Come from: UK
Now live in: Stockholm
With: Me, myself and I
First came to Sweden in: 2008
At the age of: 32
Because: The company I worked for opened a new office in the Nordics so I came over on a 6 month secondment to train some staff. The management structure changed and I was asked to be the Area Manager for the Nordics so stayed on in Sweden with this promotion and challenge.
Stayed because: My job, I want to see the challenge through. Also love the country!
Go home every: rarely
Longest time at home: 4 days

Language
How’s your Swedish? I can get by but it should be a lot better.
How did you learn? Folkuniversitet, self study
How long did it take? Its ongoing.
What advice would you give to newcomers with regards to learning the language?    

• Prioritise learning  
• Use it as much as you can! The one thing that holds new starters back is confidence in speaking Swedish.
  
• Listen to Swedish radio (not the music stations!) and watch Swedish tv for at least one hour per day
  
• Read a newspaper
  
• Don’t do the expat scene, well at least not at first! Controversial I know but its hard enough to get Swedes to talk back to you in Swedish, if you hit the Irish bars then your Swedish aint going to improve and you will end up doing English speaking things with English speaking friends. Make some Swedish friends and do some Swedish things!
  

A Daily Living
How do you make a living in Sweden?
Area Manager for Europes biggest online hotel reservation site. Bit of sales, bit of marketing, lots of managing.

Describe some of the differences in the work culture compared to what you would expect in your own country.
You can write a book on this. I think principle difference from the UK is that the employee is far more empowered here. There are lots of legal protections for employees (not always a bad thing) – the ‘relaxing’ room made me laugh at first, as did Friday Fika.  The relationship between manager and employee is radically different from the UK. Its more ‘flat’ here and staff will argue their point with management though in the main Swedes do not like confrontation, they do like meetings though!

What language/s do you use at work?
English. Another reason why my Swedish should be better but I employ staff from all over the Nordics so need to have English as a common language.

What advice would you give to newcomers looking for work?
Look at the criteria and only apply if you have those skills! No point going for a job you have no chance of getting.
Also write a very good covering letter, its often more important than the CV.

Socially Speaking
Describe your social network – is it mostly Swedish, mostly foreigners, a 50/50 mix?  How do you know the people you socialise with?
Socialising in Sweden is very difficult. My mix is 50/50 but only because I have tried to submerge myself in Swedish culture. Follow a Swedish sports team, join a charity you care about, join a political party even just get involved.

What do you find different with the Swedes and your social life compared to what you would expect if you had stayed at home.
The Swedes can be very insular and aloof. It can come across as rude but its not, its just their way. I think I have only ever said two words to my neighbour for instance.

How do you spend your spare time?
I cycle, started fishing, watch Hammarby football, joined a political party, socialise with some colleagues, travel around Sweden. Cooking!

The Future
Do you have a plan for the future in terms of where you will live? Long/Short term.
I will be here for the next three years, that will be in my role for almost five years and then I will assess if I am still motivated by the career challenge and Sverige!

The Impact Of Living In Sweden
What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Sweden?
Nature, safety, good stand of living.
Cost of living is horrendous. Swedish people can be aloof, hard to socialise.

What opportunities do you feel you have gained and/or lost from living here.
A new language
Appreciation of nature
Career wise, have built a company from scratch to 55 members of staff and delivering fantastic revenue so being in a new market has been like a breath of fresh air.

Do you feel that living in Sweden has changed you?
Not yet.

Do you have any other tips for our readers about living in Sweden?
You have to stick with it, the winters can be hard going, socialising is tricky but it is worth the time if you work at it.

More about Shane:
Let Me Tell You About Sweden