Living and working in Kristiansund as foreigner

[Srivista]

Hi everyone,

My name is Srivista from India, and I just finished my studies at the University of Bremen, Germany. I was/am constantly applying for jobs. After several interviews, this week finally I got a job offer from Kontali, which office is located at Kristiansund. I have never been to Norway, so all the culture and information about Norway would be new.

I have several questions:

1. How easy to get along with English in Norway, especially in Kristiansund?
2. How easy to learn Norwegian? I was able to reach C1 within 4 years in Germany, how hard would be to learn Norwegian compared to English or German. 
3. According to Wikipedia got a population of 24000, what challenges would I face as an international person? Can I have some racial challenges due to for example skin colour, or different looks? How open the people are in smaller cities?
4. What is included in the taxes in Norway? Can you recommend an online tool which can be used to evaluate the net salary (similar to this German one)?

Thank you for your help.

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Below I used google translate 

Hei alle sammen,

Jeg heter Srivista fra India, og jeg har nettopp fullført studiene mine ved Universitetet i Bremen, Tyskland. Jeg var/søker stadig på jobber. Etter flere intervjuer fikk jeg denne uken endelig et jobbtilbud fra Kontali, som ligger i Kristiansund. Jeg har aldri vært i Norge, så all kultur og informasjon om Norge ville være ny.

Jeg har flere spørsmål:

Hvor lett å komme overens med engelsk i Norge, spesielt i Kristiansund?
Hvor lett å lære norsk? Jeg klarte å nå C1 innen 4 år i Tyskland, hvor vanskelig ville det være å lære norsk sammenlignet med engelsk eller tysk.
Ifølge wikipedia har en befolkning på 24 000, hvilke utfordringer vil jeg møte som internasjonal person? Kan jeg ha noen rasemessige utfordringer på grunn av for eksempel hudfarge, eller annerledes utseende? Hvor åpne er folk i mindre byer?
Hva er inkludert i avgiftene i Norge? Kan du anbefale et nettbasert verktøy som kan brukes til å evaluere nettolønnen (ligner på dette tyske)?
Takk for hjelpen.

 

[:utakt]

Hi there Srivista, welcome to Norway (and these forums)! 

Most Norwegians speak English. Obviously some are more fluent than others, but you will get by with English. I would highly recommend you to learn Norwegian, though. 

When you already know English and German, I don't think Norwegian will be too hard. Your mileage may vary, but from reading other peoples stories in the media I'd say C1 should be realistic in a year-ish. 

Racism is illegal, and I would not say racism is a big concern in general. The vast majority of people are nice and open minded. However, it would be naive to think you will never encounter it. One of the biggest hurdles may actually be getting a job, sometimes the media publish stories about people having sent hundreds of job applications and got rejected, but as soon as they fake a Norwegian name they get an interview. It's a shame. You already have a job offer, so good for you! 

Don't worry too much about racism. I can't speak for Kristiansund in specific, but I doubt people there are any better or worse than in other cities. You'll be safe. 

Norwegians can be hard to make friends with. Please don't think this is racism, it really isn't. It's just that a lot of people are very private and keep to themselves. People will likely not talk to you out and about, i.e. on public transportation and in stores. We will smile and greet you, but rarely initiate further conversation. It's just the way we are. A lot of us, at least. 

Go and enjoy the nightlife. Make friends there, (a lot of people need to be a little drunk to loosen up and make friends!) and soon you will have someone to hang out with on a Tuesday as well. 

Taxes are high, but also cover a lot. Healthcare and education is pretty much free, with some exceptions (i.e. dental care is not included and is wildly expensive). Taxes probably cover a whole lot I don't think about, being a native. Did you have anything specific in mind? 

According to official statistics, the median income in 2021 was roughly NOK 550 000.

This website has a budget tool you can use for planning. It should give you an idea of what living expenses you can expect. 

Best of luck! 

[DukeRichelieu]

A bit late to reply here and you already got a good reply.

My main concern is that Kristiansund is a very, very small city and not a particular beautiful one. Also, the climate/weather can be challenging as it's very wet most of the year.

Unless you really enjoy spending time in nature and generally a smaller city (barely that) atmosphere, I think you'll have more fun as a foreigner in a larger city. Preferrably Oslo.

Of course, Kristiansund may be a good start and you may even enjoy it there. If not, maybe you can apply for a new job in Oslo or some other city later on.

Good luck!