Career

Finding A Job

If you do not yet have a job in Norway or if your trailing partner would like to find a job, one of the best places to start looking for one is on the internet. NAV, FINN , Jooble and EURES have the most number of job vacancies. Norwegian society is very tech-savvy and most hiring agencies have online data banks from which they do their hiring.

Many companies have their own websites and you may find vacancies on their websites which are not advertised anywhere else. If you already have a network of friends in Norway, you should put the word out that you are looking for work. You can also send open job applications to the relevant companies. Maintaining an updated profile on LinkedIn is also recommended.

Teachers or other professionals wishing to work at an international school in Norway can contact the schools directly.

As far as your CV(résumé) is concerned, adapt it to Norwegian standards: your CV should not exceed two pages and a photo is not necessary. List your professional experience from the most recent to the oldest. At the end of your CV, list your professional references (former employers, supervisors, etc.). Norwegians are very thorough; your references will be contacted. Norwegian employers may want you to be able to speak Norwegian and/or English before they can hire you. You can read tips on Writing a Good CV.

Working conditions may vary from employer to employer but they are generally above the European average. There is no general law on minimum pay, however minimum rates of pay have been introduced in certain sectors:

  • Construction sites (for construction workers)
  • The maritime construction industry
  • The agriculture and horticulture sectors
  • Cleaning workers

You (as a foreigner) are entitled to be paid and given the same treatment as native Norwegians. In Norway you are entitled to a holiday of twenty five working days every year. If you are over sixty years of age you get an extra week of holiday.

See Work in Norway and the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority for more information.

For recognition of foreign higher education

NOKUT is a national information centre offering information about the Norwegian authorisation and recognition systems. NOKUT can offer guidance and direct you to the relevant authority to have your education or professional experience recognised/authorised.

Self-Employment

There are few restrictions on starting a business in Norway. If you are at least 18 years old, not declared incapable and not under bankruptcy quarantine, you may establish an enterprise. You don’t have to live in Norway yourself; however, the enterprise must have a Norwegian address. Continue reading here: Starting Your Own Business

Registering your Business

Brønnøysundregistrene

Start Up Business Help

Specific to the Rogaland Region:

Tax-Free Odd Jobs

Income from paid work is taxable. The rules on tax exemptions for some types of odd jobs is intended as a simplification for the employers, and not necessarily to give tax free income to those who take the jobs. Learn more here.

If you need help for small jobs in the home, such as gardening, snow shovelling, cleaning and other work on the house, you can pay up to NOK 6 000 in salary per year per person tax-free. Learn more here.

Unemployment

To be entitled to unemployment benefit, your working hours must usually have been reduced by at least 50 per cent. You must meet the general requirements for unemployment benefit in Norway and be willing to do any kind of work. As a main rule, you must live or reside in Norway.

To receive unemployment benefit, you must be registered as a job seeker at www.nav.no or at your NAV Local Services. You must then complete the Unemployment Benefit Claim Form. School pupils and students are not entitled to unemployment benefit. You may be entitled to unemployment benefit if you are temporarily laid off. If you are a frontier worker, you can stay in your country of residence while receiving unemployment benefit from Norway.

Entitlement to unemployment benefit earned in another EEA country can be transferred to Norway using form E-301 from the country where you used to work. The conditions for transferring the rights must be met. One of the conditions is that you have worked full-time in Norway for at least eight weeks. The work must have started within 12 weeks of your arrival in Norway and have been completed within a 12-week period. On certain conditions, you may keep your Norwegian unemployment benefit for up to three months while you are applying for a job in another EEA country. In such case, you must submit a written request for form E-303, which entitles you to stay in another country as a job seeker while receiving unemployment benefit from Norway.

If you are job seeking in Norway while receiving unemployment benefit from another EEA country, you must bring form E-303 with you from the country from which you receive employment benefit. You must register as a job seeker when you arrive in Norway and comply with the Norwegian rules that apply to registration as a job seeker with NAV, i.e. submit an employment status form every 14 days to your NAV Local Services. For citizens of Bulgaria and Romania, transitional rules still apply, i.e. certain limitations relating to freedom of movement and the right to unemployment benefit.

For more information contact your NAV Local Services or call NAV’s automatic service line on 810 33 810.

Retirement

The retirement age in Norway is 67 years.

Anyone registered as a member of the National Insurance Scheme is entitled to a retirement pension. Retirement age in Norway is 67 years. Contractual pension agreements allow early retirement from the age of 62. Information about retirement pensions is available from the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

In addition, you must have lived in Norway for at least three years after the age of 16 and still be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. If you have worked in another EEA country, an exception may be made from the condition regarding a minimum residence period. If you move to another EEA country, you keep your old-age pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. You must earn pension rights for 40 years to be entitled to a full pension from Norway.