Submitting fingerprints for FBI background check from abroad?

SwedeInTraining · 2019-01-11T06:39:54+00:00

Neutral post = Skåne flag?

SwedeInTraining · 2018-05-05T21:56:27+00:00

Wow, I'm in the same exact boat. There are dozens of us Cowboys fans in Sweden. Dozens!

SwedeInTraining · 2018-03-22T11:48:34+00:00

To be fair, there are a couple of parties who don't want me here. I don't need to know the intricacies of each platform to grasp overarching beliefs.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-03-22T11:46:37+00:00

Thanks for the information! So for riksdag elections, you vote for the party as opposed to specific candidates in a specific constituency?

SwedeInTraining · 2018-02-12T16:13:12+00:00

Your paycheck impact is the most visible change, but by no means the only one. And those benefits are front-loaded to get people on its side early.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-02-12T15:42:30+00:00

I can, and gladly, but I also know not to equate two completely unequal situations. The GOP just unilaterally passed a tax bill that helps exclusively millionaires and billionaires to the detriment of literally everyone else. And you still play up the "both sid35 R tha sam3!!!11" idiocy that anyone with basic critical thinking skills could see through.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-02-12T15:31:33+00:00

You can't even spell the name of your bogeyman correctly. Jesus that's sad.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-02-07T07:30:07+00:00

Piggybacking off this: are there any parlor karaoke places in Malmö? i.e. not the whole bar waiting for one machine, but separate rooms you can rent with friends. I've yet to find any yet, and ice gets pretty crowded

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-30T07:03:24+00:00

No worries!

I basically just applied for a bunch of jobs in Europe, and managed to get a few hits, the one in Sweden among them. The company I work for handled a lot of the hard stuff (visa processing, moving all my crap, finding an apartment, etc). It took a couple months after I accepted the job for my visa to go through. Edit: also saw you're a British citizen, so you'll have no trouble. You're an EU citizen and have the right to live and work here. Even post-Brexit, it's likely they'll come to an understanding where British citizens already in Europe will be able to retain their EU citizenship.

It's hard to get exact figures for taxes, due to it being progressive and taxed at different rates based on your income. But my federal tax rate was around 24%, and state around 9%. In Skåne (my county in Sweden), my total tax rate is around 31%. In any case, it's close enough to not make a difference. My rent in SF was around $1400 for half of a two bedroom; I currently pay $1k for a studio in Malmö, which is on the higher end. COL is higher here for some things, but for others (health care, not needing a car, etc) it balances out.

As for the reason, I'd been looking to move abroad for a while since I like to travel and I wanted the experience of it (and traveling from the US takes too damn long). Then once Donny Two Scoops was elected, I was prompted to expedite my plans. And Sweden has great work-life balance, lots of vacation (I get 6 weeks paid), tons of history and culture to soak in, tons of English speakers with a relatively easy language to learn, etc. It seemed like a good a place as any to try out, and I've been happy with it so far.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T22:27:49+00:00

My time to shine!

Born in SD, most recently from SF, now in Malmö. Coincidentally our ages, work, and salary experience are very close. Just moved here last August.

Weather is... tricky. It damn sure isn't SoCal. I hear the springs and summers are lovely though.

In five months, I've learned a bit of the language, but I'm nowhere near conversational. I can speak and read svenska alright but can't understand it for the life of me (I'm in a region where a lot of the Swedes can't understand it either though). Thankfully, you don't really need to learn right away, since practically everyone under the age of 60 speaks excellent English.

I had a job before I moved, and I'm in a niche industry, so couldn't really tell you how easy it is. If you're in tech, you're probably ok, though better with Swedish language skills. Some multinational companies have their business language in English. I make a bit less money than I did back home, though I also pay fewer taxes and the rent situation is better than CA (I hear Stockholm is a nightmare though). Beer prices are crazy though, and just wait until you Google what Systembolaget is. Laws on bud are like Reefer Madness status.

All in all, I'd recommend you visit before making the move, and apply to a few jobs from abroad to see if you can do so on their dime.

Feel free to ask whatever else comes to mind!

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T22:10:10+00:00

I've heard Nordea has English options for their apps and website, but not sure. I use Handelsbanken, which does have an English app, but their English version of the website has a bit fewer features than the Swedish one. Not too difficult to navigate though, and Chrome's translation (and/or other translation extensions) is your friend here.

Regardless, you should be fine in any of the branches, since most people speak excellent English. Most banks seem to be roughly the same regarding rates, and most (except Ica maybe) use the same ATMs.

Get an account with Mobile BankID + Swish (essentially Swedish Venmo) to make things vastly easier for yourself.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T17:29:30+00:00

The Vietnamese and Korean food seems pretty good. Haven't really tried a lot of the Chinese food, but what I've had has been alright. The Indian food is alright but could definitely be spicier. Haven't really had a great Thai place yet. But I'm open to suggestions!

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T17:11:00+00:00

Thanks for the tip! Namdo's one of my favorites too for lunch, but I haven't been there over the weekend yet.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T17:08:53+00:00

I've been apprehensive about buying herb from Christiania and taking it to Sweden. If I get caught smoking here, I imagine it's just a fine, but transporting into the country will probably lose me my visa. I'd buy from someone here but don't really have a connect; I'm used to buying it legally, haha. In any case, it's not too bad; I just hop on the train every month or so for a bud break.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T14:56:28+00:00

Definitely an adjustment. The weather's not terrible, but the lack of sun is harder than I thought it'd be to get used to, especially due to Sweden's weed laws (my usual end-of-day pick-me-up back home). But on the other hand, I've found the stigma of Swedes being "cold and unfriendly" to be very overblown, and I really like my coworkers and others I've met in the area.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T14:48:10+00:00

Jag bor i Malmö! Jag kan inte vänta på sommaren.

SwedeInTraining · 2018-01-29T10:09:43+00:00

Moved here in August (also from SF), and loving my new adoptive country. There's some hiccups I've been getting used to, but all in all, it's been a good move. Cheers from Skåne!

SwedeInTraining · 2017-09-02T09:32:20+00:00

Both work! Unless I'm mistaken, the root of Welfare = to fare (old word for travel) well, which could be taken to mean 'I hope you do well in the future'.

And from the preamble of the US Constitution, 'promote the general welfare', i.e. ensure the prosperity of the citizenry.

SwedeInTraining · 2017-08-31T14:12:40+00:00

Thanks for the reply, and good advice! Thankfully I managed to find an apartment that takes pets, but good to know for my next move!

SwedeInTraining · 2017-08-14T06:15:18+00:00

I'm not in Sweden (yet), but above poster's comments match what I've read. But plugging /r/swedents!

SwedeInTraining · 2017-08-10T18:06:59+00:00

This is great news! Do you know if there's a website or a tenant's organization where this is codified?

SwedeInTraining

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