From Job Search to Success: the Journey of János, Our Candidate’s Partner

János and his partner form a young couple who moved to Viborg in 2023 with the help of Medicolink. János works in the marketing and economics field, while his partner is a dentist with a specialization in orthodontics.

Read along and find out details about his journey from the moment they decided to relocate, through the job search, all the way to veteran cars.

When did you start considering relocating, and what were your main motives to do so?

That is a really easy question, both of us remember the exact date when we made up our minds to leave Hungary behind: it was April 3, 2022 – the day of our last general elections. Our motives were clearly political, we deeply do not agree with the directions of the Hungarian government. We think that the path our country chose would only cause more stress and a less stable and promising future for us.

How did your friends and family react to your decision to move?

Whenever someone asked, why we had decided to move from Hungary, I usually answered that it is easier to say what got us here so long. And that is only family and friends. That was tough for both of us. We decided to share this news with our closest relatives and friends as quickly as possible. They almost had a year to digest, discuss, ask, and find peace with that. Of course, there were tears, and some took it a lot harder than others, but in the end, everyone accepted our decision. There was one sentence I heard a lot of times: I am really sad and sorry that you go, but quite honestly, I totally understand it.

Why did you choose Denmark specifically?

Right after the elections, we thought – OK, this is going to be real now. But where to go? Quite honestly Denmark was not among the first few countries we listed. Austria – because it is not too far; or something in the Mediterranean – like Spain or Italy, where the weather is nice, and the beach is just in hand-reach.

So, we started to look after these countries, what are the possibilities to set up a new life in these regions, how is the job market regulated, and since my other half is a dental specialist: what does a dentist need to get started? And we realized that the countries we checked first were not too ideal – either they required a hefty fee to start, or they required extra 3-4 years of study, or they expected native language skills – or all these three combined. Plus, the job markets are not in the best shape in the south – finding a job could have been a challenge there.

And then a few days later, we had dinner with one of our friends, who became the utmost fan of Norway in the past one year. So, she naturally added – why don’t you look into Scandinavia. And we got interested in the idea… Scandinavian countries are famous for their welfare state models, we actually like a lot of things that are coming from the North (crime stories, fashion, gastronomy). So, we started to google – and since the weather was somewhat a concern, we started with the southernmost Scandinavian country: Denmark.

And why did you decide to work with Medicolink?

Part of the reason we actually started with Denmark was Medicolink. We found out that there is a healthcare recruitment company, that is located in Budapest, and does exactly what we needed: recruited doctors, and certainly dentists to Denmark. Their description on their homepage answered most of our initial questions, so we decided to reach out to Medicolink, and see what happens. And it worked really well – they got back to us in max 2 working days if I remember well, and the rest is history with them.

Medicolink offers a course not only to medical professionals, but partners as well. You can take part in our flexible Partner Language Program, depending on your availability, you can choose from a variety of options, ranging from a few lessons with a native speaker to an intensive course where you can learn the basis of Danish language.

You both took part in our language course. How did you find the language learning process?

By early May, we knew Denmark will be our target country, and our collaboration with Medicolink also got on a higher speed. In June, we visited Viborg, where we got a really tempting offer from a clinic, so we could hardly wait to start the language course, which is a prerequisite for the work contract. It finally started in October, and we took 2 different tracks. There was an intensive course with 6 hours lessons 5 days a week, and I could participate in the so-called partner program, where I had 1.5 hours class twice a week.

We both speak English and German, however, on the other hand, it has been a time for both of us to learn a new language. So, it seemed like an impossible thing to learn Danish in just a few months. But it went surprisingly well. Especially at the beginning, we had a jet kick-start from knowing zero in Danish – to running a very basic conversation. Quite often, we did homework together, read our sentences to each other, counted in Danish for days, and tested the other on new words from the lessons. So, it became part of our lives, and both started to pick it up. The cultural references helped a lot I think, and I really enjoyed that Medicolink put a lot of effort into highlighting curiosities of Danish life – like Christmas habits, food, places to visit in Denmark, gossip around the royal family and so on. And the fact that we both could have a chat with native Danish speakers, helped incredibly.

Did the language course give you a solid base that you can build on?

Now that we have started in Denmark for 3 months, I can tell that obviously we are not the local Shakespeares. But the fact, that we could speak Danish during our immigration process, and we understood the questions they ask when you open a bank account for example, proves that the language course did give us a solid foundation. The intensive course got even more than that. Patient consultations, examinations went in Danish, and there were no dedicated translators – and it worked.

Medicolink’s Partner Integration Program helps you get on the road of finding the perfect job in Denmark, and connect you with the Danish job centers and newcomer consultants, who aim to assist your journey in Denmark.

Can you tell us a bit about your profession?

I am an economist by background with a major in both marketing and international economics (macroeconomics). I worked as marketing director at an international software company when we decided to move.

How was the job search for you? You were very proactive and already started the searching process before the start of your cooperation with our integration team. How and where were you searching? How were the interviews?

We wanted everything to be settled first around the dentist position. It simply has more regulations, more accreditations and requirements. When the Danish party accepted all the necessary papers, and the required language level was pretty well in sight – I thought that I will take job hunting more seriously.

I knew that the prime focus of Medicolink was on recruiting healthcare workers – so, I knew that finding a job for me is 1) not really their core business and 2) they do not have experience in that field. And this is why I have decided to do it on my own. I got some nice tips from the Danish lecturer of Medicolink, where to start the job hunt. There were 2 sites mentioned: LinkedIn – of course, and Jobindex.dk. I decided to start with Jobindex, I created a profile there. I also did a little research about how CVs look like in Denmark, and re-created my CV, and tried to find out the salary range that could be possible for me.

And there I was, during the Christmas holiday I ran through all the job adverts on Jobindex, and I have found another great page, called The Hub (thehub.io) which focused more on exciting positions at tech start-ups and remote work. I took my CV and applied for a lot of jobs. I was actually pleasantly surprised how many job ads came up after filtering to the Midtjylland region and selecting the English as work language.

Obviously, I got a few negative answers, but right after the Christmas holidays I got a call from a large company that they would be interested in starting an interview with me. Quite important: HR in Denmark loves to call you. So, anything that starts with +45 – you should answer during your job search.

I got my first online interview around the 10th of January, and it was followed by 3 other rounds, and I got hired within a month. Quite honestly, I found the interview very tough – they had nearly impossible deadlines to meet (especially since I had my original job going at that time). I knew that this was part of the test, but that was quite a busy time for me. I think that by the time Danish companies decide that they need someone for a position, they need that right now. So, if they find your profile interesting, they will push you through the process as quickly as possible.

What do you think about the new work environment? How was the onboarding process?

Currently I work as a project manager for a nice, Danish tech company that is located about one hour drive from our home. We focused so much on the job at the clinic, and this just happened so fast that I did not have time to imagine what my new workplace will be like. But the company is a great success – I really enjoy working there. We are provided with quite generous incentives (daily lunch, masseur, dentist, gym etc.), the work-life balance is amazing (at 4PM the HR might come and question you, why are you still in the office…), so that I can get home earlier than back in Hungary – even though I need to drive an hour. The onboarding process was really nice, my colleagues were helpful and open. The digital learning platform has a lot to do with smooth onboarding too. I still have 2 weeks to go with my probation period, but I feel both me and the company did good business here.

How is the Danish work ethic? How do you find the Danish working conditions?

When it comes to work in Denmark, especially in an office environment, there are some differences compared to Hungary. First of all, hierarchy is not that rigid, I give high fives to our HR leader whenever I meet him in the corridor. They start early, expect your first meeting to start at 8AM – but they are happy to take it even earlier. Lunch breaks are slim, and they often think of it as optional. If your schedule allows, you can have a quick bite – but nobody bats an eye if there is no lunch break. Lunch is not considered the main eating event during the day, dinner is. And this explains why they love smørrebrød – a classic sandwich, for lunch.

So, their concept is that when you are at work, you should 100% concentrate on your tasks. But this also means that the working day finishes quite on time. I took pictures of the corporate parking lot to represent this. At 8AM you are already late, there are probably no free parking slots available. At 2.30PM it looks like the condensed places started to loosen up a bit. At 3PM, clearly more than half of the cars are gone, and by 3.30PM probably you are the only one left in the office. Generally, I think Danes are cool at work, they are creative, entrepreneurial and very well trained. They require your absolute attention to work when in the office, but respect free time above everything.

Did your coworkers welcome you as a foreigner? Did you get to know fellow expats at work?

The working language is English, but most of my colleagues are from Denmark. Everyone welcomed me into the team, they were extremely helpful – they offered their help if I had any issues with understanding something. I never felt any disadvantage in being from another country, indeed the leadership of my team hired new, close team members to fit my international background. I have some expats working in the team – they are from the US, India, Spain or Austria. Most of them speak really good Danish, so I have a nice push to learn the language really well – even though I can easily do my daily job with English.

Could you give any tips regarding the job search to fellow partners?

I think one of the most important things is to understand that Medicolink is focusing on your partner. They help you as much as they can, but their resources aren’t endless. I truly appreciated the Danish language course, and all the help I got – but you will need to be proactive, don’t wait for Medicolink to solve your life as well. It is simply not their core activity. So, my suggestion would be to get a great starting point from Medicolink – they would be happy to help you with that and find your own dream job. You will be much more efficient, plus you know best what job you would like to get.

János and his partner arrived in Viborg on 1st March 2023, and with the help of Medicolink, they successfully relocated within a year after deciding to leave their home country.

What were your first impressions of Denmark during the recruitment process’ personal visit, and how is it now after living there?

We visited Denmark twice before relocation. First, we were here in early July, and then in February, when things were almost ready for us to move. We had really good impressions about the country for both visits. I think the biggest hit for us were the Danes themselves. They were extremely kind, the future colleagues and co-workers were really friendly and helpful.

And this has not changed ever since we moved here.

How are you and your partner settling in the new environment?

We feel quite lucky. We have a really great flat, with roof-top terraces; Viborg, our new hometown is really pretty and even though much smaller than Budapest, we have all the services here we got used to back in Hungary. The environment is beautiful, we go for a long walk or a hike almost every day. Now, building on such experiences I think it is quite easy to lean into our new homeland. We learnt most of the things about how they work, how to do our daily chores, and both of us are really satisfied with where we are now.

Have you experienced any cultural shocks so far?

We are coming from another European country, so I would say that we did not get a really deep cultural shock. However, one thing hit our eyes. Trust here is the cornerstone of society. We have read this in our class, but it is very different to experience it. When we purchased our car, we had to apply for some credit. The car dealer handed over a loaner car for almost a month for free, until we got all the papers done. Or when we walked into a telco shop to get Danish mobile numbers and internet to our flat, they offered the shop’s own router when they learned we will badly need internet the following workday. That left us speechless, and for a while we wondered where the trap was. Will they now make me pay a lot for this in the end? But that never happened. They just trusted us – and that felt like the hell of another world.

What’s your favorite part of living in Denmark? Did you pick up any new hobbies?

There were 2 sentences that we got from Danes, almost in every case they learnt that we just moved to Denmark: 1) Ah, the weather will be horrible. – Well, we started to get suspicious that this is a big fat lie. True, it will never reach a boiling 40 degrees during summer, but I think that is not the definition of good weather. Ever since we arrived the sun has been shining, during the entire springtime we had much nicer or pretty much the same weather than Hungary. The famous Danish rain started to pour down almost every Monday and cleared up by Thursday. That’s just excellent!

2) Denmark is really boring; nothing ever happens here. – From our point of view, this is just amazing. We wanted a stable, calm life – not even knowing who is at the steering wheel of the country. And they are right – there is hardly any domestic news that is not about gardening, sports events, or the visits of the queen.

What are the most interesting differences for you between Denmark and Hungary?

While on a larger cultural scale, we share a lot – Denmark has a ton of smaller differences that come up during daily life. Here are some that I liked:

Interest: Danish people usually are much less concerned about politics, and they often focus on their local art, geography, history. Many of them do not long for a fancy life, so they humbly are less interested in whatever is out of their daily routines.
Veteran cars: We never heard of this, but owning an old timer is a very serious national hobby. On a different level than owning a Lada in Hungary.
Weird logic: If a Dane has to regulate something, they tend to end up with a ruleset that has nothing to do with other similar systems in the world. This can be tracked in their school notes, parking system, defining the paid holiday, paying tax or getting a refund.
Counting in weeks: So, what are you doing on week number 31? And that is quite a usual question, you have to translate it to month and day, but Danes insist on weeks.
Shopping: You will find pretty much everything, or at least something that can supplement goods that you got used to in Hungary. Certainly, there are notably larger herring, seafood, and dairy products (especially milk – they have like 20 different kinds of milk) in supermarkets. The pharmacies will leave you without most of the usual over-the-counter selection (painkillers, antibiotics, wound cleaners etc.).
Chokoladepålæg: A thin chocolate bar that you can put on your bread. More popular than Nutella.
Summer = Koldskål: When the temperature hits the dizzying 18 degrees, supermarkets simultaneously make the move, and get a buttermilk creature, called koldskål on their most prominent shelves. And it is a national debate about what you eat it with. You can easily start a fight between two Danish natives about this matter.

If you could only give one piece of advice to the others who would like to follow in your footsteps, what would it be?

Moving to another country sounds easier than it actually is. First of all, you need to be very sure that this is what you want, and your motives are strong enough. Then be open-minded to another country, other culture, other society. You don’t have to give up your nationality and melt into them, but you have to understand them and cope with some of their weird habits. So keep up your curiosity, be open because this country has quite a lot to offer.

If the story of János and his partner inspired you, check out our integration services and our open positions, and contact us at info@medicolink.com!

From Job Search to Success: the Journey of János, Our Candidate’s Partner

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