A new job A new life In Denmark Seven expats explain what brought them to Denmark and share their experiences so far. If you re planning to relocate to Denmark, these stories will give you lots of useful tips.
A job in Denmark? The expats Every year, thousands of well-educated foreigners decide to come to Denmark to live and work. Many are attracted by the combination of professional challenges, comfortable living conditions and family-friendly working hours. A lot of questions arise when you re facing a big decision like this. Can I get a job that matches my qualifications and goals? What s a Danish workplace like? How easy is it to learn the language and make friends with Danes? What would life be like for my family? Can I get help with paperwork and other practical matters? Who better to answer these questions than those who have been in the exact same situation? This booklet features seven expats who explain what it was like for them to arrive in Denmark. They have different nationalities and professions, but their experience of living and working in Denmark is similar. They have all settled in well, but most of them have also experienced challenges along the way. The purpose of this booklet is to give you an idea of what it s like to work in Denmark from a personal perspective. You will also find an overview on the back page, which explains how your family can benefit from Workindenmark the Danish Ministry of Employment s unit for international recruitment. Page 6 My first-hand impression of the hospital was very positive. I was very impressed to see how the staff worked together and the way they always put the patient s interests first. Delicia Sfichiu, Rumania, Psychiatrist Meet also: Page 12 It was the exciting professional challenges that brought me to Denmark. But I was not quite sure how I was going to manage without being able to speak a word of Danish Werner Streicher, South Africa, Associate professor João Vaz Santos, Portugal, Mechanical engineer...page 4 Isabelle Valentine, Canada Founder of International preschool in Denmark...Page 8 Stanislav Kalianov, Russia Localisation manager...page 10 Sumesh Kumar, India Quality Engineer...Page 14 Adrien Le Gouz de Saint Seine, France, From student intern to project manager...page 16 All the information you need...page 18 2 3
João Vaz Santos Mechanical engineer at DP CleanTech since 2011 Trained as a mechanical engineer in Portugal Born in Portugal in 1985 When engineer João Vaz Santos was looking for a job in 2011, he went to a job fair in his home country, Portugal. He met a Workindenmark employee at this fair, who told him that there were vacancies in Denmark for engineers with skills just like his. João also got good advice on how to look for Danish jobs and how to write an application and CV according to Danish standards. I had moved to Denmark and started my new job in less than two months I have been very lucky Portuguese João Vaz Santos had always wanted to find an engineering job in the energy sector abroad. That wish has now come true. Since 2011 João has worked in Denmark for the company DP CleanTech, which manufactures and sells biomass power plants worldwide. I d always wanted to work in Scandinavia, especially in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. It s a lovely city with direct flights to my home country, Portugal. So I was extremely keen to get started, João recalls. A short process Soon after the job fair, João sent an application to DP CleanTech that was advertising for an engineer for its Danish division. João had specialised in the energy sector during his engineering training, so this job was a perfect fit for him. He waited anxiously for a reply, but didn t have to wait very long. I got a reply from the company the very next day. I was at the first of two job interviews in Copenhagen the following week. And in less than two months, I d moved to Denmark and started my new job, João says. and a great start João is part of a team that designs and builds biomass boilers from scratch. Integration in the workplace was easy. The company is very international and has divisions in China and Poland. There are several employees from abroad at work, and the culture here is very open and welcoming. Everyone has been very helpful, especially my line manager and the HR manager. João does a lot of sport in his spare time and spends time with friends. He s made lots of friends in Denmark, mostly through a Portuguese friend of his, who has a large Danish network. I ve been very lucky. The only stressful bit was finding an affordable apartment in Copenhagen. But I quickly found a room for rent in an apartment owned by a Danish guy. Sharing a flat with someone is a nice way to live. 4 5
Better career opportunities in Denmark Favourable job opportunities in the Danish healthcare system is what drove Romanian, Delicia Sfichiu to move to Denmark so she could continue her career as a psychiatrist. After three months and an intensive course in Danish, she was ready to start work at a psychiatric unit at a Danish hospital. Due to the number of job vacancies in general medicine and psychiatry, the Danish healthcare system has had to recruit staff from abroad. One of those is psychiatrist, Delicia Sfichiu. She came to Denmark in 2011 because she couldn t fulfil her dream of working in a hospital back home in Bucharest. It s impossible to get a job as a hospital psychiatrist in my country, so I worked at a private clinic instead. But I ve always wanted to work at a hospital, so I started to look for opportunities abroad. As I already knew a bit about Denmark, I contacted one of Workindenmark s employees, whom I d met earlier at a job fair in Bucharest, Delicia explains. Employed within three months Things progressed very quickly after that. Workindenmark s consultant said there were vacancies for psychiatrists in Denmark and asked Delicia to send an application and a CV. Three months later, she got a job interview at Middelfart Hospital in Denmark. She was offered the job and accepted it. My first-hand impression of the hospital was very positive. I was very impressed to see how the staff worked together and the way they always put the patient s interests first. Fortunately, they were also very keen to employ me. Many Danish friends Before Delicia could start working in Denmark, her Romanian qualifications needed to be approved by the Danish healthcare authorities. She also took an intensive course in Danish and got a Danish mentor, who helped her with the language and with making the right contacts. After six weeks of intensive Danish lessons, Delicia was ready to start working in the psychiatry ward. She started off slowly, working with a Danish doctor one day a week. He introduced her to all the different work processes in the ward and helped her with her Danish. Even though the language was a bit tricky, everything went well, she recalls. Delicia Sfichiu Psychiatrist at Middelfart Hospital since 2011 Lives in Middelfart Trained as a medical specialist and psychiatrist in Romania Born in Romania in 1977 Delicia is married and her husband still lives in Romania, so they get to see each other about once a month. Her husband was previously employed at a Danish company, so before Delicia moved here, the couple had already visited Denmark several times and made many Danish friends. I got a really good impression of the hospital straight away and was really impressed by the staff s cooperation 6 7
From spouse to nursery headteacher French-Philippine Isabelle Valentine followed her British husband when he got a job in Denmark. After a short while, she found her first job and has since achieved her lifelong ambition of starting up her own company an English-speaking nursery, located in Denmark s capital city, where the couple live with their two children. hers: to become self-employed. She joined a network for female entrepreneurs, got some help developing a business plan, and took free Danish lessons. Safe country for the family Her first company imported and sold English-language children s books. This experience gave her the courage to start the Montessori International Preschool, based on the Montessori education system where special games and resources are used to stimulate children s learning. Isabelle advises spouses to learn Danish and to be outgoing. She herself has met many friends through the language school and has found it easy to make friends with Danes. Copenhagen is a fantastic place to live if you have children, says the Valentine family, who is set to stay for a long time: The city is full of beautiful parks with great playgrounds for kids. We cycle a lot, and feel very safe in Denmark. Even with access to state childcare, Danish lessons and job application support, it s not always easy to find work as a spouse in Denmark. But it s possible. Isabelle Valentine is one of the spouses who succeeded. In August 2011, she opened a privately owned, English-speaking nursery the first one in the Copenhagen region. It s really amazing. Many Danish and foreign families in Denmark are keen to send their children to an international nursery. Already in the first year, we ve grown from seven children to over 30, she says. Help getting started Isabelle grew up in Canada, France and the Philippines. She has lived in Japan and the UK with her husband Luke and their two children. In 2008, Luke got a job as a game producer at the international computer game company, IO Interactive, which is headquartered in Copenhagen. Isabelle decided early on that she wanted to work during her family s stay in Denmark: We managed to get childcare relatively quickly, and Luke s company made sure I got the help I needed to start looking for a job. After a short while I was offered a job as an account manager for a small Danish company. When that job finished, Isabelle decided that she would pursue an old dream of We feel very safe in Denmark Isabelle Valentine Accompanying spouse Moved to Denmark in 2008 Headteacher of the Montessori International Preschool since 2011 MBA in International Business Married with two children Born in Canada in 1971 8 9
Stanislav Kalianov Localisation manager at Schneider Electric IT Denmark since 2008 Studied computer design in Moscow Worked for many years in Ireland for global IT and computer companies Born in Russia in 1969 Exciting challenges and a good work/life balance A job with managerial responsibilities and exciting IT challenges is what brought Russian Stanislav Kalianov to IT company, Schneider Electric Denmark. His employer and colleagues gave him such a warm welcome that he quickly settled in at work and soon established a good life for himself. He s even found time to develop a passion for cycling. It was easy for Russian Stanislav Kalianov to settle in Denmark and into a Danish workplace, even though the work environment is different from what he s used to. He thrives in his job as localisation manager at Schneider Electric IT Denmark, and enjoys living in the Danish provincial town of Kolding, where the company is based. He credits his employer and colleagues for making this transition so easy. They gave him an overwhelmingly positive reception. I was made to feel welcome and part of the team right from the start. I was especially impressed by the friendly atmosphere and informal tone in the company. During my interview, I was invited to lunch at the staff canteen, and I saw how all employees including top management talked easily with each other over lunch. I really like that. New management job Stas, as he s called at work, started his career at Apple Computer in Russia. He moved to Apple s European headquarters in Ireland, and then to McAfee, which produces anti-virus software. It was around that time back in 2008 that a friend told him that Schneider Electric was looking for someone to manage a new department. I didn t know that much about Denmark. My first visit to the country was when I came for my interview. Actually, I thought the job was going to be in Right from the start I was impressed by the nice atmosphere and informal tone Switzerland. I applied because I wanted to work with a dynamic team and build a new department from scratch. Schneider Electric is a global specialist in data centre energy management and employs 120,000 people worldwide. The division in Kolding has 200 employees, mostly engineers, of which some are from abroad. Stanislav manages a department that develops and translates software to meet the specific needs of customers in other countries. A passion for cycling Stanislav also has a great life outside work. He enjoys living in the countryside surrounded by fields and with the sea nearby. He s a keen cyclist, and he thinks that Denmark is a brilliant place for cycling because it is so flat. He s taken Danish classes for three years, and encourages other employees from abroad to accept the Danish government s offer of free Danish lessons. Stanislav believes that learning Danish really helps you to become integrated. 10 11
Attracted by world-class research It was South African researcher Werner Streicher s first time in Scandinavia when he came to Denmark for his job interview at an international protein research unit. The job was so attractive that he decided to take the plunge. Now he plans to start a family in Denmark with his German girlfriend. It was the major professional challenges that brought me to Denmark. Werner Streicher Associate Professor, Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen Came to Denmark in 2010 Born in South Africa in 1976 Has a girlfriend who lives and studies in Berlin. Would like to settle with her in Denmark The prospect of being part of a leading international research team made Werner Streicher swap his research job in the US for one in Denmark. That was back in 2010. He s now an Associate Professor at the Center for Protein Research at the University of Copenhagen. He d never set foot in Europe before and knew nothing about Denmark, when he came across an online ad for a three-year research job in Copenhagen. It was in his field of research, and included the chance to work with some of the world s leading protein researchers. The opportunity was so tempting that Werner flew to the Danish capital for a job interview and a chance to get a feel for the place. It was the exciting professional challenges that brought me to Denmark. With good contractual terms offered as well, I decided to go for it. But I was not quite sure how I was going to manage without being able to speak a word of Danish, he says. High standard of living For the past two years, Werner has conducted basic protein research with two Danish, two Swedish and one Polish researcher at the University of Copenhagen. The working language is English, and, to Werner s relief, he manages to get by socially without having to complete a Danish course. Danes speak very good English so it s easy to get by, he says. His contract runs for three years, but it can be extended and Werner wants to stay in Denmark. In addition to offering professional opportunities, he has also discovered that Denmark is a good place to live and raise a family. That s what he and his girlfriend would like to do. She s studying history in Berlin but will move to Copenhagen when she s finished her PhD. Denmark has a high standard of living. I have a good pension scheme and free healthcare. The Danish welfare system is very reliable there s always someone to take care of you if you need it. And that s important to me particularly since we re planning to start a family. No more expensive than the US Denmark has a reputation for high taxes, and the Danes are considered to be a bit reserved. Werner disagrees with both of these perceptions. As a foreign researcher, he has a lower tax band, so it s no more expensive for him to live in Denmark than in the US. Taxes are higher in Denmark, but there are many free services, which are expensive in the US. And, once you break the ice, the Danes are really warm and friendly, he says. 12 13
Everybody at work is expected to speak their mind and work independently Sumesh Kumar Quality engineer at Vestas Wind Systems in Denmark since 2010 Previously employed at Vestas Wind Systems in India Qualified engineer, supplemented by a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from India Born in India in 1978 Lives in Ringkøbing, Denmark with his wife and young son Greater freedom at work and time for the family Indian Sumesh Kumar moved to Denmark in 2010 to work as a quality engineer at Danish wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas Wind Systems. Working in Denmark has given Sumesh greater freedom at work and more time for his wife and their young son. This is his third job outside of India, and he and his family want to settle in Denmark. The stillness made the greatest impression on Sumesh Kumar when he landed at a local Danish airport for the first time. He d come to work at the Danish division of wind turbine company, Vestas Wind Systems: The first thing I noticed was that Denmark is nice and quiet. My wife and I come from southern India where there are people shouting and cars beeping all over the place. Suddenly we were in Denmark, and there were only about 15 cars and very few people to be seen. Help at hand for spouse After Sumesh qualified as an engineer, he worked in the Indian industrial sector for eight years before being employed by Vestas Wind Systems. He started at the Vestas division in India before moving to Vestas headquarters in Denmark in 2010. Previously stationed in Malaysia and Dubai, this is Sumesh s first posting in Europe, and he and his family would like to stay in Denmark for a long time. My wife and I are very happy in Denmark. Our son is two years old now, and because Denmark provides state childcare, my wife has been able to look for work. We take Danish lessons, which is going well although the pronunciation is difficult, he says. Vestas Wind Systems has a lot of employees from abroad, including engineers and IT specialists. The company offers assistance with settling in and finding housing. They also have a spouse community, and Sumesh s wife has joined that too. A different work environment The couple live in an apartment in Ringkøbing, a provincial town not far from where Sumesh works. The small commute and shorter working hours compared to India, means he can spend more time with his family. Another pleasant surprise has been the Danish work environment. Sumesh is, among other things, responsible for the implementation of projects on business strategy management. He also takes part in a lot of meetings and is in close contact with colleagues and managers every day. Everything is done differently compared to Asia, so that obviously puts different demands on him: Meetings are often a bit more aggressive in Asia, and you are given fewer opportunities to be heard. Here, everybody at work is valued, expected to speak their mind and work independently. It s a much nicer way to work, and it produces better results. I had to adjust to the Danish work culture at first, but my colleagues have been very supportive. 14 15
Found dream job as an intern According to Adrien Le Gouz de Saint- Seine, an internship at a Danish company greatly increases your chances of permanent employment in Denmark. Adrien studied multimedia design in Denmark and got an internship at Oticon the famous Danish hearing aid manufacturer. He s now permanently employed at Oticon as a project manager. The internship gave me the opportunity to work in areas that interested me the most Adrien Le Gouz de Saint-Seine didn t waste any time when he saw that Oticon was looking for an intern with web experience. He d studied multimedia design at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology (KEA), and an internship at Oticon was exactly what he was looking for: I applied straight away. As an international student in Denmark, it was very important for me to get work experience in a Danish business environment, because I really wanted to stay and work in Denmark after I finished my studies. The internship at Oticon gave me the opportunity to work in the areas that interested me the most, Adrien explains. Handling major projects He got the job and worked at least 20 hours a week beside his studies. He found the job really interesting, and he became responsible for major projects early on. His first project was to develop a French version of Oticon s website. Because he was born and raised in France, he was in a good position to recommend a suitable solution for the French market. Adrien really likes the Danish work environment, which is much less formal than in France. It s characterised by a flat hierarchy and open dialogue between management and employees. And interns have a say too! Adrien first came to Denmark as a trainee at a Danish industrial company, and decided he wanted to stay. Jobs in various marketing departments followed, and when he met his wife-to-be, he decided to supplement his French degree in International Business with a Danish degree in multimedia design. Speaks fluent Danish Adrien was convinced that the key to getting a Danish job was to learn Danish. So he persevered with Danish lessons and took the multimedia design course in Danish, even though it took him longer to do the coursework. His efforts bore fruit: he s now fluent in Danish, English and in French, of course. Adrien Le Gouz de Saint-Seine Student intern at hearing aid manufacturer, Oticon Studied multimedia design in Denmark in 2010 Bachelor of International Business from France Born in France in 1982 Married to a Dane, has one child Right after finishing his multimedia design course, Adrien got a permanent job as a project manager for Oticon. He s responsible for developing new IT systems and websites, and he teaches his colleagues how to use them. I love my job and my life here. I don t have any plans to return to France. 16 17
All the information you need Workindenmark is a free public service for international job seekers and their families, as well as students from abroad. Workindenmark advises people and organisations on everything related to the employment of international employees from recruitment to settling in. We can also help accompanying families of new employees adjust to life in Denmark. Workindenmark.dk is the official Danish website for international recruitment and job seeking. On this site, you ll find all there is to know about living and working in Denmark. The site features: a Job and CV bank, where you can post your CV and look for vacancies at Danish companies; rules on residence and work, etc.; useful information about housing, language courses, relocating your family, etc.; information on how to get your educational and/or professional qualifications assessed; and special sections for students and highly skilled healthcare workers. The website has full English, German and Danish versions, and provides basic information in Polish. Finding and changing jobs Workindenmark can help you to: assess Danish job opportunities that relate to your training and experience; write a short, effective cover letter and CV to attract Danish employers; and ensure that your cover letter and CV are visible to Danish companies. A smooth transition Workindenmark can: advise you on how to get all the neccesary registrations and permits from Danish authorities; provide useful information about Danish workplaces; and ensure that you and your family are prepared for your new life in Denmark, i.e. culture, language, networking, leisure etc. Finding a job for your partner Many spouses and partners want to pursue a professional career during their stay in Denmark, and Workindenmark can provide help in this area. Workindenmark offers: job search courses one-to-one support increased CV exposure internship assistance Workindenmark also offers job-seeking counselling for international students looking for a job during and after their studies. A new job A new life In Denmark Published by the Danish Labour Market Authority, August 2012 Text: Klartekst Graphic design: Karen Krarup Photos: Tomas Bertelsen Print: Prinfo Trekroner A/S 18 19
Contact Workindenmark If you want to know more about living and working in Denmark, feel free to contact us: phone +45 7222 3390 (Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 3:30 pm) email: workindenmark@workindenmark.dk Our recruitment experts are ready to help you with any questions you may have before and after your arrival. You can find contact information for our regional centres at workindenmark.dk