Click here to become a member of Portal to Norway

 This is a story that comes from a member of the Employment Network Norway Yahoo group. It is inspiring and beneficial.

Success Story and Some Advice

I am an American that has been living in Norge almost three years
now, with my Norwegian husband. In USA I worked for 21 years as an
Instrument & Control technician at a nuclear power plant. Before
moving to Norge, I naively believed that with my experience and skill
set, I could easily get a job within the offshore oil industry. I was
wrong. I have been a member of this group for 3 and a half years –
before we moved to Norge.

Since moving to Norge, I have spent a year and a half in norsk
classes, taken and passed the "Språkprøven" (language test), spent
three months in an Aetat preparatory class, three months in
a "praksisplass" (practice/training job) in a kindergarten and 10
months in an office job under the Aetat "praksisplass"
and "lønnstilskudd" (wages subsidized by Aetat) programs.

I begin a new job tomorrow that will be the first without Aetat
involvement. I got the job through a temp-agency and will be under a
4 month contract to them, with strong possibilities for permanent
employment if all goes well.

What have I learned from my struggle to find employment in Norge?

DON'T depend on Aetat to get a job for you. They won't! I asked them,
flat out, if they contact job seekers when a job comes in to them
that matches a person's qualification. They said no – that for every
single job that comes in, they have hundreds of applications with
matching qualifications. It would take too long to notify everyone
and the companies don't want to be swamped with that many
applications.

DO take advantage of all the programs Aetat has available –
courses, "praksisplass" and "lønnstilskudd" programs. But don't wait
around for them to offer them to you, because they probably won't.
You must pursue them yourself. The two jobs I had under these
programs, I found myself. Aetat only filled out the papers, after I
found them, and paid the money.

Be prepared for the "long haul". If you don't have money to live on
for a while, or someone else to support you, you are going to find it
difficult. Immigrants, seeking jobs for the first time, are
definitely at a disadvantage. There are lots of very qualified
Norwegians looking for work also. Although Norge has a lot to offer
immigrants, it is not exactly the land of opportunity when it comes
to the job market.

Be willing to take a job beneath your skill set and pay level, for it
may be your only way to get your foot in the door. Even if the job is
short term, it will at least provide you with an "attest" (letter of
recommendation) from a Norsk company, which is more easily verified
and will carry more weight than any you bring from your home country.

Set up a user profile for yourself on www.finn.no and register for
their "Auto-søk" service. You will get an email from them everyday
with all the new job listings they receive. This can be tailored to
the area you live and your job preferences.

Search on www.gulesider.no for the type of companies in your area
that could be potential employers. Check out their websites. What I
did was, if they were in English, I bookmarked them and visited back
often to see if any new jobs had been posted. Send a generic CV if
they accept them. And finally, be prepared to actually go knocking on
doors and asking for a job. That is how I found the office job that
lasted 10 months.

Register with as many temp-agencies as you can. In Norge, most
companies "try out" potential employees by hiring them for short
terms, through these agencies. That way they are under no obligation
if it does not work out. You can find these by searching
www.gulesider.no. Select "Velg Bransje",  "Vikartjenester". Then
narrow the search to the area you live in by selecting "Velg Sted"
and your area. Some of these temp-agencies specialize in office work,
technical work, etc. So try to figure out which ones are right for
you.

And last, but by far the most important – learn norsk as soon as
possible. Get in a class, trying to do it on your own is almost
hopeless. If you have a norsk partner, don't waste another day
speaking English, or whatever other language you speak. That is fine
if you have no intention of blending into society and finding work,
but we are all here because we want to work. Ask your partner to
correct you when you make mistakes. It will be boring and difficult
for both of you and if you are the self-conscious type, feelings will
get hurt. But if you don't do this, you are only reinforcing your
errors and will never improve. Read as much as you can, but don't let
reading newspapers discourage you. They are written in both Bokmål
and Nynorsk, and often in pure dialect. Start with comic books or
children's books if you have to – but read. It is my opinion that for
immigrants, seeking a job for the first time in Norge, norsk language
accounts for about 50% of your chances of getting a job, with
education, experience and personality accounting for the rest.

Sorry for the long post, but if it helps one person, it was worth it.
Also, again let me state that everything written here is just my
opinion based on my experience and may not apply to everyone.

Lykke til!
Ann