Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

JOBS

‘I decided: no more accounting, and opened a yoga studio in Sweden’

Having gone from working as an auditor in sunny Florida, USA, to running an international yoga studio in chilly Malmö, Sweden, a lot has changed for Bethany Henderson in the last three years. Oh, and did we mention she used to be a professional wakeskater?

Published: 30 January 2017 06:59 CET
'I decided: no more accounting, and opened a yoga studio in Sweden'
A former auditor and professional wakeskater, Bethany Henderson now teaches Yoga in Malmö. Photo: Bethany Henderson

“My parents own a big training facility for watersports and wakeskating in Florida. My dad is the top coach in the world for wakeboarding and people came from all over just to train with him in Orlando. I grew up with that,” she tells The Local.

“My undergraduate was in accounting in the US, then when I moved here I was transferred with the company I was working for as an auditor. I also did my Masters in accounting here in Lund as well. After that I decided – nope, no more accounting, and opened a yoga studio.”

But let's rewind a little: Henderson didn't quite go from ditching accounting to opening a studio overnight. Originally, yoga was something she took up to help with her wakeskating, over ten years ago.

“I still do wakeskating for fun, as a hobby, but competing was really hard on the body. I travelled around and competed professionally in international competitions, but you can only do it for so long. You get a lot of injuries, which is how I got into yoga, because it was really great cross-training while I was competing,” she explains.

“When I started working corporate, yoga was really a safe haven for me, being able to make it to yoga class no matter how long I had been working balance my mind, and got my body moving after sitting for so long.”

What started out as a way to help with her sport and escape her day job gradually evolved into something Henderson would share with her family and friends. After moving to Sweden, she started to teach them, and the positive feedback sparked something of a eureka moment.

“While I was studying for my Masters I was teaching on the side as a hobby for friends and family. I got a lot of positive feedback, so from that I decided to do my 200 hours' training, which for yoga is what you need to elevate yourself as a teacher.”

“I came back and sat down and decided, 'OK, I can do this full time'. I started with another company which I still have, beYoga Sweden. I started teaching at Lund University, founding a program there collaborating with Erasmus.”


Teaching students in Sweden. Photo: Bethany Henderson

The ball was rolling, and it soon picked up some momentum.

“After about half a year Malmö University recruited me to do the same program there, and I still work with them today. My ambition was to make yoga available for students and also international students, because when I first started teaching there were no classes in English,” she recounts.

“They were also quite expensive. So my goal was to make it accessible, with the language, and affordable for students. I still teach cheap classes for students at the university to help develop the community there.”

There was evidently a market for accessible, English-language yoga in Malmö, but it wasn't all straightforward in the early days. In hindsight, the American regrets not taking all of the help available to her in Sweden when she first started her company – even if the information sometimes wasn't obvious.

“With my original company, it was quite tricky in the beginning because at that point I didn't speak any Swedish. In principle filling in the paperwork is simple, but you have to know where to go and who to talk to, and someone to help you fill it out, because it has to be done in Swedish,” she notes.

“I knew for example that Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden's employment agency) existed, but in the US an employment agency is a different thing. It's obviously not a negative place here, they're so helpful, but I didn't go for so long. Then when I did, the line was so long, and I thought 'OK, I have a Masters degree, I can do this on my own'.”

“That's something I regret because they can give you a lot of help with your business. So if anyone reads this – I would really want them to know, go there, get the advice, because they can be so helpful, and do it before you do anything else.”


We're pretty sure we'd be unable to smile while doing that. Photo: Bethany Henderson

In 2016, an unexpected development occurred when Henderson was offered the chance to get into a partnership with a friend in charge of a yoga studio in the centre of Malmö. By September of that year, she and Tess Kestere were running Yoga Roots, the first English-language yoga studio in the Swedish city.

“With the studio, I wasn't looking to start my own physical studio space, but my friend Tess, who I first worked with creating a lot of events together with in the city, got an opportunity for the space. She thought of me to go in and create the business together,” she says.

“We're right in the centre of the city, it's amazing. We describe it as a hidden oasis, because you can't really see it from the street, it's more word of mouth. We're working to develop it that way. We're so lucky.”

The reaction to the studio has been overwhelmingly positive. Some of the good feedback from internationals in Malmö is particularly satisfying for Henderson, given her own experience when she first moved there.

“I just had coffee with an American woman who moved last week, and she said 'wow, it's amazing to have classes in English, it feels just like coming home to me'. Which is really nice, so that's the goal.”

“For me, when I moved to Sweden I wanted to find a studio here, but I couldn't find a space that felt just right. As an English speaker in a Swedish class it isn't the same experience. You need to listen a lot deeper, it's not just move your hand here or there, there are different layers. So when I had the opportunity to start something solely in English and give people what I didn't have, it was a really special thing,” she observes.


Not one for the amateurs. Photo: Bethany Henderson.

Along with the language side of things, another unique selling point for the studio is having the first barre classes in the city (an increasingly trendy ballet-inspired exercise concept). It's perhaps no surprise to learn that plenty of Swedes are coming along too.

“We're open to everyone. We have a few people who will come and speak to me in Swedish rather than English – I do one on one adjustments in Swedish, so I can do that too, because we both speak the language. We have a lot of Swedish students from before coming to the studio too. The idea is to just be an open space: so you don't have to be Swedish to be comfortable, but if you are, you're welcome too,” Henderson emphasizes.

“People have been very enthusiastic. We premiered barre two weeks ago, I joined the class, we were booked wall-to-wall. It's a tough workout. A lot of people when they think of barre think of ballet, which of course is tough, but Tess also plays exciting music, and it's a more up-beat, modern workout than even I expected. I was sweating by the end of the class,” she laughs.

And if that's not enough to pull people in, the studio also has something of a mascot in the form of a cute dog, Leo, which no doubt helps.

“My yoga dog, Leo!” she laughs. “He's eight months old so he stays home a lot now, but in the beginning he used to come to the studio when he was younger, so hopefully he can come back – he is missed by many of the students!”

Beyond the return of Leo, the yoga instructor has bigger plans for the future. At the top of the list is to travel more with her work.

“For me, my goal is to be more international, so I'll be travelling a lot this year, to teach throughout Europe and the US. So on a personal level, I'm expanding. I'm going to start doing online classes and expanding outwards like that. Which of course will promote the studio as well.”

As for the wakeskating, that's temporarily on hold, at least while the Florida native is in colder climes.

“Coming from Florida, the cold is rough! You can go out in a full suit and train, but it's not as enjoyable in my opinion. I haven't done it yet here, I'm too chicken. I went to the kallbad (a Swedish cold water bathhouse) for the first time last weekend because cold water isn't my thing. But when I go back the US I still do it for fun.”

And her parting advice for any other internationals considering starting a company in Sweden? Dive in.

“There's really nothing to lose. Why not try it? Go to Arbetsförmedlingen, talk to them, have a plan. As long as you're passionate about something, I truly believe you can make it work. I live my day to day on my ideas and passions, to make things happen, and in the last few years I've really seen such growth in my ideas and projects. The sky is the limit, right?”

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.

READ ALSO:

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”.

SHOW COMMENTS