Living and Working
– in Norway
Life in Norway
A new life, a new beginning, how exciting! You would be even more excited if you got to know more about it. Get to know what Norway is like, all its 1,750 km from North to South. From the midnight sun, to the green grass all year round. We not only tell you about the geography of the 7th biggest country in Europe and the wonderful mountains that give spectacular views and the 50,000 islands, we will also give you hard facts about the population. Life in Norway will also be colored by the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The great variations that come with the seasons and the area you live in, in Norway can be pictured very well. We also give you links and contact information to look into this perspective.
Are you interested in the language? Not many people know much of the Norwegian language from school or TV outside Norway. Is it essential to know Norwegian to get a job in Norway? Can I use my mother tongue or French, Spanish or English? Is it hard to learn Norwegian?
We suggest you start learning Norwegian, step-by-step, even before you come if you have the opportunity. As there is help online, we hope our links will be helpful to you.
NowGuide also provides you with a checklist of things to consider and the necessary preparations to make before moving to Norway.
Everyone who works and pays taxes in Norway are compulsory members of the social insurance scheme.
You are entitled to the same pay and employment terms as Norwegian employees when you are employed in Norway. Read more about the right salary for your skills.
Culture and history
It may be a new country, but much of the culture and much of the history can be easy to relate to, or to get used to. Norway with its long history, from before Viking times, has adopted influences from the international arena.
People in Norway appreciate the parts of Norway that are unspoiled with its rich variety of plant and animal life. NowGuide supports the view that the clean water and fresh air are some of the delights in Norway. In addition to this, winter sports and football are popular among the Norwegians.
What then are the hallmarks of Norwegian culture?
The following are often cited: the expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl, smoked salmon, lutefisk (cured fish), stave churches, bunad (our national costume), May 17th (Norwegian Constitution Day) reindeer meat, oil rigs, the midnight sun, the Aurora Borealis (Northern lights), skiing and cheese made of goat’s milk (brunost).
We recommend you get to know more about the Norwegian culture and take part in it.
You may also like to look into other well-known Norwegians like Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Grieg, Henrik Wergeland, Fridtjof Nansen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Edvard Munch, Thorbjørn Egner and Anne-Cath Vestly. Sportsmen like Magnus Carlsen, Ole-Gunnar Solskjær, and Petter Northug and Norwegian artists like A-HA, Alexader Rybak, Sondre Lerche, Lene Marlin, Secret Garden and MadCon to mention a few.
You can find out about culture and much more in the main article.
What to expect
Norway is a country where most systems and infrastructures are well organized and efficient.
Norwegian business culture is somewhat informal compared to that in other European countries. We tend to have flat organizations and often address our manager by his/her first name. Norwegian employers expect employees to show initiative and to assume responsibility for their own work.
The employment structure varies considerably from one Norwegian county to the next. Public services and the fisheries are the dominant sectors in the northern part of Norway, while industry accounts for a large share in the coastal counties in southern Norway. Many people in the cities of Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim work in financial and business services.
We provide links to where you may find factsheets on the following sectors:
- Petroleum • Fisheries • Building and Construction • Health • Maritime • Tourism • Transport • Shipbuilding
We provide you with a toll free number to call to enquire about vacancies.
A tip is that trade unions are also good sources of information. Unions in your own country may have links with their counterpart organizations in Norway. Membership of a trade union is not obligatory. You will find a description of different Norwegian trade unions in the main article.
All compulsory education in Norway is free and we tell you how to become part of it.
Information in motion
Wooden House in Stavanger, Norway
The Marilunden estate in Stavanger is a prototype for a new generation of wooden built buildings in Norway. We visit the Januschek family in their new home.
Time 3:52
Happiest and healthiest kids
Norwegian kids get to be children (they dont start school till age 6), they get to play outside even in minus 10 (with the right kit provided), their parents can afford kindergarten (its a max of £200 per month) and they have the right to be there from age 1 (so their parents aren’t desperate for them to go to school early). As a result Nordic kids excel at all the skills learned at the very start of life — communication, teamwork, problem-solving. If kids have great, attentive parents fine. If they don’t, it’s still fine in the Nordic nations.
Time 8:30
Life in Norway
Time 4:03
Contents of the full article
- Facts about Norway
- Culture
- Labor market trends
- How to find a job in Norway
- Checklist – moving to Norway
- Unemployment and social insurance (Folketrygden)
- Employment terms and conditions
- Education/accreditation of qualifications
- Housing in Norway
- Useful reading about Norway
- CV/application letter
Contains links to the most essential web addresses.
