" I am planning to move to Norway to be with my girlfriend and would like to get a jobe teaching but I am having problems finding information about job opportunities in the Bergen area. If someone could lend a hand I would appreciate it greatly. thanks, Bob Connors Science Teacher St. Agnes Boys High School, New York City "

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" Dear Bob, I am an American living in Norway. I am a teacher in the Norwegian schools. I have been living here for the past 18 years. You say you want to work as a teacher in Norway. My first question for you is do you speak Norwegian fluently? The Norwegian Education Ministry makes it very difficult for foreigners to work as teachers here. It took me over 5 years to get my teaching credentials here (I am certified in Kansas). If you speak fluent Norwegian (or nearly fluent Norwegian), you may have a chance, though, because you are a science teacher. While there is a surplus of English teachers here (most Norwegians speak English and there are many Norwegians who work as English teachers), there is a real need for Science teachers, particularly biology and physics. We are also going through a big reform in our school system. I don''t know how old you are, but if you are younger than 35, then there is some cause for optimism. The average age of teachers in the secondary schools is almost 50. There will be a big rise in the number of retirements in the next 5-10 years. I know of a couple schools in the Eastern part of Norway that would go to great lengths to find a biology teacher (again provided they speak Norwegian fluently). I''m sure the situation in Bergen is about the same. There was an article in the Oslo newspaper that said out of 750 students graduating from the University with science as their area of specialty, only 35 were planning to go on to get teaching certification. The big hurdle would be the language and the fact that you are American. Norway is an associate member of the European Union, which means that they readily hire citizens from those countries. If you are not from the European Union, the school will have to convince the Immigration Authorities that they are unable to find a Norwegian or other EU citizen to do the job. If. however, you were married to a Norwegian, then you could get a work permit after a year or so (I am uncertain of the regulations concerning this because I am married to an American who is a psychiatric nurse (one of the professions that readily gets you a work permit, provided, of course that you speak Norwegian). Being an American is no advantage here. One important rule is this, should you decide to come to Norway to check out the job market, you must go back to the U.S. to apply for your visa and work permit. There is often a Catch-22 situation- you find a job and they ask you ""Do you have a residence permit and a work permit?"". You say, no and they say, ""sorry we can''t hire anyone without a permit to work and live in Norway."" Trouble is, you can''t apply for the permit without having a firm job offer in hand. :( The system is designed to keep foreigners out of the Norwegian job market. You should visit the Norwegain consulate or use the internet to find out about the regulations concerning you situation. The Norwegians are basically xenophobic and protectionist. They do not want immigration to increase. Teachers are particularly protectionist. In order to get certified as a teacher here in a particular field, your education must be evaluated by the Education Ministry. This takes a long time. Then, you must first take an exam to show how fluent you are in Norwegian. Then you must take a series of exams about the Norwegian school system, social studies and literature. This is in addition to the exams concerning your particular subject area. I have worked as a teacher here in Norway for the past 14 years and I have yet to get more than a year''s contract at one time. I''m sure that you would like a more optimistic picture, but, as I said, the picture is not good. If you are very set on doing this, take an excellent, intensive course in Norwegian (both oral and written). That, at least will remove the main cause for most refusals- inability to speak Norwegian fluently. If you have further questions, I''ll try to answer them. Good luck! Sincerely yours, Donna Stevens "

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" Hi Bob, I''m also an American living in Norway. I know nothing about the teaching situation here (it looks like Donna covered quite a bit of ground there). But you might want to check out the site for the International School of Stavanger (http://www.iss.stavanger.rl.no/). I know of an American teacher working there. You might be able to get in touch with someone there about teaching in Stavanger or other opportunities available in Norway. Good luck with your search! Becky "

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" Hi Bob I am an American who is now stationed as a permanent resident in Norway through my husband''s employment. We have been in Stavanger for 3 years. In Bergen there is an international school. Look for the International school in Stravanger site (ISS) - I believe there is a link through them. If not, try International School in Bergen (ISB). Education standards are very high here and unless you speak a very high level of Norwegian, you will have difficulty getting a job in the Norwegian school system. Also, American education is mistrusted and getting your credentials recognised by the Norwegian authorities is a very long and tedious preocess. You will be required to take the Bergelands (sp?) test which assesses your Norwegian preoficiency. Also, if you want to get your qualifications recognised that much sooner, you can take a different Norwegian exam which they have for most careers. For example, my friend who is a civil engineer by education and experience (15 years) had to take the civil engineer exam (in Norwegian, of course). So, from my experience here, your choices are such: 1. The international school in bergen 2. The various language schools in the area 3. Pursue getting your qualifications recognised 4. Think about going into a different field altogether. Even if ISB will not take you as a full time staff member, do consider offering substitutue teaching. I know of 2 people who eventually got full time work from substitute teaching. 2 other points: 1. the Culture shock Norway book is rubbish 2. Bring very very very good raingear. If you can''t find very very good raingear, buy it in Norway. Top quality here and not so expensive. Hope this helps! wendy "

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Bob:

If you have lived with your girlfriend for two years, you can apply for a work permit as "samboer," with basically the same rights--working and otherwise--as a spouse. Make the application before you leave home.

I was in exactly your situation five--almost six--years ago, and was lucky enough to get hired at the International School of Bergen. It is a great alternative if you can catch them when they need someone. For me it did not happen until August, two weeks before classes were starting. In the mean time I had been doing some construction work under the table, and working as a hotel janitor for. The opportunities were not great, even with a work permit.

ISB is a small school with limited resources and facilitites, and the pay is not great, but it is probably a good alternative for you if available. The International School in Stavanger is better funded and with great facilities, and they often hire Americans directly from the US. Big advantage there is you don't need to worry about the work permit or visa; they take care of it. The director will be attending the international schools recruitment fairs in February and March.

Stavanger is about 100 miles south of Bergen--a nice enough town--about four (beautiful) hours away by car or ferry.

Bergen is a real gem. You are lucky to have a chance to go, but don't forget your Gore-Tex.

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