message that we as a nation will not stand for terrorism and if they decide to cripple the U.S by trying to kill millions in a suicide attack then we will strike back harder and more fiercer then when they attacked us. That is it thank you for your time Richard and love the website
Sincerely Josiah Geren
P.S you can respond back to my email at sanadageren@gmail.com
Josiah: To answer your first question, I would seek revenge on the terrorists who were behind the attack. Not use the attack as an excuse to invade completely unrelated nations (i.e. Iraq).
To answer your second question, I doubt the situation would arise due to Sweden’s extremely benign foreign policy and generous immigration laws. But if it did, I don’t know what we would do. We’re dismantling our army, navy and air force as we speak.
How exactly do you think al-Qaida would go about “killing millions in a suicide attack”? They’re fighting on horses using AK-47:s. It’s not like they have nukes. Not even the North Koreans can figure that one out, and they don’t live in caves. The North Koreans have put a lot of effort into this over many many years and all they’ve come up with is a primitive gun-type uranium bomb.
My suggestion is that we just leave these people alone. Democracy obviously isn’t for everyone.
To Lulu!
I’m a swede, but mom is from Hong kong. Being non white is ok in sweden, but id say the darker u are, the more shit u gonna get. But u can expect the same kind of prejudices here in sweden as u have dealt with in ur own country. Here everyone who have a non germanic look (dutch, nordic, german, british etc) and have dark hair (sometimes the may be blonde if of slavic descent) are concidered as wogs (aussi expression). Wog in swedish is Blatte or Svartskalle(black head/scull). Anyways, that is probably the worst thing ud be called if u’d meet an idiot. Everyone with a germanic look, is called svenne (bad word used by the ppl of non germanic look). But for me, since I have a swedish dad and with that swedish culture, I also was called svenne just as much as I was called blatte when growing up. This is a problem ur kids are gonna have here. But the older u get the less u get called theses things. It’s at its worse in when being a teenager. Anyways swedes really dont care about color but they are more interested in if ur culture is western or not. So u’ll be just fine! So just go for it!
/Dany
And just like to add to Lulu if u’re a black aussi. Many swedes especially ppl living outside of sthlm, still find it offensive if u try to change there way of refering to a black person. It’s still very common to use the word neger (negroe) even though we do have a word for the color black (svart). Anyways, I grew up in sthlm but live in Malmö, and I notice a big difference. I’d say though that most ppl using the word neger doesnt concider it as being anything bad, since they’ve been taught by their parents that it is the word nigger that is a bad word. Still I couldnt imagine a newspaper or any official document using the word neger, which then means that we should not use that word anymore. Anyhow, id say it’s changing in sthlm, but it will probably take maybe 2 generations more for it to change in the rest of the country. Mostly sometimes I think ppl get mad when saying they need to change word, is because they then cant use the word negerboll(negroe-ball) which is a delicatessy chocolate-ball that we have here. So thats why most swedes will say: IT WILL ALWAYS BE CALLED NEGERBOLL! So if you’re black and not just brown, then u have to be aware of that u’ll be refered to as a negroe(neger) and not black. But like I said, many dont know that it might be offensive (esp the really old ppl). But the young they probably know it, but dont care..
/Dany
Многие шведы, как и многие россияне, считают, что круто жить в так называемом государстве “всеобщего благосостояния” под названием Швеция, и в общем, мы только и мечтаем, как думают многие шведы, остаться здесь навсегда. Но одно дело слышать о стране по СМИ, документальным фильмам и книгам, а другое дело лично почувствовать жизнь на себе. Хотя я понимаю, что проблемы есть у всех и везде, и в России их не мало, но (!!!) следует отметить, что Швеция, по сравнении с другими странами Евросоюза, заявляет о себе как о стране “всеобщего благосостояния”, и многие мои знакомые из числа приезжих немцев, финнов, южнокорейцев недоумевают от такой разнице, имеющей место на бумаге и в реальности.
У насв семье (русской семье из 2-х человек) вроде бы нет явных проблем на поверхности, но в глубине и по сути есть. Что нам здесь так осточертело – читай подробно ниже:
ниже:
во-первых, надо сразу сказать, что наша семья приехала в Швецию по приглашению, так как один из нас работает исследователем в
биомедицине, в частности проблемами сна, стресса и депрессии, которые имеются у многих северных народов – финнов, шведов, норвежцев, датчан, и др. и работа по контракту уже более года. Нынешний контракт имеет рамки с 1 июня и по декабрь 2011 года, но по профессиональной деятельности нам (это от лица семья, так будет проще изъясняться) приходится выезжать на конференции в разные страны, поэтому мы подали заявление в шведскую миграционную службу на продление вида на жительство за несколько месяцев – 10 февраля!!! Но вот уже почти прошли 2 месяца а “воз и ныне там”. Мы ходили лично выяснять, звонили по телефону (с ожиданием в 30 минут на наш звонок), отправили туда по почте заказное письмо с уведомлением (которое пришло к нам только через 2 недель – а ведь это только по территории города!!!) и лично ходили и отнесли повторное письмо с ходатайством от руководителя
медицинского центра, где работает один из нас, и мы приложили копии билетов на очень важную конференцию в июне. На что нам представители миграционной службы сказали: “Ожидайте ответа в течении 6-7 месяцев!” Вот нормально, но позвольте, мы представляем их страну на м/н конференции в июне со своими результатами по улучшению качества жизни и здоровья в первую очередь шведских граждан, а мы должны ждать до ноября ответа из шведской миграционной службы. Они объясняют такое положение дел большим количеством заявлений. Но надо же всё-таки им как-то расставлять приоритеты, кому
отдавать предпочтение – рассматривать ли заявления беженцев, валящих сюда миллионами за “халявой” в виде соц.пособий и бесплатного жилья, или заявления работающих людей, платящих налоги и представляющих шведское государство на м/н уровне. Нам сказали, чтобы написали “приоритетное письмо” с подписью зав.лабораторией, что мы и сделали. Однако наше “приоритетное письмо” с вложением ходатайства из нашего института не гарантирует нам ответа в ближайшее время! Правда, в прошлую субботу, спустя 2 месяца после подачи заявления нам пришло сообщение по э/почте из шведской миграционной службы, о том, что мы не имеем права на настоящий момент продлевать Вид на жительство (ВНЖ), поскольку лишь одного письма руководителя лаборатории не хватает (что очень удивило заведующую и научного руководителя, что при сравнении с Финляндии выглядит абсолютно неприглядным, так как в Хельсинки ВНЖ делали только (!!!) по одному звонку научного руководителя и зав.лабораторией в одном лице без лишней бумажной волокиты).
В общем, после повторного звонка после отправки документов нам ответили, что мы получим, и в конечном итоге получили, при том что потеряли 2 недели, во время которых хотели лететь по делам в Россию, но в итоге потеряли деньги на самолет и автобус в оба конца.
Во-вторых, касательно аренды жилья. Многие шведские граждане в настоящий момент испытывают сложности с жильем в связи с резко возросшим потоком беженцев из Африки и Ближнего Востока за эти последние 20 лет, и у них давно на рынке гос.недвижимости появились очереди на социальное (государственное) жилье длиной в 10-15 лет! Вам это не напоминает СССР? Это не мои данные, я читаю об этом в газетах каждый день. Те граждане, что получили в своё время жильё, неохотно соглашаются платить повышенную ренту и не желают съезжать с квартир, в которых буквально в этом году повысилась оплата за многие годы!!! Они привыкли, что могут жить практически “даром” (и здесь говорить, что они, шведы, выплачивают большие налоги, поэтому и живут “даром”, – неверно, ведь налоги в равной степени платят все: и они, и мы – приезжие). Однако эти очереди стали результатом социальной политики Швеции за последние 20 лет. Ещё в начале и середине 20 века многие настоящие шведы уезжали в Новый Свет – Америку и Канаду по причине нищеты и низкого уровня жизни. И в стране произошла демографическая яма. Политики решили, что беженцы восполнят этот пробел. И с ростом экономики в 1980-е гг. беженцы “пронюхали”, что в Швеции “лафа”, и миллионами начали валить сюда в Скандинавию, и, казалось бы, с одной стороны, это широкий жест Шведского государства, что они приютили стольких беженцев, но с другой стороны, эти беженцы так напугали шведов, что они теперь имеют одинаковое отношение ко всем иностранцам, независимо от их доходов и страны происхождения.
Это отражается на приеме на работу и на поиске жилья. Шведы скорее сдадут жилье этим же беженцам, чем обеспеченным немцам или южнокорейцам, финнам или русским.
Почти полгода назад мы еле-еле нашли квартиру на 6 месяцев в ноябре (без продления договора), а главное нашли … у перуанцев, которые сами когда-то жили на Украине и которые говорят по-русски, так как у них русско-украинские жены. По словам коллег в мед.университете и моих собеседников в интеллектуальном клубе в библиотеке, родом из разных стран (Германии, Англии, США, Австралии, Франции и др. цивилизованных стран) НИКТО ИЗ ШВЕДОВ НИКОГДА НЕ СДАЕТ квартиры иностранцам, даже таким как мы и нашим коллегам, кто имеет стабильный и высокий доход, а ведь у нас и зарплата (хоть и не высокая по меркам Швеции), но хватает на аренду 2-х ком. квартиры, и при этом у нас есть рекомендации от других хозяев. А главное, как это возможно при их-то “толентрантости” и “любви” к мигрантам, среди которых больше всех в мире беженцев может такое отношение (как мне сказали коллеги по работе, Швеция принимает в год больше беженцев, чем США и Канада вместе взятые!!!)!? А на хрена, если в Швеции даже для своих не хватает квартир, я об этом читаю в газете “Метро” и “Сити-Стокгольм”. Мы шутим со своим друзьям, что скоро (лет через 10-15) из Шведского Королевства страна превратится в Скандинавскую Исламскую Республику! В некоторых районах (Ринкебю, Фашта, Сёдертелье, Скарпнек, и наконец самый центр Дроттнингатан – центральная улица Стокгольма) полно арабско-мусульманских беженцев, они везде: в магазинах, в парикмахерской, в кафе, библиотеках, и только 3 одинокие бабки, которым нечего делать дома на пенсии, сидят в окружении этих 33 “джигитов”, которым тоже скучно дома, ведь у них же есть пособия, и работать как нам им не надо. Да и квартиру искать тоже не надо – до-о-о-оброе шведское государство им выдаст квартиры, которые они потом буду пересдавать нам втридорога и ещё больше наживаться на нас с помощью государства, которому мы платим налоги, на содержание этих же беженцев, и которое нам палки в колёса ставит со своей бюрократией в лице миграц.службы. Вот и сейчас мы ищем квартиру загодя – за 2 месяца с мая месяца, но никто из местных шведов не сдает доктору наук , работающему на славу и имидж шведского королевства, кроме “арабских братьев” из числа беженцев, получивших квартиры от государства и сдающих другим “братьям”, то бишь нам, квартиру с авансом за 3-4 месяца (35.000 швед.крон – вперёд, т.е. около 4000-5000 евро!!!). Правда, наклёвывается вариант, и опять из числа славян – украинские граждане думают сдавать россиянам, то есть нам.
А чтобы представлять эту страну, в которой мы не можем найти жилья, надо много учиться и защищать диссертацию на степень, которую не требуются официального утверждения здесь, так как учёные умы из России и других стран таких как Индия, Бразилия, Эквадор, Польша, и др. страны (не из стран Евросоюза) принимаются “на ура” здесь, как и др. ведущими мировые медицинскими научными центрами, поскольку большая часть шведов – рабочий класс, и им нет дела до науки, было бы пиво после работы, да ТВ/интернет дома. Те, кто заканчивают ВУЗы здесь, уезжают в США или Канаду, Австралию или Новую Зеландию, то есть в Новый Свет.
Вот и мы очень хотим уехать в Новый Свет. Ведь Россия – не та страна, где учёный мог бы иметь перспективную работу.
Что касается отношения с коллегами в Швеции, то они отличаются и зависят, откуда человек родом: шведы только улыбаются, а за спиной могут накапать на тебя. Да и отношение начальства к подчиненным тоже странное: с одной стороны, “демократия”, но с другой стороны, подчинения по законам “Дикого Запада”, переводя всё в капиталистическо-консервативные отношения. На бумаге шведы социальны, а на деле – асоциальны, если только не предложить им еду и выпивку нахаляву (поэтому все мини-встречи обязательно проходят в кофе и булками, иначе никто не придёт).
Мы думали об открытии своей лаборатории, и бизнесы, но когда узнали, что есть в реальности своя лаборатория и каковы условия бизнеса, отказались от идей. Оказывается, всякая лаборатория, которая является частью нашего НИИ (который сам является госучреждением) арендует у этого же госучреждения место под себя – лабораторию – в размере 3000 крон за 1 кв. метр, а ещё за услуги некоторых смежных лабораторий, в которых исследователи проводят эксперименты!!! Это всё равно, что если бы преподаватель преподавал в университете и отдельно платил бы аренду университету за аудиторию, в которой читаю лекции!!! Это же бред!!! Кроме того, чтобы работать, необходимо получить грант, а это огромный труд по написанию документов, бизнес-плана и методик, ведь ученые живут только на грантах даже в стенах так называемого госучреждения, то с каждого найденного с трудом гранта исследователь платит 25 %
Институту! Это не обдираловка? При том. что все сотрудники из администрации Института, которому исследователь перечисляет 25% от гранта, работают через день, или у них больничный по уходу … за собачкой, или они в отпуск на 2 недели (и таких отпусков у них много в году), или просто пьют кофе, а это значит, что при необходимости их не найти на рабочем месте!!!
Каждый день наше желание уехать отсюда крепчает. Мы не ожидаем других условий в США или Канады, Австралии или Новой Зеландии, ведь там настоящий капитализм, похожий на российский – каждый выживает, как может, но Швеция себя позиционирует как демократическая и социальная страна, что невольно веришь в это, не живя в ней, а по приезде сюда видишь, что нет никакой демократии (более того, они со своими королями
как тот кот с салом носятся – всюду только одни статьи в бульварной прессе про то, как король изменяет королеве, какие там у королевы стрессы после ее стрессов с изменами короля, беременна ли принцесса или нет и т.п.), а причем здесь короли и демос в их распрекрасной стране??? Если всем известно, что в Новом Свете очень жесткие условия работы – они работают по 52 часа, и они платят за всё – от медстраховки и до аренды помещений, то и зарплата у них выше, чем в Швеции, и престиж/статус исследователей выше там, поскольку США и другие страны заинтересованы в своём научном развитии, но здесь в Швеции отношения государства и его представителям науки на м/н уровне отвратные!!! И по нашим наблюдениям и наблюдениям наших иностранных коллег, многие шведы работают крайне медленно, и не выполняют своих самых элементарных правил, но требуют выполнения от других. В НИИ столько противоречащих правил, которых нет ни в немецких, ни французских, ни финских лабораториях, это не просто слова, а личный опыт в клиниках и лабораториях или во время конференций.
Относительно транспорта: практически каждый день, особенно зимой в Стокгольме проблемы с метро и пригородными э/поездами. И применом можем служить один случай: в нашем НИИ планировалась проверка при высоком начальстве по всему институту и было строго-настрого наказано быть вовремя. Мы выехали из дома за 1 час 20 минут (при нормальной ежедневной затрате времени 40 минут от дома до работы), мы думали, что приедем пораньше, попьем чаю перед работой. Но, как всегда, неожиданно с утра проблема без видимых причин: на улице не было ни снега, ни дождя, ни урагана и т.д., но метро стояло по 5 минут на каждой станции, таким образом, мы еле-еле приехали в офис за 1 минуту до начала работы.
Другой проблемой во всём городе является интернет. С вселением в нынешнюю квартиру мы заплатили за широкополосный интернет дома, оформив договор на год, но качество
трафика здесь намного хуже трафика в Петербурге, где мы платили половину здешней стоимости и сам трафик ужасный! Многие жалуются, приглащают мастеров, но отказаться от договора ты не можешь, как говорится, ты можешь не пользоваться, но платить обязан по 35-40 евро в месяц. В первый месяц с нас взяли штраф и плюс ко всему дополнительную комиссию за то, что мы вовремя не оплатили и за напоминание об оплате интернета, который мы ещё не получили от этой компании “КомХем”, ведь они не имеют никаких контор, где, как в России, оформляются договоры и покупаются модемы, они имеют лишь веб-сайт, на котором ты осуществляешь заказ модема, оставляя все свои данные (паспорт, телефон, номер счета), и потом их представитель перезванивает тебе (при чем это было в субботу утром, когда мы отсыпались от рабочей недели). Спросонья мы не поняли, кто звонит и что надо. Мы не сняли трубку. Потом повторный звонок, мы ответили. Договорились о “покупке услуги” и всё ТОЛЬКО В УСТНОЙ ФОРМЕ – никаких подписей, никаких документов. Мы ждали 2 недели. Ни ответа, ни привета, в общем, решили найти их контору по контактам с веб-сайта и лично решить проблему. Как выяснилось на месте: сервис-центра у них НЕТ!!! Контора занимается только технико-юридической стороной и не имеет прямого контакта с клиентами, которые уже оплатили услугу!!! У них, якобы, делается всё только через электронную переписку. Короче, мы написали гневное письмо им, нам не ответили, мы снова звонили, нам сказали, следует проверить наличие посылки с модемом в одном из их так называемых отделений – частной лавочки в нашем м/районе. Оказывается, модем пришел, но никто нам не сообщал, но за эти две недели, что он лежал на складе, мы исправно платим денежки!!! Мы написали повторное письмо с требованием разъяснить нам оплату и предоставляемые услуги – ответ уже ждём 6-й месяц!!!
При этом такая же ситуация с моей шведской коллегой по услугам этого интернета в Стокгольме, она рассказывала, что вызывала долго представителя, который что-то там сделал, но не хотел оставлять ей ни имени своего, ни данных, потому что она не была уверена в качества предоставленных услуг. Как в воду глядела. Пришлось менять провайдера. Но где гарантия, что новый провайдер будет лучше первого (самого известного и распространенного в Швеции)??? На днях мои “коллеги”
рассказали мне, что у них проблемы с этим широко известным и распространенным провайдером такие же и подобные проблемы на протяжении
многих лет. Они даже обращались к услугам адвоката, который исправно брал деньги за юридическую консультацию, но никакого результата не последовало. И компания не исправляет свои недостатки, потому что у неё всегда будут клиенты, поскольку их рынок поделен в городе, и если твой дом подключен к их компании, то тут уж набирайся терпения и решай с ними проблемы, если решишь!
В общем, это всего лишь некоторые мои примеры. Я могу ещё много-много примеров привести относительно моего/нашего нежелания оставаться здесь. И об остальном напишу позже.
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Всего наилучшего
That’s a bunch of intresting thoughts… Well anyhow I’m swedish, and non religious(think swedish-native: blonde, white, blue-eyed = me).
Though to be truthfull even i ain’t completly swedish.
(Completly swedish = 4 generations swedish) My grandfather(dad’s dad) was Norwaigan and my grandmother(mom’s mom) was from Finland.
Anyway since I’m 18 and still in high school and living in a town where around nearly 40% of the citizens are immigrants, i get to see, hear and experience rasism quite often.
And I can say this: The rasism is in many cases here directed either toward: *the religious immigrants(muslims especially) OR *the cocky, loud, trouble-making immigrants OR *the ones that doesn’t know swedish(at all) even after spendning years in sweden.
(TAKE NOTE: I’m speaking mostly about teenagers and their families.)
Ok, now don’t go calling me rasist, but i can kind of understand the opinions of those who say that they dislike “the ones” that doesn’t know any swedish even after having lived in Sweden for many years.
It’s like, me moving to (for example) Turkey, without knowing a word of their language. How hard isn’t it to just to go shopping? Not mentioning trying to get a job without means of good communication…?
Though, if you flee from a country to escape war i can understand the fact of them not knowing the language. But then there are those cases where the families lives here for years without even further efforts to try to learn the swedish. It’s in these cases i get confused… What are they thinking…? What do their priorities look like…?
What advantages can they possibly think there will be in, not even trying to learn the spoken language…?
(hope you get my point somehow)
**Anyway in my experiences as long as you know Swedish you get away from rasism much better. :) (only saying it as a tip)
1 more thing – *muslims*(religious ones) are often more exposed to rasism then *Black/Afrikan* people.
Guessing it’s cause their religion and their anti-social atittude agaist white people… think about it for a sec… how often does a muslim exchange so much as a short moment of eyecontact with someone that’s non muslim…? I ain’t saying it never happans, because of course it does. But compared to white peoples habit of meetings each others glances all the time.
This fact adds to people getting the feeling of muslims dislike swedes too… or soo i’m told by friends… soo sadly it seems the “rasism” goes in both directions…
Ok, enough of that negative crap!
What i know is that even if swedes are shy sometimes, is that as long as you take it cool and not rush, it’s really not that hard to make friend with swedes.
***A small tip: Try being polite and humble when trying to start a conversation with a swede for the first time. <- (works wonder if you wanna know what time it is) ;)
Hey Rickard,
useful information there, I feel abit confused now and I was hoping I would be more informed after reading this blog!I am planning to join my Swedish partner in Sweden soon. I am a black Kenyan, I spent my christmas in Sweden (Falun) and the winter was extraordinary yet exciting……Swedes can be coldish from what I saw and it felt like they are pretentious and standoffish……..maybe am wrong? If its true, I would be really sad as am a very outgoing sociable person and want to make friends in Sweden….
There are Swedes in F1, the Head of the Computation Fluid dynamics group at Ferrari is Swedish:)
Nav: Well, in that case I take it back :)
I have heard a person being called a neger(negro) once in my life and it was during a fight. So I dunno where you lived but in Stockholm people do not think its alright to say neger (Doesnt matter if its an old person or not.)
Some people makes crude jokes about “negerboll” but I have yet to hear somebody say it seriously, pretty much everyone either says kokosboll/chokladboll.
My partner is British born but has a great job in Sweden.
We are look to move out there (he is currently back in England through his job) relitively shortly.
Although I have read the coments above, the information poses more questions in my head.
I am looking to learn Swedish before we move. This will be difficult because of where I live now. Is it possible therefore to learn Swedish as a foreign language outside of the big cities? Also,from your experience, is it a difficult language to pick up?
Additionally, can you point me in the direction of good websites for jobs in Sweden so I can get this sorted sooner rather than later.
Any top tips on fitting in would be great :)
Thanks
“Con: Swedes might hate you in secret but you’ll never get the opportunity to improve because nobody will tell you what you do wrong.”
What if I ask them to be honest? will they talk? or will they be afraid of me hating them? Not that I hate people. I am just wondering. And is it true you can’t get a job, unless you speak swedish? Isn’t that a bit racistic? I thought the majority of europeans are good with english language. Isn’t it true?
Hi, Im 15 and wondered, what are swedens basic rights?
like the usa bill of rights?
is it a good place for a atheist like myself to live?
what would you suggest that I do to have a good future if I chose to move to Sweden in the future?