Stockholm Expat Quick Guide

Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden and lies on the Baltic Sea Archipelago. There are a lot of fun facts about Stockholm city. It does not only draw its attractiveness from its rich diversity of cultures but also the topographical nature. It has 14 islands and 50 bridges that are skillfully constructed to enable mobility around its irregular terrains and waterways. The city hosts up to 900,000 inhabitants, according to the 2019 records. The city is critical to anyone interested in conjuring up the history of Sweden since it is home to historical structures, including Storkyrkan Cathedral, Kungliga Slottet Royal Palace and the Nobel Museum. The city of Stockholm is a melting pot of cultures, and the population is multilingual even though Swedish is the most dominant. 

Education in Stockholm 

You can be sure to enroll your children at preparatory schools, primary or secondary schools in Stockholm. The education facilities offer the best learning experiences for children and ensure that expats’ children attain complete integration, including learning Swedish. Also, there are institutions for higher education in Stockholm, the most popular being Stockholm University. 

Getting work in Stockholm

One crucial step that will make it easy for you to navigate the competitive job environment in Stockholm is the knowledge of the Swedish language. While there are jobs for English speaking people, you may not be easy to get one coming by since the competition may be cutthroat. It is also essential that you contact The Swedish Public Employment Agency’s (Arbetsförmedlingen), which will give offer you the necessary support for work. It is also possible for you to submit your C.V to job listing websites. However, the knowledge of Swedish will also be important because most of the job listings are in Swedish. 

Mobility and housing around Stockholm 

Being the capital city, Stockholm has among the best, efficient, and modern mobility systems in Sweden. You can always be sure to plan your time without any unnecessary haste. The Stockholm Public Transport called SL sells the tickets at SL Centers, underground ticket booths, newsagent kiosks, through SMS or SL app. There is a well-established underground railway system called  Tunnelbana (T-bana), which will take you to virtually every part of the city. Cash payments aboard buses in Stockholm is not acceptable, and not having a ticket attracts a penalty of up to 1200 SEK. Therefore, it is always important that you check the public transport terms and conditions in Sweden.
Getting a house that meets your needs can sometimes be hectic in Stockholm, but through the housing agency, you are sure to get one. The waiting time to find such a house may vary depending on your preferred location, type of house, and other services provided alongside. 

If you are a student who intends to live in the city, it is always important that you make proactive arrangements to find a conducive student house. It may be challenging to wait in the ques to get a student with the already high pressure from studies.   

Shopping in Stockholm

There are various stores and shopping centers in Stockholm. Most of them specialize in specific product lines while others stock affordable and high-quality products in different categories, including apparel, accessories, electronics, foodstuff, and drinks. You can surely realize that Stenholm is a shopper’s paradise with everything you may need at competitive prices and favorable discounts. 

Along the different streets of Stockholm, you will surely be able to locate small, medium, and large discount stores that offer an assortment of products. Some of these discount stores include Klippet, ÖoB, and Gamla Stan Thaimassage. 

Attractions in Stockholm

Whether you decide to live in Stockholm, make a planned or random visit,  you will never miss catching sight of something new. These attractions range from historical structures, peculiar constructions on water-land interaction zones. For instance, you will be excited to visit Vasa Museum, SkyView: The Globe,  and The Royal Palace (Sveriges Kungahus). You can also do sightseeing of the deep inlet formed by the outflow of Lake Mälar into the Baltic. The network of waterways that define the city is also something quite interesting to behold.  

Read more in our article about residence permit in Sweden, to learn more aout mving to Scandinavia.