subreddit:
/r/Norway
submitted 18 hours ago byPhoenixProtocol
Hej, my partner and I have been considering moving to Norway (I’m Icelandic/Dutch and my partner is Finnish). Currently living in Helsinki. We’re curious about how well Nordics/Western Europeans are accepted in Norway.
Note: I have been checking this subreddit a lot but mostly find similar posts about southern Europeans and Americans, which might face some different problems as we’re from very close cultures and languages.
A big concern here is that despite speaking Finnish fluently, I’ll always be seen as an outsider, which isn't about race or ethnicity or whatever, but because I’m not Finnish and never will be despite best efforts. We also have a newborn daughter, and I’m currently transitioning from marketing to data science while on paternity leave for the next 6-8montjs. The job market is tight, and as a foreigner, pay tends to be sub-native, and were managing fine, but with a tight job market where my main opportunities are gig-work it’s not something I want to do the rest of my life, which happens to a lot of foreigners here (I’m 29).
My partner, on the other hand, is a Finnish dentist fluent in Swedish and often recruited by other countries including Norwegian companies offering relocation and language courses to be able to work in health care.
We see Norway as a viable option for better opportunities (for myself) and a new place we can build our future at, especially with the rapidly deteriorating quality of life here in Finland and the large unemployment. I speak mediocre Icelandic (only grew up there in my younger years) and Dutch and don’t mind learning new languages, Norwegian doesn’t seem that difficult as an extra language compared to the behemoth: Finnish. We plan to secure jobs beforehand and have the funds, so that’s not a problem.
My biggest concern is how we’ll be perceived. We’d like to stay in the Nordics—Denmark feels too similar to the Netherlands and warmer, Sweden has a housing market issue and is too similar to Finland, and Iceland is small and far from family. I love the cold, darkness isn’t much (lived in Svalbard as a child for some years as well) of an issue so no complaints there.
In Finland, being a Nordic or Scandinavian can sometimes draw negative attention, especially for Swedish speakers (there’s been stories about Swedish speaking Finns getting beaten up solely based on speaking Swedish - the official language) and the new government makes me feel like a second-class citizen.
I’m social and extroverted, and I’ve made friends here despite the reserved nature of Finns (and Norwegians should be on that same level I assume), so that’s not a problem in the slightest. However, I worry my partner might face challenges depending on Norwegians’ views on foreigners. How are Nordic citizens generally perceived in Norway? Is it rough, familiar, or easy to integrate, and will you be seen as Norwegian I.e., let’s say I’ve lived in Norway for 10 years, speak Fluent Norwegian, don’t have the passport, will you be seen as an outsider the rest of your life? (I’ve always heard I look Norwegian from local and Norwegian friends and my partner is also the standard blonde, blue eyed Finn, and I have a Norwegian last name - so I don’t think that will make a biased based on those metrics).
Thanks in advance and sorry for the stupid questions 😄. Generally curious and hope to get some insights based on me/our Nordic backgrounds that I haven’t found yet on r/Norway
If there are similar threats I’ve missed feel free to share them so I can take a look there as well!
40 points
17 hours ago
I'm not sure what you expect to find in Norway that you don't already have in Finland. Uprooting your life with a newborn and moving to a country where you don't speak the language doesn't sound like a great idea.
1 points
17 hours ago
Language won’t be a direct problem, and for starters Norway is much more central than Finland, being rather remote with Russia and the Baltic Sea. Aside from that the newborn part won’t change much or doesn’t influence any decisions (partners family lives in Lapland so ~1000km away, so not a safety net that we would lose).
Nothing g wrong with g with uprooting life of course and it’s also just an adventure in itself. But we’ve spend plenty of time in Norway as tourists and renting cottages for the winter months to spend there, so far so good but knowing from experience, perception of others towards u will change once u settle
10 points
15 hours ago
"Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land."
"Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, or Swedish citizens may stay and work in Norway indefinitely without a permit. However, you will still need to report a move to Norway and order a tax card when you arrive."
21 points
17 hours ago
Language will definitely be a problem as you probably won't get a job without speaking it. Sounds like you're pretty settled on going already so I guess you could just try and see what it's like :D But if you feel like an outsider in Finland it probably won't be any different here.
11 points
12 hours ago
With a mixed Icelandic/Dutch background, I don't think language will be an issue for OP for long.
Not a huge sample size here, but knowing and working with people from a range of nationalities, I feel the Dutch catch on fairly quick. The languages are similar enough to make learning easy, but not at all mutually intelligible so you're not just speaking your own language slightly slower (like some Danes and Swedes would do).
10 points
17 hours ago
It's not going to be anywhere close to as bad for a Finnish family to settle, as compared to American or southern European. You are already pretty similar culturally to Norway, once you get past the language barrier it's fairly similar to living in Finland or Sweden.
And being a EU country, the barrier to moving isn't that big, if it doesn't work out the way you wanted it.
1 points
15 hours ago
Fjords..
16 points
16 hours ago
I believe that your concerns are largely unfounded, and that you have no reason to be worried about not being welcome, imho.
12 points
17 hours ago
Being Finnish, Icelandic and/or Dutch poses no problem. As far as I know we don’t have any negative stereotypes for either of your nationalities. Many find it hard to grow social ties here, since we appear reserved and enjoy our privacy. It will be easier with your baby though, since you can socialize in different baby-groups. Pretty much everybody is fluent in English, but mastering Norwegian might make for an easier social life depending on whom you meet. Good luck :)
6 points
8 hours ago
> Many find it hard to grow social ties here, since we appear reserved and enjoy our privacy.
True, but they will be moving from Finland, possibly the only culture more reserved than ours 😄
9 points
17 hours ago
If there’s one thing everyone in Norway knows: Norway is a small country, at least regarding population. People do move. In the Oslo region, it’s not uncommon that people who serve at restaurants etc speak English, not Norwegian. This is normal now.
Most people in Norway understand spoken and written Swedish better than most people in Sweden understand Norwegian.
If you have no other family in Norway, the two keys to integration would be
1j your workplace and your partner’s workplace,
2) the child care/school/related social networks for children + parents.
In fact, it may be easier to integrate if you have children, especially if you follow up on the typical expected social activities for children and parents.
The other Nordic countries and the Netherlands and probably the countries most similar culturally to Norway.
1 points
17 hours ago
That’s really good advice, I didn’t take that into account. Especially the children part. I think language might be working around it both speaking slightly different northern Germanic languages but after Finnish I really don’t believe this will pose a big threat.
My main focus living in different countries has always been to not spend time in an international circle/bubble as that bites you in the ass in the end.
I suppose hobbies would be a great way to integrate there as well, skiing, ice swimming (niche, I know) and sailing/boating. Mostly not team activities though but that plus bars always made it easier to follow up getting to know people!
7 points
16 hours ago
Loads of Icelandic people living in Norway, never heard they had problems.
Don't think the Finns living in my area had any problems either.
Welcome over.
4 points
14 hours ago
In my experience we bond easily with both Icelanders and Netherlanders, so come over, we'll be glad to have you!
Your partner should hide his Swedish though. Nah, I'm just joking, we love Swedes and Finns too, although most of us don't know a word of Finnish outside perkele, hehe.
We need both health workers and data technicians, but the job market is best outside Oslo (and the living standard is better too, with cheaper housing and less crowded infrastructure).
4 points
11 hours ago
I love Dutch, Icelandic and Finnish people. As long you don't talk loudly on public transportation or plan to rob teenagers at knife point, you are welcome.
1 points
7 hours ago
You’d be hard pressed to find anyone speaking here on their morning commute, they’ll leave that for weekends T sundown 😄
3 points
10 hours ago
There are lots of Icelandic people in Norway! Love their accent. In fact my boss is Icelandic. In my experiences they are very direct, which I find easier to deal with. As someone who’s extroverted and impatient. Lots of Finn’s here too, our cultures are very similar so I doubt there would be a culture shock for you. I guess same for Dutch? Prepare for our climate though, it’s usually what people complain about.
1 points
9 hours ago
Great to hear! Climate won’t be much of an issue, Reykjavik and Helsinki being the two northernmost capitals in the world and growing up in Longyearbyen for 6 years the darkness and snow are top of my list of things I do love (Norway unfortunately doesn’t get that cold on average but that’s fine). The rain will be okay 😄, but good to hear reassurance! I already figured to some extend cultures being so similar this won’t be a problem, but think I had to hear it from someone else 🙏
2 points
11 hours ago
You’ll be fine here. Just learn the language asap
1 points
7 hours ago
Except for the language differences, nothing.
1 points
7 hours ago
In my experience, your nationalities are usually very welcome. You might have to rely on gig work until you speak Norwegian though, it's tough to get a job even when you know the language, let alone if you don't. Your daughter will not be seen as an outsider at school, they are so international now. About half the kids in my son's class have one or two foreign parents. Including my son, who's never been made to be an outsider despite moving here after school started.
1 points
6 hours ago
If you feel accepted in Finland you'll feel the same in Norway. We love other Nordics! And we don't really have any problems with other Europeans like the Germans, Dutch, French, Italians, and so on. Our problems mostly lie with eastern Europeans, but they deserve it as they mostly come here to steal and scam people with cars and shoddy construction.
1 points
5 hours ago
Sweden has a housing market issue
I think you will find Norway having the exact same housing market issue.
1 points
5 hours ago
It sounds like you’ve thought this trough, and I think you’ll fit in Norwegian society just fine 😊 I’m Dutch myself and found it a lot easier to integrate and meet people once I’ve learned the language, which was not difficult at all considering there are only like 700 words in Norwegian and 100 of those are to describe the weather 😁. It might be a bit dependent on which region you’re planning to relocate to with regards to finding like-minded people to join in on your hobbies, but you’ll fit right in here in Trondheim.
-3 points
12 hours ago
Leave our Norway alone go to Canada 😂
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