(edit title) UK Resident looking to move to Sweden Just a few of the normal questions Options

[OllyUp]

Hey Guys, first off I'll introduce myself.

My name is Oliver (Olly), I'm 24 years old and I currently live in the West Midlands in England.

I am currently working as a hairdresser in a busy village salon and I am looking to move to Sweden, I can't really put my finger on why, I have just always been intrigued by Sweden, the country is breathtaking.

What I am looking to do is hopefully move to Sweden and carry on my Hairdressing Career, I am quite confident in my Job and I would like to think that I am quite efficient at it too.

So for starters does anyone know where I would find Job vacancies for Hairdressing in a Salon?

I would also like to ask how accepting are Swedish people? I have read many threads on this and I have seen mixed opinions, some say being attractive is a big plus? What concerns me is my height, as by even UK standards I am below average (5ft3 if you are wondering). Although this is probably impossible I cant help but feel like I will be the only short guy in the whole of Sweden Haha!

What is the first thing I need to do to get my application in progression to make this move? Do I need to apply for a Visa? or Do I have to have money in a bank account to prove I can provide for myself? I plan on making the move somewhere around June 2013.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read this.

Olly.

[timmah]

You won't be the only short guy, but there are a lot of really tall people here. I am tall for the UK (over 6ft), but feel kind of average in Stockholm.

You don't need a visa, but you will need savings if you don't have a job to walk into and want to get a person number so you can get on here.

[OllyUp]

So I can apply for a job without this Personnel Number then? I have read that I would need it to be considered for a Job?

I also heard I need it to get any type of property?

What would be considered as a substantial amount in the bank if I didn't have a Job to walk into and wanted to get out there and get a Personnel Number?

Thanks again,

Olly.

[raimonda]

Hello,

I will also be moving to Sweden in 2013 on my own savings. Does anybody know what is the amount required by Migrationsverket and Skatteverket in order to get a right of residence and also a personal number? Internet does not give clear results for this type of information

Raimonda

[Case officer]

I will also be moving to Sweden in 2013 on my own savings. Does anybody know what is the amount required by Migrationsverket and Skatteverket in order to get a right of reside ... (show full quote)

I will also be moving to Sweden in 2013 on my own savings. Does anybody know what is the amount required by Migrationsverket and Skatteverket in order to get a right of residence and also a personal number? Internet does not give clear results for this type of information ... (hide full quote)

If you are a EU citizen you have the option to register as a person with your own means. To register successfully you must have means sufficient for a decent life in Sweden. According to the National Board for Social Welfare a single person must have a sum of 3 880 SEK + money for accomodation + money for traveling to and from work + money for a few other minor things per month to be able to live a decent life. Also, to register successfully you must be able to show that you are covered by the social insurance system in your home country or that you have a comprehensive medical insurance.

[jostein]

Myabe think this through before moving? sweden has absolutely no advantages over Britain. Everything here is worse than Britain. Winters are darker and wetter and colder. Taxes are higher. People are more stuck up. The politicians are even crazier, the journalists are even more shamelss and evil. You name it, we got it. Why waste a successfull business to move to this dump?

[Pursuivant]

Just out of interest, how does working as a hairdresser go in Sweden? OK, if you have your own salon then thats self-explanatory, but how about bigger places? Are you employed or do chain hair salons "rent a chair" to a hairdresser who more or less works as an entrepeneur in their franchise, or is it more of a co-operative system?

[Gina88]

Myabe think this through before moving? sweden has absolutely no advantages over Britain. Everything here is worse than Britain. Winters are darker and wetter and colder. Taxe ... (show full quote)

Myabe think this through before moving? sweden has absolutely no advantages over Britain. Everything here is worse than Britain. Winters are darker and wetter and colder. Taxes are higher. People are more stuck up. The politicians are even crazier, the journalists are even more shamelss and evil. You name it, we got it. Why waste a successfull business to move to this dump? ... (hide full quote)

A rather strange comment Why do YOU live in Sweden if it is so horrible???

There are so many things in Sweden that are much better than in the UK: quality of education, quality of housing, quality of food, and that's not the end of the list .

I notice a lot of british people on this forum living in Sweden and complaining about it...then why not move back to the UK if it is sooo much better than Sweden???

I lived in Sweden for 6 years, and now 7 years in the UK...definitely going back to Sweden soon.

GOOD LUCK, OLLY!

[Yorkshireman]

There are so many things in Sweden that are much better than in the UK: quality of education, quality of housing, quality of food, and that's not the end of the list .

The OECD ranks Sweden marginally higher in Education over the UK for reading and maths. But for Science education the UK is ranked much higher than Sweden. It is clear over the last few years that Sweden's education is becoming worse and worse. Just this week they revealed reports that showed that the reading capability of 10yr-olds is at it worst for a long long time ...hopefully they can turn the tide.

As for food ... It used to be better quality than the UK, as they had stricter controls/regulations ...however, after Sweden joined the EU, Freedom of Movement of Goods etc... those controls are no longer valid and foodstuffs, meats etc... that were previously not allowed on the Swedish market cannot be stopped, food quality has indeed reduced over the years, I would say that it is on-par with the UK, though much more expensive! (3rd highest prices in Europe). Of-course, you can go to quality shops and buy quality foodstuffs, it depends how deep your pocket is.

[Migga]

The OECD ranks Sweden marginally higher in Education over the UK for reading and maths. But for Science education the UK is ranked much higher than Sweden. It is clear over th ... (show full quote)

The OECD ranks Sweden marginally higher in Education over the UK for reading and maths. But for Science education the UK is ranked much higher than Sweden. It is clear over the last few years that Sweden's education is becoming worse and worse. Just this week they revealed reports that showed that the reading capability of 10yr-olds is at it worst for a long long time ...hopefully they can turn the tide. ... (hide full quote)

I think it`s on the schools but I also think it`s because Sweden has more students today then before that hasen`t had any schooling growing up. Considering Sweden get more of those students per capita then in any other country it will show in the rankings. It`s both on the schools and the students. The ranking will obviously be lower when the school get a 10 year old who can`t read or write compared to before when almost all who the schools get know how to read and write.

[ahm]

The OECD ranks Sweden marginally higher in Education over the UK for reading and maths. But for Science education the UK is ranked much higher than Sweden. It is clear over th ... (show full quote)

The OECD ranks Sweden marginally higher in Education over the UK for reading and maths. But for Science education the UK is ranked much higher than Sweden. It is clear over the last few years that Sweden's education is becoming worse and worse. Just this week they revealed reports that showed that the reading capability of 10yr-olds is at it worst for a long long time ...hopefully they can turn the tide.

As for food ... It used to be better quality than the UK, as they had stricter controls/regulations ...however, after Sweden joined the EU, Freedom of Movement of Goods etc... those controls are no longer valid and foodstuffs, meats etc... that were previously not allowed on the Swedish market cannot be stopped, food quality has indeed reduced over the years, I would say that it is on-par with the UK, though much more expensive! (3rd highest prices in Europe). Of-course, you can go to quality shops and buy quality foodstuffs, it depends how deep your pocket is. ... (hide full quote)

WOW , it went worst cause thats price for EU ,,,

Also, If Sweden joined Euro ,nothing will be good it will be the most worst . Im against EURO .

EURO is the last stone for the death of prosperous SWEDEN

I agree with jostein. I wonder if Ollyup is a British Citizen !

[Emerentia]

The average height of men in Sweden are like 5ft11, there are not many men here around 5 ft3 , so you might get some "So...where did you live before? The Shire?"-jokes, but I think that most Swedes are quite accepting to all kinds of people.

When it comes to hair dressers, I think it's more common that they rent a chair in a saloon than are employed. You'll also need some kind of diploma ("gesällbrev" in Swedish) to work as a hair dresser I think. Also make sure that you get some letter of recommendation from your current employer.

You can find places who looks for hairdressers here for exemple: (In Swedish though)
http://www.arbetsformedlingen.se/4.38a41af...l?T=Fris%C3%B6r
The union for hair dressers (and others working in shops and places like that) are called Handels:
http://www.handels.se/om-handels/in-english/

Maybe they could offer some advise and what to expect and so on.

It could take a while to get a job, so make sure you have enough money to provide for yourself in a bank account. To live in Sweden is quite expensive. To find a place to live is also hard, if you choose to live in a bigger city. In a smaller city that's easier. To rent a chair in a saloon is quite expensive too, so make sure you can afford it. Make sure you save enough money for a ticket home at least if you realize it's not going well.

If I were you a wouldn't quit the job in Britain, but take a vacation or some kind of leave of absence and then visit Sweden and seach for a job if thats possible. Then you'll get a sense if it's a hopeless endevour or something possible. And then decide what to do.

Good luck!

[ljtaylor88]

Have a lot of money, because it might take longer than you anticipated to get yourself going - and the cost of groceries is astronomical! I would advise moving to a city with a lot of international residents, because then you can attract English-speaking clients. I know that trying to get a haircut when you don't have such a great grasp of Swedish can be a daunting prospect, but you'll need a market for that.

If you are interested in starting your own business, it is useful to move to Sweden and get on the networking circuit. You can register with Arbetsförmedlingen (the jobcentre) and they can point you in the right direction. Sweden has a wealth of organisations and independently organised groups dedicated to helping people start up a business and get networking. I have met a lot of inspiring people through these. Take any opportunity you can to meet people - I got my job through a stranger!

You don't need a visa as you are an EU citizen, but as you do not have a sambo or spouse who can financially support you, and if you do not have any work lined up when you get here, you will need to prove to Migrationsverket that you can support yourself. Offhand I don't know how much money you need. Your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) will take care of the medical side of things.

Skatteverket (the tax office) issues your personnummer and, whilst you do not need this to get a job, you DO need it for many other things from getting a mobile phone number, an apartment, a bank account...you name it. If you get a job offer, however, Skatteverket normally get straight on giving you one.

And, as an aside...I would also think long and hard about moving to a country simply to make a better life for yourself, particularly when you come from the UK which is not exactly a war-torn, economic failure (nor third world, don't let the Daily Mail fool you ). I moved here because I met a Swede and my life - with him - is fantastic but if I had moved here alone, without any kind of support network, I would have found it incredibly tough going. Tougher than it already has been! There is a real "romanticism" associated with the Scandinavian countries which is interesting because Scandinavia seems to have that about the UK as well...and honestly? I haven't found living in Sweden to be light years ahead of the UK. Many things are very similar, some things ARE better, but winter nights are longer! Of course, it is your own decision, and you know yourself better than any randomer on the Internet...but to anyone who wants to move abroad expecting some kind of utopia...be careful. Unless you want to move for the weather. I can totally understand that.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

When it comes to hair dressers, I think it's more common that they rent a chair in a saloon than are employed. You'll also need some kind of diploma ("gesällbrev ... (show full quote)

When it comes to hair dressers, I think it's more common that they rent a chair in a saloon than are employed. You'll also need some kind of diploma ("gesällbrev" in Swedish) to work as a hair dresser I think. Also make sure that you get some letter of recommendation from your current employer. ... (hide full quote)

Gesällbrev is only a proof that you know what you are doing, and some employers want it, but it is not a requirement.
You are free to set up your own shop without any training whatsoever...

[Tskogstrom]

I guess you know Swedish? Because otherwise you are restricted to fewer salons, maybe the kind only targeting younger customers. Elder customers would be a problem with the English. Not an overwhelming problem, but a handicap when searching for jobs.

I suggest to make a job searching tour while visiting Sweden as a tourist, visiting a great number of salons, and see the interest first, before moving.