Fagpressenytt

As most of the Norwegian universities are public institutions, they aim to strike a balance between serving the interests of the public and maintaining an efficient workforce. As the language of instruction is determined accordingly, this has a significant impact on us, PhD candidates and postdocs. Given that the greatest level of internationalization is observed for PhD and postdocs positions, this effect is particularly noteworthy. Norway attracts talented young researchers to pursue PhD degrees and postdoc positions. These positions are primarily advertised as English positions, often neglecting to mention the challenges one may face in participating in the university's not-research related activities due to their proficiency in Norwegian or a Scandinavian language. We believe that requiring proficiency in Norwegian as a prerequisite for university management arenas dissuades young researchers from choosing Norway as their home.

Norwegian courses are generally offered by universities, and temporary employees are encouraged to take them. While this is a great opportunity, it comes with a few challenges. Learning a new language requires time, effort, and dedication. In general, we think that the current c