Education

11 Mobile Apps International Students in Sweden Must Have

19 February 2022 By The Newbie Team Leave a Comment

Written by Hamzah Dzikri Fadliansyah

In this digitalized era, everything is handy. You just need to click and scroll everything through your mobile phone to operate everything. Some essential things can be done remotely by using your smartphone. Speaking of which, Sweden is one of many countries where everything is all digitalized. As international students living in Sweden, this fact may surprise you. Fear not! I will tell you 11 mobile apps international students in Sweden must have, which can let you immerse with the lifestyle of this digital society.

Canvas

First of all, as you are studying here, the mobile app that should be downloaded first is Canvas. Although some universities have their own online platform, Canvas is widely used by most universities in Sweden. At least, at my university, we use Canvas to access all the school materials and course resources. With this app, you can check our schedule, the venues, lecture notes, video tutorials, and many other things. In Canvas, you can also submit assignments and receive your grades. Sometimes, in addition to email, the faculty also send us announcement and messages through Canvas.

Zoom

Since the pandemic started, everything has been conducted remotely, including teaching-learning activities. Therefore, the universities provide students with a free premium Zoom account to accommodate this. We mainly use the Zoom platform at my campus for attending lectures, presentations, webinars, and many academic activities. Just log in with your university account, and voila! You can use it as much as you want. You can also use Zoom for other purposes, such as group work with your peers. However, you should also note that maybe some universities have different platforms similar to Zoom for teaching-learning activities.

Studenkortet & Mecenat

When you join a university nation, you will receive both digital and physical cards from the student organization. These cards will enable you to get student discounts and access student events. In the app called Studentkortet, you just need to register to one of the student nations at your university. You will then be asked to login into the Studenkortet app. Once the digital card is ready in the app, you can check all of the student discounts there, including clothes, sports equipment, flight ticket, and of course, food!

Another mobile app international students in Sweden must have similar to Studentkortet is Mecenat. If Studenkortet asks you to register to a student nation at your university, Mecenat does not need that. You just need to register yourself and put your personal details there. It is free, and you can also access some student discounts!

Facebook

Facebook is starting to lose its users in my country, especially for young people. However, in Sweden, Facebook is one of the important mobile apps international students in Sweden must have. Most of the students in Sweden use Facebook to communicate with each other. They also hold some events through Facebook. For example, my classmates coordinate a Facebook group for our program. They share a lot of information there. So, if you do not want to be left out, you should install the Facebook app and its Messenger on your phone.

Moreover, you can also check out the other Facebook groups or marketplace in your city. Some people post good kinds of stuff there and sell them at a very good price. It is a very great deal for students of course.

Tiendeo

Next, you should also install Tiendeo. With this app, you can browse different catalogues for ongoing discounts at varied shops in Sweden. The catalogues are updated frequently. You can check a wide range of products from all types of stores, such as clothing shops, book stores, and grocery stores. As international students or students in general, who does not love discounts? We tend to save money as much as possible, and this is our chance to get things we want at a low price.

Karma & Too Good To Go

Speaking of food, the next mobile apps international students in Sweden must have are Karma and Too Good To Go. Those two apps are mobile platforms that help grocery stores, restaurants, and cafés sell food at discounted rates. This is done to reduce food waste! So, instead of throwing away the surplus food, the restaurants sell it through the apps. You can buy the food directly via mobile apps as a takeaway. By doing this, you also contribute to a sustainable way of living. It also enables us to eat good food at an affordable price eventually.

Swish

As I mentioned before, everything in Sweden is digitalized, including its payment method. Many stores use Swish as a payment method. Swish is a useful mobile app for making online payments. This app is fast, secure, and widely used in many stores in Sweden as a local alternative to card payments. To use Swish, you should have a Swedish BankID first. How to open a Swedish BankID? Check this article to find out the way!

Transport Apps

Transportation is an important part of living in Sweden. Swedish people tend to use public transportation for mobility. Thus, there are a lot of mobile apps to accommodate your travel around the country. Different provinces in Sweden have their own public transportation mobile apps. For example, Skånetrafiken in Skåne, SL in Stockholm area, Västtrafik in Västra Götaland, and so on and so forth. Many of those apps offer daily to monthly tickets. You can access train, bus, ferry, or other modes of vehicles using the apps within the same ticket. Just check the regulation of the ticket to make sure! Other than those apps, you can also use the SJ application. SJ allows you to purchase tickets to travel for long-distance trips.

Duolingo

The last mobile app I would like to recommend to international students in Sweden is Duolingo. Living in a country where you do not speak their language is challenging. So, you need to adapt by learning their language as well. Duolingo is a suitable app for learning Swedish. In fact, Swedish is the language most learned in Sweden on the Duolingo app. It is because foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, and international students mainly use the app to learn Swedish.

Those are 11 mobile apps international students in Sweden must have. For your information, some of the apps I mentioned before do not have the English version. So, you need to know some Swedish terms. In that case, if you want to take a Swedish course, The Newbie Guide to Sweden offers different Swedish Learning Options to understand how to accelerate your Swedish skills. So, what are the mobile apps international students in Sweden must have that you already installed on your smartphone? Let’s share them with others in the comment section below!

About the Author
Hejsan! My name is Hamzah, an Indonesian student studying in a Master of Science program in Media and Communication Studies at Lund University. While I enjoy binge-watching movies and TV series, talking with friends, and everything involving food, now I have found traveling as a new hobby. Before going back to my home country in the middle of 2022, I want to share my stories about my life as an international student in Sweden with you.

Why Studying in Sweden is Beyond My Expectations

26 January 2022 By The Newbie Team Leave a Comment

Written by Hamzah Dzikri Fadliansyah

In the middle of uncertainty, fate decided that I would study in Sweden, a country that was not my top priority. I could tell you my rollercoaster story of applying for a master’s degree program, but this could be a very long story to tell. Fret not! I will tell you some fundamental reasons why I ended up choosing and living in Sweden for study.

Interdisciplinary Programs

Initially, I struggled to find a master’s program in Media and Communication Studies, which accepts graduates with a bachelor’s diploma in English Language and Literature. Luckily, I found out that many Swedish universities offer interdisciplinary programs in my areas of interest, meaning that I am potentially eligible. In fact, they also provide certain programs relevant to my academic background.

From the interdisciplinary programs, many Swedish universities allow people from various academic backgrounds to choose an area they want to learn. Personally, it gave me a chance to use my skills as transferable knowledge in an area that is new to me. I am learning to use background knowledge so that I can contribute to the discussion in classes.

Moreover, this interdisciplinary system also enables the students to critically examine specific problems that can only be solved using different ways of understanding. It allows the students to integrate different approaches to find innovative solutions. From my experience studying in Sweden, I can confirm that this is true. My classmates and I have learned and shared each other’s experiences and expertise. The discussion in classes is always lively. I can always feel the thoughtful learning environment in my courses.

Team Building

During my study here, I realized something fundamental and similar from my program of study and my friends studying at different programs and universities. Many teaching and learning activities rely mostly on team working or group projects. I could be placed into two to three different group assignments in each course with different people in each group. This is very unusual in my country, where we mostly did the assignment individually.

This is how the education system in Sweden works. They require the students to work collaboratively to solve the problems, manage the diversity, and develop decision-making and time management. This learning style also simulates the real dynamics of an international workplace. It helps students to enhance their skills working in a global environment. Besides, this also helps me get to know my classmates better, improving my interpersonal skills.

Academic Flexibility

Moreover, I am also really impressed by the education system in Sweden that allows the students to retake the exam several times until they pass the exam. I still remember when one of my friends told me that his teacher said to the students in the class, “We do not teach you to fail; we teach you to success.” This is something I could not find in the Indonesian education system. Even my friend who is studying elsewhere in a university in Europe also told me that there is no such thing as retaking the exam; once you fail, you have to retake the whole course. It is incredibly inspiring.

In addition, most master’s programs in Sweden are in two-year duration, although some other programs are also for a year. I initially thought it was a terrible idea since I could save time and money if I studied in a one-year program. However, I realized that a two-year program offers many more things to explore. Mostly, during the third semester, many master’s programs in Swedish universities provide their students the experiences to take on internships, exchange studies at other universities outside Sweden, or take courses inside or outside their department or university. This freedom provides flexibility to the student to foster their needs, empowering them to take their study independently.

Unconventional Education Culture and System

Most importantly, the student-teacher relationship in Sweden is also flat, meaning that students are as equal as teachers. Students can speak to and are treated by lectures as equals. I was shocked by the fact that students do not mention their professors with a title here. Everyone calls the teachers by their first name. In Indonesia, it is disrespectful, but it is a sign of equality and a nonhierarchical education system in Sweden.

One other unconventional thing about studying in Sweden is scheduling courses arrangement. In most programs, you only study one class for one term. So, you do not take two or more courses at the same time. It allows you to focus on what you are studying right now, rather than splitting your mind to focus on two different subjects at the same time. This way is also good for managing time and reducing stress for students. After one course finished, you then continued with the next course.

Lagom: Study Life Balance

It is noteworthy that the Swedish work-life balance value also extends in its education culture. In Sweden, studying life balance is a fundamental thing. From preserving this Lagom lifestyle, Swedish universities encourage the students to explore life and develop their interests besides their academic obligations. In fact, a normal study per week usually covers up 40 hours of studying. Therefore, you have plenty of time to discover many things surrounding you or simply have a Fika with your friends.

You can definitely do many things with a lot of time outside of studying. For me, I enjoy traveling around the Skåne area in Sweden. Sweden has beautiful natures where I love to explore. Some of my friends also work part-time in restaurants or other organizations. Some others also do an internship at the same time. Sometimes, studying also gets very demanding, depending on the current rolling terms. Therefore, you need to manage your priorities.

Well, those are the reasons why I ended up choosing to stay and study in Sweden. Life has decided to drive me somewhere that is beyond my expectation through rejections. I felt like this is a blessing in disguise. I really enjoy studying in Sweden, and I never regret my decision to study in Sweden. More importantly, I do not experience significant problems living here, including the language barrier.

In fact, many Swedes are fluent in speaking English, so you can communicate easily with the locals. Yes, most of the master’s programs in Sweden are also in English. However, if you want to get to know them and their culture better, I suggest you learn Swedish as well. In that case, you may be interested in understanding what are Swedish Learning Options available to you.

Are you now interested in coming to study in Sweden as well? What are your reasons for choosing Sweden as your study destination? Let me know by leaving some comments below! And, let’s share some insights with others!

About the Author
Hejsan! My name is Hamzah, an Indonesian student studying in a Master of Science program in Media and Communication Studies at Lund University. While I enjoy binge-watching movies and TV series, talking with friends, and everything involving food, now I have found traveling as a new hobby. Before going back to my home country in the middle of 2022, I want to share my stories about my life as an international student in Sweden with you.

Study Abroad in Sweden: My Top 5 Reasons

21 January 2022 By The Newbie Team 13 Comments

Written by Ezinne Edet

It was always my dream to study a master’s program abroad. At first, I was undecided about which country to choose, but after much deliberation and research, I settled for Sweden. Here are my top five reasons (in no order) for choosing to study abroad in Sweden.

Study Abroad with Family

For me, family is everything! I could not imagine myself travelling across the globe—thousands of miles away to another continent—without my family. Studying in Sweden meant that I could study abroad, and at the same time, create beautiful memories and new experiences with my husband and children. You know what they say, “the more, the merrier!”

Multicultural Society

Sweden is known for its rich multicultural and diverse society, which promotes inclusion and diversity. Deciding to study in Sweden availed me the opportunity to experience, not only the Swedish culture, but other cultures, thereby, building a global community of friends.

Learn a New Language

With a basic knowledge of French and professional knowledge of English, I was keen on trying my hands—or tongue—on a new language. I started out by learning Swedish on the Duolingo app, but have currently started SFI—Svenska fӧr invandrare—classes in one of the campuses in Gothenburg.

High-Quality Education System

Education and learning in Sweden is unique because of the method of instruction. Since the educational system is more practice-based than theory-based, studying in Sweden has opened my mind to a more critical, independent, and creative way of thinking. In addition, the Swedish education system promotes teamwork and collaboration skills that are essential for professional success.

Innovation and Sustainability

Sweden ranks as one of the most sustainable and innovative countries in the world. The decision to study abroad in Sweden has provided a first-hand opportunity for me to experience and participate in activities that promote sustainable development. More so, I get to co-create value with world-famous Swedish brands like IKEA, Volvo, H&M, Spotify, and who knows, someday, I may just request an autograph from ABBA!

There you have it. My top five reasons for choosing to study abroad in Sweden.

If you are an international student, leave a comment to tell us why you decided to study in Sweden.

Are you considering studying in Sweden? You can learn more about studying in Sweden for international students on the blog.

About the Author
Hej! I am a Nigerian studying a Master of Science in Management at the University of Gothenburg. I have travelled around different countries in Africa, but this is my first time living and studying in another continent. I see living in a new country as an opportunity to learn a new culture, language, and create new networks and experiences. I will be posting about my experiences in Sweden, as a newbie, and sharing information to help you settle in fast. Enjoy!

Study in Sweden for International Students

5 December 2021 By The Newbie Team Leave a Comment

Sweden is one of the top destinations for study due to its innovative learning, students’ self-development, diverse society and quality living conditions. Furthermore, international students are eligible to work while they study in Sweden.

Sweden has top ranked universities like the Karolinska Institute, Lund University, University of Uppsala to mention a few. Swedish universities have contributed immensely to knowledge with innovations tilted at improving living conditions. For instance, Lund University invented the medical ultrasound and the Bluetooth. In the same vein, Karolinska Institute is leading the charge with modern innovations in the medical sciences.

In this blog post, I will provide newbies and prospective international students with helpful information on how to apply for the bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. For the doctoral applications you can read our blog post on Ph.D in Sweden.

How to apply

Sweden operates a centralized application portal. Hence, applications to all the universities are done on the portal antagning.se (for Swedish applicants) and universityadmissions.se. Kindly, get familiar with the two websites as information can change from time to time.

The master’s degree application allows applicants to choose four courses in their order of priority. The bachelor’s degree application allows applicant to choose eight courses. Moreover, there is a minimum requirement applicants must meet to qualify for some courses. Therefore, you should read instructions from the school’s website thoroughly before selecting the courses.

There are two application rounds for the autumn and spring semester. The first round of admission is mostly for international students while the second round is for Swedish and EU citizens. Non-EU prospective students should apply during the first round of the autumn admissions because of time needed to apply for the residence permit. Likewise, there are more courses for the autumn round of admission.

Autumn – The autumn semester starts in August of every year. The first round of admission is between mid October (15th) and mid January (15th). The second round is starts middle of March till May.
Spring – The spring semester starts in January of every year. The first round of admission starts from 1st June to 1st September. The second round is between 15th September to 9th December.
In some cases, there are late applications even after the stipulated application dates. You can check courses open for late applications after these dates on the university admission website. Furthermore, there are other key dates to put into consideration and you can check them here.

English Taught Courses

Sweden has good number of courses fully taken in English. There are over 1000 international bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degree in English. For instance, there is an English course for every discipline. Moreover, some courses are solely in Swedish so you have to check during the process of application to study in Sweden.

Cost of Studying in Sweden

Ph.D students irrespective of nationality do not pay school fees. International students from the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are not required to pay school fees for bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. In addition, there is a comprehensive list of other exemption from school fees on the universityadmission’s website. Nevertheless, if you are not in the category of school fees exemption list, you can still study for a master’s degree at no cost.

Prepare your move to Sweden

Once you have decided to study in Sweden and been accepted to a program – the preparations begin. You will then probably have a long list of to-do’s and an even longer list of questions. Our online course Preparing your move to Sweden will answer a lot ot these questions + give you some very important insights into Sweden and its society.

What you will learn

Short (and long facts) about Sweden.
The history and background of Sweden in regards to democracy, religious freedom, gender equality, social security, child welfare and LGBTQIA+.
The types of visas and residence permits that are available plus the requirements.
Important Swedish agencies, and trust us, you DO need to know about these ones.
How to find a place to stay and how to avoid rental fraud.
How to pack for your move depending on the season.

You can take the course Preparing your move to Sweden from anywhere at any time.

Master’s Scholarship for Non-EU citizens

SI Scholarship for Global Professional is funded by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Applicants must show how they can contribute to sustainable development of their home country and region. They must have worked for a more minimum of 3000 hours to qualify for the scholarship. Likewise, applicants must document their leadership qualities and motivate in line with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
The universities in Sweden have scholarships for their prospective master’s students. The scholarships can be 100%, 75% or 50% reduction in tuition fees. The university’s scholarships do not include living cost.

You can read some tips on planning your move to Sweden from Africa on our blog.

Written by Bolaji Daramola, Growth Manager at The Newbie Team
Bolaji is a Swedish Institute scholar, from Nigeria studying Master’s of Science in Media and Communication Studies at Lund University. He is one of the LU student’s ambassadors. He is passionate about helping others and he is our Growth Manager saddled with outreach and collaborations.

Student in Visby

26 October 2021 By The Newbie Team Leave a Comment

Written by Casey Hofland

First weeks in Visby

Visby is an easy place to thrive. It’s as chill as the sea it’s grounded in, and as calm as the sky above it. In fact, one of my stories reflects the Zen atmosphere of this island, a story that I like to call “sweaters fly and tears dry”. Then again, there’s some things that couldn’t hurt knowing about.

But first, another story, titled: “Adam who-is-wrong-about-pizza”. Enjoy.

Many people live on this planet. Between them the only thing they share is that they have many different opinions. Some are of the opinion that our Earth is flat and the moon landing faked. Others believe peanut butter pickle sandwich makes a delicacy, and strangest of all are individuals that feel packing your bags at 1:02 AM before your day of departure comes off as rather irresponsible. These people are friendly reminded that their opinions, although endearing, are wrong.

Departure time

It is 8:15 AM as we load my luggage from the car onto the airport trolley. My mother has already started the waterworks without me. Even my father, otherwise so restrained, couldn’t stop a coating of dew forming around his eyes when we said our goodbyes back home. There at the airport, I wanted nothing more than to burst out into tears and show my mother some affection and a little appreciation for all she did for me. But apart from being a 23-year-old who’s had enough, leaving behind the prehistoric dirt-heap that is my home town together with the accumulated stress of answering 200 emails on the subject of my studies, apartment and flight bookings, I wasn’t embarrassed about leaving with but a kiss and a wave.

Here’s some tips to get you through a boring flight:

Learn the lyrics to your favorite song.
If you’re waiting in the airport, sing along to your favorite song.
Imagine what your life would have been like if you ran away with that girl to Germany and started a snail farm with your best friend Abby the octopus.
Write comedy and fantasize about the fame and sex appeal you’ll be getting from your travel blog.
Think about some of the horrible things that you’ve done.

You can’t pay for the bus with cash or card on Visby apparently. Luckily, we convinced the driver to take us on by looking very foreign and dumbfounded. Oh, btw, I was doing this trip with my buddy Julius, who also went to exchange to here. We were eager to get to our apartments so we could finally drop our baggage.

old city walls in Visby — The olden city walls, as seen from the bus.

After we’d done mine, we walked to Julius’ apartment as well and dropped off his gear there. It was really nice of him to not constantly mention over and over how annoying it was that his quarters were a 20-minute walk away from the city center as opposed to my 5-minute walk, which I want to clarify is something he definitely didn’t constantly mention.

Meanwhile it was 7:30 PM and we needed food. We aimed for a pizzeria in the city center because I had heard about Swedes constructing the boldest pies, and as we passed through the gates of yore, the word ‘pittoresque’ would forever find new meaning in our hearts.

It’s time for pizza

When we arrived at our pizzeria though, it looked very fancy and even we could see this was expensive by Swedish standards. If not for Julius’ Visby-an acquaintance we may just have given them our money, but luckily, he could get us an address for a normal pizzeria. When I mentioned the concept of “Swedish pizza”, he reckoned there was no such thing.

Either ho, these fresh friendos went for ANOTHER walk. On the way we rummaged through trash and ate a dead bird so we wouldn’t starve but after another 30-minutes we stumbled upon our pizzeria: an Italian one. I wish words could carry across the sensation of taste so I could describe how delicious this pizza was, which was no doubt partly due to us waiting for 9:20 PM to finally eat.

Plus… this was my first meat dish in a loooong time. I am a vegetarian, but all the vegetarian options on the menu seemed bland. Not bad, just not something I would pay 12 euros for. The easiest way to spot if a restaurant doesn’t know how to make good vegetarian dishes is if they have one item with the word “vegetarian” in its name, and the pizza is just a cacophony of vegetables. I don’t know where we went wrong, but being vegetarian doesn’t mean I like bad food.

Also, they had a pizza with chicken, banana and curry. I want you to think about that Adam.

You know how to best end such an adventure?

By sleeping in a bed without a pillow or blanket. We thought we would have these things, but we were lied to. Though had we needed to sleep on the hardest part of the wall, I could have probably done it.

Conclusion is A: find out where you’re going to eat plenty of time in advance and B: get a bus pass before you arrive in Sweden. We were lucky but if that bus driver hadn’t taken us on, we were screwed! We’d be like dumbo and dumber dragging our 20 pounds of luggage 5-kilometers looking like fools!

Anyway, the continuation:

I have lost my favorite sweater. Not only does it look cool and artsy, it has also grown really important to me. This was the sweater I bought with Nathalie, a dear friend of mine, when I saw it hanging in a “left-over” pile that they were gonna throw out. It was the sweater I was wearing on my first JNM camp, when I kissed a guy at 4 AM completely drunk. Sleeves of utter comfortness and a hoody of warmth that helped me through some of the colder nights on my second and third camps.

Doubling as a pillow in times of relaxation and as a stuffed animal when I needed an embrace. The one night where I loaned it to Polina because she was cold and it was way too big for her. We shared a lot of memories in a short amount of time; memories of friendship, of joy, of sadness and sorrow… when I put it on, I would feel more confident and loving because of them.

Luckily I found it the next day.

Julius and I met up at my apartment so we could buy, well… everything. We needed pots, pans, cleaning products, cables, but most of all: food. We had empty fridges and if we didn’t solve it, soon we would have empty stomachs. 5 minutes away from my house was a supermarket though… in which we spent 1 and a half hours.

Let’s go over what’s ‘different’ from Dutch supermarkets.

In Holland it is very normal to eat bread for breakfast and lunch, every single day. And we do have the best supermarket bread. It has more slices, tastes better, and it sells for 10 crowns! I swear if we start pricing our bread like the Swedes do we’d enter a second golden age by the end of the week. Coming from such a bread-laden culture, Juul and I had trouble thinking on our feet and bought a giant what can only be described as a “cracker wheel”. Seriously: it is a wheel of a cracker… look!

To my reassurance they do have a nice assortment of meat substitutions. It’s hard to beat Holland here as well, but it’s no competition: I’m just happy the have veggie bacon I can take with my eggs.

Guess what?

With all that shopping behind us… we went to shop some more.

Full disclosure, just expect your first day to be a whole lot of shopping if you want to live like a normal person on day 2. We got our shower curtains, our gel douches, pots and pans, and even our useless decoration!

jellyfish in a glass — Jellyfish in a jar since it’s my friend Vanessa’s spirit animal and looking at it reminds me of her.

When we were done shopping it was past 5. Now since it was a Saturday, the shops close at 5. And the one thing we forgot to buy… were bedsheets. Again. So that was another day sleeping in the cold.

It was at this point I noticed I was missing my sweater. All I wanted to do then was cry. I had to make peace with weeping though. The day had been a tangle of stores, visits, walks and rides; I was too tired for crying. The most frustrating thing was not knowing what had happened to it.

But, lo and behold, the next day I traced my steps and after some fruitless store visits, I found it on a park bench not 1 minute away from my house! God bless the good Samaritan that placed it there.

First days are tough

Your first days in a new environment are gonna be tough; you’re gonna have to do massive amounts of shopping and be confident. Don’t give a damn when you’re taking 4 hours in the same store looking through labels for the cheapest grub. If anyone gives you any funny looks ignore them, if they give you lip tell them you’re new, they’ll be appreciative of that. And don’t lose your favorite sweater, ever, but if you do then pray you’re in a place where people are nice enough to leave it on park benches for you to find.

I can really recommend getting yourself enough food for the rest of the week though. You’ll be stressed enough from learning to work your new kitchen; hell it will literally take you 2 hours to cook spaghetti the first time ’round. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a few instant meals so you can chill a bit, but if this is your first time from home, preparing food is gonna take way much out of you and your schedule. The last thing you’ll want is to not have anything in your fridge and worry about freestyling it. Aight, peace!

About the Author
I have been compared to Steve Jobs in the past. Regrettably, only during a student bash by a girl who was absolutely hammered. My origins lie in Utrecht, Netherlands, where I am studying game programming, and I’m carrying the tradition forth on my exchange in Visby. Should I have some alone time, you’ll find me playing chess or video games, though more often I’ll either be hanging out with friends, studying or cooking.

How much Swedish is needed for working in the Swedish healthcare system?

28 October 2020 By Sofi Tegsveden Deveaux Leave a Comment

Are you an international healthcare professional looking to relocate to Sweden? The good news is that there’s plenty of work opportunities for medical doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, pharmacists etc. The not so good news is that this is not something you get over and done with within a few weeks.

Great news

If your diploma is from a non-EU country, you will need to have your licence to practice validated and approved by the Swedish authority Socialstyrelsen (The National Board of Health and Welfare). If you are trained within the European Union, the process is simpler.

Still, everyone needs to prove they can speak Swedish on level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). (Not the same as SFI C, that is level equivalent to level A2 according to CEFR).

Not amazing news

The first question people ask me when learning this is ‘how long will this take?’. And my answer is, of course, it depends. I have taught Swedish for more than ten years, and how long it takes people to learn a language varies greatly.

It depends on many factors, such as ‘talent’, quality of teaching, method, etc. but most of all how much time you can invest in learning and revising in the long term. However, if you study full time and take your Swedish-learning seriously, it will take about a year.

There are two ways to do this. If you have managed to become part of the Swedish ‘system’ and have a personal identification number (personnummer), you can enrol to Svenska som andraspråk (SAS) on Komvux.

If you pass SAS 3, this counts as proof of sufficient language level. You can also organise your studies on your own, and validate your skills through taking TISUS, a Swedish language exam on CEFR level C1, that tests your reading, writing and speaking skills. Currently, you may also ask the language centre to validate your skills.

E-learning course: Your Swedish learning options
Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed about The Swedish stuff? Where can you learn? How does it work? Can you join the different options if you don’t have a Swedish personal number? We’ve got you covered. Over the years we’ve been repeatedly told just confusing this process can be so we created a digital course with all the information you need to make a good decision. Here you will learn about:
The different study options to learn Swedish in Sweden.
The differences between study alternatives.
How much Swedish (and other things) you need for other educational paths in Sweden as well as to work in Swedish.
After finishing this course, you will be able to make an educated study choice and you will learn the most important key words and phrases for studying Swedish in Sweden. Hopefully, Swedish will start making sense! Sign up to your course here

What is medical Swedish?

This means that only your generic — and no medical — language skills are tested. Although this may make the validation process a bit simpler, you can feel a bit overwhelmed when you start working and need to use medical Swedish within a professional context. There are, however, plenty of things you can do to prepare for this.

First of all, learn what medical language really is. When you trained for your profession, you probably had to learn many new terms to describe body parts, organs, diseases, conditions and symptoms. Many of these words derive from Latin and Greek, regardless of what language you learnt them in. The good news is that these words are often the same in a Swedish context. Small variations in spelling and pronunciation occur, but you will have no trouble reading such terms.

Beyond the terminology

The bad news is that this terminology is not enough to get you by. In Sweden, there are strict laws regarding the rights of the patient and one of them is that each patient must understand what healthcare professionals communicate to them, directly — at an appointment, and indirectly — when reading their medical records.

Terminology derived from Latin and Greek may be used between peers, but not when talking to a patient or writing their medical records. And almost for every word, there is also a ‘Swedish’ equivalent. For example, you may recognise “calculus renalis”, but you need to be able to say ‘njursten’. ‘Anemi’ may seem familiar to you, but not your patients. You will need to say ‘blodbrist’. ‘Rubella’ is Swedish but all Swedes say ‘röda hund’.

You will also need to learn how to describe examinations, treatments and side effects in everyday language, and to understand your patient describing their symptoms in everyday Swedish.

Free resources

There are several resources for this. One that is freely available is 1177.se. This is a platform designed for patients to read about different conditions and learn about their treatments, as well as getting in touch with a healthcare provider. If you are an intermediate learner, you will find some excellent material here, written in the type of language you will have to use when communicating with your patients.

For complete beginners, I can recommend the book Kroppen på svenska by Emil Molander. This is a dual-language textbook where you learn more than 300 anatomical nouns in Swedish, including pronunciation. By the same author, there are also two excellent books on CEFR level B2: Läkarsvenska (Doctor’s Swedish) and Journalsvenska (Medical Journal Swedish) both co-authored by Emil Molander.

Sexual Education in Sweden

5 May 2020 By The Newbie Team Leave a Comment

As a sex counsellor, I have held seminars for different schools, groups and colleges and I have remarked one thing; young Swedes have quite some knowledge when it comes to sex and sexual education.

Okay, now I’m generalizing but still. I held a seminar at an international school in Sweden, where some of the kids are Swedish and other international. I remarked that the Swedes knew more about sex than the others. Furthermore, this younger generation does actually know quite a lot in comparison to me and my friends when we were their age.

Now, as you may know, I am half Swedish half French (born in Paris) and I have always had in mind that Swedes have more knowledge about sex than French people. How come? I mean, France is the country of love, shouldn’t Frenchies have more knowledge about sex? And most importantly, what is Sweden doing?

Sexual education in school since 1955 – sex och samlevnad

Sexual education for pupils has been compulsory in schools since 1955. That’s 65 years of sex knowledge thanks to RFSU and the Swedish State. Hurray!

First, sexuality education is compulsory in schools and has been since 1955. Second, there is hardly any opposition to sexuality education in Sweden. It is included as a part of the general health objectives for public health work and often referred to as an important part of STI* prevention and promotion of sexual health.
Read more on sexual education at RFSU page.

More knowledge – better sex life and understanding

Thanks to those courses/seminars about sexual education, kids get to know their rights, the laws, but most importantly they get the chance to know themselves and their sexuality.

Sexual education in Sweden conveys facts about sexual and reproductive health such as anatomy, sexual functions, sexual orientations, STIs, HIV/AIDS, abortion and contraceptives.

Sexual education in schools gives all kids the chance to some good basic knowledge about sex and relationships. The knowledge they might not be given at home, perhaps because their tutors believe that sex is a taboo or not age-appropriate.

The thing is, kids are curious about themselves and their surroundings, and sex is a part of it. I believe it is very important to give them the opportunity to understand themselves and the world. Whether we want it or not, sex is a topic that will follow us all our lives. Hence, it is beneficial for teenagers to be introduced to sexual education from an early age and in an appropriate way.

Sex isn’t shameful. Sex should be pleasure, nice encounters and self-exploration.

Written by Delphine Cartier

Delphine Cartier is a sex counsellor who specialized in sexual trauma, trafficking for sexual exploitation and prostitution. Delphine has worked as a volunteer for several organizations helping women who have been sexually abused and/or been trafficked for sexual exploitation. Furthermore, she is a board member at RealStars Stockholm, an organization that seeks to fight trafficking for sexual exploitation by spreading information about trafficking and the sex purchase law throughout Sweden and Europe.
Being born and raised in Paris, France by a French father and a Swedish mother, Delphine speaks fluent French and Swedish. Furthermore, she speaks very good English and good Spanish as she has lived both in London and Madrid a couple of years ago. Hence, she can have sessions in any of those languages at her office in Stockholm.
Visit her website for more info.