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Overall my experience in Helsinki has been hugely positive. I’ve been here now over a decade and have settled with work and family life. Work life balance is g

• deleted 6y ago
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• trevyn 6y ago
  >I’ve been here now over a decade What is your level of Finnish now, and how did that progress over the time you've been there? Is English your first and only other language?
  • deanclatworthy 6y ago
    I cannot use it to communicate and I speak English & French (not for some years though). I can get by in restaurants and supermarkets but I stopped studying a year or two after moving here as I realised very quickly that I was spending my day's at work and my free time studying. If I had not done this, I would have definitely moved back home as I wouldn't have had time to appreciate the things I enjoy in life here. The government here doesn't do enough unless you're unemployed to get you to learn the language. The courses at university are hard to get into and in demand and there's not intensive courses shaped around the realistic work/life schedule of technology professionals. I don't know a single person who has learnt the language here to the point where they can use it professionally, who hasn't either a) studied intensively or b) been forced to learn it as part of being a student or c) had no choice (ended up outside of Helsinki in a place where English-language skills aren't as high).
    • vulcan01 6y ago
      > The courses at university are hard to get into and in demand and there's not intensive courses shaped around the realistic work/life schedule of technology professionals. Sounds like a market ripe for disruption :) "Finnish for Tech Professionals"
      • deanclatworthy 6y ago
        I'd love to see it, but there's only a small pool of people who can teach the language and they're probably already doing it.
        • trevyn 6y ago
          Looks like there are a few teachers on Preply (no affiliation): https://preply.com/en/skype/finnish-tutors https://preply.com/en/skype/finnish-tutors
• cactus2093 6y ago
  Sounds like you’re in tech, what range of salary have you seen for software engineers? I know London, Paris, a lot of expensive European cities pay a small fraction of what the Bay Area does so a lot of engineers would have to compromise quite a bit on disposable income and lifestyle.
  • deanclatworthy 6y ago
    I can only speak for those in the web tech industry, but salaries go from 4-6k euros. Take-home pay would be in the region of 2.5-4.5k most likely. I've seen a lot of whining about the high taxes here, but honestly this is not a European way of thinking. You are safe here. You have a safety net if things don't go right in your work or health. Taxes are also super simple. You tell the tax office your predicted income, you get a percentage and give it to your employer. You don't have any other dealings with them unless you need to adjust it due to change in income, or you have some expenses to lower your tax percentage before the end of the tax year. It's highly efficient and works well.
    • Dig1t 6y ago
      2.5k - 4.5k sucks :/
      • howlgarnish 6y ago
        Yes, but if you're starting a family, essentially free child care and schooling up to and including university is pretty nice. Hell, if you're accepted for full-time studies at University, the government pays you to keep studying (opintoraha).
        • theshrike79 6y ago
          This is the correct answer. If you're a single software engineer, don't come to Helsinki. Go to SV or somewhere where they pay you mid six figures to work your ass off 16 hours a day. But if you're either too old to find that exciting or have children, Finland is a great place to live. Just the subsidised child care itself will make it worth it. No "college funds" either.
• rebuilder 6y ago
  As far as language goes, my advice for learning a new one would be the exact opposite of what you say. Force yourself to use the language all the time, everywhere. Otherwise people will just default to English with you, and you'll have a hard time learning the local language. It'll be very stressful for a few months, but, in my experience, will get you conversing in about half a year.
  • deanclatworthy 6y ago
    As someone who has lived in this environment for this long, it doesn't work that way. This is not a language that shares any traits with English. It is hard to get going, and the vocabulary takes a considerable amount of time. You can't switch to Finnish at work, as you simply would not be able to get by, and you can't do it at home as it changes the dynamics of your relationship. This is not an excuse, it's reality.
    • cbmuser 6y ago
      I don’t buy that. Japanese is completely different, too, but I learned most of it while in Japan where I was forced to speak it. Finish kids don’t need ten years to learn the language either, do they?
      • deleted 6y ago
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      • szatkus 6y ago
        If anything Finnish is much easier than Japanese for Europeans.
        • Kiro 6y ago
          Only if you're from Estonia or Hungary. Finnish is so different from all the other European languages that it's like starting from zero. The letter system aside I've found Japanese much easier to learn and I'm half-Finnish (Swedish being my native language).
• legohead 6y ago
  Can you pay for private dentists, or similar, if you need more immediate service? And is the wait similar for major things like cancer, brain tutor, or heart surgery?
  • juskrey 6y ago
    You can, but what is the point of high taxes then?
    • tuukkah 6y ago
      The private health care is basically for skipping the line and most employers provide it for you so that you miss no time from work.
      • juskrey 6y ago
        My point is that you are also paying taxes for that free healthcare while attending private.
        • tuukkah 6y ago
          My point is that you don't need the private health care, which also means they are not in a position to rob you if you choose to be their customer. Even if you don't use the public health care it's there for everyone as a safety net in case something is not covered by your employer or insurance, you are between jobs etc.
    • exDM69 6y ago
      Examples: If you get in a car accident, have a stroke, drug overdose or get cancer, you get almost free world class treatment in the public hospital urgently. If you hurt your knee while playing tennis but it doesn't prevent you from working and living a normal life (but you can't play tennis with it), you go on the low priority surgery waiting list for public health care or get it faster from private sector via insurance or paying out of pocket. Does this make sense?
  • 6y ago
• dmix 6y ago
  What time do the stores close in Helsinki? I heard in Sweden from a friend who lived there briefly that everything was dark and closed early like 6-7pm. The opposite of a place like NYC or even here in downtown Toronto where it's normal to find plenty to do until midnight. They said it was some sort of strict cultural thing. Everyone wakes up early and you got to get used to that early schedule. And I've been a life long night-hawk. Not talking just about bars either. I have multiple 24/7 convince stores and gas stations near by. And Uber Eats shows quite a few options at 1am on week nights.
  • deanclatworthy 6y ago
    Is this really a quality of life thing? Are you going to make your decisions about where your live because you have to run your errands before a certain time? That said, there's no issue in Helsinki. Big shops and malls are open until 8-10, some smaller shops might close around 18 but they have to go home to feed their families. The 24/7 lifestyle might be convenient, but I've never thought I might need it.
    • dmix 6y ago
      As I mentioned I've been a night hawk for life and tried many times to switch to waking up early and failed. So yes it would be infinitely boring for someone like me to live in a city like that, it's a deal-breaker.
      • theshrike79 6y ago
        Well it's night half the year so you'll enjoy it :D
  • fogihujy 6y ago
    Specialty stores usually close around 6-7 PM, larger ones at 8 PM. Grocery stores are usually open to between 8-10 PM. If you move here you want to be up early. At least if you like seeing the sun once every 6 months.
  • ollifi 6y ago
• nextlevelwizard 6y ago
  As extra for the language. Even in tech you should just accept that you NEED to start learning Finnish. You don't have to be proficient speaker, but for normal office chat you need to be good enough to interrupt and step in with English if you want to participate. I've seen many foreigners quit because they felt like they were intentionally left out of casual conversations, but you really have to understand that speaking in a 2nd or 3rd language for just casual stuff takes a lot of mental effort and if you are already working in a field that requires that effort lowering everyone's productivity to keep you in some nonsense about lawn mowers doesn't make sense.
  • deanclatworthy 6y ago
    I agree here. I feel in the places I've worked though, people have generally been welcoming and I have been able to get enough out of the "casual" side to enjoy it :)
  • waihtis 6y ago
    Problem is that it's a super difficult language where you can't draw any help from any other languages you might now. Plus it's obscure and if you move out of Finland you'll likely never use it again. I can see why people don't want to invest huge amounts of time learning it unless they plan to stay for the rest of their lives.
    • sriku 6y ago
      I live in South India and I find Finnish easy to my ears (I speak Tamil) due to the double consonants and double vowels that Tamil shares. In fact a Finnish friend of my dad's learnt Tamil via remote from one of our poets .. to get proficient enough to translate some ancient poetry into Finnish! Ref: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eero_H%C3%A4meenniemi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eero_H%C3%A4meenniemi
      • yencabulator 6y ago
        As a Finn, sometimes when I see a Tamil name I have to do a double take because at first I'll try to read it as a Finnish name. The written forms of the the languages seem to have eerie similarities, though I fully expect them to superficial coincidences.
• csomar 6y ago
  > public healthcare is great until you have something difficult to work with or non acute. Enjoy the months longs waiting times to see a dentist. Months long waiting times for a dentist? I'm not sure if that qualify their public healthcare as great. In a months time your dental issue might actually become acute.
  • Maxion 6y ago
    If you have acute dental issues then you'll get a time virtually instantly.
    • csomar 6y ago
      There is no such thing as a non-acute dental issue. A filling can wait for a couple weeks max before possibly becoming a real acute issue. You are only aware of the cavity until it starts to hurt, which means already late. A good rule of thumb is to have a CT scan every year for early detection. I have been doing it for the last 5 years and boy it did save me from lots of pain. Lots of cavities are hiding unseen and with no pain.
      • raverbashing 6y ago
        "CT scan for cavities" speaking of over-diagnosis... (Not forgetting the risk of CT scan radiation) Brush your teeth, visit your dentist. Yes some might do an x-ray for hard to see areas. But this is not rocket science
        • djhn 6y ago
          CTs indeed sound a little overkill. Aren't cavities entirely avoidable? As long as you can afford a healthy diet and have water/toothpaste you won't develop any?
      • seszett 6y ago
        You're supposed to go to the dentist one or twice a year even without any problems. Actually, in some places you have to pay a premium for your insurance/social security if you don't visit the dentist at least twice a year. These control visits qualify as non-acute, and they greatly reduce the amount of acute dental issues you might have.
• zkid18 6y ago
  That reflects my experience of Finland as well. Although, in my 20th I found Helsinki a bit boring, but I'm sure it will attract lots of people. Agree with you on language, indeed I can't get the logic of ppl, complaining about the necessity of learning the language of the country you're moved to.
• alibarber 6y ago
  I’ve been here a lot less than that. My family circumstances and work brought me here at the start of the year from the UK which given everything that has been going on turned out to be perfect timing! Some thoughts: - Work in tech, the company is as international as any back in London, just with a higher margin of Finnish people. Total compensation (take home / benefits / holiday) is pretty much comparable to places I worked in London. I’m not a web developer. - Not had to use healthcare luckily apart from paying for a COVID test so I could shorten the isolation period on my last trip back. It would cost you more to be ill here - prescription prices for one are higher than in the UK. It feels like a public insurance system and not a National Health Service. NHS has waiting times and I’m sure they do here. Private sector is more established. - If I earned a couple of 10s of thousand euros either way (higher or lower) then UK taxes would definitely be cheaper but tbh as a portion of my salary it seems about the same. The high taxes manifest themselves as the ‘built in’ price for pretty much everything. Bell peppers (paprikas) are something like 3 times the price as the UK. Neither country grows them at any meaningful scale (crappy example I know) - The country is effectively an island on the edge of Europe (Finland, not the UK). It has a small population so there isn’t really an economy of scale - this also makes things more expensive. - Language is a pain. I went to a class to study the basics, and make an effort to pick things up. I can order coffee and beer in Finnish but a lot of the time they switch back to English. I can get the gist of a lot of conversations. Most of my friendship group are friends of my wife or other foreigners. Tbh most of my good friends in London weren’t British so that’s the same. - Immigration isn’t really on the same scale as London. Yeah as a proportion it’s probably higher but it is a small number of people. - Education is free in both (student loans in the U.K. are just a tax under a different name. It’s not a loan. I was also paid to do my PhD back there) But here you could choose to study a(nother) masters degree at any point in your life for basically free which would be very expensive in the UK. - I’m writing all this from my perspective as someone who had a job lined up before arriving. If you are thinking of starting a new life here and you’re not highly employable but have bought in to the American hype about it being a land where the state will provide everything for you then you’ll get a rude awakening. Even as a (not any more) EU citizen I had to provide proof of income to fully register here which ironically the UK never required from EU citizens. - I had to drive 20km to find a good curry last weekend.
• david-gpu 6y ago
  Moving to a new country and complaining that not all jobs and services are provided to you in your own foreign language comes across as entitled. Of course you need to learn the language of the nation that hosts you. You are an immigrant.
  • alibarber 6y ago
    Not sure people are complaining as such. And these comments are on a piece from a country's government that is literally offering to pay people to move there. It's more of a word of warning, Finnish is a difficult language for a native English speaker to learn compared to, say, French, or even Swedish. Something like Spanish is spoken by a massive number of people in multiple nations - Finnish only in one small one. I try and get by with Finnish when I can, but at the end of the day I still have a rather taxing (hah) job to do full time and I came here by choice so I want to enjoy it.
    • vinay427 6y ago
      > compared to, say, French, or even Swedish. I'm not sure the "even" is actually appropriate here. Both Swedish and French (along with probably every other Western European Indo-European language) are among the easiest for English speakers to learn. Swedish also has a disproportionate amount of resources online due in part to immigration patterns, as I understand it.
  • deleted 6y ago
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  • emj 6y ago
    European countries are currently required to translate information about all government services to english because of the european "Single Digital Gateway". Well it's a goal; first mile stone comes in this december.
• jusssi 6y ago
  Public healthcare in general is good, once you get past the first level to the actual specialists. Public dental care sucks. For regular checkups and maintenance, go for a private clinic. Yearly checkups, cleaning, occasional minor patching cost me around 200-300 € (edit: if you shop around you can likely find cheaper; I didn't), and I've been much more happier with the whole process. Never got that "we haven't opened our next year's calendar yet, try calling us again in 3 months" from them I got used to at the public side. For something more expensive, go to a private clinic for diagnosis and get a referral to a specialist at the public side (never had to, but I hear it works).
  • eliseumds 6y ago
    Isn't it the case in most countries? As a Brazilian, it's shocking to see the lack of dental care in virtually any other country (I've been to many and lived in a few). In Australia they were charging me 7k AUD for wisdom teeth extraction, and they wanted to take me to a hospital to do general anaesthesia... nuts! In Germany the cleaning procedures were super basic and the doctors were not very careful. Beyond being very expensive, the dentists are scared of doing certain procedures. I wonder if it's due to liability, improper education, or something else. Unfortunately many countries still don't treat dentistry as a vital part of your healthcare.
• kubav 6y ago
  I have been in Helski half the year as erasmus student. I really liked it there except how long is dark in autumn and winter. I feel depressed every autumn 1000 km south from there so autumn in Helsinki was really rough experience for me.
• LockAndLol 6y ago
  How is the need to learn the language even a negative? People complain all the time about people coming to their country and not speaking the language after decades, but then gladly move to a foreign country with no intention of ever learning the language. Very hypocritical. You move to a country, you learn the language. If you don't, that's your fault and you have have to deal with it.
  • alibarber 6y ago
    Yes, but: In the case of Finland, it is made clear by advertising from semi/official sources (like this website), if not explicitly but very heavily implied, that you can move here and get by fine with English. This is pretty much true, many people do. You can get your paperwork sorted, buy a car, a bank account, deal with the government and have a social life all in English. I have done. But, all of the comments I'm seeing here are saying that while this is true, if you want to take the step forward into learning Finnish, it _is_ harder than other languages and that the resources around doing so as an adult are not as developed as in other languages. The fact that you don't strictly need to and that a lot of people have excellent English here anyway makes it harder, therefore active and sustained effort is needed on your part, you are not going to 'just pick it up'. If I had lived in France for as long as I have in Finland (not even a full year), then there is no question that my French would be at a much higher level than my Finnish is now.
    • LockAndLol 6y ago
      > In the case of Finland, it is made clear by advertising from semi/official sources (like this website), if not explicitly but very heavily implied, that you can move here and get by fine with English. Imo, that's just an excuse. I live in a country that has fantastic English speakers, don't even plan on staying here longer than 3 years and still took the time to learn the language (probably B2-B1 after 2 years). Sure, it's understandable that not everybody wants to do that, but it should be obvious to any foreigner that you lock yourself out of a multitude of jobs by not learning the language. The only reason I'm saying this is because the top comment listed learning the native language as a negative, which imo it really isn't. > If I had lived in France for as long as I have in Finland (not even a full year), then there is no question that my French would be at a much higher level than my Finnish is now. That may be true for you, but definitely not for others. There are foreigners living in France that can barely count in the language. I've seen and heard that first hand. Some extreme example have been in the country a decade. It really depends on where you move to, where you work, who you surround yourself with, and how motivated you are.
• tekkk 6y ago
  That are some really good points. I would also add, that while you lose on the money you could earn as a developer compared to eg SV (or Zurich), you get in turn a comfortable life without being forced into believing that money equals happiness. You won't live in poverty of course, but it's telling that many Finnish companies consider their cheap engineers to be one of their main advantages. However, if you enjoy family life I would say Finland and Helsinki area are really great places to raise your children. If you enjoy getting rich as an elite programmer, maybe SV would be a better match. I think part of it is cultural too, and if you are a sort of honest type who enjoys actually working socialism I think you'll find the way of life easier to adapt. Learning Finnish as an adult is difficult (especially if your SO is not a Finn) but certainly in Helsinki area there are a lot of companies that have only-English speaking employees. Really good tech-workers will always find a job if they can just bother applying hard enough. IT-consultancies here seem to attract most of the tech-talent.
• kolla 6y ago
  As a Swede working with Finns constantly I find it hard to believe you can get by without knowing the language as most of the Finns I work with have pretty bad English, I work in IT consulting.
  • Leherenn 6y ago
    You don't need much to live in a place. I don't know about Finland specifically, but based on my experience when I didn't know the local language yet and that of friends. "Hello, thank you, goodbye, yes, no, sorry, I don't speak Finnish, English?" is probably ok for everyday life, if you don't care about not fitting in. And even that might not be necessary, most of the time you know what might be asked. E.g. if your getting groceries then pretty much every answer is going to be no from you. Just a head sign and a smile will work fine. Or just go to the self-checkout. For administrative stuff, Google Trad (or similar) is often good enough. Especially nowadays where most things are online. For critical stuff (hospital, ...), they'll find someone that speaks English. Funnily enough, it's the stuff like getting an haircut, going to the garage and other non-critical but non-automated/common tasks which are the most difficult. You start to dread those situations because you cannot make by with just smiles and yes/no.
• johnisgood 6y ago
  > - public healthcare is great until you have something difficult to work with or non acute. Enjoy the months longs waiting times to see a dentist. Months? What? Why? We have universal health care but the dentist is just days away... if you have pain, usually 1-2 day, or immediate extraction. I live in Eastern Europe.
  • perttir 6y ago
    Yeah, if the problem is not acute, usually it's months and months of waiting, now even longer because of the covid.
    • johnisgood 6y ago
      That is messed up. I am planning to go to a dentist to have all my teeth fixed, I expect it to be done this month. Well, one tooth per week at worst.
• intricatedetail 6y ago
  When I was in Finland I remember walking at night around the city and talking with homeless Finns and I was amazed that all of them spoke impeccable English and gave me a lot of tips.
• exdsq 6y ago
  Can't you pick up Swedish? It's a lot easier than Finnish and seems to get you by in Finalnd. My partner of > 6 years is a Swedish speaking Finn so I go out there quite a lot and haven't yet had to learn anything more than Kiitos!
• ptero 6y ago
  How do people respond to imperfect Finnish? In the US I (as a non-native speaker) was very pleasantly surprised that accents do not matter and mistakes that do not kill the meaning are universally tolerated. People would still gladly chat with you over beer, etc. But that is not the case in some other countries: optional conversations suffer a lot if you, say miss a few conjugations. Where do Finns stand on this?
  • finn_american 6y ago
    They immediately reply in English and have little tolerance for someone speaking their language with even a vague accent. Have seen it many times.
    • ptero 6y ago
      Interesting. Is this professional conversations or in stores / restaurants / on the streets? I thought English is not spoken by many folks over there, at least outside the IT/tech scene.
      • stevekemp 6y ago
        If you pick an average person under 40 they will have near-perfect English. Partly due to media, partly due to the internet. English seems common in the groups of immigrants you come across too. I know people who've moved from France, etc, and there are lots of immigrants from various countries - many of whom speak their own language, and English as the second. Some go on to learn Finnish to a greater or lesser extent. I've ordered food in restaurants, cider/whisky in pubs, etc, and had the server just reply back in English. Me: "saisinko omena cidre?" Them: "Do you want ice?" On the one hand it is helpful at times, but on the other hand it is deeply frustrating. 90% of the staff at the local newsagents has pulled me aside on a quiet morning and asked "Do you prefer English or Finnish?" I say "Finnish", but to be honest the conversations I have with the shop-staff are mostly them reading the total, and asking "would you like a receipt/bag/anything else?" so it doesn't help me in any real sense, but it's nice they offer/ask.
• WilTimSon 6y ago
  > the main problem is finding time to learn it Some friends of mine who moved for work to different European countries told me their companies would just provide language courses if the number of 'imported' workers were high enough. Is that not a thing in Finland? Seems like it'd be prudent for them, after spending money to get you to come over, to also give you a reason to stay with some anchoring language learning.
• sampo 6y ago
  > Enjoy the months longs waiting times to see a dentist. Unless you're in a financial hardship, you could pay about 100€-200€ for a private dentist in Helsinki.
• eldaisfish 6y ago
  You've forgotten one major aspect of life so far north - the near absolute lack of sunlight in the winter which is about 5 months of the year. My first year in Finland, i got SAD - seasonal affective disorder - and it was horrible. No amount of money or learning Finnish can address that. Oh and there's yet another downside to an ethnically homogenous society like Finland - you'll never be more than a tolerated person if you are a visible minority. Someone who's visibly different will never be a fully equal member of society. Personally, this is why i much prefer life in the US or Canada despite all their downsides.
  • lytefm 6y ago
    SAD is definitely a thing. Certain Lamps and Vitamins do help, though - so does a walk during lunchtime. I'll always prefer fewer sun hours during Winter over regular > 25°c (77°F) during summer. I'm surprised about the second point though. Outside Helsinki, sure - but in HKI I've met enough non-white people who grew up there, speak Finnish and didn't feel like that at all. I felt like the language is more important for being considered a „proper Finn”.
    • eldaisfish 6y ago
      Non-white immigration to Finland is relatively recent and has only been in small numbers so i think what you're referring to is just an anecdote. The immigration of Somali groups in particular has led to quite a lot of friction as detailed in this report https://suomenkuvalehti.fi/jutut/kotimaa/sk-tutki-suomalaiset-ovat-entista-rasistisempia-ja-kriittisempia-maahanmuutoon-jopa-ruotsalaisia-karsastetaan-aiempaa-enemman https://suomenkuvalehti.fi/jutut/kotimaa/sk-tutki-suomalaise... See this page also - https://multiculturalmeanderings.com/tag/nordic-countries/ https://multiculturalmeanderings.com/tag/nordic-countries/ In particular, >The 2020 OECD report about Finland criticizes that their education is unevenly distributed. In an interview with the HPR, Michaela Moua, a senior officer at the Office of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman in Finland, recognizes racially motivated guidance in schools, especially in the Finnish as Second Language studies: “Black and Brown students are often advised to take these classes even if Finnish is their first language.” >She adds that “this shows how it is still widely thought that one cannot be a person of color and Finnish at the same time.” At the heart of the problem is that Finnish identity overlaps significantly with Finnish ethnicity. So yes, i think your anecdotes are the exception, not the norm.
• enriquto 6y ago
  > you can get by speaking English but your kid and partner might not Living 10 years in a country and not learning the language is not only stupid. It is borderline creepy. I guess many locals end up seeing you as somebody who has an active dis-interest in their culture. No wonder you have trouble making friends!
• olegp 6y ago
  Hi Dean, hope all is well! I don't think it's all that bad here. Most employers offer private healthcare and even if you buy the insurance yourself its inexpensive. I also disagree that difficult cases aren't dealt with properly on the public side, in my experience it's been the opposite: simple cases are ignored, but serious ones are taken care of properly. There's plenty of English language daycares and plenty of non IT jobs for non-Finnish speakers in both smaller companies and medium sized ones as well. IT consultancies are a different story. Winter is no worse than in mainland Europe or Britain and if you go a bit inland, you see a lot more snow. If you use a big bank like Nordea then you get great English service, at least in my experience, same goes for other services. I grew up in Finland and wanted desperately to get away when I finished high school, but having lived in the UK, Germany and Russia and spent some time in the US, my views have changed. An aside, if anyone reading this is interested in relocating here as a developer, we at Toughbyte can help. Here's a blog post we wrote on the topic: https://www.toughbyte.com/blog/relocating-to-finland-as-a-developer-22 https://www.toughbyte.com/blog/relocating-to-finland-as-a-de... Finally all our open positions in Helsinki can be found here: https://www.toughbyte.com/positions?location=Helsinki%2C+Finland https://www.toughbyte.com/positions?location=Helsinki%2C+Fin...
• pc86 6y ago
  I'm an American and with all its faults (and there are many) I do think Americans overestimate how long it takes to get routine stuff done elsewhere, or non-acute things that pop up and need addressed. It's really nice being able to call a doctor's office on a Tuesday afternoon and get an appointment for Wednesday morning. I will say though that my dentist is very busy, and unless you're on a waitlist for cancellations they are basically booked solid 6 months out with all the routine cleanings and checkups. If you're lucky you might be able to get in for non-emergent stuff within a month but most likely you're going to wait 2-3 months to get a call of "we can see you in 45 minutes if you can make it in, I need an answer now because there are 6 other people to call on the waitlist."
  • noobermin 6y ago
    > I'm an American and with all its faults (and there are many) I do think Americans overestimate how long it takes to get routine stuff done elsewhere, or non-acute things that pop up and need addressed. It's really nice being able to call a doctor's office on a Tuesday afternoon and get an appointment for Wednesday morning. Which country is this? This certainly isn't the America I live in.
  • vaidhy 6y ago
    I moved to Seattle from India 3 years ago and medical care does not exist in US. Most doctors are not taking in new patients and general consultations are months out. You go to urgent or emergency care because that is the only place that would see you and this is with a reasonable good insurance. If I really have a serious injury or a life threatening emergency, I am confident I will get good care. But I would also be dreading the bill and whether I went to the right hospital in my network etc.
• antb123 6y ago
  Spent a couple years in Vaasa. Swedish is so much easier for English speakers! Picked it up mostly just from watching tv.
• noobermin 6y ago
  I can't imagine moving to another country where the main language is not English and expecting to survive.