Bas(37)

I worked eight years as an administrative clerk at the province of Overijssel in Zwolle. Every day the same office, the same spreadsheets, the same parking lot. I always had a passion for forests and nature — in my free time I volunteered at the Dutch forestry commission. When I read that Sweden urgently needed foresters, I took a retraining course and applied at SCA, one of Sweden's largest forestry companies.

Sweden has more forest than any European country: 69% of the land area is covered with trees. The forestry sector is huge and there's a chronic shortage of skilled workers. SCA offered me a permanent contract with a salary comparable to my office job, plus a tjänstebil (company car) and free work clothing.

Sundsvall is on the coast of Norrland, halfway between Stockholm and Umeå. It's a city of 100,000 inhabitants with everything you need, but surrounded by infinite forest. My workday starts early — at six in summer, at eight in winter. I work with a team of five foresters: marking, thinning, planting and harvesting. In winter we travel by snowmobile.

Folkbokföring at Skatteverket went smoothly. SCA arranged a lot, but the personnummer still took five weeks. Without a personnummer I couldn't apply for a jaktlicens (hunting license) — and hunting is part of forestry life here. After registration I took the Swedish jägarexamen and now I hunt elk and deer with colleagues on weekends.

Social life in Norrland is different from the Randstad. People are more reserved, but once they accept you the friendship is deep. My colleagues took me to the älgjakt (elk hunt), the kräftskiva (crayfish party) and the julfest (Christmas party). Through Arbetsförmedlingen I was offered a free SFI course. After a year I speak enough Swedish to participate.

My advice to Dutch people seeking outdoor life: the Swedish forestry sector offers opportunities for career changers. You don't need a Swedish degree — experience and motivation count. The work is physically demanding but incredibly satisfying. Every day I work in the open air, with views of forest stretching to the horizon. After eight years of spreadsheets, this is my liberation.