ian anderson
@polishing peanuts
English expat in Norway
Forum
26 posts
Contacts
1
About me
English
Lives in Asker
Speaks English
Registration: 27 January 2010
Activity
Healthcare in Norway by Julien
Hi, how does the healthcare system work in Norway ? Is it efficient ? What are the main differences between public and private sectors? Is it recommended to purchase private health insurance in Norway? Thanks in advance for sharing your ...
Asking about medical care received is a tricky question. Ask a 100 people and you'll get 100 different answers lol! My personal treatment has been good and there is definitely a leaning towards preventative health care here, (including high ... Read More
Top 5 tips to live in Norway by expat.com
Hi, When you are going to live abroad, you may have a lot of questions. Hence to facilitate you in this process, we are inviting expats to share their top 5 tips with regards to settling and living in Norway. What recommendations would you ...
1: Be prepared to eat lots of hotdogs and waffles (pølser og vafler) as these are staples at just about every event. Oh, and drink lots and lots of coffee (kafe). 2: Train like hell so that you can cycle everywhere (when you're not walking) ... Read More
How much I can save? What is the tax and the cost of living in Oslo? by flyworld
Hi There, Greetings everyone, I'm a software professional who is working with a MNC, i have got an opportunity to work at Oslo for 6 months and provided with 450000 NoK. I will be coming as single and will be based out of Oslo. Please could ...
The above advice is spot on, esp. GaryO. I also think that you'll manage to save if you can avoid owning a car and alchohol (mostly at least). Sounds daft (and no disrespect) but the salary seems a tad high to me (unless I am getting royally ... Read More
is born poor die poor true for Norway? by danamic
hi everyone. I heard Norway is a real meritocracy where everyone has equal opportunities and everyone can get rich. So poor people can get rich in Norway and born poor die poor isn't really true for Norway? thank you for attention!! need your ...
Agree, but not sure you'd find much unskilled work in construction here, since there is a glut of readily available, cheap, and qualified, or at least experienced labour from Eastern Europe. Definitely agree with John in that you are what you make ... Read More
Registering as a freelance writer in Norway by Katie Metcalfe
Hi, I very recently moved to Norway, about 10 months ahead of schedule due to a volunteering opportunity arising. In the next couple of days I will be registering on the UDI registering scheme. Apparently after five years I can apply for a ...
Hi, You can register a 'sole trader' business for free if the business name includes part of your name and the business is obvious (I registered Ian Anderson Artisan) so for example anything like Metcalf Plumbing Services (!), Metcalf Copywriting, ... Read More
Notary Public in Oslo? by jenkras
Hello Expats, Can anyone recommend a Notary Public in Oslo? I have seen that the US embassy charges $50 per notarized document, AND they don't have any appointments available until July 16th. I also see that the Oslo Courthouse can notarize ...
Hiya, We used a local lawyer in Asker and she charged 300 kr I seem to remember. She did a couple of things and a cover letter as well so we thought that wasn't too bad. Guess it depends on what you need doing. We needed help with paperwork ... Read More
Do Norwegian men date foreign women? by hanifam
Surely there are obviously some who probably do but is it common to see? I was in Norway for a few weeks and couldn't believe how many handsome men I saw. I think Norwegian men are the best looking I have seen. I tried to strike up some conversation ...
Wow...despite your polite answer one would quickly think you felt somewhat distressed and offended when I asked my question. Do you have anything against gay men? Because I do have big issues with those who don´t respect gay men like me. And, just ... Read More
Baking Soda! by jenkras
Can someone please tell me where to find Baking Soda in Oslo? Thanks! Jenifer
I get mine from my local, how can I put it.... Ethnic supermarket?! Everybody calls the one in Sandvika the 'Chinese or Asian supermarket' and I go there just for entertainment, I love it! They sell everything, every spice and fresh greens you can ... Read More
Drammen or Asker, where to live? by achipmunk
Hello, My family is going to move to big Oslo area soon, due to my new job in the renewable energy near Lysaker station. It seems that to live near the train line and commute can be a practical solution, therefore the towns Drammen and Asker are ...
Drammen has really come up in recent years. Mostly from investment as prices push more people away from Asker and Baerum where prices are bonkers. It really is a sliding scale related to the distance from the National Theatre station!! Hence you ... Read More
to stay or to go??? by forms
We are a family of 4, having moved from the UK 2 1/2 years ago. We live in a small town near Drammen, with one of us working in Oslo and one studying/working locally. Our two children are in primary school/nursery, and we have bought an old house ...
Reading your post I thought "I could have written that!". In very similar situation. Worked all over the world (Africa, UK, NZ etc) and came here from NZ because kids were getting to school age and it was deemed that we should "settle down" for the ... Read More
Grounding of electrical devices by JanKrohn
Sockets in our house are generally not grounded. Yesterday I started to hook up our home entertainment stuff, plugged in all the devices, and noticed an electric current on all the cases, not very strong, but strong enough so you don't want to touch ...
Hi Jan, Don't forget that the ground or earth wire in a socket is there to act as a safety line to carry away any current that comes into contact with a device casing. If you have a current at the casing then the problem lies within the device. A ... Read More
Do Norwegian men date foreign women? by hanifam
Surely there are obviously some who probably do but is it common to see? I was in Norway for a few weeks and couldn't believe how many handsome men I saw. I think Norwegian men are the best looking I have seen. I tried to strike up some conversation ...
(Moderated: keep this type of comment for you)Duly reported your post. Racist and right wing views have no place in Norway, as proved after the appalling events, committed by a nobody with similar views this summer! Read More
This is a joke right? by BenTennison16
Okay so i've met quite a few of my 'fellow' Brits on my last visit in Oslo and there's only one thing i can say. they ARE ALL immigrants ! expat? WTF is that? When we get a bunch of poles, romanians or chinese in England, they are 'automatically' ...
Not all expats on this board are economic migrants if that is what you are getting at. There are countless reasons for people to move from one country to another.Exactly! The term 'economic migrant' amuses me....... Dare I suggest that many of the ... Read More
This is a joke right? by BenTennison16
Okay so i've met quite a few of my 'fellow' Brits on my last visit in Oslo and there's only one thing i can say. they ARE ALL immigrants ! expat? WTF is that? When we get a bunch of poles, romanians or chinese in England, they are 'automatically' ...
Expat, a wikipedia definition.......... An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex ("out ... Read More
How much to charge labour....... by polishing peanuts
Hi guys, I am looking to setting up as a builder/carpenter/handyman here in Asker and was wondering if anyone has any experience on how much I should charge out for my labour per hour? I was a self employed builder in the UK/East Africa for over ...
Thanks ANDuM, Seems about what I hear. It seems as if there is an 'official' unofficial 'black' market here. Even the guys at NAV talk about it! It didn't exist where I lived in the UK. Sure, some guys would reduce their rates by 20% and not ... Read More