Dual career services
Resources for employees who are part of a dual-career couple or have accompanying partners/spouses with career aspirations when relocating to Bergen.
Main content
Our services
Spouses and partners of employees at UiB are welcome to activities hosted for staff by the International Centre. Check our calendar to see what is coming up.
♦ Career advice
Where to find vacant positions
Most vacancies in Norway are published online. However, there is also an informal market for job vacancies and you may send your CV and cover letter to any company of interest.
Where to find job vacancies in Norway:
- nav.no with postings of vacancies in English
- jobbnorge.no (in English)
- finn.no (in Norwegian)
- Vacant positions at UiB
- Most newspapers carry a ‘vacant positions’ column.
Career counselling
You may contact NAV EURES Contact Centre at +47 55 55 33 39 press 2 (opening hours 10-14) for career counselling. Before contacting them you should consider what type of job you are looking for.
Norwegian language skills
There are many positions in Norway that require knowledge of the Norwegian language. It is therefore a good idea to learn Norwegian. UiB offers Norwegian language course which is free of charge for partners and spouses of our employees.
♦ Recognition of qualifications
General recognition
The general recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in Norway means that:
- The qualifications are considered wholly or partially equivalent to Norwegian higher education
- An assessment is also made of the extent to which it is equivalent, in terms of years of study and ECTS credits, to a Norwegian qualification
- General recognition may also result in recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to a Norwegian Bachelor’s or Master’s degree
Do you need your foreign education approved in Norway? Contact the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education.
Specific recognition
Subject specific recognition involves recognition of foreign education on the basis of the specific subjects, degrees and professional programmes offered at a relevant institution of higher education in Norway. Each institution decides whether the foreign education meets their specific requirements for the scope and depth of the subject or the degree. This type of recognition is relevant when applying for admission to further studies or credit transfer and takes place at the academic institution in question. Read more about specific recognition.
Professional recognition/authorization
Professional recognition is necessary if you wish to practice a profession that is legally regulated in Norway. This is determined on a case- by-case basis by a licensing authority. Read more about professional recognition.
♦ Apply for higher education in Norway
The universities and most university colleges are run by the Norwegian state, and studying at these institutions is free of charge for Norwegians and EU/EEA citizens. For citizens outside of the EU/EEA, there may be a tuition fee.
The Higher Education Entrance Qualification or a corresponding qualification is a requirement for admission to higher education, but the programmes can have different additional admission criteria. Some programmes require certain grades or certain combinations of subjects from upper secondary education.
You may need to get recognition of your qualifications before being able to apply for higher education in Norway.
♦ More tips
Starting your own business
Want to start your own business in Norway? Start here.
Networking
Although most vacant positions in Norway are posted, having a good network can help you find and get jobs.
The mentoring program "Sammen om en jobb" is in Norwegian, but with the purpose of creating connections across cultures.
Other ways of networking can be through language cafes, hobbies, volunteering and more.
Recommended reading
- Work in Norway - The Offical Guide (workinnorway.no) provided by Norwegian government agencies
- Tips for job seekers (nav.no) offers useful advice and guidance for job seekers in Norway
- EURES Europe (eures.europa.eu) provides a well of up to-date country-specific information of interest to job seekers as well as a job database.
- Finding a job in Norway (lifeinnorway.net) - an employment counsellor gives her five most important tips to becoming a successful job seeker in Norway
Blogs on life in Norway
Wondering about visa and permit for partner/spouse? See our webpages about immigration.