Life in Norway Show

Life in Norway Show Episode 79: Abby Noble shares her inspiring story of planning exactly how she would find a job in Norway, obtaining a job-seeker permit, and finding her ideal job in an Oslo architecture firm.

Moving to Norway is a dream for many, but finding a job is often the biggest barrier. Today I’m joined by Abby Noble, an American who moved to Norway without a job in order to find one. She applied for Norway’s job-seeker visa in order to carry out her plan. She joins me on the show today to talk about the visa, and her process for finding work in the architecture industry in Oslo.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/job-seeker-permit-success/

Life in Norway Show Episode 78: Daniela Laguniak, an expedition leader with Havila Voyages, tells us about her relocation to Northern Norway and her working life on the Norwegian coastal route.

Originally from Germany, she is fluent in three languages and lives in a remote part of Finnmark, Northern Norway. Daniela worked a seasonal tourism job at the North Cape in 2012 and then made the decision to move to Norway permanently. She now lives in Tana, one of the most remote parts of Arctic Norway, with her Sami partner.

She also talks about her working life on board the Havila Polaris, where she works for 22 days, followed by 22 days off. It's a shift pattern that wouldn't suit everyone, but it suits Daniela perfectly.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-germany-to-arctic-norway/

This is episode 77 of the Life in Norway Show. Moving to Norway from outside Europe poses a whole heap of challenges, not least convincing an employer to take a chance on you.

Today I’m joined by Isabelle Loh, originally from Singapore and having relocated to Oslo with her Norwegian partner, she shared her frustrations about finding a job on LinkedIn, and drew a big response. 

We talk about life in Oslo, how she’s gone about the job search and how that has changed over time, and some advice for fellow job-seekers.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-singapore-to-oslo/

Life in Norway Show #76: From the Sami Parliament and efforts to keep the languages alive to the importance of handicrafts and song, we hear all about Sami culture in 2024.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/sami-culture-podcast/

The recent wind turbine controversy has brought Sami culture and indigenous rights back into the headlines here in Norway, and around the world.

Bodø is about to start its year as European Capital of Culture, and the team has put Sami culture at the very heart of the program. So, who better to introduce us to the various aspects of Sami culture than Maria Hernes Bær, the coordinator of the Sami program for Bodø 2024.

We talk about Sami identity, some elements of the culture including what tourists experience and what they don’t, and the plans to showcase Sami culture at Bodø 2024.

Life in Norway Show Episode 75: One of the most common questions I receive at Life in Norway is about retirement, specifically the idea of moving to Norway to retire.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/retirement-to-northern-norway/

Now, while at the moment I plan to retire here, that’s not the same thing as moving here when already retired. I always thought that was a difficult thing to do, but a Life in Norway reader recently got in touch to share their story, and I immediately invited them on to the show. Not only have they retired to Norway, but they’ve retired to a remote part of Northern Norway.

In today’s show I talk to Trevor Rulton about the benefits of challenges of living in a remote area, what everyday life is like, the admin process of moving to Norway, and lots more.

This show is going to be a little bit different because I don’t have a guest, it’s just me, as I look ahead to all things Norway in 2024.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/norway-in-2024-podcast/

I’ll talk a little about what to expect for those of you planning a trip to Norway in 2024, plus information on what’s changing for those of us who live here in Norway. Finally I’ll talk a little bit about what you can expect from us here at Life in Norway over the coming year.

First things first, if you’re not already a member at Life in Norway, head on over to lifeinnorway.net/weekly. You’ll join more than 17,000 people who receive our popular Norway Weekly newsletter every Tuesday morning.

Life in Norway Show Episode #73: Agnes Erickson joins the podcast to talk about her move from California to Norway, and what life is like in a small town on the south coast.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/living-in-mandal-podcast/

Agnes works in the marketing team at Norrøna House, the headquarters of Norwegian outdoor clothing brand Norrøna. She works from Oslo a couple days per week and works the rest of the time in Mandal.

Mandal is a small Norwegian town of about 10,000 people on the southern coast of Norway, about 30 minutes west of Kristiansand. As with many southern coastal towns, Mandal is known for its white, wooden houses, beaches, and busy harbour.

Life in Norway Show Episode #72: A repatriate to Norway joins the show to chat about her experiences returning to Norway after many years abroad, and how mentoring can help foreigners find employment in Norway.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/work-mentoring-podcast/

Tone Indrelid was born in Norway but spent many, many years living overseas in India, Oman, Syria and Borneo before she and her family returned to Norway.

She now puts her years of experience as a anthropologist, interculturalist and language instructor to good use by becoming project leader in Stavanger for the organisation Sammen om en jobb. We talk about Tone’s experiences, some of the challenges in adapting and finding work in Norway, and how a mentoring program could help you.

Sammen om en jobb: https://www.sammenomenjobb.no/

Life in Norway Show Episode #71: Two recent hires in Norwegian gaming company Riddlebit Software join us to talk about game development and their journey to working in Norway.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/working-in-norwegian-gaming/

Today I’m joined by two newcomers to Norway who are working in a small games development studio here in Trondheim. I have got to know both Jordan originally from Texas and Lyubov from Belarus over the past months as they work in the same coworking space as me. We talk about the gaming industry in Norway, how they found a job in a small games studio and what life is like here in Trondheim.

Read more about Setback: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1119780/Setback/

Read more about Riddlebit Software: https://www.riddlebit.net/

Life in Norway Show Episode #70: A US-Poland dual citizen joins the show to chat through her process of moving to Norway, and why she wants to share what she’s learned with you.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/unlock-norway-podcast/

Gabriella Mikiewicz is the founder of Unlock Norway, which she created to help fellow newcomers understand the country better. She said her experience of living in Norway has been enriched by her Norwegian partner and friends, who have given her so much content and context to understand the country better.

Life in Norway Show Episode #69: Captain Victor Stoica of the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ship MS Borealis chats about life at sea, the responsibility of captaining a cruise ship and his favourite parts of Norway.

I’m just back from a two-week cruise to the north of Norway in search of the northern lights. I’ll write much more about the journey and experience in the weeks to come, but in the meantime I have an interesting interview for you.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/cruise-ship-captain/

Life in Norway Show Episode #68: Lasse Vangstein of Havila Voyages joins the show to talk about the Norwegian Coastal Voyage and the new Havila vessels introduced over the past year.

The Norwegian coastal voyage has grown in popularity over the last decade. While still providing a vital transport service for cargo and local passengers, travellers from all over the world to come to Norway to experience the full coastal voyage. For many years Hurtigruten has been the only operator along the route. Now, Havila Voyages are putting brand new ships into service and travellers have a choice. Lasse Vangstein of Havila Voyages joins the show to talk about the history of the coastal service, what makes the trip so special and attractive to international tourists, and what Havila's new ships have to offer.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/havila-voyages-podcast/

Life in Norway Show Episode #67: We speak to an American ice hockey player living in Norway about ice hockey and how the sport differs in the UK, Germany and Norway. American Jordan George plays for Nidaros Hockey in Trondheim and also works in the club's marketing team. Previously he played professional hockey for several teams in Germany and Denmark and began by playing college hockey in the US.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/ice-hockey-jordan-george-podcast/

Life in Norway Show Episode #66: What is like to learn Norwegian as a teenager in the US and then move to Norway 20 years later? Find out on the latest episode of our podcast. Today's guest is Kari Nixon, a scholar of medical humanities and Victorian literature. She currently holds a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow at NTNU here in Trondheim, Norway.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/learning-norwegian-at-summer-camp/

Life in Norway Show Episode #65: Norway is known worldwide as a great destination for discovering the great outdoors. Today we chat about how to make the most of those opportunities with today's guest, Kevin J Rosenberg. He runs tour company IAG Adventures and wants more people to discover the natural beauty in Norway and the other Nordic countries.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/adventure-travel-podcast/

Starting a business in Norway is challenging enough at the best of times. But doing so as an immigrant is a path that's full of uncertainties.

Today we’re talking about a gap in Norway’s immigration rules which entrepreneurs can easily fall into and find themselves forced to leave Norway despite having built a life here.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/startup-visa/

Life in Norway Show Episode 62: Peter Betlem from the University Centre in Svalbard talks about living on Svalbard and working as a researcher. We talk about the science that takes place in the High Arctic as well as what life is like in Longyearbyen in such a unique part of the world. If you've ever considered studying in Svalbard, this is the show for you. Happy listening! Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/researcher-on-svalbard/

Life in Norway Show Episode 61: Jason Turflinger of the American Chamber of Commerce in Norway joins the show to talk business culture in Norway and the US.

We talk about the purpose and work of the AmCham organisation, and whether the stereotypes are true about the difference in working culture between Norway and the United States.

Jason also offers up some tips for Americans looking to move to Norway and find work. Happy listening!

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/american-chamber-of-commerce/

Life in Norway Show Episode 60: The European Erasmus programme allows millions of students to study abroad. Here's the experience of a Dutch student visiting Trondheim, Norway.

The EU’s Erasmus programme has facilitated more than 6 million students to study abroad since its creation in 1987. Every year, hundreds of students from across Europe come to Norway on an Erasmus placement.

If you’ve ever considered studying in Norway as a way to sample the lifestyle here, this is the show for you.

Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/erasmus-study-in-norway/