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local tax evaluation office (Likningskontor). This number will be required by many
administrative offices, such as when opening a bank account or formulating a
course contract.
Practical life
Norwegian society is transparent and well organized. The Norwegians have a highly
developed welfare state, where to a large extent education and health services are
free of charge. Norway is a rich country by many standards. At the same time,
Norwegians are modest, enjoy a simple lifestyle with family and friends. They are
very attached to the notions of justice, democracy and equality. Leisure activities
which keep them in contact with nature are appreciated, as well as those to do
with opening up to the world and travel.
Cost of living: very high. According to the University of Oslo, a student's average
budget should be around 1200€ per month to cover basic expenses.
Examples of prices are shown on the site: www.uio.no/english /Student life.
Accommodation: the cost of housing has increased significantly in recent years
in the major cities (Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger). More affordable housing can be
found on the outskirts of cities and towns and in the countryside.
Consult the 'life and housing' pages of the University sites of the universities to
find posts.
Offers on the sites: www.finn.no, www.hybel.no
Tips on finding a course and useful sites
‘Work in Norway’ is an official online guide to finding a job or a course in Norway:
www.nav.no/workinnorway/en/Home. The ‘Writing a Good CV’ page presents the
rules of the CV in Norway.
Examples on these sites: cvnerden.no, uio.no et unginfo.no.

A few avenues to explore
o Courses in agriculture and tourism: www.workandvolunteer.com
o The Franco-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce Employment Service:
www.ccfn.no
o Connecting companies <-> trainees:
www.ccfn.no/sinformer/stage-vie-emploi
o www.iagora.com/work/fr/stages-et-emplois/norvege: course offers
o The Norwegian Universities’ websites.
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Courses in Holland
Holland is a modern state which has always experienced a low
unemployment rate, and where English frequently replaces Dutch as the language
of work. The good sense and pragmatism of the Dutch is the guarantee of their
efficiency. Among the most highly developed activity sectors are bancassurance
and finance, tourism and agriculture; and in industry, agri-food, chemistry, high
tech and energy. Multimedia developers and professionals are also in demand.
Name and legal framework
Internship, traineeship take several forms:
÷ Meeloopstage: initiation course lasting a few weeks
÷ Werkervaringsstage: a more in-depth professional course
÷ Werkopdrachten : a professional mission for a company or institution
÷ Afstudeerstage: the last element in the curriculum, this is a pre-integration
course which very often includes the writing of a thesis.
Training courses are common practice in Holland, starting at the time of secondary
education. They often form part of the course of studies and therefore depend on
the level of education achieved and the speciality followed. There are opportunities
for training courses both in vocational education and in higher education, because
learning in this way has been widely encouraged for the past 25 years in Holland.
It is automatic in the third year in the university curricula of Applied Sciences,
spread over a relatively long period (nine months on average) and is often used to
support the writing of the thesis at the end of the studies.
The working week is limited to 45 hours, with a maximum of nine hours per day,
but many Dutch work part-time, for four days for example.
Volunteering is also practised and allows unpaid activities to be undertaken. As a
volunteer, the legal status is a little unclear: the rules depend on the agreements
with the organization to whom the voluntary work is given.
Remuneration: courses may be paid but this is not automatic, as their content
differs according to their nature (mandatory, pre-employment, research,
application, etc). They give rise to the establishment of a written agreement.
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