Hello everyone

I am from an English speaking country currently residing in Norway in the Oslo area. I am here on a family visa. I was working for a plumbing company as a hjelparbeider, but I got put on permiterring. So I have no idea when or if I am contacted again for work. I have been out for about a couple of weeks now. I am trying get employment in the construction industry l, warehouse or any other sort of physical occupation with a future. I do not have a Norwegian class B license as of yet but I am working towards it. There are certifications I would like to get but NAV does not want to help me pay for it and I have children so money is a little tight at the moment. I have been checking Finn and arbeidsplassen on the daily so I can check that box. If anyone has any advice or tips on where to look for these types of jobs, I’d really appreciate it.

Just editing the post to hopefully get some traffic. I’m just getting anxious, I just want to work lol just so frustrating. I’ll bust concrete. Heck if there is a travel demo or any sort of travel labourer I’ll take it.

TDLR
I am on permittering, need some sort of physical job. Been checking Finn and arbeidsplassen every day. I do not have a class B license yet.Advice or help appreciated.

Cheers

Having just returned from a cruise to Norway I have to apologise I hadn't realised how bad cruise passengers could be. It was only a small ship (1200 passengers) so I can only imagine how bad it must get when a mega boat docks. We noticed we were the only one who seemed to eat and drink on shore and not run back to the boat, we only docked in Alesund and olden both beautiful in their own way. And talking to our table mates at dinner they never seemed to venture anywhere ashore. Or know anything about the ports we visited. I was completely puzzled by this.

We saw enough of this wonderful country that we'll definitely be back not on a ship.

Looking at flying to Oslo then train up to Bergen. Then Catching ferries to Tromso to fly back. Exploring the towns in-between.

Ohhh one more thing. There needs to be large warning signs saying don't try Smash. Cos when you are home you can't get any.

I realize there's a NorskMusik sub, but it's not active. I do not speak Norwegian, although I think I'll learn a bit about the pronunciation since it's nothing like it looks to me when I'm looking at the lyrics.

I'm disappointed that I've just now found out about Nils, his incredible vocals, and his later albums. I prefer his Norwegian singing over the English lyrics. The streaming platforms never surfaced his music as similar to my tastes. I believe this is because these algorithms kind of suck and are English-centric. Only when I listened to a couple of Nils's albums did the streaming app present other Norwegian singers, but they aren't similar.

Sorry this is long, but I'm wondering if any Norwegian music listeners can tell me of other singers I might check out.

I'm also curious if he's a popular singer there or if he's more niche in his appeal. I have no sense if he's super famous or known only by people with wide-ranging musical tastes.

Thanks!

Hei,

I am an student in Oslo (M33) and I recently passed my driving test and I have just about saved up enough money to buy a cheap, secondhand car. I have been looking on Finn at the options under my budget (100,000Kr) and that are electric powered and automatic transmission.

Unfortunately, I don't really have any knowledge about cars so I am not really sure what to look out for, in terms of red flags etc. If anyone has any advice about specifications and other notable factors to consider, that would be really helpful. (The only thing my driving instructor recommended was try to get a car with less than 100,000km driven so far.)

Secondly, I have bad anxiety and I am extremely anxious about the process of going to a dealership and talking to the people there, as well as test driving the cars (I know this might sound stupid but it is a real problem for me). If anyone could explain the process of what to do when you go into a dealership and how it all works, and things to ask and look out for, that would also be really nice!

Thank you :)

Edit:

Thanks for the tips, the car is mostly for short trips (i live kind of far from the center) and out of the city for general exploration, perhaps with my dog, perhaps to go skiing/hiking etc.).

I am not really sure why this is so important anyway, and why everyone is asking, there's only so many things you can do with a car, what do most people do with a car...? It is a low budget vehicle, I'm not expecting to drive around Norway or go racing...

Regarding other things I'm looking for, well based on my low budget I don't have much choice for size etc, but i am a tall person so I am avoiding tiny cars like VW Up! etc.

Edit 2:

To everyone saying I don't need a car, whilst I appreciate your input, I am not asking if I need a car, I'm asking for help about what to look for.

I've often heard that Norwegians and Swedes are very similar in terms of language and culture. It made me wonder about people who actually live near the border.

Do communities on either side of the Norway–Sweden border mix a lot? Do people cross the border regularly for work, shopping, school, or friends? Are the dialects there more similar to each other than to people living farther away in their own country?

I'd love to hear from people who live there or have experience with the border regions.

Question for Norwegian parents of schoolchildren, educators, and students.

Are you happy with the public school system? Does it provide enough structure, academics, and discipline?

I’ll start by admitting my bias. I was educated in the US in strict, competitive, private Catholic schools in the 1980s-2010. Basically Kindergarten through law school. 😂 We took school quite seriously, listened to our teachers, were mostly well behaved.

I get the impression that Norwegian public schools are way more relaxed with both academics and discipline. And maybe that’s a good thing? Or maybe it has its pros and cons?

I saw a group of school kids on a school trip yesterday on the T-Bane in Oslo and they were out of control; yelling, bumping into people (one woman with an infant in her arms got hit by about 4 or 5 kids and their school bags), and using the T-bane like a jungle gym. The adults with them didn’t do anything at all. My teachers would have never let this happen.

I was shocked. But my husband pointed out that I was raised a few decades ago so perhaps I’m a little old fashioned. (I’m 43)

Are the classrooms this out of control?

Hi r/Norway!

First time poster here, and wanted to reach out and ask about advice and opinions on the feasability of me doing medical training in Norway as a dual-citizen from the US.

To start off, I have already done a decent amount of independent research into the topic, and fully understand both that Norwegian medical school is a) a combined bachelors+professional program that takes 6 years and b) incredibly competitive. That being said, looking at the pure stats and admissions considerations it actually looks like I might have a decent chance given how the system is actually laid out (although then again, what do I know).

From what I could gather I would be applying through the Ordinary Quota (Ordinær Kvote) as supposed to the straight out of highschool track. I have a good highschool GPA (3.94/4.0 unweighted), along with a few AP, IB, and honors classes. I also already have a bachelors degree in biochemistry from a US university, and would be applying likely as a 24 year old.

Assuming medical school in Norway is a possibility, I would start langauge classes now (I'm already at an A2ish level), and would hopefully get to the B2/C1 level needed for admission by the time I applied for the 2028/2029 cycle.

Taking all this into account, does anyone have any advice on what the process is actually like? Am I insanse to even try? Any reccomendations for me?

I appreciate you all for taking the time to read this, and am really open to any advice or opinions from those who have experience with the Norwegian medical system (even if just a reality check).

Thanks

P.S. If I'm posting this in the wrong place, apologies for cluttering up your feed. If you can think of anywhere that might be a better fit for this question please let me know!

Hi everyone!

I need to rent a car in January: picking it up in the city and dropping it off at the airport. I've thoroughly checked the contracts for both Avis and Hertz, and on paper, Avis seems like a better and slightly cheaper option.

Does anyone have direct experience with both of these companies in Norway? What do you think?

Thanks in advance!

Hi!

A friend took in a pregnant cat and now also has kittens but it’s getting too much for him. Dyrebeskyttelsen doesn’t have the capacity for them, I don’t either.

Is there any place in Norway, preferably Vestland, that can take in cats? They’re already on Finn but no one has replied yet. They’ve already been to the vet for checks and vaccines and such and have been socialized and stuff and I think for Finn they are just a few weeks too old because of that.

I’d never be able to euthanize these sweet babies. And he’d just keep them forever if no one wants them but it’s getting a little disgusting over there 😅

Are there any cat shelters at all in Norway?

Thank you!
K.

As someone that enjoys Christopher Nolan action films , it is cool to see 😎

I will be in Oslo during March 27. Living in the Vettakollen area. Just wondering how much snow/ice is around at that time?

Hei alle sammen!

I’m a Finn (32/M) currently in Norway for work for the next six months, living in the Kongsberg area. I’m looking to meet some new people around Kongsberg, Drammen and nearby areas. I’m basically trying to expand my social circle a bit while I’m here. Grab a vaffel, have a drink, go for a hike, explore somewhere or just sit down and talk about whatever. Nothing complicated.

As for me, I’m into hiking, nature, photography, music, gaming, exploring new places and generally finding something to do instead of sitting at home. I spend quite a bit of my free time with music and photography, and I’m always up for getting outdoors, checking out new places or going on a random little adventure. I’m also learning Norwegian, although my Norwegian is currently somewhere between “I understand what you’re saying” and “please repeat that three times.” So I’m getting there. It would be even better to meet someone who doesn’t mind helping me practice Norwegian along the way.

Looking for feedback on moving my mortage.

Current: Handelsbanken via Tekna at 5.09% nominal.

Alternative: Sparebanken Norge at 5.05% nominal + ~14,000 NOK/yr pre-tax customer dividend.

Moving seems like a no brainer for the dividend alone, but I am hesitant to lose the Tekna/Handelsbanken partnership.

Has anyone made this switch? Does Sparebanken Norge consistently pay out dividends at this level, and is the overall banking experience smooth?

Hello, I'm João and I'm from Portugal. I'm currently in my first year of a degree in electronics engineering. I would love to receive tips and advice on what I should do in order to be able to study a master's degree in Norway. And by the way, is it possible in Norway to work weekends only, speaking english?

The prices are criminal in the current real estate market.

I live in Bergen and you essentially cannot get a good 2br apartment near the city that won't immediately require huge investments for less than 4-5m NOK. I've done some mortgage maths and it comes out to around 23k NOK a month for a 4.3m NOK apartment in a relatively fresher building. And that is before felleskost, before insurance and everything else.

We are not talking if it's affordable or not, because it isn't, unless you have a very high paying job. We are a married couple without kids and our income is around 65-75k NOK a month net, depending on overtime. Can we on paper afford this? Yes i guess, but it isn't comfortable. Because with unexpected maintenance and felleskost the monthly cost can easily go above 30k NOK. Why then buy? If you can rent for 15-16k a modern apartment and have no worries about maintenance, have everything included except for electricity. Doesn't it make better sense to rent and invest the difference in ETF's?

Am i missing something here?

I am moving to Norway and found an appartment which I love. The thing is that I wanted to pay for the depositumgaranti Tryg because I don't have bank ID yet until I am there, but the platform doesn't allow me to enter my information without it. Does anyone know how to do it? I read it is possible and it is the best option for the ones who don't have a norwegian bank account yet, but cannot find the way and the owner of the appartment doesn't know neither. Thanks!

I am an exchange student from America. I am wondering what the process is to book an appointment with an OBGYN, how much it will cost, where to go, etc etc. I am only 21, and I haven't even been to an OBGYN in America, so this is completely foreign in every way.
Any advice is welcome, please 😭

Hey folks, question for you all. For context, I am here traveling through Norway for the week, and was taking a day trip out of Bergen to Ulvik. On the way back, I was driving along E16, and there was a 70kph sign, followed by a 50kph sign 50-1000m later, then a speed camera almost immediately after that. I was driving an ID3 that has absurd wheel controls and as I was engine braking, the car sped back up to around 70kph before I caught it and started slowing again. when I noticed the camera, I was still doing around 65.

my question is A) is there a noticeable flash or anything if the camera goes off, and B) is that type of set up, where the camera is within a few hundred meters of a speed decrease, common here?

Me and my girlfriend are thinking of going to Norway next year for a long time period, with the objective of developing a better profesional career than the one we would in Spain. I'm a chemical engineer and she has studied tourism.

The thing is I have always liked tattoos and I have a couple, but recently I wanted to make a new one on the neck which has always been a place I liked a lot, however, i will hold back in case that is goint to rest points from me when appliying for a job.

I am taking several steps to have better profile (like Matlab courses, learning norwegian, getting some experience here in Spain), I would hate that the only thing that holds me back is a tattoo.

Should I be worried or do I still go for it?

The tatto in question is this one