Anna(34)

I did my PhD in molecular biology at Leiden University and then worked two years as a postdoc. The academic world in the Netherlands is competitive and uncertain — short contracts, few permanent positions, and constant pressure to publish. When I saw a tenure-track position at Lund University, Sweden's highest-ranked university, I applied immediately. After three interviews and a trial lecture, I had the contract.

The personnummer was my first priority after arriving. As an academic with a contract longer than one year, I was entitled to folkbokföring — permanent registration at Skatteverket. That went relatively quickly: four weeks after my visit to the local Skatteverket office I had my personnummer. From that moment I could arrange everything: BankID, library card, GP registration, and enrollment in the bostadskö.

The Swedish academic system is fundamentally different from the Dutch one. There's more funding available, especially through Vetenskapsrådet (the Swedish equivalent of NWO) and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Application processes are transparent and success rates higher. What struck me most is the culture: collaboration is actively encouraged. In the Netherlands I felt like I was competing against colleagues; in Lund I work with them.

SFI was an important part of my first year. Although the working language at the university is English, I noticed that speaking Swedish opens doors. Meetings, social events, faculty emails — much happens in Swedish. I took the SFI course three evenings a week alongside my work. After eight months I reached SFI-D level. It's not fluent, but enough to participate in daily life and to feel like I belong.

Lund is a beautiful university city of 90,000 inhabitants. It reminds me of Leiden — the same academic atmosphere, the same cycling culture, the same cozy city center. But with more nature and less crowding. Stadsparken is my favorite place to read, and the Kulturen open-air museum is a hidden gem. Malmö is ten minutes by train, Copenhagen thirty minutes.

Integration is an ongoing process. I have Swedish colleagues who've become real friends, but it takes time. Swedes are friendly but reserved — it takes longer to truly get to know a Swede than a Dutch person. Fika at work helps enormously: every day at ten and three, everyone stops for coffee and a chat. That's where the real conversations happen. My advice to academics considering Sweden: do it. The research quality, the funding and the quality of life are excellent. And don't forget your personnummer — without that number you don't exist in Sweden.