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‘Dancing is about finding your own way and using your body’

The Local speaks to British writer and dancer Rebecca Rosier about how she and her partner one day decided to pack their bags and move to Sweden.

Published: 31 October 2016 06:59 CET
'Dancing is about finding your own way and using your body'
Life as a dancer in Stockholm. Photo: Private

“The reason I like contemporary dance is that it's about finding your own way and learning to use your body. When you learn how to use your body, the things you can do with it but also its restrictions, it makes your really appreciate it. In classic dancing there's a right way and a wrong way, but in contemporary dance you just find your own way,” Rebecca Rosier animatedly tells The Local.

The 29-year-old writer and dancer is no stranger to finding her own way. She and her partner, Tim, had only visited Sweden once when they decided to pack their bags back home in the UK and move to Stockholm.

“My boyfriend and I are both English. We had lived in London for eight years, but got tired of the city so we moved to the West Country,” she explains.

But leaving the bustling city for a quiet life in the largely rural area of south-western Britain turned out to be too much of a shock to the system, so the couple started thinking about moving again.

“We were looking for a place that wasn't as intense as London but not as relaxed as the West Country. We had visited Stockholm over the summer and thought it was amazing,” she says.

And while most people who talk about moving to a new country never actually take the leap, Rosier and her partner found themselves in Sweden only a few months after the idea was floated.

“We were kind of ready to move somewhere and when we managed to get an apartment in Stockholm we just went for it. I think we were really lucky,” she says.

Rosier has been working for an advertising agency in the Swedish capital on a freelance basis since the couple arrived in January. Her boyfriend, meanwhile, is a website designer and composes music, also as a freelancer. “So there's always jobs for us,” she concludes.


Rebecca Rosier and her boyfriend Tim. Photo: Private

And then there's dancing.

“I've been dancing since I was two years old and then I took a degree in contemporary dance. It's just my favourite thing to do. I love the sensation and I think it's really important to use your body, to express yourself. Especially as adults we don't always get to enjoy ourselves like that.”

Rosier is now trying to set up her own dance classes in the hope that others will discover the same joy, body positivity and free spirit – boosting their mental and physical well-being at the same time.

“I think most of the people who will come are people who used to dance as a child or a teenager and haven't done it in a while, or people who have always wanted to do it – people who are in touch with the idea of dancing but are not in the habit of dancing any more,” she explains.

“I hope it gives them that feeling of happiness and helps them feel confident. A lot of people going to their first class feel anxious and like they have to go in and perform, but it's not like that. You make mistakes and you learn, that's the point,” she says.

Although she probably would not have moved to Sweden without that confidence and belief that mistakes are simply part of life, Rosier says that the move itself has in turn made her feel more sure of herself.

“I like not being in my home town. It feels like there's more freedom to fail since moving to Sweden, it doesn't matter if it doesn't work out. I feel free to try things that I would otherwise have been more apprehensive to try,” she says.


Rebecca Rosier is a professional dancer. Photo: Private

One of her classes starting next week is a choreography class for adults who want to learn modern style dance technique and to choreograph dance for informal performances. The other is a BarreConcept class, starting this week, an increasingly popular exercise workout inspired by pilates and traditional ballet.

“You do most of the class at the barre. It's a lot of ballet-based movements but good functional strength that you need if you are, for example, a runner. It's not high-intensity workout, but it develops the muscles that you need. It has made my core and legs stronger,” she says.

But even if the classes take off, Rosier has no plans on giving up her freelance job in writing.

“I really like doing a lot of different things, I never liked sticking to one thing. I think you can learn a lot in a different field of work that can help you in your other field of work,” she explains.

And for those who may be reading this from countries outside of Sweden who hope to one day also pack their bags and experience life beyond their home country, she has one piece of advice.

“If you want to move, you should definitely try it, but you have to be prepared for how long it takes to settle in. When we moved here we thought 'yeah, we're going to make loads of friends', but it takes time and you can't rush it. But I found Swedes to be super friendly and welcoming.”

So will she stay in Stockholm? Well, that's for the future to decide.

“I like to keep my options open, but I've grown to love Sweden a lot and every time I go somewhere new I love it more. I'm really pleased. The first month I was like 'ah, what have I done', but now I think it is one of the best decisions I've made.”

For members

READER INSIGHTS

How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who’ve been there, done that

The Swedish job market poses unique challenges for newcomers. The Local's readers share their best tips for cracking the career code.

Published: 10 April 2024 11:32 CEST
Updated: 13 April 2024 15:50 CEST
How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who've been there, done that

Network, network, network!

A statistic that often gets tossed around is that seven out of ten jobs in Sweden are obtained through personal connections, and there’s no doubt that a good network is crucial to your job hunt, making the labour market extra challenging for newcomers to the country.

In fact, networking was the main tip mentioned by The Local’s readers.

“The job market is quite hot in Sweden, and talent is in short supply. People hiring do not have a lot of time to find the right talent, and tips from friends, colleagues and former colleagues are the way to first, find out organisations are hiring, and secondly, get your CV on the short list,” said Kyle, a Canadian reader who works in innovation management in Gothenburg.

“If you are going for a major employer like Volvo, network gets you in the door, as HR does not have much to do with hiring… the hiring managers do all of it and have no time, due to the insane number of consensus meetings. If you are looking for smaller organisations, they have even less time to find people, and networking is their primary way to find talent,” he added.

NETWORKING IN SWEDEN:

Some of the networking tips readers mentioned were going to job fairs, getting an internship to help you establish connections in your preferred field, joining clubs (this could be anything from your local gardening association to meetups for coders, but focus on clubs that may be popular among people working in your chosen field), and drawing on your organic network of friends, neighbours and others.

Don’t neglect the groundwork

The saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” is getting worn out (and people may look at you funny if you turn up to interviews in a Batman suit), but there’s truth to the notion of making sure you know what you want – and preparing for it.

In other words, don’t wait for a job ad to appear before you start to customise your CV and figure out what skill set you need. Create your CV now so that you’re ready to tweak it to your dream job – you could even have a general look at job ads in your field to see what requirements are needed. And don’t forget to spruce up your LinkedIn profile so that it fits with your career goals.

“I believe that several factors contribute to successfully landing a desirable job in Sweden. It’s essential to prepare to meet the requirements beyond just having a university degree. Many individuals realise these requirements only after completing their studies when they start searching for a job, which can be too late,” said Adnan Aslam from Pakistan, who works as a food inspector.

“I recommend identifying the job advertisements for positions you aspire to hold in the future and then preparing for those requirements during your studies. For me, acquiring a basic level of proficiency in the Swedish language and obtaining a Swedish driving licence were crucial. I pursued these goals during my studies and was able to secure a desirable job before graduating,” he added.

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Felipe Cabral even has a GPT assistant trained on his own CVs and old cover letters, and said the set-up only takes ten minutes if you already have your documents. “With that in place, you can give instructions like: Read this job description and create a tailored version of my CV and letter for it. (…) Remember to always review and ask it not to create data aside from your documents.”

Be flexible and ready to adapt

Moving to a new place inevitably means having to learn not just the practicalities such as how to write a CV or which websites to use to look for job openings, but also learning how to navigate a new culture with all its unspoken expectations.

Swedish workplaces are generally less hierarchical than many other countries, but that doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want whenever you want without anyone raising an eyebrow. Swedes are usually direct, but be careful of being too abrasive or boastful: raising your voice, even during a spirited argument, or banging your own drum to show off your skills may not go down well.

“Talk, deliberate, complain like a Swede and you’ll come across like you know what the job entails, so your trustworthiness increases,” said an Indian data analyst who preferred to remain anonymous.

“Office politics are just as strong in Sweden as anywhere else. The flat hierarchy is deceiving as social hierarchy is enforced quite a bit in that lack of formal hierarchy. Take your time in learning these dynamics wherever you work before revealing your talent and capabilities. Expect those internal politics to happen, and they won’t hurt so much when they do,” said Kyle, the Canadian reader in Gothenburg.

This article about Swedish office politics may be useful.

Stay true to yourself

Adapting to your surroundings is one thing. Completely changing who you are is another.

For one thing, your happiness is as important as your career progression, and for another, your foreignness need not be an impediment: it’s also a skill that sets you apart from the rest. It means you have unique experience, and also, in the right setting, provides an opportunity to sometimes violate those social rules we mentioned above, because people assume you will, anyway.

“Trust is key. Build trust in your network, work with integrity. It’s OK to violate jantelagen if you are maintaining integrity. Sometimes your outsider and more honest/open opinion will burn bridges, especially those that may feel threatened by talent. But it will build trust with other colleagues who see it as brave and more trustworthy to work with,” said Kyle from Canada.

Hunker down for the long haul

We don’t want to scare you, because there are plenty of examples of people who quickly find their dream job in Sweden and settle into their new workplace, enjoying perks such as long summer holidays, generous parental leave and the famous work-life balance.

But if you do find it tougher than you expected: know that you’re not alone.

Several readers who responded to the survey said they were still trying to find a job in Sweden.

“I found jobs all over Europe but not here. They say they have a lack of experienced senior engineers but the don’t seem to be doing much to solve this,” said a Brazilian in Gothenburg.

A reader from Bangladesh said she was “at a loss” as to how to make a career change from her current AI role in Stockholm, despite many years of experience as an IT project manager.

“Over the past 18 months, I’ve submitted over 600 applications to various organisations. Unfortunately, despite being overqualified for some positions, I’ve faced rejections at every turn, from both large and small companies. The job market here, especially for foreign-born women, feels overwhelmingly challenging,” she said, adding that the struggle had impacted her mental health.

The Local has on several occasions reported on foreign residents’ struggle to get a foot on the Swedish job ladder, with many facing hurdles such as employers’ unfamiliarity with international degrees, discrimination, or a lack of network that can provide paths into a company.

So during the job hunt, don’t forget to care for yourself. Share your concerns with fellow job-seekers, ask for help and join networking groups – this is good not just for creating new contacts, but also in terms of your social well-being and meeting people who are in a similar situation.

And finally, as one British reader in Stockholm advised, keep looking: “Be open-minded with the opportunities that present themselves. It isn’t an easy market to enter and doesn’t feel inclusive.” But he added, “don’t give up”.

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