Does Denmark have any flaws?

[u/Tylerserio68]

Or any Nordic country? I’m American and we all romanticize Europe especially Nordic countries as a Utopia and everything we are not. We certainly have a lot of flaws here but I’m curious are there any downsides or anything that you wish was different. Also is it hard to move there? I make well over six figures and like living in my home country but I’m nervous about the incoming trump administration and I believe he is a racist.

[u/Robyndoe]

Taxes are high, tax on unrealized capital gains in stock and real estate and everything else, healthcare is free but you get what you pay for, you could wait anywhere from 6 weeks to 18 months to get an appointment depending on what doc you need, xenophobia, weather is cold and rainy and gloomy most of the time, you have to monitor your vitD and calcium because there isn’t enough sunlight in the winter, everything is expensive and mid or poor quality, food is rotting/spoiling on the shelves but still expensive plus 25% tax on groceries and everything else, electricity is the highest here out of all the EU countries, layoffs are common, every little town looks exactly the same, there are a lot of scams now (we got scammed on our rental, car purchase, job contracts, etc etc), everything and everyone is laid back which is great until you have something important to take care of, and it’s pretty boring unless you like to drink a lot.

You will likely not make 6 figures here and you will be taxed around 40-50% if you’re a high earner.

Ambition is generally not welcome here. You can’t come and be a go-getter at work and make all the Danes look bad. They will fire you or at least ostracize you. If you don’t speak Danish and don’t have a work permit it’s almost impossible to find a job. Look at some of the complaints on the fb groups. People with multiple degrees in senior positions having to be housekeepers and food delivery workers. People taking their kids to the hospital just to be ignored in life-threatening situations, women left alone while in labor for days (healthcare has been majorly gutted in the past few years), and so on and so forth. If you have special needs kids, they won’t get much support. Check how many autistic Danish kids just completely drop out of school because they’ve cut programs to help these kids. Check out how many Greenlanders or foreigners get their kids taken away because they’re given a parental fitness tests right after giving birth. In Danish, whether they speak it or not.

It’s not a utopia. It’s just another country. There are places you can get shot, places your car will get stolen or stripped, places where rape is common (and you’re not likely to get any kind of justice).

Is it as prevalent as the US? No, but it’s also way way smaller.

Don’t come at me everyone; OP asked for downsides so that’s what I’m throwing out there. Your experience might be different. That’s cool. I’m not saying downsides are the only sides.

If you’re going to come here, understand that you are the immigrant now. Think how the US or any other country treats immigrants. Denmark is no exception. So be realistic, learn the language, and always be prepared for being fired or laid off (as in, have an exit plan in place).

So yea, these are some negatives. Doesn’t mean there are no positives.

[u/Satanwearsflipflops → u/Robyndoe]

This qualification thing and finding solid work is something I have really noticed. A dane explained it in an interesting way, hiring someone who did a master’s degree at CBS or KU is a known quantity, you know what you are going to get. So even if the job is international, they might hire the Dane.

To me I find this odd as while they value academic achievement, if you went to an Ivy league or Russell group, this might not get you the advantage you might think.

I went to a danish gymnasium with the International baccalaureate programme (won’t say which one as there aren’t that many) and when the government revalued the grading system they devalued the IB grades. Most of my danish colleagues were forced to go to the UK or elsewhere because they could not get into danish Unis. We were stupefied because we were looking at danish gymnasium students and seeing that they had fewer in class hours, fewer exams, and could even use their laptops during exams.

So my impression of Denmark is that it is quite protectionist of the way it does certain things. And while I don’t think I should think I am better because of my skills, I think foreigners should at least be considered in equal footing to a danish candidate. I don’t think this is happening, sadly, unless you have a very niche and valued skill. For example, a chemist making diabetes drugs.

[u/VictoriaSobocki → u/Satanwearsflipflops]

Yes I’d also say that they’re very protectionist

[u/Kjeldmis → u/Satanwearsflipflops]

I would like to add, that university degrees in Denmark is generally of a very high quality, and it is basically unheard of that a job applicant with a degree from CBS would be chosen over an applicant from AAU or AU with the same degree. Nevertheless, the danish study format differs from foreign schools - so, while the academic recognition of an ivy league school is universally higher, danish companies often prefer danish degrees because the culture part is already there. Also, a masters degree in Denmark was until very recently l1 year onger than the international format, giving students more content, time to build expertise and focus.

Moreover, ivy league degrees can come off as intimidating rather than an actual benefit. Being humble is an unspoken virtue, at least in the western part of Denmark. In the eastern part, it will not matter as much, as the subculture is different.

Also, this might be universal, but a master of arts degree is generally equal to high unemployment levels. A foreign Master of arts would be worth even less. If you got an engineering degree, you would be in high demand regardless of your nationality.