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Learning Swedish the easy way

As an expatriate - or future expatriate - in Sweden, learning the language is probably one of the first issues you have had to deal with when preparing your departure. Indeed, there is every chance that, at the time of departure, you will have no or hardly any knowledge of Swedish.

Published: 17 March 2014 15:00 CET
Updated: 24 April 2014 15:00 CEST
Learning Swedish the easy way
58And for a good reason: as Swedish is neither famous for being easy nor for being widely spoken outside of Sweden, you might be tempted to settle for English. 

English, the international, the universal language, understood by all and spoken by all… the prospect may seem attractive, but sticking to English is risky. While some people assume that the “job” of an expatriate boils down to finding work and a place to live, this is far from the truth. Settling abroad for a long time doesn’t only mean getting an apartment and a job and calling one’s family back home once a week, as you have always done. Moving to a foreign country implies immersing yourself in it, getting involved in the local and national culture in order to fit in. And what is the basis of integration? The language, of course. As a link to culture, dialogue, encounters… and a way to get people to trust you. Speaking the local language is therefore the key to a successful business, following the principle of exchanging and sharing.

Of course, at first sight, learning Swedish might seem a daunting task. Considered complicated and boring, Swedish is, however, a language like any other, a language that anyone is able to learn as long as they are ready and motivated… and as long as they take quality Swedish courses!

Studying Swedish? I can already hear your objections: “Studying Swedish is useless. I can speak English and as for Swedish, I am going to drop into the nearest bar, right below my apartment to meet local people and get to know the language and culture better over a glass of aquavit.”

However attractive this might seem, you should consider this: although situations of everyday life, professional relationships and even administrative tasks are as many opportunities to practise Swedish, and although this daily practice will allow you to acquire useful bases and learn idiomatic expressions, it cannot– and never will – replace intensive courses in total immersion taught by qualified teachers (And you have to admit that a bar isn’t exactly the best place for learning business Swedish…).

There is a solution that combines both approaches (Swedish lifestyle and language course): lear8ning Swedish in the teacher’s home through intensive business-oriented Swedish courses. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to benefit from an effective methodology with clear objectives and qualified teachers recognized by quality control organisations. Your best bet is to book your stay with a certified organisation, specialised in the organisation of long-term language travels and courses around the world… including, of course, in Sweden!

Among the plethora of organisations that provide these kind of services, Swiss agency ESL – La88.nguage Studies Abroad has, with 15 years’ experience in the sector, a stellar reputation among language learners.

ESL – Language Studies Abroad is an agency like no other. It does not just offer attractive holidays. Instead, it has specialised in the organisation of language courses abroad for example, language courses in Sweden and offers (for instance) a language school in the8 teacher’s home, HLI – It is a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the country at your own pace while enjoying tailor-made business-oriented tuition, adapted to your specific objectives.

Here is the concept: before your professional stay, you go and live directly in your teacher’s home for several weeks. Thus, you get the best of both worlds: daily life in an authentic Swedish family AND intensive language tuition, taught by a qualified teacher. The advantages of this type of programme are various and varied, especially for professionals: possibility to choose the place of stay, personalised language programme, choice of the intensity and content (ideal for people who need to acquire language skills specific to their field of activity), immersion in the Swedish lifestyle (meal at the teacher’s, outings, readings, etc.) and exclusivity (you are your teacher’s only student during the entire duration of your stay). In this way, you won’t get a chance to break character and speak English or your mother tongue. Which is a considerable asset if you want to learn the language in the best conditions.

Based in Montreux, Switzerland, ESL has an office in Göteborg. For 15 years, it has been providing courses for adults, executives and professionals wishing to improve their knowledge of Swedish in Sweden with an entirely personalised programme. Finally, ESL was elected best agency in Europe by its peers in 2010 during the LTM Star Awards ceremony in London – a prestigious ceremony that recognizes the best language travel agencies in the world. In case it wasn’t clear already, this recognition is yet another proof of ESL’s competence and dedication to its clients.

This article was produced by The Local and sponsored by ESL

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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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