WORKING IN DENMARK: The Ultimate Guide to Working in a Danish Office as Only an Expat Knows

In the video 'WORKING IN DENMARK: The Ultimate Guide to Working in a Danish Office as Only an Expat Knows' Derek and Mike take you into a typical Danish workplace and tell you about the daily life when you work in Denmark.
They've both been working in Copenhagen since 2017 and know a lot about Danish work culture. You'll learn about everything you need to know if you want to thrive in a Danish workplace.
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Topics include:
1) Danish work culture and Danish management style
2) Do you need to know Danish to get a job in Denmark and can you get a job in Denmark if you don't speak Danish? (spoiler: You can get a job in Denmark if you only speak English - we will tell you how)
3) How much money will you make in Denmark and how much tax do you have to pay when you are working in Denmark?
4) How to write a Danish CV and the Danish hiring process
*** Download your FREE Danish CV/Resume Template here: robe-trotting.com/working-in-...
5) How much holiday and vacation do you get in Denmark?
6) Danish food culture: everything you need to know about how to eat lunch in a Danish office and the intricacies of Danish food at work
7) Adjusting to the date and number format in a Danish workplace (especially important for Americans working in Denmark)
8) Special occasion in a Danish office. Everything you need to know to fit into a Danish professional setting.
9) The Flexicurity system in Denmark and how every Danish workplace operates in the model
10) Work-Life balance for anyone working and living in Copenhagen and Denmark as a whole
#WorkingInDenmark #ExpatsInDenmark #DanishWorkCulture

[@RobeTrotting]

NEXT VIDEO: Work-Life Balance in Denmark and USA 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHSzZ2Wko8p7l9k 😃 Thank you all for the comments, views, and shares of this video. We'd love to keep them going in our Facebook Group which is also a place for planning future content and getting the opinion of you, our community in what we produce. It's also where we will premier videos, content not placed on KZbin, and plan meet-ups and events. PLEASE JOIN US HERE 👉 facebook.com/groups/robetrottingdenmark

[@TheChiefEng]

It's probably important to understand that the Danish culture is that we work to live. We don't live to work. While you can strike up lasting friendship with people in your workplace, they will usually not be in the same category of friends you have known all your life. The reason is actually simple. Danes don't like to be put in a position where they may be forced to lay off people they have befriended at work. At work, you are the professional you, but off work, you are the private you. We tend to have a clear separation between work and private life.

[@RobeTrotting]

That's great insight! And wise to point out that colleagues are still very friendly even if it's not common to form such a deep type of a friendship as those from childhood or university.

[@Volheim212]

​@@RobeTrotting It is works the same way around if you befriend your boss... meaning the boss has friendship as a tool which can force you into a position that makes your work life toxic.

[@RobeTrotting]

@@Volheim212 Very good point, we didn't include that but you're spot on - even in a more flat organization and casual setting the workplace "social boundaries" are important and ultimately protect workers.

[@TyCetto]

Hvad fanden? Godt indspark! Tutteluuu fra mig og fejebladet!

[@ibberman]

"It's probably important to understand that the Danish culture is that we work to live. We don't live to work." And you are fortunate to have that choice.

[@usr6253]

Dane here. You covered most of the Danish work culture and what Danes value, great video :-)

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you, we love living and working here so we hope it comes through :)

[@migogminvinoven]

I er virkelig skønne og portrætterer Danmark fra den bedste side. Det gør mig glad at I er så glad for Danmark. Hav en super dag!

[@KKISCRAZYFUL]

I spent a few days in Denmark and absolutely fell in love. The vibe just felt right and it felt so safe and friendly and people also let you do your own thing. I'd love to immigrate there.

[@RobeTrotting]

You described it perfectly. We love living there and are so happy we moved to Denmark. We are planning some more content on how to conduct a job search in Denmark from abroad so maybe it could help you make that happen 😃😃😃

[@KKISCRAZYFUL]

@@RobeTrotting that's so great! I am looking forward to that video. ♥️

[@damo06ab]

I remember a Danish manager working for a German company said, that the difference between Danish and German employees were that the Danish ones would ask question to the managers. Like "why are we doing this?". That would never happen in Germany. I guess that says something about the flat hierarchy you're talking about. Employees are generally listen to a lot by managers and companies.

[@RobeTrotting]

Hey Daniel, you're right, we think the flat management style is one of the best parts of working in Denmark - you feel like you're trusted and treated like an adult. It's nice to have an open line of communication with every level of the business. That kind of healthy work environment is almost impossible to find in the States 😀🇩🇰

[@chengifoo7603]

@@RobeTrotting I think it also depends on the management team.If they are all Danes, yes a flat structure but not when you have a CEO who is not Danish or a mixed management team.

[@williamjones4716]

The Danes are Celts and the Germans are Teutons. That's where the problem is. The Teutons fought the Romans, the Danes sold them cows.

[@Valjean666dk]

Add to the cost analysis, the feeling of safety, and not having to worry about whether your insurance covers whatever is ailing you. I don't know if you can put a monetary value on it, but it surely positively affects overall happiness.

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes! We couldn't agree more, the overall lifestyle benefit of living without the constant stress of being unable to survive a financial catastrophe is something you can't put a price tag on. It's one of the main reasons why we don't think want to reside in the States ever again.

[@ofnotandi]

So much cake. Cake for every birthday, first grandchild, 8th grandcild, going for vacation, coming back from vacation, changing to another job, mole was not cancer etc. etc. .....

[@RobeTrotting]

😂😂😂 We are cracking up! "...mole was not cancer" Oh that is so funny, and so true too! Mike's office was turned into the EMEA headquarters in 2017, which means massive hiring happened all at the same time - so every year there are job anniversary cakes lining the halls because everyone brings cake for their work anniversary on the same day 😂

[@DusteDdekay]

Also, "spontaneous cake run" is a thing, at least where I work (wherever I work), some goup decides to just leave work to buy a bunch of different cakes and bring them back to office, after helping themselves to their rightful shares, everyone else is encouraged to help themselves to whatever is left ;)

[@RobeTrotting]

@@DusteDdekay That sounds wonderful - are you hiring? haha

[@ClareBearCB]

Great video! UK expat in Denmark here! Been here for 7.5 years now and I honestly will never go back! Although there is some difficulties about being foreign in Danmark, it's a much better quality of life! You guys deserve a lot more subs! Keep up the good work!

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much for the kind words, we're just starting out but having a lot of fun creating and sharing our experiences. We couldn't agree more about never going back, the Danish lifestyle is just so much better than in the States even with the occasional difficulties of being a foreigner in Denmark.

[@ClareBearCB]

@@RobeTrotting I will be keeping an eye out for more videos! And dont worry about the pronunciation, as long as you are using the language as much as possible, the pronunciation will get better and better 🙂 I still struggle with some things and I've been here since 2013

[@TazorNissen]

As a Dane I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying living here. Best compliment ever. What can we Danes do to make it easier for foreigners to live here?

[@ClareBearCB]

@@TazorNissen for me, it's not so much the normal Danes that make it difficult, it's the official stuff. Access to services and stereotypes when accessing services and they hear you arent born danish. I have had the occasional dane being cruel and telling me to "take my cross bred kids back where I came from" but its rare.. maybe easier for me than others as my husband is danish and my kids were born here

[@TazorNissen]

@@ClareBearCB So maybe something that could help people just arriving was a local Danish contact who could help with all the "red tape" etc?

[@melanp4698]

I once had to call a colleague while he was sitting drinking a beer in spain (my boss ordered me to), because an IT system was broken beyond what we could fix and he still had 2½ weeks of vacation left. We just laughed about it and it was handled in 15 minutes + a 10 minute followup call... But it's still brought up now 3-4 years later as a joke whenever the boss asks him to do something. That's how sacred we consider our vacation time haha.

[@FlabbergastedFirefly]

Don't forget to mention summer parties (Sommerfest) and Christmas parties (Julefrokost) at the workplace :)

[@RobeTrotting]

Oh yes, we did leave that out - we'll have to do a separate video on them, especially the infamous work Julefrokost 😀🇩🇰

[@brostenen]

Everybody is talking about these parties. I am 45 and have never experienced any such party.

[@davidnguyen6823]

I work in retail, so not like an office, but I just sprained my ankle last week, and even though I am not sick, I still get paid for the hours I was supposed to work, and it's not like my leaders is skeptical about it, they wish one well, and then leave it at that. Same workplace, but some of my colleagues are some of my best friends, and 1/3 of my friends on FB is from work, so it's not completely unusual for co-workers to see each other in their spare time, and even date. Usually at their graduation they would invite people from work over, and such.

[@mikesiri5889]

I agree with everything you have mentioned in the video. I like to add, you should add the importance of unions in Denmark, since they are seen somewhat heros. - a dane

[@RobeTrotting]

Oh yes, great point! That's one huge advantage to working in Denmark and why labor is respected so much more by society 😀

[@mikesiri5889]

@@RobeTrotting i looked it up for a moment, so you can research it yourself. It is called "Den Danske Model" and i found it FOA. Might as well mention "A-kasse" also to that :)

[@jesperv.nielsen6090]

The when-should-you-bring-a-cake-to-the-office part was way to short. You got the "it's your birthday" and almost the "it's your last day before your vacation" - which is also a cake-day according to the official "You must bring a cake" rules. Some other situations that will make your colleagues expect you to bring a cake are: - §21: Your cellphone is ringing loudly on your desk but you are not there to answer it - §34: You were late for a meeting - §49: You screwed something up - §52: You forgot to turn on the screensaver when you left your pc - §88: You got a new puppy - §133: Your colleagues says it's your turn to bring a cake Some companies also have rules for the Goof/Dough ratio (Snask/Dej in danish) that you must comply to. If you bring something where the ratio is considdered to be to much on the dough side it will not count as a cake, but as bread. Which means you still need to bring a cake some day. Cake is important :-)

[@RobeTrotting]

We love this! Cake is always important - and for any reason. One thing we definitely learned once moving here is just how many types of cake there are to bring in to the office.

[@jettec9411]

Funny story, when starting a new job in New York I was going out for lunch, my boss ask me to bring a quart half and half for her coffee , I got confused because I didn't understand any of what she was asking for, and I didn't want to sound stupid and ask, in Denmark a quart is a quarter of a liter and "half and half" is a drink of a strong bear and yellow soda, but I figured she ment some kind of creamer and went to the milk section, I still didn't know that a quart ment a quarter off a gallon so I got the quantity wrong but did find the creamer. I told her later and she couldn't stop laughing.

[@johnwalsh6968]

Subscriber 66 here! Happy at work? What a great concept. Looking for a good fit? Again, what a great concept. The upside is that people are happy at work and not trying to skip out. Great video.

[@RobeTrotting]

Very true! Making sure people are happy is just better for everyone - colleagues, management, employees, clients, the company at large.

[@McPixelWizard]

Hey guys, I really appreciate these videos. I'm just at the beginning of learning about Denmark, watching Danish videos with subtitles, and learning the language. The tone in your videos is just right, and you're so cute together! I love your touch of humor and that you've made this fun. I can hear in your comments how much you want to learn and be a part of your new culture. P.S. I'm family.

[@jonrolvsen585]

I really really REALLY like you guys! A bit shy and arkward in front of the camera but extremely likeable with a keen sense of the country you are living in. Great channel!

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you Jon 😃🇩🇰

[@frederiksndertoftpedersen3739]

Have you ever considered to give a speech at an "Efterskole" // Boarding School to share your thoughts about Denmark - USA. There is a lot of different Boarding Schools around Copenhagen. You seem to know so much and I think (as a teacher myself) that a lot of students could benifit from your experience and knowlegde.

[@Knurheim]

One Boarding School that might be interested is Eisbjerghus in Nørre Åby on Fyn, they are an International Boarding School with a kind of exchange program. A few classes from schools from England, Italy, France, Spain and Germany come and visit for about a week each and for about 10 days in the spring all of the students from the Danish school go on a trip to visit the class they exchanged with. It is a bit complicated to explain it all in a youtube comment but it was a great experience for me when I attended the school and got to visit Italy, living with the family of one of the Italian students who visited me here in Denmark.

[@williamjones4716]

Efterskole would make an interesting video. My oldest daughter's experience was at one in the Limfjord region where her roommate was a psychological basket case on suicide watch, the staff were practically worthless (I think most were burned-out Tvind cult members), and even the school library had no more than a hundred books. The place was a joke, yet it had slick PR and Danes in their low-expectation naïveté thought it was the cat's meow.

[@frederiksndertoftpedersen3739]

@@williamjones4716 shit I am so sad to hear that. I myself have worked as a teacher at a boarding School and I have heard stories like this, but always with teschers helping out the students who suffered from what ever they suffered from. And I have to point out that Tvind is a f**king joke. Their leder Amdi Pedersen is sought by Interpol for money fraud. So no respect for Tvind from my side.

[@rickybuhl3176]

Great Video.. Nice to see someone bring up the wages and not just the taxes for a change. Glad you felt the pay-off was worth it, enough to stay.

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you Ricky! You're spot on - everyone brings up the taxes without the rest of the budget. We definitely take home more and save more than we did while working in the States (even with 5+ weeks off to travel).

[@rickybuhl3176]

@@RobeTrotting Glad it works for you guys - a relaxed coffee at work tastes so much better when you're getting paid for it lol. Always tried to explain to my English friends that it's just like a vacation - Scandinavia is pretty much All-inclusive. Only this isn't the 2 weeks away but the other 50.. Not caught up with all the videos yet but have you -been- -disappointed- -by- seen the mermaid yet!? lol

[@RobeTrotting]

Totally agree with all that! And love the analogy of it being all-inclusive - really good way to put it! And the boring girl on a rock will definitely be coming up in a future video!

[@oliverlindhard1109]

@@RobeTrotting well in the video you only bring up "a skat", what about the 100 other taxes you have to Pay for in denmark? 180% in tax for you car, water tax, suger tax, alcohol tax, 25% in "moms", house tax, electrical tax, and much much more. When all taxes Are payed In denmark the avarage take home profit you get is often callculated to about 15%, 85% goes to the goverment, so saying that you take home more money in denmark compared to the us is just not true.

[@RFabs89]

Great video and channel, guys. I'll recommend this channel to my wife, as we're considering moving to Denmark. Keep up the good work

[@RobeTrotting]

Fantastic! Moving anywhere is a huge challenge, but we have found it super rewarding. Hope you guys do come!

[@dbsscout]

One important part of work culture here in DK is the unions. Become a member of one, they can help you with your job search, making sure you are paid your due amount and even help with legal action if a company fire you unjustly.

[@RobeTrotting]

Fully agree. They are such a good resource to find jobs, review contracts, and support in difficult situations. The role of unions are so different in Denmark than what we were used to in the US, especially because in the US labor negotiations are focused so much on benefits like health care and sick leave (which are covered by the government here), meaning that instead unions can be much more people-oriented. There is also a much less adversarial relationship between unions and management here.

[@ibrenecario7357]

Nah, unions are not nessecarily good here in Denmak. You should join a "unemployment fund", they will also help with job search etc.

[@annicaselberg3158]

Yes and support them with the membership. The rights is not to be taken for granted.

[@hamashu]

Dane here working with mainly US colleagues. Great job on the video guys, I think it's covering most of the important differences. Hope you have a fantastic time here in Denmark and that your videos become stables for Americans looking at making a home here as it's a great crash course.

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much! That's the highest compliment that we can receive because our goal for all of our videos is to help others transition to living, working, and having a happy life when moving to Denmark 😀🇩🇰

[@HepauDK]

5:12 Well, at the office I work in (at a precast concrete factory), for the past 6 months or so, we've all eaten at our desks. Well, because you know... Covid... I am looking forward to being able to eat together with the team again though. 5:46 That friday "happy hour" actually takes place in our factory manager's office. :)

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes, we also cannot wait until things are back to normal at the workplace. It's really nice to enjoy a meal with colleagues each day and I'm sure a nice Friday beer in the manager's office is also really nice. Brighter days are coming for sure! Thank you for watching 😀

[@myfinancechannel2432]

Love this 😀

[@RobeTrotting]

So glad to hear - happy that you found it :)

[@bodirozavedrana]

Great video very helpfull.

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much for watching, we're glad it was helpful! 😀

[@Drescher1984]

Not even two minutes in and I'm in love with this channel. Keep up the good work. Also Denmark is capitalist country with strong and flexible social security systems.

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much! We love living here and getting to share more about life here. The social welfare here is definitely fantastic.

[@michellesorianovloggz9047]

I agree with your vlog.. Very interesting!

[@RobeTrotting]

We're glad you liked it and found it interesting. We really enjoy working in Denmark and the work culture in Denmark is the main reason why :)

[@martintilsted6624]

An important thing you forgot is how the pension system works, because it is quite different from USA. Almost all people working in Denmark, receive pension payments as a part of their normal pay. This pension payment is paid to an external company which handles pensions, and you then get money in your pension found, when you retire. So there is no "You have to work here x year, in order to earn a pension" or "The company which should have paid my pension went broke, so I lost my pension". I think this and then fact than health insurgence is not bound to your work place, is the reason there is more job hopping in Denmark.

[@RobeTrotting]

Great suggestions, and that could all be a while separate video (and might be soon 😃).

[@magtens]

Hi guys im a Welder (klejnsmed in dansih) and where i was i made freinds that i saw and see in my freetime so when you are a craftsman (google translate) its more normal to be freinds with your team mates, and drink beer on speciel days on the work instead of cake :)

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you for adding this, it's nice to be able to socialize with colleagues more and have a beer too (always a little nicer than cake) 😀

[@kristinaasimova601]

good video, thank you 🙏!

[@RobeTrotting]

Glad you liked it! 😃

[@PAARYNAKAKKU-ic3td]

I LIKED IT AND I WOULD LOVE TO VISIT AND WORK THERE

[@congatosytodo6946]

Thank you for the information guys!! I´m planning on travelling there with my spouse next year (+3 cats) and I´m finding your videos super useful. Hugs from Argentina!

[@RobeTrotting]

Our pleasure - so happy you're enjoying the videos, we will keep them coming. Hugs back to you and let us know if there's something specific you'd like to see or know about 😀

[@jhdk356]

New to this channel (Danish). Gotta say, that was amazingly accurate, especially how you explain the reasons/motivations for us having "designed" it this way - that's easy to misunderstand 🙂

[@RobeTrotting]

So happy to hear that we explained it well and we hope you enjoy our videos. We love working and living here so we hope that comes through as well 😀

[@hongkongerlifeincopenhagen5430]

This video is sooo nice! As I am going to start my first job in Denmark soon, this is so useful for better preparation! :)

[@RobeTrotting]

That’s so exciting! Good luck and we hope you have learned a little bit to make your transition smooth and easy 😃🇩🇰

[@ivannuzhyn4668]

Your video became better and better with every new video. But this 1-year old videos was so cute even if not so professional or sound not so good. I like you a lot guys, please keep going!

[@BurninSven1]

Beer breaks I miss them. Like when the boss, my workmate and me stopped at a local pup for beer on our way to work a few hours in the the remote warehouse close to Köge (and on the way home too lol). Ballograf Bic what a cool place to work

[@sergiodottori484]

You share the danish colture, Is amazing!

[@RobeTrotting]

Aw, thank you Sergio 😊🇩🇰

[@mattislvberg8891]

Hey guys! Love the videos..I’m danish but My wife is from Indonesia and Im deffo gonna show her your videos! Keep up the good work 👍🏼

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much, we'll keep the videos coming and hopefully she will find them helpful. We love living here and working here, and it takes some time to learn some of the unwritten cultural rules of Denmark so we hope to help others by sharing 😀

[@laviniagheorghe9393]

Hello! Nice and interesting video

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you Lavinia - we're so glad you enjoyed it. Working here is super interesting and we love it.

[@UlrikMcArdle]

Also if you have a vacation and gets sick they will add the sick days to your vacation account again

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes, this is so important and we really love this part of working in Denmark. It's much better than in the USA where you have all those days (holiday and sick time) taken away from the same amount of time off. We've also worked for employers that give you a "bank" of sick days the same as you would have a "bank" of holiday/vacation time. It's confusing how they think anyone can plan how many days they will be sick or injured in one year.

[@lisav.5910]

I live in Italy and I'm thinking of moving to Denmark next year, I have a master's degree in foreign languages and literatures, I obtained the CAE certification last year. Now I'm trying to learn Danish but it's not easy at all! I'm wondering if I should start looking for a job from here... More content on how to conduct a job search in Denmark would be appreciated :) Thank you for sharing!

[@yezperdk]

When you're on holiday, you're on holiday is also by law. If the company has to interrupt your holiday, they must compensate with replacement holiday (don't remember the rules off the top of my head, but you will get more holiday than what is cancelled/interrupted), and in some cases you will get monetary compensation as well.

[@BenjaminVestergaard]

About the sick leave, yes it may be virtually unlimited, but some workplaces that's been bothered with a high number of days of sick-leave can actually ask you to bring a doctors statement after as little as 3 days in a row, for instance. And you're only partly right about vacation. Yes, both colleagues and management will try to avoid contacting you during your vacation VERY much. Not least because most employment contracts state that interrupted vacation is to be rolled back for the remaining days... meaning you get up to 3 weeks extra vacation if it's your summer vacation being interrupted. So, not everyone ignore their phone or mail entirely while on vacation, they just get more time off. This kinda overlaps the work/life balance... I think you got it wrong; you're not expected to mingle with your colleagues, that's correct, but as you said about job applications, management/HR try to match you with your team, and since you're not so often in direct competition with your team, you actually can get to be rather good friends with people from your team, also off work hours.

[@asdfjkl7430]

Sounds like a lot of team work there in the work culture.

[@flemmingsalvig7943]

I would say, that the work/life balance-thing really depends on what you do for a living. As a teacher, I would say, that most of my friends are present or former colleges. And most of my long term friens are musicians from my first profession. Also, I do a lot of my preparation at home, but it still counts as office-hours.

[@RobeTrotting]

That fully makes sense - certain workplaces lend themselves to longer and deeper relationships.

[@thorsrensen1679]

Nice channel about danish work life can you make one about danish drinking law and age

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you! Great suggestion, we will definitely be creating a video on the drinking culture in Denmark - hopefully when things open up again in the coming weeks

[@DeviantDragonFurry]

As I Dane I can agree that the big work places then to be, well work. But the small business like small shops and such. Were you work closely and are more personal with your co workers. They tend to be different then a large place. I work at a place where we are two hires and the boss. Is a lot more personal and people connect on a different level as such places.

[@erich9177]

I think younger workplaces are definitely different in terms of work/life balance. If most employees are younger than 40 and many younger than 30, then it's often going to be a very active social scene. Depends on the field of business also and the size. What you describe seems more typical of large companies or public sector companies. Smaller companies in tech, marketing, finance etc, are usually social.

[@MANSIKKAPUURO-jl9zm]

I WOULD LOVE TO WORK IN DENMARK

[@katrinejensen6658]

Hey thanks for responding... 🙂 where you actually from, and how is it there... one of the things I love about America is how nice and open the people are. I also love how it is much easier to find special communities that is living in special way.. I was searching for psychedelics, and I fund this communities in California, they call medicine and it always taken under supervision. (They had native Americans; who were some of the first people to give it to white man) there were many doctors and well educate people there.They were talking about it, as seeing over the etch. I LOVE Copenhagen too my brother live in Nørrebro, I loved there. What do you know about the different cultures, states and communities i USA, love youre vids

[@wunderstrudel]

I think that as an expansion to what yus guys mention with the flat hierarchy. It is important to mention that many bosses expect you to speak up if they make mistakes. We see it as essential that people feel safe speaking up if leadership makes mistakes. This is both to avoid making exspensive mistakes but also to make corruption harder. Not speaking up if one knew something was wrong would probably just get one fired aswell. I think most bosses here is aware that is it not them making the money but the people they employ. Therefor offices here is often tailored around the people employed and not so much the leadership. (We of course also have some pretty hardass unions looking out for us. So they tend the make sure the bosses stay inline). ^^

[@RobeTrotting]

These are really good points, thank you so much for adding this to help others understand. The need to speak up is something we've had to adjust to but we really like feeling that we can have more direct conversations with leadership.

[@wunderstrudel]

@@RobeTrotting Haha i would be laid off daily in most other countries i think. As you also mention in the video then being the expert my boss hired for the job. I very much see it as my responsibility to make sure the leadership is as informed as possible. I do not think should fear informing/correcting their boss here as long as it is done in a respectful manner. Seen from my perspective as a programmer i much rather admit to making a mistake rather than losing millions because of that mistake. So i would award/appriciate the correction rather than punish it. Thanks for the videos, always great hearing the outside perspective! I'm glad you like it here and hope you will continue too. :)

[@MANSIKKAPUURO-jl9zm]

I WOULD LOVE TO LIVE AND WORK IN DENMARK

[@HuongScarlette]

I’m so glad you guys made this video. Just in time when I need to learn about working overseas. Very helpful notes indeed! I’m just wondering if you notice any asian working in Denmark office…

[@RobeTrotting]

Hello Huong, so glad you found the video helpful. There is definitely an Asian population working in Copenhagen, including some of our colleagues.

[@HuongScarlette]

@@RobeTrotting great!! Will you make a video about the current job market in Denmark (or have you done any)? I’m particularly looking for Data Analyst opportunities. It’s great if you know the market demand, working conditions, remuneration or anything you can share about this position. Thank you!!

[@Norseraider84]

Great video guys ! ❤️🤘🏻 Theres another expat family in Denmark with a KZbin channel, where they made a deepdive into US taxes vs. Danish taxes. It was quite interesting and lets just say that the result would never been shown on Fox News 😁 The KZbin channel is called Travellin’ Young

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes, we know the Youngs - they're fantastic! Fox News only gives you the facts that paint the picture they want to tell, they leave out whatever doesn't back up their world view haha.

[@pathatlon]

Have you mentioned "hygge" yet? It''s a great part of Danish culture:)

[@RobeTrotting]

Actually we have not done a hygge video yet, but it's a great idea. We wrote a blog post about it years ago and discussed how American media loves reporting on hygge (especially in the winter months) but Americans aren't very good at doing the simple things and just relaxing (no phone, letting work emails wait until the next day, being present/cozy with friends and family).

[@MyJerica]

And! We have some strong unions and we have rights and we know we do. We're strong like that. And we consult eachother a lot in work and even the interns and such's opinion matter in work decisions. EVERYBODY has some say and are respected like that.

[@truerthanyouknow9456]

Thank you for talking about the money and benefits comparison being better for you than in the U.S.

[@RobeTrotting]

Of course! It’s only fair. Most Americans mention taxes and that’s it, they hate to admit they get paid lower wages and lack benefits.

[@guessitsme1123]

Hii thanks for the tips Do you have any information about working as teacher?

[@BoardroomBuddha]

Tusind takk før det! Jeg er svensktalende amerikaner som bor i Kanada. Jeg ville gerne jobbe i danmark eller sverige. Er det svært att få jobb som udlenning i danmark? Jeg er 56 år.

[@argantyr5154]

There is also 9 month paid maternity leave for the mother, and 2 weeks for the father. Not everyone choose to take the leave but if you want to, you can.

[@RobeTrotting]

It is such a good benefit for families to start a new life in a good way!

[@world-traveller6949]

@@RobeTrotting, and the Mother to be can start her leave 4 weeks before expected birth and if she give birth in eg 5 weeks that last week (difference between 4 and 5 week) doesn't shortrn the maternatyleave after birth. Also both parents have the first 2 weeks of leave together.

[@fraseren7639]

jeg er dansker og i er virkelige gode youtuber that means i am danish and in are really good youtubers

[@vanguardarktv4687]

i am danish and you are really good youtubers* or i am danish and you guys are really good youtubers'

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much, we hope you enjoy the videos and we will keep them coming 😀

[@charleneallison500]

What on Earth does that mean? You must have translated using Google

[@jacobmarquard4766]

It’s not EU dates - it’s non-american dates - only USA uses Month/day/year

[@williamjones4716]

Old school British still use Roman numerals for the month in correspondence. Sic: 3 VII 2022

[@inventstatestudio9730]

Useful when organizing meetings with ghosts.

[@msiig6476]

Just to clarify, minium tax in denmark is 39% + 8% am tax, thats for income up to 60000$, after the main tax gets higher. Also we have a 20% VAT on all purchases, and a 80% tax on gas, 50% on nuts and butter, and 180% car tax, on purchase. furthermore the european numbering system makes perfect sense, and is better, and so does/is the metric system btw ; ) Other than that, love your videos, keem them comming.

[@patrickpetersen2984]

To correct about "topskat", that is above 80.000$ a year :) with a 6,25 kr / to 1$ ratio :) And the 8% am tax is before all of taxes, thereafter decution for pensionsavings you do yourself :)

[@GertAndersen]

Halløjsa I glemte "kvajekage" (translated you forgot about "error cake" If you make an "some what bigger mistake " on work you would have to pay your work friends for your mistake with cake. hvis i laver en "fejl" på arbejdet forventes det at der bliver betalt for fejlen til jeres kolegaer med kage.

[@bqTim]

Is there any or more home office work in covid times? Or still: work and home separated?

[@RobeTrotting]

Haha, well yes - since December everyone is back to WFH if possible and as much as possible, so the current situation is a bit different than described (at least until we are all back to somewhat normal life).

[@bqTim]

Interesting. As a Belgium, the culture shock is not that big. But it's funny how strict Danes seem to be strict about being relaxed.

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes, coming from American office experiences we have been very happy with how laid back working in Denmark can be - and all the cake haha.

[@bqTim]

@@RobeTrotting Cake and Danish / Viennese pastries sound great. And being 'forced' to have lunch together is also good for team spirit.

[@sorencyrano1413]

Could you expand on how Danes are strict about being relaxed? I don’t quite get it.

[@bqTim]

@@sorencyrano1413 they seem to formalize this relaxed atmosphere well uhm strictly ;-)

[@sorencyrano1413]

@@bqTim Fair enough 😉

[@me000]

2:20 What should one say in a message to a Dane on LinkedIn? "Hi, I'm American. Got any jobs? Want to hire me?", something like that? And would you specifically add people with the positions you're looking for or at the companies you'd want to work at? Thanks :)

[@RobeTrotting]

Danes are very direct, but you'd still want to be a little more subtle. Something like "Hello xxxx (no Mr. or Ms. - first name is fine), my name is xxxx and I am looking for opportunities in the xxx field in Denmark (the Aarhus region, for the Danish market, serving clients in Denmark, etc). Since you're currently working in the field/market/region I was hoping to add you to my professional network. Any tips or advice you could offer are appreciated. I am especially interested in your experiences in xxxx. I would be excited to learn more about how you do xxxxx at (xxx company).

[@matissusans8374]

Hey.. I have a question. I'm going to study in Denmark and I am thinking how hard is it to find students part-time job for example in Horsens? Especially during pandemic. I suppose that in bigger cities it is easier but how about smaller ones? Thanks in advance. :)

[@RobeTrotting]

We plan to do a more detailed video specifically on finding a job, but a few tips (which we'll expand on in a video): 1) use LinkedIn and start connecting with people and joining LinkedIn groups in Høsens or connected to the university (VIA I assume?) 2) see if the university has a job board or online community elsewhere that can help you find opportunities 3) Search on thehub.io/ for start-up jobs. 4) jobindex.dk is another site, but it's a bit like a needle in a haystack - although it may be easier to find student jobs 5) see if there are any job groups in Hørsen on Facebook or even just a group for new arrivals in the city - like we say in the video, Denmark is big on networking and virtual networking (even pre-2020). Good luck and please let us know how you fare :)

[@mettekiilerich5102]

What Robe Trotting wrote, but the university (or where you will be studying) usually have people assigned to help setup personal network for the foreign students as well as help with part time jobs, networking with other foreigners/danes etc... And a lot of it is created by other students as well, so the people you'll be involved with are in the same age range and interest range as yourself :)

[@kastrup2dk]

when it comes down to it Is it a very good video you made there is two things you are right and wrong about 5 minutes into the video talking about lunch it is a difference from company to company usually 15 to 30 minutes lunch break in many places there are agreements between union and employer around lunch some get paid lunch break and some get free food but you are right that Danes gather and hygger lunch together. the next thing is 7:30 minutes inside the video you are both right and wrong on it with flexicurity it also depends on your form of employment if you are employed as funktionær (Many employees are subject to the Salaried Employees Act, a collective agreement) funktionærloven And that sounds like what you're talking about if you are a more normal employee Then there are the rules governing the agreement between the union and the employer the rules I go under when you have been employed for 6 months, you have 14 days' notice when I have worked there for 9 months I have 21 days notice when I have worked there is 2 years I have 28 days notice if I was fired I just go on my unemployment insurance fund / a-kasse so I lack no money if I get fired Denmark is a small country so we have to be flexible Therefore flexicurity even if you are fired, you have a wage guarantee in another form So not many people are afraid of being fired. a person can make a living by working at McDonald's in Denmark hope to see more videos from you

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you for adding more details on the topics. The flexicurity system in Denmark is definitely better than the system we came from in America - even lunch too haha. The simple idea that full-time workers should be able to make a good living and have a life of dignity when they do the right things is something more countries should adopt. We love that Denmark has such a great system and work culture.

[@toyotahavehorspower4003]

No not agen

[@sebkure]

The money you receive from your a-kasse is a seperate thing. If you get fired from a full time job you will have 3 months of salary after you stop. If you are a part of an a-kasse you will continue to be paid until you find a new job (although the a-kasse pays a lot less than what your job would)

[@perrose3932]

Even for Europeans, Danish culture are difficult, a lot of the working culture items you describe, is valid for them too. I had Belgieans and Nederlandish working for me from time to time, and they always felt lownly, because of our working, and Living culture. Btw your videos are great and spot on.

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much Per. We try to imagine we are advising ourselves from our first days in Denmark and didn’t know what to expect at all 😃

[@simhd6844]

Wow

[@RobeTrotting]

Always interesting working in DK. Thanks for watching.

[@simhd6844]

I like you from the country of Morocco

[@simhd6844]

Give me your Instagram account

[@RobeTrotting]

@@simhd6844 In the video description you'll find them :)

[@thomassk7161]

there is one typical mistake about vacation in Denmark. Yes, it is correct you get 5 weeks or 7 weeks paid vacation.. But it is not free or government paid. YOU pay it! It is subtracted every day from you salary so in the end after 12 month you have made a saving for you vacation. So then it feels like being paid by the government which it is not. It is a foundation setup by employers, works and the government to control the payments are made and at the right time (when you go on vacation). You actually in most place have to apply for the money and state how many days you are on vacation. And even if you haven't had work for a full you what ever you have saved is diverted into 5 days over 5 weeks. Nothing is free in this life....

[@eoantube]

I live in danmark

[@alexgrande1660]

I'm thinking of emigrating to Copenhagen from Norway when I'm finished with my master's in Work- and Organizational Psychology this summer. What I've heard is that the danish labour law is somewhat different from Norwegian. Although the overall culture is somewhat similar, the greatest difference is protection from being laid off. I've only found limited information on this flexicurity-system, but it seems highly insecure for the individual employee in Denmark compared to Norway. Is it true, that in theory, a manager could just lay an employee off? I've heard stories from friends who had part-time jobs when they studied at Copenhagen that their ex-managers laid them off simply because they didn't like them. Do you know anything about this? Any information would be appreciated, especially from an expat's point of view:)

[@bevidsthedshelingv.lauriah8057]

I have never heard of someone getting laid off without a very good reason. I think it is rare that anyone gets fired, but I don’t know the law about it.

[@glittergirl380]

What about civil engineering? Planning to study masters and settle there with my family.? Would it be a good idea? Plz reply.

[@RobeTrotting]

We both studied and started our careers in America so we may not be the beat to offer advice here. We can say that Denmark is a fantastic place to live. You can find a lot of great information on doing a job search in Denmark from abroad here: www.workindenmark.dk

[@spacebunsarah]

So just to be clear, then, the numbers I see for salary per month on a job portal is net, not gross?

[@RobeTrotting]

Those would be gross monthly salary numbers.

[@megabeth]

I followed the link in the description to access the Danish CV template. I filled out the form on the page to request it, but the submit button doesn't work. So I emailed you using the email on the website, and the email can't be delivered. Help!

[@RobeTrotting]

Ah, sorry - we had an issue with mailerlite and that could be why. Can you message me on instagram and I can send you the link? @robetrotting

[@williamjones4716]

More than smug to assume working in Denmark = city slicker life and corporate office culture. After being virtually unhirable through the town job center for manual labor jobs (because I was highly educated), I finally settled into a working class job at a small four-man shop in the Nordjydsk countryside which I really enjoyed. In fact my employer (a onetime teacher) seemed happy to have me because I was a military veteran with a mission mentality, meaning he knew he could count on me to get the job done on time, even working extra hours to get rush jobs done (I remember a fellow worker being shocked that I was going to come in and work solo on May 1st, the international socialist holiday). Once my "Yankee" work ethic became known fellow businesses were asking if they could use me for their sorte penge projects. Just to say you don't know jack about working in Denmark with your hands.

[@jettec9411]

You forgot the free coffee

[@jandamskier6510]

Trade Unions? etc?

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes, good point. Unions and organized labor are the main reason why Denmark is a great place to work. We could create a whole new video on their impact.

[@jandamskier6510]

@@RobeTrotting please do so

[@LarsLinne67]

Buying cake is also a penalty for messing up in many workplaces

[@RobeTrotting]

Ah true, there are the "not so good" reasons to bring cake too haha 😂

[@brostenen]

I cant help but thinking, if that thing of hiring based on how a person fits is, are ultimately a plus or a minus in terms of equal numbers of woman and men in a specific sector of the workforce. I mean... It can some times lead the the choice of favoring a specific gender over the other.

[@Sandeepkol3]

Hi.. greetings. I am from kolkata , india. Need ur advise. Thnx, sandeep

[@randomnico6250]

looks like paradise compared to spain

[@gschock201]

I agree with most of the things you mention in this video. However, I’m 37 so I’ve worked in quite a few different work places and I’ve never experienced someone’s desk being covered with the Danish flag when it was their birthday. 🤔😉

[@RobeTrotting]

Oh no, really? Maybe it's because we've both worked in international offices so our colleagues have really tried to embrace what they think are Danish customs (and maybe even overcompensate).

[@gschock201]

@@RobeTrotting I think so. 😉 Or it’s a Copenhagen thing. 🤔 I live in Aarhus so maybe we’re just more boring here when it comes to co-worker’s birthdays... 😏 Once in a while, I have seen a co-worker put a single flag on another colleague’s desk when it was their birthday, but only once or twice. 😊

[@Darkenforcer]

it is most common in office settings but a flag on the table or at your workbench is also common, all over denmark, but it can be different from workplace to workplace

[@FlabbergastedFirefly]

I work near Esbjerg our workplace of around 300 people are QUITE enthusiastic when it comes to celebrating birthdays. Anything from loads of flags, red carpets, confetti all over your desk. Same for my former workplace. So no it is not a Copenhagen thing only.

[@gschock201]

@@FlabbergastedFirefly Wow, that sounds quite extreme to me, but if everyone thinks that adds to a better working environment, then it sounds like a great tradition. 😊 Personally, I don’t like that much fuzz around my birthday, but if I knew my co-workers would like it, I’d have no problem with participating in that sort of celebration. 😉🎈

[@dbblicher]

It's a bit sad that you don't touch on the work ethics amongst your danish coworkers. The amount of work hours you have in a typical day compared to the US and how you handle the fact that when the time for work is over, Danes simply just put their tools down and go home (leave). We don't linger unless there's some severe crunch time happening to finish off the workload from today, we just drop everything and leave as the bell rings out.

[@RobeTrotting]

We talk about work life balance and that you leave work behind at the end of the day around 8:15.

[@hassegreiner9675]

You seem to be impressed by my countrymens' language skills but surely you must have noticed some typical errors Danes make when flashing their English?

[@RobeTrotting]

There are definitely grammatical errors, verb tenses errors for example, but we always understand.

[@silkebhm7855]

sorry to say but you only talking about office work

[@RobeTrotting]

No, that's a valid point. We are only experienced working in offices, but there are much deeper details we could cover about other types of work.

[@Prestonesfpv]

The collected tax is actually 52% and then 25% VaT on all goods

[@spexis]

But that is WITH your OWN vacation money and pension.

[@wildewille20]

You are spreading lies. It is incredible how many people think the incometax in DK is around 50 percent. It is not! Look at your paycheck - do you pay half in tax? Only if you are making millions. Most people pay around 35 percent incometax. True about the VAT - unless offcause if you are bying a taxiride or an airplaneticket. Or one of many other things that do not carry VAT.

[@madknox4666]

About right on everything, Only thing is in denmark we have a lot of hidden taxes, That you are not told about you should try an look it up its quiet insane, With all the hidden taxes included the onse your told about will make denmark the highest taxed country on the planet :(

[@sokargo2194]

Guys this is Europe 😂😂

[@RobeTrotting]

Thanks

[@gittenielsen95]

Tax 35%? Not for Danes.

[@RobeTrotting]

Hehe, yes it's definitely a higher tax rate in Denmark, but we still save more money monthly because we don't have a lot of employee-paid deductions from our wages (and they're higher here than in the States). It's also nice living without the stress of being one small accident or health issue away from complete financial ruin (like in the States) but that's another video 😂 😬

[@peterlarsen7779]

@Gitte Nielsen - actually, if you take into concideration your pre-tax deduction (personlige fradrag), then it should Work out that you have handed over approximately 35% of your wages in tax.

[@wildewille20]

It is incredible how many people think the incometax in DK is around 50 percent. It is not! Look at your paycheck - do you pay half in tax? Only if you are making millions. Most people pay around 35 percent incometax.

[@wildewille20]

@@RobeTrotting You are completly right. Most people pay around 35 percent. Unless they are making millions.

[@bulletnutz6382]

Not even the danish understand danish so english is always best to use🤣🇸🇪

[@oliverlindhard1109]

Average tax in dk 35%? I Hope that is a joke? The minimum amount of tax you can Pay is arround 45% without including 180% in tax for you car, water tax, suger tax, alcohol tax, 25% in "moms", house tax, electrical tax, and much much more.

[@RobeTrotting]

The statistic is only taking about talking payroll taxes, but in Denmark the average single worker faced a net average tax rate of 35.4% in 2019. That's according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

[@oliverlindhard1109]

@@RobeTrotting @Robe Trotting yes okay then what about "atp" and "am bidrag, witch is taxes on your payroll. The minimum tax you can Pay in denmark is 45% and that is a fact. You also say that People always focus on taxes and not the rest of the budget, you should also focus on the rest of the budget and state the taxes that Are deducted after the payroll, saying the avarage tax is 35.4% is just staright up not true.

[@oliverlindhard1109]

@@RobeTrotting you also jump over the fact that the highest tax you can EVER Pay in the US is 35%, in denamrks it is about 70%, ONLY IN PAYROLL TAXES, and you dont have to have a very high income to get that tax rate.

[@FlabbergastedFirefly]

Not true, the minimum amount of tax you can pay is zero ;) You are forgetting the annual personal deduction and the monthly deduction. Taxes are so much more than the tax rate.

[@oliverlindhard1109]

@@FlabbergastedFirefly haha yes i guess if you dont buy or earn anything 😂