(edit title) Life in Umea any tips and experiences are welcome! Options

[yu_bi_ru]

My husband got a job offer in Umea and we plan to move there at the beginning of the next year. We have a 4y.o. son. As I am understandably worrying about moving so far up north from Germany, where we currently live, I would highly appreciate tips and recommendations about renting / buying an apartment or a house, about good pre-schools, and employment agencies (for me).

Many thanks in advance for all the suggestions!

[Svedallas]

Don't do it.Housing market is completely dysfunctional at best. https://www.thelocal.se/discuss/index.php?s...mp;#entry830643The kommun will take care of the pre-school. Y ... (show full quote)

Don't do it.

Housing market is completely dysfunctional at best. https://www.thelocal.se/discuss/index.php?s...mp;#entry830643

The kommun will take care of the pre-school. You have no decision power here. Remember that education in Sweden is really bad: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/

As for your job, you can forget about it if you are educated and not Swedish native: There is heavy discrimination against educated foreigners
https://www.saco.se/globalassets/2017-loneg...sk-bakgrund.pdf
https://www.thelocal.se/20170713/foreign-gr...an-swedes-study
https://www.thelocal.se/discuss/index.php?s...st&p=930467
There is actually more discrimination here than anywhere else in the western world.

I hope you have a good plan B, or a plan A that does not involve Sweden.

You will find a few anecdote that will challenge the facts that I point above, but the decision to follow data, or anecdote is yours. ... (hide full quote)

Wallace was rejected from Sweden, and should not be posting. He continues to post hate after hate. Ignore him and his miserable self. He needs psychological medical help, as you can see from his hate threads.

I suggest you just do a search on the threads.

good luck,

[Martian]

Wallace was rejected from Sweden, and should not be posting. He continues to post hate after hate. Ignore him and his miserable self. He needs psychological medical help, as y ... (show full quote)

Wallace was rejected from Sweden, and should not be posting. He continues to post hate after hate. Ignore him and his miserable self. He needs psychological medical help, as you can see from his hate threads.

I suggest you just do a search on the threads.

good luck, ... (hide full quote)

Where did you learn that @wallace1837 was rejected from Sweden? Do you have a source or you just made that statement out of thin air? You seem not to know the difference between facts and hate. And why are you always trying hard to encapsulate people from the realities about Sweden? The fact that those things are posted by someone you despise so much doesn't void the facts posted.

@OP, a word is enough for the wise. Your move from Germany to Sweden is like moving from frying pan to fire. And no, you will not really understand Sweden while visiting for few months. You need to live here to understand some of those things posted by @wallace1837. My candid advice for you is to test the waters for at least 6 months before moving. Rent out your property in Germany for 6 months (or even more) and rent a temporary (maybe furnished) property for the same amount of time while testing Sweden. You can later go ahead with the move if you think Sweden is for you.

[rex]

Unless the salary (after taxes) is much much higher than what he gets in Germany I don't think it's worth it moving to Sweden in the long run.

The best way is to come here for six months to a year and see how it goes. Some like it, and some hate it, but it's hard to say to which group you're going to belong.

Regarding your needs. There are local schools that offer language courses to foreigners, the quality is often borderline unacceptable but if you want to learn you can, so that's at least something.

The employment agency can't really help you with anything, they're kinda useless so you're gonna have to do everything on your own. And @wallace1837 is right about rampant discrimination of foreigners. However, if you are a German with blue eyes and blond hair then you should do fine here.

[Cheeseroller]

You can find houses and apartments for sale here: https://www.hemnet.se

Regarding employment, there is about the same possibility as someone who doesn't speak German getting a job in Germany. However, in Sweden there are free language classes.

As others have suggested, I would also recommend that you rent to begin. Swedes are very different from other Europeans. It is very difficult to make friends, and you will probably feel very isolated. Sweden is like an onion, and it takes some years to unpeel the layers to understand it.

I hope that your husband has calculated his tax and compared the net income (including health insurance) with Germany. The tax rate in Sweden increases quite quickly for higher earners. Food is also considerably more expensive. https://statsskuld.se/en-sv/jobs/berakna-nettolon

Also be aware that house/apartment prices are falling in some parts of Sweden and also the Krona has lost a lot of value in the past 2 years. Another reason to rent if possible

[yu_bi_ru]

oh wow!!! looks like a really dark picture over there!
The main conclusion for me - RENT (not buy) since at this point we are not certain ourselves whether we will like it there or not.
Hence, the question - is blocket.se the only site to look for rental apartments/houses or is there anything else?

[Cheeseroller]

https://en.hyrenbostad.se/hyresbostad/norrb...gtype=lejlighed

https://bostadssurf.se/en/accommodation/fin...operties/luleaa

[Cheeseroller]

You think this is dark, wait until you experience a Swedish winter from November to May. But on the plus side, rental apartments include kitchens and lights, until in Germany :-)

[Gjeebes]

"My husband got a job offer in Umea"

Bahahahahaaaaa, Northern Meatballia. Epic failure. You couldn't do worse.

But on the plus side, as a German, you merely need to get drunk, et voila, you can speak Meatball better than the locals.

[Svedallas]

You think this is dark, wait until you experience a Swedish winter from November to May. But on the plus side, rental apartments include kitchens and lights, until in Germany :-)

A bit of a far stretch. But it is from November until late Feb.

[Cheeseroller]

and the snow is gone when?

[Svedallas]

and the snow is gone when?

By march.
Although it may pop back randomly end of march or early april, but that has not happened in years.

May is hot as ever. Enjoying these 20s.

[Cheeseroller]

[Svedallas]

[yu_bi_ru]

So the temperature seems to be the last of the issues! ) I can only wish that the housing market and employment opportunities were improving at the same rate