norway

[Peter_t]

hello
im thinking of going to norway, probably not any time soon as i don't have much money but maybe in a year or two.

i have a friend who has moved back to norway. he is actually scottish but grew up in norway and has been back and forth since. from what he says i get the impression that everything is just better in norway. england is becoming more and more annoying. im a self employed tree surgeon and its as if everything is against me. health and safety legislation which is imposable to abide by, honestly i don't think anybody would be able to follow it all! waste carriers licence, WHY? paying a couple of hundred quid to have one has no effect on what you do when actually carry the waste. everybody suing each other over the most trivial matters...

...i'll stop ranting now basically everything seems to be designed to get money out of you or get you in trouble when all you are trying to do is just make a living



i would like to live in norway for a while, 6 months maby to see how things go. i like working in the woods and im thinking of possibly working as a tree feller.

of course there is also the massive bushcraft attraction to norway compared to the very restrictive UK.


at the moment this is just an idea, i don't know much about travelling, iv never been abroad etc.
if i was to move to norway would i be accepted? i don't know the language and i don't know the customs in norway, i wouldn’t want to offend people.


i know there are a few guys from norway on there and i would be grateful for your opinions

many thanks
pete

 

[Tengu]

Dont go if you like to drink. Its a state monopoly and they charge what they like.

Otherwise i think you should be ok

 

[Peter_t]

Dont go if you like to drink. Its a state monopoly and they charge what they like.

Otherwise i think you should be ok

iv heard, my mate went on a booze cruse to sweden because it is slightly cheeper lol.

i can live without drink

pete

 

[Teepee]

I've seen quite a bit of norway apart from Oslo and north of the arctic circle and Its a beatiful country. There is lots of truly breathtaking scenery.The Hardangervidda and Troll wall really stick in my mind.

My lasting overall impression is that it is Scotland on steroids, with less midges and more mossies!

There are about 4 million people in Norway I think, but its 4 times the size of the UK. I found the Norwegians very friendly whilst there, but struggled with the language a bit. The alcohol is deadly expensive but the food is great if your a salad dodger and like cheese, fish and meat.
The Norwegians seem to really appreciate it if you make the effort to speak their language, even if you suck at it.

By the way, good name you have there.

Peter T

 

[Peter_t]

By the way, good name you have there.

Peter T

i don't get it?


thanks for the replies, i think i'll try and plan a little backpacking trip there as soon as i have the money.
apart from expensive drink i can't see any downsides sounds like my kind of place


pete

 

[DavidJT]

I was there in the mountains for two weeks again this summer, maybe my tenth visit or so. It's a spectacular country, as Teepee said, I too was used to the scale and beauty of Scotland, but Norway is far more extreme. Big wild spaces to get lost in. Have a look at the Norwegian trekking association for your first visit. http://www.turistforeningen.no/english/
If you want OK weather you better go in the next couple of weeks, because further North, and in the mountains the weather can already be becoming quite wintery by the end of August. People are friendly, older people I've met seem to particularly like the Brits (perhaps a legacy of the war etc). Work won't be easy to come-by, but who knows, seems you have some transferable skills.
Not only Alcohol is expensive in Norway (nearly £3 for one can of 3.5% lager in the little local supermarket near where I was staying) IMHO the whole cost of living is very high. Don't let that put you off too much though, I absolutely love the place. There are a few Norwegians on the forum, like Tor Helge. Maybe a few PMs would be a good idea.
Good luck!

 

[Peter_t]

thanks DavidJT


my friend says that yes it is expensive but the average wage is higher. is this true?


pete

 

[Tor helge]

Hi
If you are seeking for a country with less regulations Norway could be the wrong place. I say could, as I don`t know the conditions in Britain. I have never been there.
But I know my own country.
A swede once called us the last sovjet state. The saying about stones and glass houses comes to mind, but we do have our share of regulations and taxes.
Norway is an expensive country (at least for the tourists), but we make up for it with higher wages.
As Tengu mentioned booze is really expensive. And so is tobacco. Thus I drink little and when I do it is mostly bought abroad.
We often hear we have free health care. And we do, sort of. Nothing is really free. We pay for it with our tax money.
But if you need rescuing from the mountains or a hearth surgery, you will get it without paying any money to the rescuers or hospital.

As some have mentioned already the possibilities of "bushcrafting" is many. We have the law "Allemannsretten" wich gives us freedom to move freely about in the wild (and not so wild).

Being accepted is no issue. Most people are welcome.
Customs are much the same in Norway as anywhere else in Europe.
We are however said to be less “polite” and we do not do small talk .
Wether this is the opinion of foreigners or our own “globetrotters” I don`t know. But we occationally see this statement in the newspapers.
I`ve been to some continental countries and I haven`t noticed much difference.

There is a slight difference between the people of the north and the south though. People in the north are said to be more open and more direct. IMO it is mostly so.
Could be the fact that northern Norway covers 1/3 of the nations area (about 112940 square km) but inhabits less than 10 percent (460000 people) of the population.
People tend to be more open and friendly the longer from “civilisation” they get.

Language isn`t really a problem. Most exchange students I`ve known (germanic speaking) learn it in a couple of months.
Most norwegians speak english anyway (all of them, from about 50 years and younger, has actually learnt it at school).

About how to seek job and immigrate I know nothing. Best tip is to call the Norwegian embassy for advice.
But I know there are few tree surgeons in Norway. Wether it is lack of them or few jobs I don`t know.
Lately "many" people have moved from Holland and Germany up here. Most of them scout first (working for a year or two) and then buy a small farm. Some are happy and stay, some are disapointed and leave.
The grass isn`t always greener on the other side of the fence.



However, if you could show up a CV with long time criminal behaviour, involvment in genocide or terrorism, it should be no problem. Just show up at Gardermoen airport and seek asylum.
The government will see that you get an apartment, job (if you really feel for it) and take care of you the rest of your life (sorry couldn`t resist a little rant).

Tor

 

[Barn Owl]

If you've no real commitments here (and you come across as a young fella),then go for it and see what transpires.

Wish I had the opportunity to have tried.

atb,
Tom.