Moving to Norway from the UK

Moving to Norway from the UK

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NRS

22,079 posts

200 months

Wednesday 11th January 2017
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NordicCrankShaft said:
I've been told also that if someone does this you get some sort of notification telling you who it is. I guess it's probably similar to when you get a letter when a company performs a credit check.
eek I can't remember if I checked, but I think I might have checked a few colleagues to get an idea on likely salary development going different ways in the system...! Oops! tongue out

ETA: Seems it is true when you log into the tax system:

http://www.skatteetaten.no/no/Person/Skatteoppgjor...

No one has searched for me it seems.

Edited by NRS on Wednesday 11th January 23:02

MarshPhantom

9,658 posts

136 months

Wednesday 11th January 2017
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Without wishing to be controversial, why on earth would anyone want to move from the UK to Norway?

NordicCrankShaft

1,721 posts

114 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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MarshPhantom said:
Without wishing to be controversial, why on earth would anyone want to move from the UK to Norway?
If you read the thread from start to finish it think there plenty of reasons listed why. It's for everyone granted.

RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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MarshPhantom said:
Without wishing to be controversial, why on earth would anyone want to move from the UK to Norway?
This depends entirely on the person; everyone's different and every country is different, so you'll obviously get some people who fit in with places and some who don't. Personally I rarely go to the pub; love the outdoors, fresh air and open spaces; hate cities (especially suburbs and urban sprawl) and dislike a lot of things about Britain (mainly the overcrowding, people and food, but also our attitude to fresh air and exercise and lack of sports facilities). I also love seafood and can't seem to find fresh fish anywhere where I live and work hehe If it wasn't for my hatred of the cold, I'd seriously consider moving to Norway. I even speak a little Norwegian. Despite my dislike of cities, I actually quite like Oslo and you're never far from countryside, even in Oslo itself. Norway isn't perfect, but it's generally seen as a favourable place to live for people from all over Europe.

KemP

492 posts

206 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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An Exige or Elise? Are you sure you have enough clearance from the sump to road. The interesting roads to drive on down here are very bumpy.

As much as Id like something fun parked on the drive, it wouldn't get used as much as the boat. Plus the speeding issue is too greater a risk. The Octavia we have is more than capable of losing your license.

Worlds most expensive RAV4 towing the best toy i have ever owned.

fgsdgfsf by kempy535, on Flickr


KemP

492 posts

206 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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MarshPhantom said:
Without wishing to be controversial, why on earth would anyone want to move from the UK to Norway?
Did you read any of the above?

Its not for everyone. For those of us to get it, we are happy. In fact maybe we should delete this thread as too not to let everyone else in on it.

NRS

22,079 posts

200 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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KemP said:
An Exige or Elise? Are you sure you have enough clearance from the sump to road. The interesting roads to drive on down here are very bumpy.

As much as Id like something fun parked on the drive, it wouldn't get used as much as the boat. Plus the speeding issue is too greater a risk. The Octavia we have is more than capable of losing your license.
I think an Exige/ Elise would probably be ok in general. Some roads you would have to be a bit careful though.

I had some use of a friend's boat for a bit, but didn't find it super interesting. Nothing to "aim" at when driving so then it's down to fishing which is good fun but I don't do it enough to really get the full use from one.

NordicCrankShaft

1,721 posts

114 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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KemP said:
Did you read any of the above?

Its not for everyone. For those of us to get it, we are happy. In fact maybe we should delete this thread as too not to let everyone else in on it.
I agree, hush hush now.

PurpleTurtle

6,940 posts

143 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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KemP said:
I will have been here for 6 years in June.

When people say you are taxed a lot they just read the headline figures.

What I get back is Holiday pay, where every June you get 12% of your salary. Half tax in December, 4 weeks minimum holiday, my partner had a year off on maternity leave paid at 75%. I got 12 weeks off fully paid. Our little one attends nursery 5 days a week, where she gets fed. It costs us £300 a month. The State pays the rest. If you lose your job then the state pays 50% of you last years salary for the first year while you job search.

Work life balance is much better here than in the UK. As someone else commented no one is in the office Friday afternoon. From mid June the country pretty much shuts down for Summer holidays.

If you do not like outdoor life then Norway will suck for you. We ski in the Winter and the Summer is spent in the boat. Winter is dark and depressing before the snow comes. Summer is light almost 24hrs. The majority of people lead an outdoor life.

There are many things that I dont like about Norway some of regulations seem very petty, but for me it is a price worth paying.

Oh yeah cars, it is PH after all. Expensive. Limited choice. Low speed limits, high speeding fines. Sneaky mobile speed traps. Some brilliant driving roads. Road tolls on most of the motorways and inner city areas plus road tax isnt cheap. For me, I now have a boat instead of a PH worthy car. I get far more use and enjoyment out of it.
Motoring aside, that sounds pretty cool. Contrast with me being in the same boat but doing long hours, racing home to see my kid, wife having to give up her career because nursery fees would absorb most salary, and even if she did go back had a terrible commute, taxman hitting me for higher rate tax and loads of NI as an in-IR35 IT Contractor. We like an outdoor lifestyle but it gets squeezed into 6 months in the UK, and if we want to ski have to spent a fortune going to France.

Do you mind if I ask what took you there, a job offer? Are you and/or your partner Norwegian?

MarshPhantom

9,658 posts

136 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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KemP said:
MarshPhantom said:
Without wishing to be controversial, why on earth would anyone want to move from the UK to Norway?
Did you read any of the above?

Its not for everyone. For those of us to get it, we are happy. In fact maybe we should delete this thread as too not to let everyone else in on it.
Yes, the food is incredibly expensive for one, and it's very, very cold.

My O/h's colleague had a holiday there and lost weight, as couldn't afford to eat.

NRS

22,079 posts

200 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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MarshPhantom said:
Yes, the food is incredibly expensive for one, and it's very, very cold.

My O/h's colleague had a holiday there and lost weight, as couldn't afford to eat.
If you live here you earn more so can afford to eat, wink And if you're the waiter in the restaurant I think you earn about double you would in the UK, so are better off.

In terms of being very very cold it depends what you compare it to. Stavanger would not be different to Scotland. Oslo is colder in winter, but that just means you get a proper winter rather than cold rain. I'd prefer cold and snow rather than cold-ish and rain.

Yipper

5,964 posts

89 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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Norway is Marmite.

You will either love its low-hours, low-stress, high-benefits, high-salary, easy-does-it, outdoorsy lifestyle...

Or you will hate its high-tax, high-price, car-hating, bad-weather, nothing-ever-happens, dull monoculture...

It is interesting how Norwegians have changed. Forty years ago, Sweden sneered at Norway as a bunch of inbred farmers. After the oil jackpot, Norway now looks down on Swedes as someone to run their bars and deliver their furniture.

KemP

492 posts

206 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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PurpleTurtle said:
Motoring aside, that sounds pretty cool. Contrast with me being in the same boat but doing long hours, racing home to see my kid, wife having to give up her career because nursery fees would absorb most salary, and even if she did go back had a terrible commute, taxman hitting me for higher rate tax and loads of NI as an in-IR35 IT Contractor. We like an outdoor lifestyle but it gets squeezed into 6 months in the UK, and if we want to ski have to spent a fortune going to France.

Do you mind if I ask what took you there, a job offer? Are you and/or your partner Norwegian?
My partner is Norwegian. We had both decided that we wanted out of the UK. Norway was the logical choice. Id travelled around a lot of Scandinavia with work spent summer and Winter holidays with her family in Norway so I knew what to expect.

Oslo would probably be the area where you want to look. Its a pretty good city to start with. We lived there for 2.5 years. 15 mins from the sea, 15 mins from the Mountains. Main airport is a 40 minute drive.The majority of the jobs will be Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger or Trondheim.

Finn.no is the place to check for everything. Jobs, accommodations, cars, everything smile

Not sure what field of IT you are in? Run your certs or key words through Finn and see what comes up. If you get an international company you wont need Norwegian to start with, most local companies its a requirement.

If you want to send me a PM i can send the details of a recruitment agency that are always looking for people.



KemP

492 posts

206 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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MarshPhantom said:
Yes, the food is incredibly expensive for one, and it's very, very cold.

My O/h's colleague had a holiday there and lost weight, as couldn't afford to eat.
That is a great story. biggrin

Your right its very very cold, even in Summer. In fact i had to shoo the Polar bears out of my garden this morning.