Move to Kobenhaven

[Daysleeper]

Hi everyone, The wife and I are looking to move to Copenhagen next summer. She has a load of family there and speaks fluent danish. I on the other hand can order beer and hotdogs and thats about it, still at least I wont die of thirst :p
Anyhow looking for any advice from locals or expats about the move and the paperwork at the Danish end.

Thanks

Daysleeper

[bluesafrica]

Daysleeper,
Your UK JAR licence is as good as in UK. To get a job maybe a different story.
Blues:ok:

[Miserlou]

Denmark is EU so it is quite easy. Send me a mail and I'll answer any questions you may have.
Perhaps a beer or two next year?

[Daysleeper]

I'm not going to be jobhunting, can keep my current job and commute :ok: which makes things easier. Miserlou I'll mail you later.
I'm really more looking at the social/domestic side of life in DK. Still if anyone knows of a friendly flying club to do some social flying at that would be usefull.

[Miserlou]

The Danes don't have the same atmosphere as the UK as regards airfields. They tend to turn up, fly, go home. Though they do have some 'clubs' my experience has been that they are the bar type. That is just my impression.

Flying is, however, cheaper than in the UK and the more relaxed. Roskilde has two ILS, on rwy11 and 21 and the landing fee is about £6. A Cessna 172 can be hired for about £65 per tacho hour wet. A Cardinal can be had for less than £100 an hour. If you prefer aerobatics and tailwheels there is a Bellanca Super Decathlon for around £110 per hour.

There are quite a few english styled pubs in CPH though they differ a little in clientele. One or two I would avoid as they are full of oiks. There is an english shop so you can get your Branston Pickle, OXO, Creme Eggs and so on though the supermarkets are getting much better in this regard.

The Danes are very welcoming to Brits and they do like to practice their english. One must be quite stubborn to learn the language.

That's just a taster. I'll be hearing from you.

[Flopster]

Hey Daysleeper,

Belive you and I are working for the same company. I'm presently based in BRU, but am a Dane and lived in the Copenhagen area for the first 30ish years of my life. Guess you're married to a Dane then? If you're presently in the UK, I think you'll find DK much more relaxed and liberal. One thing is certain; the food is infinitly better, but then again who can't outcook an Englishman? ;)

For the geography:
It's generally clean and rather well kept. Visit the western part of DK (Jylland / Jutland) and the middle island (Fyn / Fuenen) which is absolutely beautiful. No matter where you are in DK, you'll never be more than 50km from the sea. There's more than 5000km of coastline, and around 500 islands. Inhabited by around 5 million people. Take up boating; the country is at it's best when viewed from the sea. Major cities, besides CPH, are Aarhus and Aalborg in Jylland, and Odense on Fyn. Aarhus, the second city, is a university city and full of life. The "Jomfru Ane Gade", a street full of bars, in Aalborg is also worth a visit. By car to Aarhus is around 3 hours, add 1.5 and you'll be in Aalborg. But I'd venture the proposition that you should take the train. It's both faster and cheaper. Scandinavia (DK/SE/NO) all rank on the top 5 of richest countries in the world. In other words, it's a very, very rich place. Ecology is very high on the agenda; around 20-25% of all electrical power is generated by windmills (I'm sure you've seen the windmill farm just off Copenhagen harbour). You'll be pleased to learn that a fair amount of your taxes (more on that later) will be spent on environmental protection.

Industry:
Denmark has very little in the way of heavy industry. A shipyard in Svendborg is about it I guess. Plenty of companies relying on brain rather than muscles, so to speak. Biggest company is A.P. Moeller / Maersk, which I'm sure you've heard of. Mr. Moeller is also the richest person in Scandinavia, by the way, and is in the final stages of completing an opera house in Copenhagen harbour; a 1.2 billion DKK gift. The service industry is growing rapidly, as is biochem. I won't mention Danish bacon or Lurpak. Bang & Olufson, LEGO and Carlsberg are also fairly well known brands. Danish design is world renowned; the furniture is second-to-none but also very expensive if you go for the originals. An Arne Jacobsen armchair ,"the Egg", in leather will set you back around 4700EUR. Danish arcitecture is also world class; the Sydney Opera house and the Ministry of Foreing Affairs in Riyadh are just 2 examples. Closer to the UK, the "Churchill" wing at Oxford University is also of Danish design. It would be, as it's paid for by a certain Mr. Moeller. The "Black Diamond" supplement to the Royal Library, the Unibank HQ and many other new buildings around the Copenhagen harbour bears witness to the abilities of Danish designers. But as said earlier, it comes at a price. While a Bang & Olufson sound system might not provide better sound than, say, a Sony, it'll still cost double or triple the price. You pay for design and operability.

Colonies:
Betcha didn't know we're a colonial power, eh? But both Greenland and the Faroes are Danish, with limited local rule. Once upon a time we also ruled a certain island to the west, but not too far. Gave that up roughly 1000 years ago, but that's another story.

History:
A soverign Kingdom for more than 1000 years, so as rich in history as England. Present monarch is Queen Margrethe II. Margrethe I presided over the Kalmar treaty in 1400ish, so you'll see that we've got a long history of equal rights. King Frederik 9, an exceedingly randy ******, managed to place his offspring with royal familes all over Europe, including England and Russia, back in the 19th century. Our Royal Family, like yours, have traces leading back to ze Germans and so in that way we're also a bit related. Denmark is a NATO, EU and UN member. We fly F-16s, Herky birds, S61s (to be replaced by EH101s) and are taking part in the operations both in Afghanistan and Iraq. Presently got 6 or so -16s in 'Ghanistan and around 500 troops in the Basrah region.

As Miserlou said, there are plenty of pseudo-English/Irish bars in CPH, but the only one worth mentioning really is the Dubliner on Stroeget. The others are crap, though they do all serve Guiness and other liquids that'll remind you of home.

The best part of the year is, of course, summer. If you've done Nyhavn on a balmy summers night you'll know what I talk about. I appreciate that you'r married, but suppose not blind? Just a hint that Nyhavn in the summer is babe parade on a grand scale :ok:

It'll be difficult to say something general that applies to all Danes, as they are as different as the inhabitants of any country. However, generally you'll probably find them keeping a certain distance at first. That's just natural Scandi cool; we like to check you out before letting you in. Don't be taken back, and don't push it too hard; sooner rather than later you've made friends. Once you get "under the skin" of us, you'll find that we"ll go to great lengths to find any excuse for a party, and Danes do party hard.

You'll find none of the rather stupid laws that shuts down the bars right when it gets interesting. One place in Nyhavn actually only closes from 0900 to 1000 for cleaning, but if you just raise your feet when the sweep the floor they'll let you stay. Most bars are open to 2, 4 or 6 in the morning, when "morning bars" take over and so far and so forth. In other words, you can go bar hopping 24/7 if that's your fancy.

There are also plenty of downsides. It's quite expensive, albeit not much more than the UK these days. CPH certainly cheaper than London. There's this general small town mentality to the whole place, while at the same time pounding the cheast at any given oppertunity marvelling at how fantastic we are at this or that. I know, I'm a victim of that disease myself. Then there's the taxes bit. I'm not up to speed on taxlaw, but if memory serves me right you'll be paying taxes in your place of residence rather than your place of work. Tax rates are, hold on now, upwards of 50%. Cars are also taxed very, very heavily - to the magnitude of 180%. BUT first you'll have to pay 25% VAT (there's a 25% VAT on everything) so in reality you'll pay 205% in taxes on a vehicle. Give you an example; The Mini Cooper I bought in Belgium was EUR 19.200. A similarly fitted car in Denmark would be .... 47.000! And no, you're not allowed to bring a non-DK registred car with you without checking it in and pay the taxes, please.

The tax policy of Denmark, and indeed all of Scandinavia, is that the broadest shoulders bears the biggest loads. While living on the dole will not buy you houses, cars and vacations in Thailand it's not too bad either. Health care is free of charge, and the standards are rather high. Much better than the NHS, which I once had the displeasure of paying a visit during a business trip to the UK. Schools are free. Universities are free. Dentist is free for kids attending school. Infrastructure is world-class; Danes bitch that "only" 90ish % of trains run on time.
There's the loooong, dark, winter. But that's partly offset by the, admittedly too short, summer where the sun rarely sets. Midsummer, the sun is up at 0400 and sets, sort of, at 2300. You'll also notice that there must be a dungeon where the babes are stored for the winter, 'cause at the first hint of spring they're suddenly everywhere :p

I made a career based decision when moving to Belgium. I would hesitate not for a single moment to go back given the right job and career prospects. Well, I would actually hesitate, as it would entail me parting with the Cooper, and that is not a thought worth contemplating.

It is a very, very "free" country. There may be laws against this or that minor offence, for instance smoking wacky backy, but as long as you're not seriously disturbing anybody, the police will not book you. It's also the 4th or so richest country in the world, which is pretty good going for a 45.000 sqm place with no natural resources.

Politics are, of course, utter rubbish. Politicians are the same the world over, but you'll find that at least corruption is non-existant. The parliament is hosting, I belive, around 9 parties. A Conservative/Liberal coalition is presently ruling the rooster, with parlementarian backing by a very nationalistic, bordering on racist, party called "Danish People's Party" who's policy is either slightly to the right of Djengis Khan (when it comes to immigrants of non-EU origin) to slightly left of Trotsky (when it comes to health care and such things).

The language is a total bitch, I'm afraid. Luckily for you you'd be hard pressed to find any Dane below the age of 60 who doesn't speak English. You'll also be pleased to learn that we sub-title movies and TV, rather than dubbing like the French, Italians and Germans. Everyone has cable. Nearly everyone has a PC and internet. And everyone from the age of 7 has a mobile phone. IT penetration is among the highest in the world, like Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Finally, Crown Prince Frederik is set to marry an antipodean sheila sometime in May next year. At the moment, nothing is more important to your average Dane. Unlike the UK Royal Family, we actually like and admire ours to a very, very large degree. Danes are a rather nationalistic bunch.

PS
We just beat England in footy :ok:
We don't really do rugby or cricket :ok:
We drink cold beer :ok:
Carlsberg and Tuborg are not all they're made up to be :sad:

That was one heck of a long post, hope it has provided some insight.

[cabbott1]

Daysleeper and Flopster.

I enjoyed reading your comments about Denmark. I thought I would contribute to this thread as PPRUNE helped me when I was moving to Denmark way back.

My story is a little different. I worked in aviation in Scotland for many years and out of the blue I decided “What the hell” lets move to Denmark. I knew someone in the know and he helped me sort out a transfer between stations. I have many memories of sitting on the plane departing Scotland for my first flight to Denmark. The thought “What have I done” came to mind. I had a bed to stay, didn’t know anything really about the place I was going. Some say it took big balls but then again some say total stupidity but it worked for me. I’m happy, got a great Danish girlfriend which I first met 2 days after arriving.

My first thoughts of Denmark were that it was a pretty country with colourful buildings, flowing beers and endless hotdogs put together with funny sounding people. My interpretations never changed and I learned to love Denmark even more.

It’s been 2 years since I moved here, I still work in Kastrup and I enjoy the job immensely. I work 3-4 times a week and get paid very well for it. The Danes really do take pride in there work and they have a strong union backup which is something we sadly lack back in the UK.

The Danes allow us Brits to work so long as we have a residence permit and a working permit. It’s very easy to obtain and should only take a week or two to sort out. A general letter gets sent to you after to check on what you’re doing. Setting a bank account is easy but BE WARNED finding rental accommodation in Copenhagen is a nightmare. You have to search hard to know someone in order to get a good place. I moved 3 times so far and then last month I said “What the hell” and bought a house on Amager.

As to being British in a Danish environment. Well you can fly Easyjet back to STN or BRS or even NCL for less than £50 return when you get homesick. I find that the Brits are accepted in Denmark. There are many British theme bars and many food stores which sell British food but they come at a price.

You have a great advantage Daysleeper as your wife speaks Danish and you can feel like you’re not completely lost in another country. As to ordering things in Danish?. The one thing I notice is that Danes love to practise there English on you. I don’t speak fluently but I do make an effort to ask for something in Danish and even though it’s correct I get replied in English.

I’m not sure how many British folks are on here that live in Denmark. Maybe we could arrange something for a night. Make new friends and have a laugh.

Don’t hesitate my friend, Denmark is one of the best country’s in the world, I don’t look back, Britain is only 1hour 30min away and £50 quid of your cash. I have to say the No1 thing I miss is “Fish and Chips” What about the others?

[Daysleeper]

wow , thanks guys didn't expect quite the responses. At least nobody has said AAARRGGHH GIANT HAIRY VIKINGS.:p
Flopster
Did you used to be in CGN? or is the yellow world overrun by Danes.
Cabbott
Glad the moves working out for you. Intersting bout the problems of renting, we are hoping to rent initially. Got the wives family sending us the property pages from the papers. The prices are not disimilar from the middle of the UK, where we are at the moment.
MIserlou
I had a look on Roskilda's website, those prices are great compared to the UK.

Thanks Everyone.

Daysleeper.:D

[Flopster]

Nope, only been to CGN on short business related trips. We (as in Danes working for the yellow brigade) are doing our very best to establish mafia's whereever possible, and take over the world so to speak ;) Latest hotspot is the sandpit, with one guy already in place and another 4-8 in a holding pattern kind of thing. I belive there's around 10 of us here in BRU, a few in CGN and there's even one in PSA (something to do with him falling in love with Italian footy). The MD of Eastern Europe and Germany is a Dane. The GM in CDG is a Dane. And so far and so forth ... About the only place I haven't met a Dane is in Blighty, go figure ....

Next time you breeze by BRU, if you're not based here, drop me a PM and we can meet for a beer at Blarney's and talk Denmark.

[PW2040]

Hi Flopster.

I worked for DHL in CPH approx. 7 years , so I must know u from back home.........................


Greetings,
Jacob