Owen(27)

After four years as an English teacher at a secondary school in The Hague, I was frustrated. Too many students per class, too little support, and a salary you can barely live on in The Hague. When I heard that international schools in Stockholm were desperately looking for native-level English teachers, I applied at Stockholm International School.

The Swedish education system values teachers differently than the Netherlands. My salary is thirty percent higher than in The Hague, classes are smaller (maximum twenty students), and I have my own workspace at school. Holidays are generous: besides summer vacation there's sportlov (sports week in February), påsklov (Easter break) and höstlov (autumn break). Teachers here work an average of 45 weeks per year.

Folkbokföring and personnummer were arranged within four weeks. My employer pays arbetsgivaravgifter (employer contributions) on top of my salary, so I automatically build pension and am insured through Försäkringskassan. I take the SFI course two evenings per week — at the international school English is the working language, but Swedish is essential for daily life.

What struck me most is the pedagogical freedom. In the Netherlands I followed a strict curriculum with mandatory methods. Here I design my own lessons, choose my own materials and am trusted as a professional. Students are respectful and motivated — there's no culture of "bullying the teacher" like I knew in the Netherlands.

Social life as a young expat in Stockholm is surprisingly good. Through the international school I immediately met colleagues from twenty countries. The city has a vibrant nightlife, especially in Södermalm and Östermalm. Swish, the Swedish payment app, makes splitting bills easy — cash barely exists here anymore.

My advice to Dutch teachers thinking of leaving education: don't leave the profession, leave the Netherlands. Sweden actively recruits foreign teachers, especially for international schools. Working conditions are better, work pressure lower, and you're treated as the professional you are. The only thing I miss is the borrelcultuur — Swedes don't go for a casual beer after work as easily.