The importance of the Danish language

As a new graduate from AAU, I was also an international in Denmark; I had a fundamental language barrier. In general, I can always recommend that you acquire language skills in Danish – this will expand your opportunities in the Danish labour market significantly. To be able to speak Danish is crucial for entering the skilled labour market.

Personally, I did not learn Danish the first two years in Denmark; I was busy with full-time studies and a part-time job – furthermore, almost everyone at AAU spoke English so I was not forced to learn it to communicate. However, after my studies, it was difficult for me to enter the skilled labour market in Denmark; it took me 2 years.

 

It took 2 years and lots of volunteering

I do not want to scare anybody by saying that it is hard to get a skilled job; some of my classmates got jobs right away so the situation varies a lot.

I worked for Red Cross and Save the Children; overall, I worked there for a year.

While being a volunteer, I got myself into a Danish language school, so I could learn Danish – at the same time, I also expanded my network. After working at Red Cross and Save the Children, I began at another Danish NGO, called Refugee Welcome, which focuses on rejected asylum seekers. If immigrants are rejected asylum, the immigrants often seek legal advice at Refugee Welcome. In such situations, the NGO considers the immigrants’ cases and look for any lapses in relation to the decision drawn by the institutions concerning rejecting the asylum seeker. I worked there for a year.

Finally, I got into the Danish skilled labour market for good when I was offered a job at Sandholmlejren. Yet, not even at Sandholmlejren I was offered a permanent job to begin with. First, I was offered a 3-month contract, then another contract for 3 months, and then, in the end, a permanent position.

Nevertheless, this long journey of different experiences has led me to working at Københavns Kommune today.

 

2 years of uncertainty, hope and determination

Your university degree may lose its weight on the labour market if the period between your graduation and your first job is too long. Some say that the period should be no longer than 2 years.

Going through that period, I actually thought of applying for another programme in Denmark. Yet, that would be hard for me: since I was not an EU-student, the costs of the studies would be significant.

However, even though it may sound like 2 difficult years, I had hope as well in that period. I often thought to myself: “I have been active; I did not sit back and do nothing. Someday, I will get the chance I have been waiting for.” Later, it became clear to me that it was important that I had worked in the NGOs, even though some of the work was unskilled work.

 

The turning point was network and Danish language skills

What kept me going in those years was positivity; keeping a positive attitude gave me energy and strength to keep going. I met my wife at the Global Refugee Studies at AAU; she was really supportive and contributed to my positive attitude that was so important. She backed me up and inspired me to do the volunteer work – she told me that I had to keep my knowledge fresh and use my Danish in everyday situations. I had to take the bull by the horns; I had to be active.

It is crucially important that you expand your network. For example, I got the offer from Sandholmlejren through a contact I knew through some volunteer work. He called me one day and told me that they were looking for a candidate at Sandholmlejren. The job at Sandholmlejren was only part-time, but I did not care. I worked at a warehouse at that time, but I was ready to quit my fulltime unskilled job at the warehouse for the part-time, skilled job at Sandholmlejren. It was a great step for me.

In the end, looking for a job is about having courage, what type of person you are, and what you are determined to do.

 

George's advice for you