The smooth relocation to Denmark
Through cooperation between MiR, International Community Odense and Workindenmark, Jan experienced a smooth relocation from Germany, and was quickly ready to start his new career in Denmark
Name: Jan Ciechanowicz
Age: 34
Nationality: Polish-German
Job position: Product Cyber Security Technical Lead
Company: Mobile Industrial Robots A/S
In March 2021, while the borders were still mostly closed due to the ongoing global pandemic, our small 4-member family moved from Germany to Denmark to start a new chapter in our lives.
My name is Jan. I identify as being from Poland, even though I am also half-German. I live together with my wife, my 4-year-old daughter and 16-year-old dog in Odense, after an exciting but also exhausting relocation, with incredible support from Workindenmark, EURES, International Community Odense, and my Danish employer: Mobile Industrial Robots.
Workindenmark matched my CV with a vacant position
Even though I was actively searching for a job myself, the position at MiR was actually found by Workindenmark. I registered online, uploaded my CV, and after a few days I received an e-mail with two job advertisements, which I had not seen before. One of them turned out to be a perfect match.
Relocating to a different country is not a new thing for us, and we had been looking for a new place where we would feel at home for quite a few years now… But never had we received (or heard of) such an amazing level of support as with this relocation. Here are the highlights:
- Workindenmark matched my CV.
- MiR connected us with ICO (International Community Odense), because apparently moving to Denmark is actively supported by the state and there are actual, real jobs in helping foreigners settle in. This is something we never expected!
- We received information on all topics relevant for newcomers (from registration and moving with a dog, to a list supermarkets with home delivery), and anything else we asked about, from Workindenmark, MiR and ICO. Everyone was super-nice and helpful!
- EURES TMS (Targeted Mobility Scheme) covered all the relocation costs
Pretty incredible, huh? Granted, it was a relatively short distance between Germany and Denmark, but the added complications due to the pandemic made things quite intense, up to the point of not knowing if we would actually be allowed to cross the border on the day before the relocation.
The Danish school system
For us, the most prominent reason for living in Denmark is the way children are treated during their years in school.
In my opinion, children need freedom, responsibility, and diverse hands-on activities to be healthy and happy. Danish schools seem to account for this aspect much better than the schools of most other countries we have researched and heard of.
Having lived in a couple of different systems, we are not really surprised by anything in Denmark, be it work-related or private. Every country has its slightly different culture, rules, laws, strengths and weaknesses. It is something we have gotten used to, and Denmark is not difficult to live in: that is, once you have your CPR-Number!
A piece of advice
To those who are considering moving countries and may not have as much experience with this, I can give one piece of advice: talk to people. Ask questions, ask for help, be open and be positive. If you really want to move, then nothing is difficult. There will always be helpful people around, you just have to find them. And to find the right people, it is absolutely necessary to talk to others.