Former US Marine Dave Smith joins the Life in Norway Show to talk about the differences between office life in the USA and Norway.
Back in 2014, Dave travelled to Trondheim with his Norwegian girlfriend in an attempt to find work and make a home for himself.
Three years later, he's happily married, working as Head of Marketing for a rapidly growing startup, and has fully embraced the Norwegian lifestyle.
Although this is episode four, our conversation was actually the first one I recorded for the Life in Norway Show, so my thanks for Dave agreeing to the interview before the podcast even existed!
I'm sure you'll agree he gives some great insights and advice for newcomers to the country.
Listen to the show here:
We talk about:
- What Dave considers the biggest difference between working life in Norway and the USA
- The emphasis on family and what really matters in life
- Whether a tech startup can succeed in a country with a more relaxed approach to working life
- What to expect working in a Norwegian office
- Dave's top tips for finding a job in Norway
- If extra vacation days result in reduced productivity or not
Links from the show:
- Dave's original article on Working Culture in Norway
- A guide to communication in the workplace
- The company where Dave works: Dogu
- Dave's podcast The Art of Sales
- Dave's article on the Downsides of Working in Norway
- Employment Law in Norway
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Great podcast episode and timely for me. I am leaving/retiring from the British Army next spring and moving over to Oslo to be with my Norwegian girlfriend. I am concerned about the likelihood of getting a job. At least my girlfriend has a good job and an apartment and I will have my military pension to help but it is not enough to live on, especially in Norway. My main focus now is to learn the lingo as that will be the biggest barrier to getting a job. I have already started networking in advance of my move over.