Many students need to have part time job to finance their living costs while studying. Students also work to gain experience, to network and to establish contacts before they enter the labour market.
If you study full time, you must keep in mind that the workload can be very high and it's important to find a balance between you part time work and your studies. Consider carefully whether losing precious study time is something you can afford to do.
Finding and getting a part time job can be quite hard, especially when you do not speak Swedish. With this in mind, we do not advise you to try to finance your stay in Sweden by working. Make sure you can cover your living costs using other resources.
If you are looking for a job in Sweden, we recommend you to contact the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen). The Employment Service can be reached most easily on-line. You can also call the costumer service or visit your local Employment Services office.
The Swedish Public Employment Service
Applying for a job in Sweden
When you are applying for a job in Sweden you need a CV and a cover letter. Before you start looking for a job, make sure you are allowed to work in Sweden. Check at the Swedish Migration Board homepage if you need one.
Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket)
Curriculum vitae (CV)
The CV is used to describe your previous experience and skills. Common for a CV is to give a short and structured list of your experiences and qualifications. It usually contains information about your previous experience in education, labour market, your language skills, IT skills and personal interests.
The difference between a CV and a cover letter is that the CV looks backwards and describes your previous experiences whereas a cover letter looks forward to describe how you would fit into the job in question. The CV should cover maximum three standard pages (DIN/ISO A4).
Cover letter
You use a cover letter when you are applying for a job, an internship, a trainee position or a project. When you write a cover letter it is important to describe why you are applying for the job, what you can offer the company and why you should be the one who gets the job. In order to answer these questions, you need to highlight the unique qualifications you possess that separates you from the rest of the applicants. It is also a good idea to point out the specific, professional and personal qualifications and experience you have gained through for example previous jobs, courses and extra curriculum activities. The cover letter should cover maximum one standard page (DIN/ISO A4).
Useful resources (documents and websites)
Rules regarding work permit
The Swedish Tax Authority
Filling out income tax returns
The European Job Mobility Portal
Information on jobs and learning opportunitys
Eurobarometer on graduate employability
The outcome of an Europe-wide survey among employers