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So You Want a Job in Norway?
Start Learning the Language!
By Louise Rankin
Unpleasant as it may be, if you're planning to work in a foreign country,
it certainly helps to speak at least a little of the country's language.
This is a good idea not only for your own sake—helping you to adapt culturally—but
also for the job market.
There was a time in Norway when speaking only English was sufficient. It
is true that nearly everyone in Norway speaks English, to a greater or lesser
extent, but that is not the point. A willingness to learn the language can
tell the Norwegians more than the best qualifications in your field of expertise.
So how do you go about learning Norwegian before you arrive?
Well, before you come to Norway, you could join in a local class, if you
can find one, which is not always easy. Sometimes the Norwegian embassy
in your country will be able to put you in contact with teachers of Norwegian.
0r, you could borrow or purchase a set of the many language tapes that are
available. For example, there's Learn
to Speak Norwegian Language Learning. Their total immersion accelerated
learning method can be hard for some to swallow, but it is effective and
their directions are well defined.
You could also sign up for some online training in the rudiments of the
language. Contact me at or browse
Google
for more options.
What if you get here and still don't speak the language?
There is a great offer available for all foreigners coming to Norway. The
Folkeuniversitet are responsible for arranging the government-funded courses
for foreigners from beginners to advanced levels. You may take as many of
these courses as you need free of charge. A word of warning though: they
take the courses very seriously and you are expected to enroll in quite
an intensive series of training sessions, which can be time consuming. In
fact, it might be worth arriving some weeks earlier to take advantage of
the offer in the best possible manner. The courses' start times vary widely,
but there's usually a course you can start almost immediately.
Contact the Folkeuniversitet in your targeted area for more details.
If the free Folkeuniversitet courses don't appeal to you or don't work with
your schedule, consider private lessons, available from individual tutors
or through consulting companies that offer corporate training packages.
There are many local organizations offering these services and the Folkeuniversitet
will give you recommendations.
Just beware that there are two current languages in Norway. Bokmal is the
most widely spoken these days and Nynorsk is more common in areas with strong
dialects and amongst the older generations. It would probably be best to
start with Bokmal. Good Luck!
About Louise Rankin
Louise Rankin has provided consulting and training communication services
to international business executives for over twenty years. She works with
almost every major international oil business in Stavanger (the oil capital
of Norway) through her company, Communication Skills Consultancy.
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