Is moving abroad for a short-term contract really worth it, or does the reality hit harder than the pay cheque suggests? In this article, I share my firsthand experience taking on a six-month work contract in Norway, from the financial appeal and physical labour to housing issues, difficult colleagues, and the mental toll that followed.
I cover how I got the job, what daily work in a meat factory was really like, why living arrangements became unbearable, and ultimately why I quit. It’s an honest look at the risks, rewards, and unexpected consequences of working abroad short term.
Why I Chose Norway
With work opportunities in Ireland seemingly dwindling by the day, and my absolute refusal to spend thousands of euros I don’t have on a college course that teaches you next to no practical skills, taking up a 6-month contract in Norway, where I’d be making triple the money I’d normally be in the same period sounded like a no-brainer.
However, what sounds like a dream come true can actually turn into a nightmare. Extremely long hours, long slogs to and from work up hilly terrain, and colleagues who were happy to have everyone else do their work while they twiddled their thumbs made for an experience I never want to remember.
How I Got the Job
I started this article by saying I refused to go to college, but that was actually somewhat of a lie. I was in college for a brief 4 months, having avoided it for years as I worked at my local college’s tuk shop and heard story after story of how it just wasn’t worth it, and seen many of the students who based through the doors, and celebrated their college degrees, only to spot them working in the local Vape shops for years.
I only wanted to go to college as my dream was to move to Vietnam and work in English teaching, but even though I had a Celta certificate (Which the company promised me was enough to stay legally, spoiler, it wasn’t), Vietnam won’t accept anyone without a college degree to stay and work.
College in Ireland was the same as primary and secondary school – sit down, be quiet, open your books and follow me as I read. That was it. After 3 months, I knew I wasn’t getting my money’s worth, so I got my refund and bounced.
Thankfully, right before I started college, my friend in Norway had offered me an opportunity for summer work when I should have been on break from college, to work 3 months on-site. Now with no college to hold me down, they were offering 6 months, so I packed my bags and headed to Trondheim……. Only to miss my flight and get stranded in Rome, you can check that out here.
The Biggest Issues With Short-term Contracts in Norway
When I finally arrived in Trondheim, things didn’t get off to a great start. My ‘friend’ had promised me that he would have everything ready for my arrival, and when I did, his apartment was full of rubbish, and he ‘forgot’ to buy me the mattress he promised he would.
They say you don’t truly know someone until you live with them, and that certainly was the case here. After the first month, we went to Ikea to get myself a bed, pillow and blanket, so I could stop sleeping on the living room couch, but his drunken antics got so bad during my time there, I had to move my bed into the boiler room to get a peaceful night’s sleep.
So why didn’t I just move out? Because you simply can’t. This is one of the biggest issues with short-term contracts in Norway. Unless your job offers accommodation, there is nowhere to stay for less than a one-year lease, unless you want to pay Norway’s exorbitant hotel prices, which at that point will make working there pointless.
Working In Trondheim
I was working in one of Norway’s biggest meat factories, and while I actually enjoyed the work most of the time, as I like to keep my body moving and do physical work, the job was often stressful, and not because of the job itself.
When I first started, I was trimming fat from the inside of cows’ stomachs, a job I still think I’m useless at, but I wanted to work on the main stage, dissecting the parts of the cow stomachs and separating them into their places.
Bad Colleagues
The work was dirty, heavy, smelly, and extremely exhausting, but once you knew how to use your knife correctly and to sharpen and polish it, you could run like clockwork.
I say ‘could’ run like clockwork, as when working in a team, one weak link in the chain causes the whole thing to fall apart…… and we had many weak links.
My father worked in a meat factory when he was in his 20s, and while he always told me he had great times there, he also mentioned how depressing a place it could be, with some of the workers sadly taking their lives after the factory shut down.
A meat factory seems to be a place for lost souls. We had people from places across the world, and many seemed to have their own problems. In fact, myself and another college were always quite joyful when things were going well…. Which bothered them.
And when you come to work with your problems, it’s going to affect your work. Taking extended breaks, having outbursts of anger, not caring, or being intentionally slow can make for an infuriating experience for those who just want to get the work done and go home. And, as it’s a meat factory, you can’t go home until all the day’s animals are culled.
Working from 8 in the morning to midnight was my worst experience, and that fell completely at the hands of the guy I lived with, who decided, “why should I work alone during normal hours, when my roommate can help me after.”
What is Trondheim Like
The outskirts of Trondheim are very pretty, but the city itself lacks any character. There are a couple of things to see, like a church featured in Game of Thrones, but other than that, there isn’t much to it. You can enjoy a meal and drinks by the bay, but at those prices, you’d best forget it as anything you do on a regular basis.
Why I Quit
I actually completed my first 6 months, and having taken 6 months off ,you would think you’d feel refreshed enough to go back for another stint and be able to deal with the nonsense that comes with the pay. However, it wasn’t true.
I lasted only about 2 months into my second contract before I called it a day, following more nonsense such as my roommate selling my bike and keeping the money for himself, selling the PlayStation he asked me to ship over to him from Ireland as he couldn’t get it at the time, and just a buildup of more unbearable nonsense at work.
Things got so bad that I hated waking up in the morning in my boiler room, so I think you can forgive me for getting out.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I took my position on the platform, and after 15 minutes of work commencing, another colleague wandered in, taking his time to get ready, then demanded I move from this position as it was his time there.
However, having spent his time dossing around, I told him that I was here, and he go the main platform, and he can do this section next time. He refused, and like a petulant child, stood there looking at me, waiting.
I told him that was it, either he goes to the platform, or I’m out of here, and he can do the work of two men like he was making me do. He shrugged his shoulders, and I was out. I contacted the management, told them I wouldn’t be working anymore, and booked my flight for the next day home.
The Silver Lining
Despite the fact that things ended the way there are, much like the time I was deported from China, there always seems to be a silver lining. With the money I made in my first 6 months, I travelled to Vietnam to motorbike the north of the country, a time I’ll never forget, and when it came time to head home, I needed to fly out of Saigon.
During that time, I had a chance encounter with a girl who, as of today, is my fiancée, and I currently live in Vietnam, writing this article for you, the viewers, as we speak.
So, is it worth working short-term contracts in Norway? I don’t really have an answer, as I only worked one job. But a lack of short-term accommodation, I didn’t mention it yet, but there was a lot of trouble setting up a bank card, and the risk of working with colleagues who don’t respect you or your time, make for an experience I never want to repeat.
