next »

[Kari]

I have posted on another board and it was suggested I post here instead. I am finishing up a PhD in Art History from a 5 RAE program in Britain. I have a BA Honors History/Anthropology and MA Museum Studies from American programs. After I graduate, it appears I will be moving to Sweden to start a life with my Swedish boyfriend.

My Swedish is terrible, but I am working on it-taking classes and those silly tapes/books/ and computer teach yourself programs.

My boyfriend lives in a pretty decent size city-not Stockholm or Malmo, but with one or two universities close by. He says he is willing to move to another town in Sweden if I can find work-he cant really find a job outside of Sweden as his job is quite specific to country.

I would like to work in academia or I could possibly go back to museums. My boyfriend is outside these fields and can offer no valuable advice-said only many university classes are taught in English so my language should not be a problem.

Does anyone have experience in Sweden? Is there a website that lists academic or non-profit sector jobs? Does anyone know what the job market is like for museums or academia.

[jeremy]

Does anyone have experience in Sweden?

I have applied for positions there upon invitation.


Is there a website that lists academic or non-profit sector jobs?

To the best of my knowledge, there is not a single site.  There are many sites, each university has a site, and some disciplines (like math, philosophy) have sites.  I have not seen a museum oriented site.   http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/rsrcs/pubs/4510.htm  lists many sites.  The government ministry of Education, Research and Culture is the one that oversees education and museums, you could give them a ring and see if they have information.


Does anyone know what the job market is like for museums or academia.

In academia, it is tight like the U.K., they prefer to hire people from Scandanavia, like the U.K. prefers people from the U.K.   That said, it is about networks, like all academic job hunts.  Once you are there, you should go talk to people, become friends and colleagues, and then you will be invited to apply.  If you apply blind, you'll probably have little chance.  From here, I would start sending letters of introduction to local museums and university departments, letting them know you are going to be visiting their area and perhaps staying a while, and are looking to build working relationships, or somesuch.  read Phil Agre's  Networking on the Network, it is online.

[EH]

On a similar note, I've been asked to interview for a postdoc in Stockholm and am wondering what opportunities there would be for my husband.  He is a computer programmer.  

We don't speak Swedish.  My work would be in English, but I don't think he would have much time to learn before we'd go.

(We are investigating the possibility of working remotely for his current job, but it seems likely that they will only have limited work.  I think he will need a more steady income, not to mention something that gets him out of the house.)

[GEL]

Whatever time he had to learn the language would be time well spent. A little bit of the language could make it or break it for him. Try googling or writing to the American Embassy in Sweden or to the local chambers of commerce in the Swedish destination city. You should also find out whether he will have the legal right to work as your husband. My guess is yes, but I wouldn't take that for granted. Good luck. GEL

[Kari]

Not sure...I only know about programs for people staying for good...but there is a program that the Swedish government has in place that teaches Swedish language to new arrivals. Not sure if you would qualify-depends on length of stay. It might help him find a job.

[rich]

In most academic settings, speaking no Swedish but good English is not a hinder. Socially you could be at a loss because the twice-daily coffee breaks largely wind up in Swedish. As someone noted higher level courses are frequently taught in English, but in the long term learning Swedish is a major advantage, and if you live in a major city then you would have access to schools such as Folkuniversitet, where they offer Swedish for Immigrants. Thereafter, learning Swedish is a matter of effort.

In response to the issue of trailing spouses, if the one person comes here for a job then the trailing partner basically gets a visa and work permit as well. This has been the case for post-docs in our department, where their boyfriend/girlfriend have also always received a visa and work permit with the same duration. My wife has always had a visa and permit as an extension of mine; we came originally when I started a PhD position a decade ago. English is the language of research, and I can choose myself whether I want to do a lecture in English or Swedish - there is no requirement (some countries, such as the Netherlands, have requirements to teach in the national language within a certain time period). Most students' English is fairly good, but there are always some weaker student groups where they already struggle enough with the subject matter that teaching in English makes it far too difficult.

The academic market is competetive - but then again, that seems to be the way it is everywhere else. However, I am in the sciences and not the humanities and these two areas seem to behave in different ways - the sciences are more open to people who come from outside their own university, whereas my impression of humanities departments is that they have a greater tendency to hire from their own ranks within the university. But there is an increasing trend towards internationalization in higher education, but it clearly varies between fields.

[%sig%]

[moom]

There is this website:

http://www.sulf.se/templates/AdList.aspx?id=493

And I put this page together:

http://www.rpi.edu/Lediga_Jobb.html

I'm no longer looking, but was thinking of moving to Sweden.

[moom]

Sorry - missed part of the address out:

http://www.rpi.edu/~sternd/Lediga_Jobb.html

[moom]

I promise I'm not drunk or something LOL. Here it is again:

http://www.rpi.edu/~sternd/Lediga_jobb.html