Potential Project in Sweden

[AshRS250]

Had an email come through today from the MD detailing there may be a potential Project for the Company in Sweden over a period of 2 years starting late next year.

Email went to all Contract Managers and QS's and asked if anyone would be interested, also stating Pay, accomodation, visits home, etc can be discussed

I emailed him back stating my interest but would depend on a few things and wish to discuss it further with him.

Spoke to a few guys and they've done the same. They are aiming towards a 3 week over there, 1 week back scenario with a wage increase, but i'm more inclined to up and move there for 2 years and take my OH and young daughter with me and return periodically say every 1 or 2 months for a long weekend or 1 week every 2-3 months. Maybe with the OH returning slightly more often, again hoping for a wage increase for relocating, working away, etc

Has anyone done similar? also what sort of Wage increase, expense package could i hope for / negotiate?

Any help or advice would be much appreciated

Thanks

[davepoth]

At minimum, you're looking at flights back, and a cost of living increase (Sweden is really expensive). I'd also try and swing accommodation so you can keep the house in the UK - if they're willing to do three weeks out and one back they would be putting you up in a hotel anyway so it's not like this is going to cost them any extra.

[AshRS250]

davepoth said:

At minimum, you're looking at flights back, and a cost of living increase (Sweden is really expensive). I'd also try and swing accommodation so you can keep the house in the UK - if they're willing to do three weeks out and one back they would be putting you up in a hotel anyway so it's not like this is going to cost them any extra.

Accommodation was also mentioned in the email. reading it again i would say the company is offering flights there and back at agreed intervals, accomodation and a wage increase.

No time scales for working over there have been mentioned by the MD it was just the other guys in the office saying how they would want to split their time in Sweden and the UK.

Would me willing to near enough fully move over for two years put me in a better position then the other guys?

Also for me to keep the house in the UK i would at least need a wage increase that of what my other half brings home.

[randlemarcus]

You being willing to put in a month's work for a month's wage will put you in a better position than the others, no question.

When the poster above said more expensive, he really really meant it. Have a quick google for prices of a pint etc.

No harm asking for paid accomodation for you and the family over there, then see if you can rent your place out.

[AshRS250]

randlemarcus said:

You being willing to put in a month's work for a month's wage will put you in a better position than the others, no question.

When the poster above said more expensive, he really really meant it. Have a quick google for prices of a pint etc.

No harm asking for paid accomodation for you and the family over there, then see if you can rent your place out.

Yeah already googled that, was the first thing mentioned at work.

[davepoth]

How old's your daughter? It'll be brilliant for her I'd imagine.

[AshRS250]

davepoth said:

How old's your daughter? It'll be brilliant for her I'd imagine.

16 Months, so when the project comes round she'll be roughly 2½. Which will mean we can return to the UK before she starts school.

Which is one of the reason why i'm considering it, as apart from the OH and my daughter (which potentially can come with me) i have no other real ties that would stop me from going

[ClaphamGT3]

The issue that you - and your employer - may well face is how to to avoid you being classed as domiciled in Sweden for tax purposes. If you live there for 2.5 years, working full time and living there with your family, it'll be hard to avoid paying Swedish taxes. Your firm will be reluctant to tax-equalise a package UK/Sweden, believe me!

There are also logistic issues such as your employer needing to have a Swedish trading entity to employ you (which they may well have) and the fact that, if you are deemed to have acquired Swedish employment rights, the cost/liabilityy to your employer will be astronomical.

[tjl]

We did this a few years back. Managed to negotiate housing, tax equalisation, school fees and cost of living adjustment. Have to say it was a fantastic experience both professionally and personally. Our son was 2 1/2 at the time - we were living outside Stockholm and he went to the British Primary School in Djursholm when he reached 3.

[llewop]

I'd have thought a 3:1 week cycle would have 'proper' accomodation, rather than hotel.

One thing to ask when raising the issue of taking your family is the number of flights - the 3:1 cycle effectively means about 12 round trips a year - you might find the number of trips for you including family might be less - such as only one or two trips paid, the rest you'd need to cover yourself.

Tax as someone says is certainly an issue when abroad, even if you can duck the local taxes, getting HMRC squared away can take ages.... What you certainly don't want is to pay both!

[shirt]

not personally, but have worked at a few places with a policy in place for this purpose. the deal was usually:

> UK salary + agreed payrise or secondment allowance.
> the above total factored for cost of living and taxes in the new country of residence.

either

> house bought for agreed market value and mortgage difference for similar type of house paid for 3yrs in new country [this was nixed post housing crash as they took a big hit moving an entire office].

or

> rent paid for in new country.

or

> accom. provided and flights back at regular intervals if you left family in UK.

plus healthcare and schooling if applicable.

[Finlandia]

No real advice, except stay as far away from Swedish taxation as you possibly can!

[AshRS250]

tjl said:

We did this a few years back. Managed to negotiate housing, tax equalisation, school fees and cost of living adjustment. Have to say it was a fantastic experience both professionally and personally. Our son was 2 1/2 at the time - we were living outside Stockholm and he went to the British Primary School in Djursholm when he reached 3.

How did you sort the tax stuff out. And how easy was it for your to enroll your kid into the school, etc.

Did you OH work aswell?

[AshRS250]

shirt said:

not personally, but have worked at a few places with a policy in place for this purpose. the deal was usually:

> UK salary + agreed payrise or secondment allowance.
> the above total factored for cost of living and taxes in the new country of residence.

either

> house bought for agreed market value and mortgage difference for similar type of house paid for 3yrs in new country [this was nixed post housing crash as they took a big hit moving an entire office].

or

> rent paid for in new country.

or

> accom. provided and flights back at regular intervals if you left family in UK.

plus healthcare and schooling if applicable.

Thanks, very useful info

[anonymous-user]

Never worked in Sweeden, but I worked in Norway for a long time, watch out for schooling, state schools are very high std, but private schools are few and far between, state schools use sweedish, can your child mange this? In Norway if your family come with you then all accommodation etc provide by your employer is taxed, as they assume you are renting out your home back in UK and not telling them.
Frankly having worked all ove the world there are better places to be an expat than Scandanvia.

[tjl]

AshRS250 said:

tjl said:

We did this a few years back. Managed to negotiate housing, tax equalisation, school fees and cost of living adjustment. Have to say it was a fantastic experience both professionally and personally. Our son was 2 1/2 at the time - we were living outside Stockholm and he went to the British Primary School in Djursholm when he reached 3.

How did you sort the tax stuff out. And how easy was it for your to enroll your kid into the school, etc.

Did you OH work aswell?

As we were not resident in the UK , we weren't subject to UK tax but were subject to Swedish tax. My company provided an external tax advisor who I met once a year to fill in the swedish tax return. It was fairly straightforward if I recall. The deal I struck with the company was essentially that I would end up with the same after tax income plus cost of living adjustment and that they would suffer any pluses or minuses resulting from different tax regimes. The same with housing - they took the cost of the rental in Sweden and I carried on paying what I would have done if I had stayed in the UK. The general aim was that we wouldn't be worse off as a family taking the assignment and I didn't try to screw them as I really appreciated the opportunity.

My wife didn't work while we were there but she did throw herself into the ex-pat and local communities. The school stuff we organised ourselves after a little initial help from a Swedish colleague.

I would recommend an ex-pat assignment without hesitation. You get to experience so much "stuff" both positive and negative. The positive memories still live with us (this was 15 years ago !). The negatives made us stronger as we tried to figure out how to deal with them.