The Kingdom of Norway is one of the best nations in Scandinavia. It has a diverse and natural landscape. Norway has the longest, most beautiful, and high concentration of fjords. In addition, Norway has inspiring northern lights, unforgettable rail journeys, and exceptional wildlife. Therefore, it is good to work in such a nice environment as expats.
The main three sectors that employ most Norwegian residents are the agriculture sector, engineering, legal, and education. The nation also offers very competitive salaries to its employees making them feel motivated. This is because it has good resources and advanced democracies.
The Top Jobs for Expats in Norway
Some of the well-paying jobs in Norway are engineering, professor, Information technology, surgeons,
Information Technology Jobs in Norway
The Information Technology (IT) jobs offer lucrative positions for people including developers. Basically, the IT sector does not require you to learn Norwegian. However, even as an IT ex-pat, it is good to do it for your own good. The estimated salary of such people is 715, 000 NOK. Additionally, Norway has a high demand for IT professionals including project managers and programmers.
Professor
Norway is one of the nations across the globe that highly values its teachers. As a college professor in Norway, you will get good pay as there is a high demand for teachers in Norway. However, the other teachers earn a bit less. The average salary for such teachers is from 205, 000 NOK to 710, 000 NOK. As for college professors, they earn about 789, 000 NOK per year.
Bank Managers
Norway is a good place to make an investment and that is the reason why we have managers. They deal with investments and funds issues. Their average salary on a yearly basis is between 670, 000 NOK 2, 320, 000 NOK.
Engineering
There is a need for both mechanical and civil engineers in Norway. The nation’s construction industry is about $100 billion. Also, it seems that even in the future, it will continue growing. A civil engineer earns about 560, 000 NOK.
As a foreigner, you will be able to get mechanical engineering job opportunities at the entry-level. If you have not visited Norway then believe it when I say that it is among the top industrialized nation globally. With this profession as an ex-pat, you can earn between 251, 000 NOK to 867, 000 NOK.
Surgeons/Doctors
Surgeons are highly paid individuals in Norway. This is because of the nature of the job. It is a very critical position. Also, the career entails high risks and it needs extensive knowledge as well as a long learning path. In short, it has all the necessary things needed for it to be high paying. However, the Norwegian language is important. It is the only way you will be able to communicate with the patients. The salary range is between 1,050,000 NOK to 3,620,000 NOK.
Biotechnology, best Paying Job for Expats in Norway
Biotechnology in Norway is very developed, especially in Oslo. Just like IT, with biotechnology, you do not have to know Norwegian for you to be able to work in the sector. Also, since the sector is developing, there is high demand for these professionals. The average salary of these professionals is between 823, 000 NOK to 1, 290, 000 NOK.
Judges and Lawyers
Lawyers are highly valued in Norway. Because of this, they are highly valued. A good lawyer can save you money as well as your life. They earn between 712, 000 NOK to 2, 460, 000 NOK. In addition, the judges earn high salaries. The reason is that they have huge responsibilities. Deciding the fates of hundreds of people is very challenging. Their salary ranges from 880,000 NOK to 3,040,000 NOK.
The Advantages of Working in Norway
Norway has good living standards. Even though the costs of living are high, it has a healthy work-life balance. This allows people to work, relax, and spend time with their loved ones. The nation provides a parental leave system. As a mother, you can take 35 weeks of fully paid leave.
Norway also has social security. Norwegian residents are obliged to pay contributions to the Social Security Scheme. It is the employers who pay the social security contributions on remuneration and wages that employers have to report.
Furthermore, Norway has holiday leaves. As a Norwegian resident, you are granted a minimum of 25 working days yearly. In this case, the working days even include Saturdays. Also, the employers who are over 60 years are entitled to additional 6 working days of holiday leave.
The Norwegian culture has a natural environment encouraging people for outdoor sports including skiing and hiking. Also, there are some myths that inform people regarding fantastic characters, witches, elves, and trolls. The nation’s natural environment offers traditional cuisine. When you come to Norway, you should not miss the nation’s lamb as they are so tender. This is because there are clean pastures in which lamb graze.
Just like other Scandinavian countries like Denmark, Norway has a minimum wage. Also, wages are usually negotiated through collective bargaining. Only in some cases, there are individual agreements on employment. In Norway, you can also be paid overtime as the normal working hours are 9 daily.
The Disadvantages of Working in Norway
As much as it is good to work in Norway, there are some cons. The first one is getting a job. It may take over one month for you to get a job in the country. The other one is getting a driving license. Even if you had a driving license while in your country, you will need to get another one when in Norway. It may cost you about $2000 to get the license yet it is the only easy way of going to work and doing other activities.
The cost is living in Norway is high. In Europe, the nation has the second highest prices of food. Also, the prices of tobacco and alcohol are high. This issue does make some Norwegians go to Sweden to purchase items like tobacco, alcohol, and candy.