Apartments by Ligula is a hotel concept for longer-term accommodation – when a standard hotel room is a bit too small and you want to feel at home while you are away. They provide modern studio apartments of different sizes containing a kitchenette and everything you need for a relaxing stay. Apartments by Ligula, Hammarby Sjöstad, offer modern rental apartments which are located opposite the Mårtensdal tram stop in Hammarby Sjöstad, 17 minutes from Stockholm city. Here, you will find everything you need to enjoy a relaxed stay, such as a kitchenette and kitchenware, Carpe Diem beds, TV, free WiFi and rainshowers in the bathrooms. Weekly cleaning is included for all apartments and they also offer a laundry self-service and gym in the building. Rental is primarily on monthly basis. Prices: Medium 24 – 31 m2: 1 – 2 persons Price: SEK 18 900 per month* Large 32 – 40 m2: 1 – 4 persons Price: SEK 21 700 per month* XL approximately 45 m2: 1 – 2 persons * All stated prices are inclusive of 12% VAT. The weekly cleaning service and a final cleaning on the departure day is included in the rental fee. Both check-in and check-out is done at the reception at Motel L, street address Hammarby Allé 41. The reception at Motel L is open 24/7. Check-in takes place from 2 pm on the day of arrival and check-out no later than 12 pm on the day of departure, unless otherwise agreed. Apartments by Ligula has its entrance at No. 47, on the same street as Motel L. For more information, contact Chris Jolly chris.jolly@ligula.se +46 (0)707-25 21 34 Apartments by Ligula, Hammarby Sjöstad Hammarby Allé 47 120 30 Stockholm, Sweden https://ligula.se/apartments-by-ligula/ In case you are wondering, this isn't a sponsored post. So many of our members spend their energy looking for accommodation that we share anything we think might help speed up that process!
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However, Sweden has almost the lowest number of unskilled jobs in the EU, with only Switzerland and Norway having less. What does all this mean? It isn’t easy for Swedes or expats to get jobs, the job market isn’t as open as in other countries, the population (and therefore available jobs) is much smaller and the whole system works in a different way. Understanding how the job market and recruitment processes work will make a huge difference in the success of any job hunt and here are some tips from us: - Visit employment fairs Big Swedish companies, such as IKEA, Volvo and Skanska regularly tour employment fairs to meet potential new employees. Employment fairs are great places to network with potential employers in your field, to take part in interviews and go to useful seminars. Make sure you go to the fairs prepared with a stack of CVs and cover letters. Decide which companies you want to talk to and what they might be impressed by before you go. After the fair, send follow-up emails to the people you spoke to – this is often the crucial step. - Make sure that your employer is the real deal This might not seem like a big deal. As long as someone says you've a job waiting, you're in the clear... right? Well, the situation is unfortunately a bit more complicated. Before jumping to the next step of actually obtaining a work permit, you should make sure that your employer is registered as such. If this is not the case, your supposed employer doesn't even have ability to pay you a formal salary. This could jeopardise your ability to receive a permit and also cause you to put a lot of energy into something that will turn out to be fruitless. - Learn Swedish While it’s true that nearly everyone in Sweden speaks English and many large companies – even Swedish ones – have English as their corporate language, being proficient at Swedish will open up lots of doors when it comes to finding work and building work relationships. Even if you apply for a job that specifically demands fluent English or where a native English speaker is preferred, your ability to speak even conversational Swedish will make you better qualified. - Apply for a work permit If you will need a permit to work in Sweden, collect together all the relevant information before you start the process, such as your correspondence with your employer, a copy of the job advertisement and your passport. Take everything to the immigration office, Migrationsverket. - Take an internship Internships can be a great way to gain relevant experience and build your professional network. Even if they don’t lead directly to a job offer, you’ll have a reference from a Swedish company and a notable update for your CV. Look out for advertisements – there are often plenty around - or contact a company you’d like to do an internship at directly. - Register yourself at Skatteverket Once you have a valid work permit, you will also receive a residence permit card. This enables you to obtain a personal identity number. This number is your key to being a part of the formal society. It enables you to open a bank account, pay taxes and deal with all administrative issues. Read more about personal numbers in our post here. Register yourself at the tax office (which also handles anything to do with the population of Sweden, including personal numbers) – Skatteverket – as soon as possible. Pretty much everything in Sweden revolves around a personal identity number and not having one will act as a barrier between you and an easy life! - Contact employers directly and network to build connections When you look at Swedish job ads you may notice they include contact details for an employee who can answer questions about the post. That person is often involved in deciding who gets the position, so it can be worth your while to call them up, ask a few relevant questions and engage them in conversion. Hopefully you’ll impress them enough to remember your name when your application lands on their desk. If that isn’t possible, try to go to events in your field to make connections that can help you get in touch with the people that are hiring. Job hunting in Sweden isn’t always easy so to help in making the process a bit simpler, use these tips. They might not all work for you but they should give you a head-start at least.
Though language learning is mentioned, many expats told us that they perceived they were excluded from job opportunities not for lack of language ability because they were foreign – on the surface, clear discrimination – but when we dug down deep, we could see another cause, one you can read about in our guide to the State of Expat Life in Sweden 2018! “Sometimes all the planning in the world won't prepare you for it, but as long as you know where your nearest coffee house is everything falls into place!”
We at New in Sweden (NiDS) worked with news and analysis provider Mundus International and Swedish language tuition provider Swedish for Professionals to uncover the details of expat life in Sweden. We have quizzed expats that are here, the HR staff that organised their move and the Relocation Agents that supported them during the process. We dug deep to find out the full story about emigrating here and hope that new arrivals can then make much more informed decisions about their move to Sweden. Our guide to the state of expat life in Sweden is out now. It covers the main challenges expats are experiencing right now and the reasons for them, the support that is and isn’t provided at a personal level and what help is out there. We have a separate report that looks at what expats told us in comparison with other surveys, the political environment and what needs to change for expat life to improve. Get your copies of both here. Are you planning to move to Sweden or are already an expat in Sweden? Would you like to find exactly what a ‘personnummer’ is, what the numbers mean, how to get one and how to use it? Read on to find out! What is a ‘personnummer’? Personnummer – or a personal identification number (also known as a 'personal number'). Everyone registered in Sweden is identified with a personal identification number. It consists of 10 digits and it is unique to each individual. It is primarily used by Swedish authorities and organisations to identify people. When did Sweden introduce the ‘personnummer’? This system, which was the first in the world to include a nation’s entire population, was introduced in 1947 and has been used ever since, with minor improvements throughout the years. What do the numbers indicate? The personal number consists of the person's birth date and three birth numbers. The only information that can be gathered from looking at a personal identification number is a person’s birth date and their gender. The birth date consists of six digits and makes up the first part of the personal identification number. The order of the numbers is: birth year, birth month and birth day (YYMMDD).For example, a person whose first 6 digits in the personal identification number is 640823 was born on 23rd August 1964. A person whose first 6 digits in the personal identification number is 930411 was born on 11th April 1993. The birth number consists of three numbers. The second to last digit provides information concerning the gender of the person - where the digit is odd for men and even for women. The birth date and birth number are connected with a hyphen (-). This sign is replaced by a plus sign (+) the year a person turns 100 years old!
The last digit of the personal number is a control digit. It is calculated mechanically by the birth date and birth number. How do you obtain a ‘personnummer’? If you are planning to move to Sweden or are already living in Sweden and are planning to live here for a year or more, then you should in most cases be registered as a resident in Sweden. To be registered in Sweden simply visit the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) and apply. Make sure your spouse, children or anyone else that is also applying to be registered in Sweden are also there! You will need the following documents when you visit the Swedish Tax Agency
Once you are registered in Sweden:
When do I use my ‘personnummer’? Swede’s use their personal identification number on a daily basis! Life in Sweden is made easier by being able to do a variety of things by having a personal identification number. The biggest advantage is that it is a unique identity for each person – this prevents confusion of data about people as well as ensures certain safety and protection of personal integrity. A personal identification number also ensures that each individual gets what they are entitled to, such as pension and housing allowances as well as ensuring that each individual is charged the correct tax. Some examples of when you can use your personal identification number:
And many more! Join New in Sweden to find out more about personal numbers, get help applying and settle in fast to life here. 1. When it snows – it pours Winter weather is discussed often in Sweden. The fact is, snow is pretty well dealt here. There are systems in place for getting it off the road to temporary storage points and then moving it from the temporary storage points to permanent storage points. When this system works, which it does almost all the time, all is well. However, when a larger-than-expected amount of snow decides to show up, things do break down. Please bear in mind that this is not the same as the few flakes of snow that fall in the UK and everything grinds to a halt. We are talking extra, unexpected meters of snow here! Plows and tractors will be in much demand and roads are cleared in priority order, which means that residential side-streets can get clogged up with snow. You should be prepared for situations like these though they should be few and far between. 2. It's not the temperature that decides how cold it is – it's the moisture in the air This is something you will learn intuitively, we certainly have. At -16 degrees Celsius, you will often feel warmer than at -1 degrees Celsius. Strange but true, in our option! Lower temperatures drive the moisture out of the air and keep the snow frozen. Warmer temperatures thaw the snow, releasing moisture into the air and this is when you might start to feel chilly. When it is around freezing, you’## find gloves and scarves help. 3. Make sure that the name on your ID matches the name on post your receive Anything bigger than your post box flap will sent directly to your local pick up point, which is often in the local supermarket, with convenient and long opening hours. In most cases, you will have to provide ID in order for the clerk to give the mail to you. Here there can be a problem. Let's say you have a nickname that's not on your ID. If the mail happens to be addressed to your nickname, the clerk may not give you the mail. It unfortunately depends on how picky the clerk is but many of us have had problems with it, so it's something you should keep in mind. 4. The Swede is informal – even in a formal setting You will notice this quickly, especially if you compare it to the American style of customer service. You can expect all manner of emotive responses from store clerks and administrative personnel if you complain about something, although they will almost always speak quietly. The customer is not always right here. 5. There is a right answer, just like there is a right way to do everything Swedish culture dictates that there is a right way to do most things and therefore most people will do things that way. If you push Swedes to answer awkward questions, you may see them try to find that 'right' answer too. If you'd like help with your move to Sweden or even to Danderyd, join our membership group. We help our members get settled in. Fast. It is easy to confuse the very formal, organised Swedish state with the very informal nature of society. Being new here almost guarantees you’ll get them confused at some point! Here are eight things you can do that should help you avoid the most common mistakes: 2. Never forget to remove your shoes before entering someone’s home Shoes are strictly worn outside and in certain public settings. For instance, if you happen to find yourself in court – do NOT remove your shoes. However, if you're in a library or hospital, you will notice that certain areas are no shoe zones. Look out for helpful signs and strange blue plastic things in baskets on the floor – they are for covering your shoes with if you don’t want to take them off. 3. Avoid chivalry If you happen to be male, maybe even a southern gentleman and decide to hold the door for some unsuspecting woman, she might consider it to be an insult. Sweden has come a long way when it comes to gender equality and the current generation of young to middle aged women do not want to be treated differently at all. However, holding doors and offering to help someone who is carrying something (especially a buggy) is fine. 4. Expect to use on-line banking Physical banks are becoming a thing of the past in Sweden and cash is disappearing. Do not expect to receive much service even if your bank happen to have such a location and do not expect them to handle cash, except if it is coming out of an ATM. Getting used to on-line banking will help you. 5. Don’t judge Swedes by your first impression One of our resident Swedes says: “Swedes are like coconuts – hard shells with fluid insides. Sort of.” You may well notice that when talking to a Swede that you don’t know that the person usually reacts to your communication with a perplexed look. That's just the Swedish default mode. Keep on talking and you'll see them relax and get into the swing of chattering. 6. Don’t think that people expect you to understand tradition Things such as surströmming, nubbe and crayfish are sometimes presented as being part of mythical traditions that must be dealt with in accordance with strict regulations. Not even swedes know how to deal with crayfish and most of them hate nubbe. Go with the flow, it's not an exam. 7. Avoid riding your bicycle on the side walk Doing this is actually illegal, unless the pavement has a sign marking its dual nature. It will also awaken the rage of the Swede, causing some seriously angry looks to be hurled your way. 8. ...and don’t walk on the bicycle path This is just dangerous. Let's say you're walking in the bicycle path and a bike rider turns a corner and hits you. You will be to blame. Even to the point of being responsible for paying his or her medical bills. It's called negligence and the Swedes don't mess around. Plus it will hurt.
If you now have even more questions about life in Sweden, get in touch with us :) Recent developments have caused much attention in regards to the Swedish model and the possibility of living and working in Sweden. If you're a citizen of EU, you're in luck. You can essentially travel to Sweden and start looking for a job. However, those of you who are on the outside of the EU have to keep a few things in mind: 1. Make sure that your employer is the real deal This might not seem like a big deal. As long as someone says you've a job waiting, you're in the clear... right? Well, the situation is unfortunately a bit more complicated. Before jumping to the next step of actually obtaining a work permit, you should make sure that your employer is registered as such. If this is not the case, your supposed employer doesn't even have ability to pay you a formal salary. This could jeopardise your ability to receive a permit and also cause you to put a lot of energy into something that will turn out fruitless. Luckily, this is easy to check. Just visit one of these websites: www.Ratsit.se www.Merinfo.se Look up your potential employer and, with a little help from Google Translate, make sure that the company is active and formally registered as an employer. Also, make sure to save all correspondence you have had with your potential employer and a copy of the job advertisement. Wait, job advertisement? Yes. In order for your employment to be considered valid when applying for a permit, your employer must have had the position advertised so as to have been available in EU/EEA countries and Switzerland. 2. Apply for a work permit When it's time to apply, you should gather all relevant information such as your correspondence with your employer, a copy of the job advertisement and your passport. Bring everything to the immigration office, Migrationsverket. If possible, apply on-line. This will guarantee that your application is dealt with as soon as possible. The wait can be excruciating and there's unfortunately no way to speed it up. You just have accept the due course and try to enjoy yourself while waiting! 3. Register yourself at Skatteverket Once you have a valid work permit, you will also receive a residence permit card. This enables you to obtain a personal identity number. This number is your key to being a part of the formal society. It enables you to open a bank account, pay taxes and deal with all administrative issues.
You should, as soon as possible, register yourself at the tax office (which also handles anything to do with the population of Sweden, including personal numbers) - Skatteverket. Do not delay this is step – it is probably the single most important one! Pretty much everything in Sweden revolves around a personal identity number, and not having one will act as a barrier between you and an easy life!
Here are some extra tips to help you get everything sorted out before you move: Websites for looking for a home in Sweden There is a shortage of rental housing in cities like Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg so allow time to find yourself somewhere to live. Buying property is relatively easier. Here are some websites for finding rental accommodation: bostaddirekt.se andrahand.se foretagsbostader.se hyrabostad.se hyralya.se blocket.se If you are concerned that an advert sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Watch out for fraudulent property ads and fake landlords. Check if your driving licence is valid in Sweden You can use a foreign driving licence in Sweden but you MUST have it with you when you drive. Your driving licence must have a photograph of yourself on it or you must, when driving, also have a valid ID document with you containing a photo. Licences not in English, German or French need a certified translation and an international driving licence counts as a certified translation. Longer term, licences from EEA countries are valid until they expire (although you can switch it for a Swedish one, which is useful as it has your personal number on it). Drivers from countries outside the EEA have a year once they are registered in Sweden to take the driving test in Sweden. For more information, check out this site (in English) Stock up on decent socks (seriously)
You are unlikely to see fitted carpet in homes in Sweden. Actually, we’ve never seen fitted carpet in a Swedish home! Swedes don’t wear shoes inside either so add wooden floors to much heavier use of socks and you’ll find your socks wear out much faster. So, take our advice and stock up on your favourite socks. Remember – they will be visible to everyone so choose ones you are happy being seen! This also applies to places like preschools and swimming pools – no shoes inside. If you haven’t already downloaded it, get more tips and our great checklist here: |
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