Same job, new location

Staffan Roslund recently moved to VEO’s office in Oslo after signing a two-year expat contract. He relocated from his senior design engineer position in Vaasa, Finland.

Staffan, how did you end up in Oslo?

As my mother tongue is Swedish, I have been working with several Swedish and Norwegian projects since joining VEO in 2013. At the beginning of 2018, I was given the opportunity to relocate to Norway for two years – and the more I thought about it, the more I realised it was an offer I couldn’t turn down.

Has it been difficult to settle in?

No, not at all. As I had worked with Norwegian projects before, the colleagues at the Oslo office were not completely new to me. They were of great help when I looked for an apartment and everything went very smoothly. There are only six of us at the office, so it’s a close-knit team. They have made me feel at home and we often do things together during the evenings and weekends, like going jogging and playing squash, for example. The range of cultural events is very broad – you never need to have a dull moment, if you don’t feel like it.

The Norwegian people are very friendly, and I love the nature here. A lot of things are quite close to what it’s like back home – and as I also have some Finnish friends here, I don’t feel that homesick.

“Working in another country through your own organisation is a fantastic opportunity.”

What kind of projects are you working on now?

I have continued as a senior design engineer for Norwegian projects and, when time allows, I also support the sales team. At the moment, I’m working on a 66 kV substation project, where the switchgear and control equipment need replacing. Another project we have in the pipeline is based on VEO’s modular substation solution, so the scope varies. Every project requires several site visits, so I also get to see quite a lot of the country.

Would you recommend the expat life to others?

Definitely! Working in another country through your own organisation is a fantastic opportunity. You don’t have to start from scratch – the job is already there, and the local colleagues help you with anything you need. So, if anyone is thinking about going – just do it!

Staffan Roslund

Name: Staffan Roslund
Title: Sales and project support expert, VEO AS
Age: 29
Education: Bachelor of Applied Science, Automation, from Novia University of Applied Sciences in Vaasa, Finland