Getting ready for the job interview

An interview is a two-way check. The employer wants to know whether you can do the job and will fit the team; you want to know whether the role, the people and the terms are right for you. Treat it as a structured conversation between two parties who both have something to decide.

Most interviews in Sweden follow a familiar arc:

1. Opening. The interviewer introduces the organisation and the role, or asks what you already know about them. This is where your background reading pays off.
2. Your introduction. You are invited to say who you are and why you applied.
3. Questions. The employer works through their questions, often linked to the requirements in the advertisement.
4. Your questions. You get the floor to ask about the job, the team and the employer.
5. Next steps. The employer explains what happens after the interview and when you can expect to hear back. If they do not, ask.

The guide is in three parts. The first covers the interview itself: preparation, the questions you should expect, academic and specialist formats, and what to do afterwards. The second explains how Arbetsförmedlingen can reimburse travel to an interview, or to one of its programmes. The third covers the EU's EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme, which can fund interviews and moves between European countries.

If money for the trip is your main question, go straight to travel costs or to EURES TMS.

Still looking for something to interview for? Browse open positions.

Good preparation is the most reliable way to come across well. Work through these four things:

• Collect evidence of your skills. Pick a handful of real situations that show what you can do: a project you rescued, a method you introduced, a student group you taught, a difficult customer you won back. If you have little work experience, examples from your studies, volunteering or spare time count just as much. A simple structure helps: the situation, your task, what you did, and the result (often called STAR).
• Research the employer. Read their website, recent news, annual report or research group pages. It shows genuine interest and gives you material for your own questions about the employer and the role.
• Pack your documents. Bring printed copies of your CV and cover letter so you can follow along and hand one over if an interviewer lacks a copy. Keep work samples, a portfolio or publication list, and your references within easy reach in case they come up. See our guides to the CV, the cover letter and references.
• Rehearse out loud. List the questions you expect and practise your answers at home, ideally with a friend playing the interviewer. Be ready to describe how you present yourself, the role you usually take in a group, how you deal with conflict and, above all, why they should hire you.

Practical checklist for the day

• Decide in advance what to wear: something you feel comfortable in that suits the workplace.
• Bring a pen and a notepad with your questions and the points you want to be sure to make.
• Look up the address, plan the journey and allow a margin. Save the contact details of the person you are meeting in case you are delayed.
• Arrive on time and switch off your phone before you go in.

If the interview is by video

First rounds, especially with candidates abroad, are often held on Teams or Zoom. Test the link, camera and microphone the day before, sit facing a light source in a quiet room, keep your notes beside the screen rather than reading from them, and have a phone number to call if the connection drops.

Every interview is different, but a core set of questions comes back again and again. Think through your answers beforehand so you can spend the interview listening rather than improvising. Our advice for each:

"Tell us about yourself"

The most open question, and for many people the hardest. Picture what the interviewer actually needs at that moment: a quick sketch of who you are, not your full life story. Keep it short early in the interview. A brief path through your background, what you do now and what drives you works well, and a line about interests or family is fine here, because this part is partly small talk.

"Why did you apply for this job?"

Arguably the answer that matters most, so make it specific. What sets this employer apart for you: the research environment, the product, the mission, the way they work? Name it. If honestly the main draw is that your skills fit the role, weigh whether saying so plainly will land well, and pair it with something concrete you have learned about them.

"What experience can you bring from earlier roles?"

Go beyond job titles. Pull out the experience and skills most relevant to this role, then add what makes you unusual: having worked or studied abroad, speaking several languages, having moved between academia and industry. This is not the moment for modesty.

"Which personal qualities matter most in this role?"

The advertisement usually tells you. If one of the qualities they ask for is a real strength of yours, build your answer around it. Skip the clichés ("I thrive under pressure", "I juggle many balls"); interviewers have heard them all. Prove the quality with a short example instead.

"What can you contribute here?"

Stick to facts: what you know, what you have done, what results you achieved, and what else in your background is useful for this job. Mention personal qualities too, since employers weigh them as heavily as skills.

"How do you handle stress?"

Distinguish between two kinds. One is a busy period where you still feel in control, which many people find energising as long as it is not permanent. The other is stress you cannot steer, such as waiting on others before you can proceed or facing unreasonable demands, which helps no one. Talk mainly about the first kind and how you plan, prioritise and keep quality up.

"Do you have any questions for us?"

This usually closes the interview and shapes the impression you leave. Always ask something, even if you have researched thoroughly, because silence can read as indifference. Prepare at least one specific question, and avoid asking about things already spelled out in the advertisement. Good options: what success looks like after a year, how the team works, what the next step in the process is.

"Is there anything you would like to add?"

Your last chance to raise anything important that has not come up. Check your notepad and mention it briefly.

Questions highly educated candidates often get

• "Can you explain what you do to someone outside your field?" Prepare a two-minute version without jargon, ending with why it matters to this employer.
• "Why leave academia?" or "Why join us after industry?" Frame the move as a choice towards something, not away from something.
• "Aren't you overqualified?" Show which parts of the role you want and how your depth helps the team.
• "What salary do you expect?" Have a researched range ready. Our salary and benefits guide explains how pay is set and where to find real figures.

• Admit to nerves. If you are nervous, say so. It comes across as honest, and it usually lowers the tension on both sides. Take a breath and pause before answering; a short silence is better than a rushed answer. Nerves fade with practice, and every interview you attend makes the next one easier.
• Speak to everyone. If there is a panel, treat every member as equally important. Look at the whole group when you answer, not only at the person who asked.
• Mind your body language. Listen actively, keep natural eye contact and remember to breathe.
• Check your notes before you leave. Glance at your notepad near the end. If you have not yet made a point you planned to make, or a question is still unanswered, raise it now. Ask what the next step is and when you can expect a decision.

Questions an employer should not base a decision on

Sweden's Discrimination Act applies to working life, including recruitment. An employer may not treat you worse because of sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation or age. If a question strays into these areas, you can politely steer the conversation back to your qualifications. The Equality Ombudsman (DO) explains the rules, and our guide to equality and discrimination covers what you can do if it happens.

Recruitment for teaching and research posts at Swedish universities is more formal and slower than in most companies. The details vary by university and faculty, but the published processes at Uppsala University and Lund University share the same steps:

1. Screening. A recruitment or appointments board removes applications that do not meet the stated requirements.
2. External expert review. Subject experts (sakkunniga), usually from other universities and at Uppsala at least two, assess the remaining applicants' qualifications. This step alone often takes several months. At Uppsala, applicants are told by email who the experts are.
3. Shortlist and selection. The board decides whether more selection methods are needed and invites shortlisted candidates to interviews, trial lectures, research seminars or presentations, tests or similar. External experts may take part. References are usually checked at this stage.
4. Recommendation and offer. The chosen candidate receives an offer and discusses salary and terms. At Uppsala's Faculty of Social Sciences, every applicant receives the expert statements and the committee minutes.
5. Decision. At Uppsala, the head of department decides on lecturer posts and the vice-chancellor on professors. At Lund, the formal decision follows once the offer is accepted and any residence permit is approved.

Uppsala's Faculty of Science and Technology says the process usually takes six to ten months from the closing date, depending on the type of post. At Lund, an applicant who was not chosen can appeal to the Higher Education Appeals Board, except for doctoral positions.

How to prepare for the academic formats

• Trial lecture. Ask in advance for the topic, the length and the intended audience. Stick to the time, show how you engage students, and leave room for questions. The panel is assessing your teaching, not your newest results.
• Research seminar. Present your research profile and where you want to take it: your key contributions, funding plans, collaborations and how you would fit the department.
• Interview. Expect questions on supervision, teaching philosophy, leadership, grant strategy and how you would contribute to the department's work. Have your teaching portfolio and publication list at hand.

Specialist and industry roles

Engineering, data, consulting and life-science employers often add a technical test, a take-home case, a pair-programming session or a case interview, and sometimes personality or aptitude tests. Ask the recruiter what to expect at each step, and how long a home assignment should take, before you start.

What you do after the interview makes the next one better.

• Debrief yourself the same day. Write down which questions you were asked, what you asked, and where you felt unsure. Decide how you would answer those next time.
• Pin down what worked. If something went especially well, work out why so you can repeat it.
• Chase politely if it goes quiet. If the agreed date passes without news, call or email the contact person and ask how the process is going. Delays are common, especially in academic recruitment, but it is better to know where you stand.
• Ask for feedback if you were not chosen. Ask what the employer was looking for and where you fell short. Even a brief answer gives you something to work on before the next interview.

If you are offered the job, read the terms carefully before you accept. Our salary and benefits guide covers negotiating an offer.

If an employer invites you to an interview somewhere other than where you live, Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish Public Employment Service) can in some cases reimburse your travel and accommodation. The support is called resebidrag (travel allowance).

Who can get it

The interview must be beyond normal daily commuting distance, which Arbetsförmedlingen defines as a journey of more than three hours there and back from your home. You can receive up to 3,600 SEK for travel and accommodation if:

• you applied before the trip
• you are 20 or older and unemployed, or at risk of becoming unemployed
• you are registered as a jobseeker with Arbetsförmedlingen.

Before approving, Arbetsförmedlingen also has to conclude that:

• the trip is justified from a labour market point of view
• the trip is necessary for you to be able to get the job
• you are unlikely to find suitable work within commuting distance
• the job was advertised on Platsbanken (Arbetsförmedlingen's job bank), a similar job site in the EU or EEA country concerned, or the EURES portal.

What it pays for

Only reasonable costs are covered. In practice that means the cheapest public transport, such as train or bus, and the cheapest accommodation. Your decision states which mode of transport is approved. A private car can be approved for special reasons, for example when there is no public transport, services are very sparse, or illness or a disability makes public transport difficult.

Before you contact them

• Get in touch well before the trip; you cannot apply afterwards.
• Keep the interview invitation and the advertisement ID from Platsbanken.

The rules and current amounts are on Arbetsförmedlingen's page on travel compensation for job interviews.

Step 1: apply in time

Apply at least three working days before departure for a trip within Sweden, and at least five working days before for a trip to another EU or EEA country. Have this ready:

• your customer number (kundnummer), found on My Pages (Mina sidor)
• the job ID from Platsbanken or the EURES portal
• how you plan to travel, for example train or bus
• accommodation details, if you need to stay overnight
• proof that you have been invited, such as the employer's invitation.

You can apply in three ways: at a Statens servicecenter (government service centre) office, by post to Arbetsförmedlingen, 107 67 Stockholm, or by phone on 0771-416 416. The phone line is voice-controlled; say "resebidrag" to reach the right team faster.

Step 2: the decision

Arbetsförmedlingen checks the conditions and decides. If you are approved, you agree together how the travel and any accommodation will be booked: either they book, or you book and claim the money back.

If Arbetsförmedlingen books for you, call 0771-416 416 after you receive the decision, Monday to Friday between 9 and 12, and say "boka resa".

If you book yourself, you claim afterwards through the "Ersättning för resa" (travel compensation) service on My Pages. You get an email when it opens for you. Then:

1. Log in to My Pages with e-identification such as BankID.
2. Select "Ersättning för resa", which appears once you have a positive decision.
3. Fill in the details as instructed.
4. Sign with your e-identification.

No e-identification? Call 0771-416 416 and they will help you claim another way. A paper form is also accepted.

Practical questions, answered

• The service is not showing on My Pages. It can take a few days after the decision, because the decision has to be approved before a payment request can be created. Wait for the email.
• Can I pick my own transport? The approved mode is in your decision. Train or bus is the default; a car needs a special reason, as described above.
• How do I claim for a car journey? Claim afterwards. No receipts are needed.
• What if I apply late? You must always apply before travelling. If you apply close to the date, there may not be time for a decision first. You can still be granted the allowance, but you may have to book and pay yourself and claim afterwards. Applying early lets Arbetsförmedlingen book all or part of the trip, including accommodation.
• Which receipts do I keep? Every receipt for public transport or accommodation you paid yourself. Attach them to your claim; they must show the purchase date, validity period and amount.
• When is the money paid? Usually within a few working days of your claim, longer if more information is needed.
• How is it paid? Swedbank handles payment. If a bank account is linked to your personal identity number, the money goes there whichever bank it is with, and Swedbank notifies you. Without an account, you get a payment card by post; contact Swedbank to switch future payments to an account. The payment date on My Pages is the day the money is sent, so allow a few more days.
• Why am I asked to pay money back? You may have to repay if you gave incorrect information or otherwise caused too much, or wrongly paid, compensation.
• I have been deregistered. Can I still claim on My Pages? No. Contact Arbetsförmedlingen directly and they will help.

A related allowance covers travel when you take part in one of Arbetsförmedlingen's programmes, or an assessment, in another place. It also covers people in vocational rehabilitation, people being assessed before a programme, and people visiting Arbetsförmedlingen to get a decision on the introduction programme (etableringsprogrammet). Applications must be in writing, and no decision can be made earlier than the date your application arrives.

What can be covered

How to apply

1. Contact Arbetsförmedlingen as soon as you have a decision on a programme or assessment that requires travel. Also get in touch if your provider adds an activity elsewhere to your plan, or if your programme is extended and you need a travel decision for the new period. Call 0771-416 416 and say "programresa".
2. Receive an application setting out the planned period, the places you travel between, your own contribution for daily travel and the approved transport.
3. Certify that the information is correct and send it back. That is your application.
4. Get a decision, and agree how travel and accommodation are booked.

Booking and claiming then work exactly as for interview travel: "Ersättning för resa" on My Pages, receipts kept, Swedbank payment, and phone bookings on weekdays between 9 and 12. The same practical rules apply here too:

• The claim service shows up late. "Ersättning för resa" appears on My Pages a few days after the decision, once it has been approved, and you get an email when it is ready.
• Payment timing. The money normally arrives a few working days after your claim, later if Arbetsförmedlingen needs more information. The date on My Pages is when it is sent, so allow a few extra days for it to reach your account or for the payment card to arrive.
• Repayment. If you gave wrong information or were otherwise paid too much, or paid when you should not have been, you may have to pay it back.
• After deregistration. Once you are deregistered from Arbetsförmedlingen you can no longer claim through My Pages; contact them and they will help you claim another way.

Points specific to programmes

• With an approved car, you are paid only for the days you actually travelled to and from the organiser. Claim in the month after, stating how many days; one day counts as the return journey.
• When claiming for public transport, use the month in which you travelled or started the journey, matching the month shown on My Pages. For a season ticket that crosses a month end, enter its full validity period.
• If you need a companion when travelling, they may be compensated for travel, daily expenses, accommodation and loss of earnings.

Details are on Arbetsförmedlingen's page on travel compensation during a programme.

If you are moving between European countries for work, in either direction, the EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme (TMS) Sweden may help with the costs. It is an EU-funded project, financed through the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand of the ESF+ programme, coordinated by Arbetsförmedlingen with partners in several countries. It follows fair-mobility standards and a no-profit principle, matches candidates with employers who struggle to fill vacancies, and runs until May 2027.

It serves jobseekers aged 18 or over and employers based in an EU country, Norway or Iceland. You can apply for contributions towards a job interview trip, relocation, moving your family, a language course and recognition of your qualifications. There is no legal right to the money: applications that do not meet the criteria are turned down. Each allowance has its own checklist of documents, and an incomplete application is delayed, so send everything on the list at once.

Start with a EURES Adviser

You must be in contact with a EURES Adviser before applying. They provide the scheme's mobility services:

• help with your job search
• matching with jobs and contact with employers
• preparation for interviews and for starting work abroad
• information on the labour market and living conditions in other countries
• information about TMS and its conditions.

Find one through the EURES portal's adviser search. During processing, TMS contacts both your adviser and the recruiting employer, and nothing is paid until both have replied in writing.

Basic conditions for jobseekers

• You are 18 or older.
• You are a citizen and resident of an EU country, Norway or Iceland, or hold EU long-term resident status in an EU country other than Denmark or Ireland. That status requires having lived in that country without interruption for five years, plus further conditions set by EU Directive 2003/109/EC.
• You are seeking work in a country other than the one you live in, and the job involves moving your residence there.
• You are in contact with a EURES Adviser and receive mobility services.
• You are not returning to your country of origin, or to a country where you have previously lived, worked or studied (return mobility is excluded).

Citizens of countries outside the EU and EEA without long-term resident status cannot use TMS; if that is you, see our work permit guide.

Which jobs qualify

• Employment of at least six months (three to six months for traineeships).
• At least 50 percent of full time.
• Advertised publicly and open to several applicants.
• Compliant with national labour and social-protection law, with fair pay and conditions, such as a collective agreement or minimum wage.
• A salary and a written contract stating the length of employment, working hours, rights and obligations, pay and social security.
• Work-based traineeships can qualify. They should follow the European Quality Framework for Traineeships and are handled by the partners Allianssi Youth Exchanges (Finland) or IFOA (Italy).

Which jobs do not qualify

• Posts with EU institutions and bodies, other international policy, economic, social and scientific organisations, supranational regulators and their agencies, and EEA networks, platforms or lobbies funded mainly by the EU. Researchers should note that a post at an international research organisation is excluded.
• Sales and telemarketing, businesses with high staff turnover, jobs that start with unpaid trial days, and commission-only jobs without a fixed salary.
• Posted work, where you are employed in one country but work in another.
• Training placements that are mandatory to enter a profession, for example in medicine, architecture, law or the aircraft industry.
• Freelance work and self-employment.
• Internships and apprenticeships.
• Babysitting, au pair and nanny jobs.

See Arbetsförmedlingen's TMS page for jobseekers and the European Commission's overview of TMS.

You can apply if an employer in another EU country, Norway or Iceland invites you to an interview. A trip inside your own country also counts if the recruitment is for a job abroad.

• What it covers: a contribution towards travel, accommodation and subsistence, scaled to the distance and length of the interview. The web page gives no fixed amount, and the allowance may be cut if your real costs are much lower.
• How many trips: one. A second trip to the same employer can be approved for shortlisted candidates if it is deemed necessary.
• Deadline: apply well ahead, at least one week before the interview. Retroactive applications are refused, and processing can take up to four weeks.
• No double funding: you cannot get TMS support if the employer or someone else already pays your travel, accommodation, meals or local transport.
• The basic conditions and job rules above apply.

What to send

1. The application form (PDF), complete, signed by hand or electronically, with the questionnaire filled in.
2. A copy of your passport or national ID card, front and back.
3. The employer's written invitation, showing date, time and place.
4. A bank document or internet-bank screenshot showing you hold the account, with your name, full IBAN and BIC/SWIFT.
5. Later, at most one week after the interview: your tickets or bookings. If you drive, keep receipts showing dates and places of purchase.

What the form asks

• Your EURES Adviser's name, email and country.
• Your details: surname as in your passport, first names, date of birth (Swedish citizens give their personal identity number), nationality, email and address.
• Whether you have had TMS support before, and if so which and when.
• The company's name and address, the contact person for the interview and their email, plus a tick confirming you have told them TMS will email them for verification.
• The interview date and time, and the position.

You also confirm that the information is correct, that you are not travelling to an interview in your country of origin or former country of residence, that nobody else is paying the costs, that TMS may check how the money is used and reclaim it, and that your data may be used by the European Commission or its contractor for monitoring.

The mandatory questionnaire has nine items: gender, age band, highest education level, current situation (for example unemployed or employed full time), work experience, work experience abroad, earlier EU mobility schemes such as Erasmus, the occupational group of the job (ISCO) and its sector (NACE).

The form also reminds you to check two things in your home country: how leaving affects any unemployment benefit, social security or other support you receive, and how the allowance is taxed.

Relocation (mobility) allowance

Once you have a job offer in another EU country, Norway or Iceland, you can apply for a flat 600 EUR a month for three months towards moving costs such as transport, travel insurance, accommodation and meals.

Conditions:

• Apply at least three weeks before you leave your country of residence and before the job starts. You cannot apply after you have moved.
• Your first contract with the named employer runs for at least six consecutive months, and you are expected to stay at least that long.
• The employer or anyone else does not pay your travel or accommodation. If they offer, you can decline their support and apply to TMS instead.
• Cross-border commuters are excluded, and you must move to the country where you will work.
• Return mobility is excluded.

If you never start, or leave within six months without a valid, lawful reason, you may have to repay the allowance; tell TMS straight away if this happens. If your complete application arrives on time, the allowance can be paid before you move.

Documents: the relocation application form with questionnaire and signature; ID copy; the employment contract, pre-contract or signed letter of intent stating start date, duration, hours, salary, place of work and duties; and proof of your IBAN. Travel documents can follow up to one week after you start. Processing takes up to four weeks. You confirm that you will inform TMS at once if the contract ends before six months.

The relocation form asks for:

• your EURES Adviser's name, email and country
• your name as in your passport, date of birth, nationality, email, and your address before the move
• any TMS support you have already applied for, and when
• the employer's name, registration number, address, and a contact person with email, plus a tick confirming you have told them TMS will email them
• your start date, length of employment, weekly working hours and job title

Family mobility allowance

If you have applied for the relocation allowance and your spouse and dependent children move with you, you can also apply for a flat 660 EUR a month for two months per family.

• Only you, the recruited candidate, can apply.
• Apply at least three weeks before your family leaves. You cannot apply once they have moved.
• The employer or anyone else must not be paying the family's travel or accommodation.
• You must prove residence for every family member both before the move and in the new country.

Documents: the family application form; ID for everyone moving, including you; proof of the family relationship such as a marriage, partnership or birth certificate; proof of the family's residence before the move; and your IBAN. Afterwards, send travel documents within a week of travelling and proof of the family's registration in the new country within a month.

The family form asks for your EURES Adviser's details, your own personal details and address, the date you applied for the relocation allowance, and the name of each spouse, partner or child moving with you.

On every TMS application form

All the jobseeker forms end the same way. You confirm that what you wrote is correct and that nobody else is paying the same costs, and you accept that TMS may check afterwards that the money went where it should and claim it back if the conditions were not met. You also fill in the nine-item questionnaire described under the interview allowance, and the form reminds you to check how leaving affects any benefits in your home country and how the payment is taxed there.

Language course

If you are recruited or preselected for a job in another EU country, Norway or Iceland and need to improve your language skills, TMS can contribute to a short course. If you are not yet recruited, you can still apply when your chances of work in a shortage sector are good, provided EURES or TMS staff help you find a job.

• Send the complete application, including the course offer, at least three weeks before the course starts. Processing can take up to four weeks, and you may not start the course until TMS has approved it.
• The course can take place before you move, after you arrive, or both, but should start within two months of starting work.
• It must be short and intensive (at most 16 weeks) and good value for money.
• Your employer or anyone else must not already be paying for a course.

TMS reimburses actual costs up to 2,200 EUR per person after you finish, against your course certificate, invoices and receipts. You can ask for 50 percent in advance, with the rest paid after completion; if you do not complete the course, the advance must be repaid. TMS must approve the course before it starts and may ask you to choose another provider if the cost is not reasonable. Lessons taken before written approval may not be reimbursed.

Documents: the language course application form, ID copy, and a detailed course offer stating description, start date, duration, level and total cost. The form asks for the language school's name and country, the language and level, the cost, the start date and the course length, plus either your new job (employer, contact person and email, contract length, start date, job title) or, if you are not yet recruited, the country and position you are aiming for and the email of the EURES or TMS staff member assisting you. If approved, you receive a payment request form for claiming after the course.

Recognition of qualifications

If your degree or professional qualification must be recognised for you to work legally in the new country, TMS can contribute a flat amount of at most 440 EUR. This applies when you are recruited or shortlisted, or, if not yet recruited, when recognition would substantially improve your chances in a shortage sector and EURES or TMS staff are helping you.

• Apply only after an official recognition process has started, meaning you have sent a request to the competent authority in the new country.
• Certified copies and translations are not reimbursed unless they are part of an official recognition process.
• Your employer or anyone else must not already be paying for the recognition.

Documents: the recognition application form, ID copy, the diploma or certificate being recognised, your recognition request, proof of payment and your IBAN. TMS processes it only once every document is in and both your EURES Adviser and the employer, or the TMS staff helping you, have replied.

The recognition form asks for:

• your EURES Adviser's name, email and country
• your personal details and address, and any earlier TMS support
• if you have a job or are shortlisted: the employer's name, contact person and email, the contract length, start date and job title
• if you are not yet recruited: the country where you are looking, the position, and the email of the EURES or TMS staff member helping you

In Sweden, foreign higher-education qualifications are assessed by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR), and licences for regulated health professions are issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare. Our validation of skills guide explains both routes.

Worth knowing if your future employer is a smaller company: TMS can also fund training for newly recruited workers. Employers first contact a EURES Adviser for recruitment services, such as publishing vacancies on the EURES portal, matching with candidates from the EU, Norway or Iceland, advice on hiring from abroad, and information about TMS.

Once a recruitment is under way with EURES, the employer can apply if it:

• is a small or medium-sized enterprise with fewer than 250 employees at the recruiting entity
• is legally registered in an EU country, Norway or Iceland
• offers newly hired workers a training programme to address skill shortages.

The recruited worker must meet the same basic conditions as jobseekers (18 or older, holding citizenship of and living in an EU country, Norway or Iceland, or an EU long-term resident outside Denmark and Ireland, moving country, no return mobility), and the job must meet the same eligibility rules.

What can be funded

• Reskilling or upskilling for the job.
• Soft-skills training to settle into the company.
• Tailored language courses.

Training can be in-house or external; external training needs a cost breakdown at normal market prices. Up to two existing employees who also need the training can join. Funding is at most 1,500 EUR per worker, with project caps on total funding and number of recruits per company. Employers that receive it commit to fair mobility and transparency and must not make a profit from it, and there is no legal entitlement to it. The funding may be taxable for the company, depending on the rules in its country, and TMS is not responsible for reporting it to the tax authorities.

Training may start on the first day of employment at the earliest and two months after at the latest, and must finish before the project ends in May 2027. Expect up to four weeks of processing. The training funding application form must arrive before training starts, with proof of company registration, a register showing the number of employees and the signed employment contracts; supporting documents can follow afterwards, as soon as possible. TMS may also ask for the job advertisement, the participants' ID and the new worker's travel documents. The employer confirms it will tell TMS if a new hire's contract ends within six months; without a valid, lawful reason, repayment can be demanded. Approved employers receive a payment request form once the training has begun.

The training form asks for:

• the EURES Adviser's name, email and country
• the company's name, registration number, address, contact person and email, and whether it has applied for TMS training funding before (with the date and number of recruits)
• a short description of the training, whether it is internal or external, and its start and end dates
• the new worker's name, date of birth, nationality, email, job title, start date, planned length of employment and weekly hours
• name, date of birth, nationality, job title and start date for up to two existing staff joining the training
• the company's sector (NACE)

Details are on Arbetsförmedlingen's TMS page for employers.

TMS Sweden is run by a consortium. Send your application to the partner in the country where you live, or in the partner country you are moving to from elsewhere in the EU. In every other case, or if you are unsure, send it to Arbetsförmedlingen.

The partners that take applications are the public employment services of Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, together with Allianssi Youth Exchanges (Finland) and IFOA (Italy). Their contact addresses change from time to time, so take the current one for your country from Arbetsförmedlingen's TMS partners and contact page.

The consortium also includes Nordic Academy (Greece), MediCarrera (Spain), the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Istituto Culturale Nordico (Italy), Rogaland County (Norway), Luleå Municipality, Region Norrbotten and the North Calotte Education Foundation (Sweden).

Useful links

• The EURES job portal lists vacancies from all EU countries, Norway and Iceland. Uploading your CV there lets registered employers find you.
• EURES Sweden posts updates on Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Arbetsförmedlingen's English page Find your new job in Sweden is a starting point for moving here.
• Your Europe's assistance services answer questions about living and working in another EU country.

You can also browse open positions from employers and universities across Sweden on Hejobb.