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Your fastest route to learning Swedish

Want to learn Swedish but feel stuck? You’re not alone. While many international people who move to Sweden get by with English, doing so can create a gnawing sense that you’re not fully embracing your new life and the opportunities it could offer. 

Published: 16 February 2022 08:06 CET
Your fastest route to learning Swedish
Gerard Fauria from Catalonia is learning Swedish at SIFA

But if you want a challenge, the City of Stockholm offers a range of free, intensive Swedish courses that can help you make rapid progress towards fluency. These courses, provided by SIFA (Stockholms intensivsvenska för akademiker), which is part of the city’s adult education programmes, include three Sfx programmes for professionals, as well as two more options for intensive studies in Swedish without a vocational orientation.

Students come from across the world – but you’ll only study with classmates with a similar level of Swedish to yourself and who are ready to study at a fast pace. We spoke to two SIFA students about the courses and how what they’re learning is giving them new optimism about their future lives in Sweden. 

Discover all SIFA’s intensive courses in Swedish (apply by April 15th to start studying in May)

A big milestone

“Before SIFA, I felt like I was still living like a tourist in Sweden,” says Alesia Peshku, a student taking Intensive Swedish for economists, lawyers and other social scientists – SFEJ. “You might know a little Swedish but you’re not part of the conversation that brings you closer to the social life or cultural life. After starting at SIFA, it became so much easier to pick up on what’s going on around me and discuss that with my colleagues. I’ve also had the opportunity to read many books in Swedish and that’s a big milestone for me.”

Alesia, originally from Albania, moved to Sweden in 2017 to do a Master’s in international marketing. While she was enthusiastic about learning Swedish at first, she admits she lost motivation after enrolling with the “chaotic” nationwide Swedish for immigrants (SFI) programme, which she says had “a lot of students and no clear curriculum”.

By contrast, SIFA’s Swedish courses are aimed at graduates who want accelerated learning and you can be sure that nobody new will join your class during a course. You start studying at the level that’s right for you and even a beginner can complete six or seven nine-week courses in 18 months – leaving you fully prepared to work or study in Swedish.

Alesia Peshku in the Swedish city of Västerås

A ‘super-motivating’ study structure

Alesia, who started at SIFA in January 2021, is now on SVA2 and will soon be moving onto the final course, SVA3 (SVA stands for svenska som andraspråk – Swedish as a second language). So, what sets SIFA apart? 

“The study pace, the quality of the content and having a plan,” she says. “It’s been super-motivating to know that I’m going to start a course, and in nine weeks I’m going to take an exam and move on to the next one. The teachers are also genuinely caring and want you to progress.” 

Her course is one of three Sfx programmes for professionals, along with Intensive Swedish for engineers and architects – SFINX and Intensive Swedish for educators – SFP. Alesia, who lives in Bromma, studies remotely for around 30 hours per week (including regular meetings with her teacher, group sessions and lots of studying in her own time), while also working full-time as a marketing consultant. 

“You can live in Sweden and speak English,” she says. “It’s just that knowing Swedish gets you into different conversations – in that sense, it’s life-changing as you learn more about what people here think and feel.”

She’s also delighted with the impact on her career. “I work for different clients and with one of them, I had almost all the communication in Swedish, which was very, very good,” she says. “Learning Swedish not only boosts your confidence but also your access to the Swedish jobs market.” 

The fast way to fluency: learn more about SIFA’s Swedish courses for professionals (apply by April 15th to start studying in May)

Drop the apps to get serious

In addition to the well-established courses for professionals, SIFA also now offers Intensive studies in Swedish with no vocational orientation to residents of the City of Stockholm (Stockholms Stad). There are two options within this: a full-time classroom course and a part-time course (which you do remotely). The classroom element takes place at SIFA’s school in Södermalm in central Stockholm, although it is currently split between classroom and remote learning due to Covid-19).

Gerard Fauria, from Catalonia, moved to Stockholm to be with his Swedish boyfriend last year and says he had already picked up some Swedish during their six-year relationship. But his level has improved dramatically in just three months since he began an intensive classroom course at SIFA.

“Obviously, I started out with Duolingo as everyone does,” smiles Gerard, who lives in Södermalm. “I think it’s good if you take it as a hobby, but it’s not so good if you really want to learn the language.”

Photos: Gerard Fauria in the classroom at SIFA/Alesia Peshku in Stockholm

When he moved to Sweden in April 2021, he tried with the language but found it a struggle to express himself. “I usually spoke Swedish with my boyfriend’s mum but I wasn’t comfortable and it was really hard to make a point,” he says. “The good thing with SIFA is that everyone is used to studying in a fast way. It’s a great way to get immersed in the language.” 

Gerard studies for between 30 and 40 hours per week, with around 20 hours of classes (some in the classroom and some remotely), as well as homework that includes essays and preparing presentations. While there are only seven or eight students in his class, they include people from the US, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Hungary, Tunisia and Vietnam.

The diverse student group really appreciates the Swedish approach to teaching. “I’ve had the same teacher twice, which is great,” he says. “We have to give her written feedback every second or third week and she takes it seriously and tries to adapt the class accordingly.” 

Gerard is currently working in a restaurant, but he has a degree in law and economics and says he’s almost ready to start applying for Swedish jobs in these fields. “Now I would feel comfortable working in a Swedish environment, so I feel like SIFA is doing a great job,” he says.

Want to learn Swedish? Take a look at all SIFA’s courses – and apply by April 15th to begin on the fast-track to fluency in May  

Member comments

  1. Isn’t there a similar programme in Malmö or Skane? How’s this programme different than other SFI Swedish programmes?

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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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