(edit title) From London to Vasteras - HELP! English speakers - Vasteras Options

[Kibiri]

How dare you suggest that? Alternatively; you must be new to TL

Anyway, Västerås is nice little city. My only problem is that it is a bit too small. Maybe 6th biggest city in Sweden, but only 130.000 population. On the flip side, I live walking distance to the city center. Buying similar place in Stockholm would cost me 4-5 times of what I paid for my current apartment. The lake is nice. From Rocklunda to northwards is a forest practically in the city (good for long summer walks). That's the benefit of being in a small city, everything is close to you.

There are many Västerås-Stockholm commuters. It is 1 hour which is ok, but your job better not be one more hour further away from the train station.

By "english speakers" if you meant native speakers, I don't know anybody. Otherwise, almost everybody is able to speak english. Once you are here and registered in the system, you can go to the SFI language course for free. There is a football team called VSK, I guess it is semi-professional.

[Opalnera]

you can orally contract things

Oh if I had a dollar for every time someone has said THAT to me!

[Opalnera]

How dare you suggest that? Alternatively; you must be new to TL Anyway, Västerås is nice little city. My only problem is that it is a bit too small. Maybe 6th biggest city i ... (show full quote)

How dare you suggest that? Alternatively; you must be new to TL

Anyway, Västerås is nice little city. My only problem is that it is a bit too small. Maybe 6th biggest city in Sweden, but only 130.000 population. On the flip side, I live walking distance to the city center. Buying similar place in Stockholm would cost me 4-5 times of what I paid for my current apartment. The lake is nice. From Rocklunda to northwards is a forest practically in the city (good for long summer walks). That's the benefit of being in a small city, everything is close to you.

There are many Västerås-Stockholm commuters. It is 1 hour which is ok, but your job better not be one more hour further away from the train station.

By "english speakers" if you meant native speakers, I don't know anybody. Otherwise, almost everybody is able to speak english. Once you are here and registered in the system, you can go to the SFI language course for free. There is a football team called VSK, I guess it is semi-professional. ... (hide full quote)

The OP might even find that getting work is easier in Västerås. I applied for like 50 jobs in Stockholm and only got one interview. In Uppsala I applied for 4 jobs and got 3 of them, the other I didn't get an interview because it was accidentally readvertised and had been filled the month prior.

[Hisingen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbal_contract

I think I would trust the Citizens Advice Bureau before Wikipedia. There they get their information often from the likes of you, and just how reliable can that be? ? Besides, you are only a swede, and certainly are not in a position to master the English language to the full, I am afraid, as your postings bear witness. Sorry, Sonny Jim.

[*Guest*]

Hello and hej to all!

To the o.p thanks for making this thread and finally making me register on this site!
I have a similar story to yours except i dont have any children and i couldnt wait to get out of London and now ive never looked back and im really enjoying my life here in V?ster?s!
I came to sweden in september 2012 and began my SFI corse in May 2013 im now ready to do my last test so Svenska isnt too hard to learn if you want to learn it! In this city it is easy to make friends and they also say dont live in "the by's". It would be good to see a fellow english man and maybe watch some BPL (all of my Svensk kompisar like hockey/bandy/handball...) hope to hear from you and happy moving!

[Hisingen]

What I notice, that is quite amusing, is that there are several 'immigrants' here who have made their homes in V?ster?s, and appear to be very happy there.
Yet that vegetable swede Ivor Pain-in-the-ass has nothing good to say about it. That, and the fact that our little Walter Mitty who now lives in J?nk?ping very seldom has anything good to say about his/her/its own country and can only contribute quotes from whacky wiki.
I would be far more inclined to listen to folks who have moved to V?ster?s and found it to be the pleasant town it is. than to an anti-everything-to-do-with-Sweden Swedish swede. I was quite well acquainted with the nearby town of Sala for quite some time, which meant that I travelled through V?ster?s frequently, and often visited the town, but that is way in the past now, and I have settled down on the west coast.
But as I said much earlier on, it is only the OP's own experience that will count in the end.

[badkarma]

tbh V?ster?s is an industrial place, its pretty much an mix between well payed engineers and failed migration areas. As for life itself, its what you make it i guess. but since i've lived in a few other city's and abroad i think i can say that V?ster?s generally is not the best place to live in.

A lot of business here go under, and i am sure there's that problem in many places but here I've seen at least 20-40 businesses come and go during my 3 years. What is good on the other-hand is that its increasing as of lately, i mean business seem to be somewhat blooming right now..when i first arrived there was empty shopping malls, entire floors in shopping malls closed down etc. Since last year there has opened a fair amount of new places.

Talking about work opportunities, then i would have to say there aint that many. unless you work with engineering or development java,c+ etc. etc. ofcourse there's the regular stores..but if you've ever been to a science park somewhere else in sweden and then go to v?ster?s (Tegn?r)...well you are up for a surprise.

What is there to do? Well there's strike, which has refurbished and changed from a bowling alley to a entertainment center. Which was a great turn around, unfortunately its super over priced, probably due entertainment monopoly since there really is nothing else in town. if you go outside of town you can find another bowling / pool place but its like 25 min away with bus. The swimming facilities are quite horrible, standard of 1980's..they've been "building" the new adventure water park for the last like 10 years so i doubt it will ever finish.

There's many restaurants, but quality is half decent in most places and prices are about the same as sthlm. I see a trend with an increase in quality since places like Nom opened, which is great.

I think the life around MDH can be fun, i mean the student life. I am on the other hand not here to study but to work, so i wouldn't know.

If we don't talk about personal preferences and what not the real problem is the segregation that the infrastructure has created. building major shopping malls on opposite sides of the city, making basically one area go bankrupt. the city centre lost a lot of business hence why shops closed down and so on. the city center has very little entertainment to offer, except for drinking and eating. Prices are generally high. there's a lot of suburbs which has obvious problems and also very little entertainment to offer. The people here are quite cold compared to sthlm, link?ping or g?teborg. The good areas are often over represented by old people, seniors etc. which can be frustrating when doing laundry or being to loud. Unless your rich enough to buy a house on "the sunny side" then i assume life can be pretty good.

The kommun doesn't put much effort into getting educated people to stay, as a matter of fact your not even allowed to study SFI here if your a student. Also MDH has been sued over bad education, and they're being on watch by the school-board for the quality of their courses. Tbh, mdh has bad reputation out on the job market as well but that depends on program.

I do think pay in V?ster?s is pretty good, salary that is. Overall i would say its probably over average in most branches, but i only base that on people i knows salary and my own.

When i first arrived i didn't think the city was too bad actually, it came with time as i discovered and wanted to engage in more activities and meet new people. I guess its what you make it, I was put off but everyone's experience is different. I am sure you can like it here as well.

[Trush]

Hello all

I originally posted this thread but for some reason i have never been able to log in and the local admin have not been able to assist me so am using my partners log in.

I really appreciate all the comments, even the negitive ones! There are a few people who messaged me directly or have suggested meeting up but since i cant access my old account i have no contact details. I am now in vasteras so please send me a DM and i will get in touch to use your tips and knowledge and advise me where to grab a cheap(ish) beer whislt watching the Arsenal.

Speak soon

Tony

[ivatar]

My partner and I currently live in my home town (Sheffield, UK), but plan to move to her home town (V?ster?s) as soon as we're able to. With the Brexit transition period now over, this will probably take a couple of years, as she'll need to find a job and a flat, then I'll need to apply for a "resi?dence permit to move to a spouse, regis?tered partner or coha?bi?ting partner", and then join her when I receive this.

It's been a few years since anyone has posted in this thread. It'd be interesting to hear how you've settled in to life in V?ster?s. For anyone who has completed SFI and/or K?rta V?gen locally, it'd be nice to hear your experiences and whether you'd recommend the place where you studied. Thanks