Posts tagged with "SFI"

Swedish university education is one of the top ranked educations in the world. The reason is for that is a lot of research and that people are not afraid of using new technologies and methods. Swedish education is often based on the one-step-ahead idea. The Swedish governments have invested a lot into adequate educations. There has been a tendency since the early 90s that universities started looking for sectors that might develop or should/could be succesfully developed. You plan ahead and it is for long-term. The education should be competitive on an international scale. Swedish institutions have been flexible changing their profile, research areas and developing them during the years.

In Sweden education is free of charge. From this year it is also a free choice whether you want to pay for your student union a semester fee or not. I have to highlight the importance of these fees, whether it is up to you or not. I think it is essential to be in a safe position if anything unfair happens to you at the university. Let´s say you have problem with a teacher or with the institution. The student union can always provide you any kind of help (inculding legal) and back you up. Besides, you receive a student discount card and a bunch of benefits. It is like belonging to a union at work. The union always keen on your interests towards the employer. A membership can lead to equality in dialogue. There have been discussions about introducing an entrance fee for students coming outside of the EU, but to be honest I really don´t know if any decision has been made about it.

If you live in Sweden you can go to KOMVUX to learn Swedish as a second language aka. Svenska 2 that gives you secondary school competence. Before KOMVUX you have also a possibility (when you arrive to Sweden) to learn Swedish at SFI (Svenska för invandrare/Swedish for immigrants). It is free of charge and gives you primary school competence. There has been lot of criticism towards SFI-system, but I have to say it really depends on your teacher and your engagement how much you will learn. You´ll be given the tools. Besides, it is for free! How many countries do you know where language education is free of charge? Not many.

Swedish universities have a wide range of Master programs given in English, but if you want to study in Swedish you have to of course speak the language. You have two choices to be eligible for studies in Swedish. One option is a test so called TISUS (Test in Swedish for universities). An additional fee has to be paid for taking an exam. I have heard that you can write the tests also once or twice a year at the Swedish Embassy in your home country. It is a hard and very advanced test just like a Proficiency Test in English. Both universities and Folkuniversitetet provide preparation courses for these exams. It is strongly recommended if you ask me. You can apply for a preparation course that is free of charge at the universities or buy a place through a so called Tisus course-package at Folkuniversity in case you don´t get into the university. To be able to study at a Swedish university you have to have TOEFL or Cambridge certificate or anything similar that can be transferred by the local university or by VHS that is the Board for Higher Education Service. They can also transfer all your credits from your native country, but even the local universities provide that service. If you are a new student take contact with a so called student counselor studievägledare. They usually know everything about the bureaucracy.

You can also take an international Swedish language examination that is called SWEDEX if you need proof of your Swedish knowledge in a foreign country because of work or other reasons. The Swedex won´t give you any qualifications for higher education in Sweden. The exams are from level A2-B1, which is the European Framework of Reference for Langauges and it is valid all across the EU.

You guys have surely been wondering  what the differences are between these three words. It is nothing strange with them, since everyone can find similar words in their own languages. But sometimes it can happen that you would use a different verb in cases when tänka, tycka, tro are used in Swedish. It can be tricky. Sometimes the translation of these words can crossmatch with each other. And you get confused. But do not be afraid to ask the person you are talking to if they really have a strong opinion on something or just assume something.  

I would like to exemplify these words with some sentences:

1. Tänka=to think (where Swedish means imagine) or physically thinking (when in English you think about something) or to intend.

*Please note that tänka can be combined with different prepositions like ( tänka om, tänka på, tänka ut, tänka över etc.) that changes the meaning of the expression.

a,  Tänk om vi kunde flyga!/ Imagine if we could fly!

b, Jag kan inte tänka. Jag är för utmattad./I can´t think. I am too exhausted.

c, Jag tänker ta ett bad nu./I am going to take a bath now.

*Please note the translation. In these cases tänker works like a modal auxiliary/verb.

or

 Jag tänker åka till Stockholm./I intend

*Please note that Swedish means I have a plan to do something in the near future.

2. Tycka=to have an opinion about something (where English sometimes can use think).

 a, Jag tycker att han är snäll./(where Swedish means in my opinion/I have an opinion about him or in my understanding he is…) I think he is nice.

or

Jag tycker vi ska gå ut./I think we should go out. (opinion)

or

Jag tycker du har rätt./I think you are right. (opinion)

b, Jag tyckte du sa att du inte kunde komma på fredag./I thought you said, that you couldn´t come on friday. (out of my perspective I was certain about something)

* Please note that in constructions like these Swedish talks about missunderstandings, but the verb trodde can also be used.

Jag trodde du sa att du inte kunde komma på fredag./I thought you said, that you couldn´t come on friday. (I assumed but I wasn´t certain)

c, tycka om= to like

Jag tycker om dig./I like you

*Please note that tycka om is considered as a verb of its own.

3. Tro= to believe or think

a,  Jag tror på Gud/I beleive in God.

* Please note that when the verb is together with a preposition gives another meaning.

b,  Anna:Kommer han på festen ikväll? (Anna: Is he coming to the party tonight?)

     Per: Jag vet inte, men jag tror det/I don´t know but I think so.

c, Jag har aldrig varit i Grekland, men jag tror att det är fint där/I have never been to Greece, but I think (where Swedish means I assume or suppose) it is nice there. (innan du har sett den-before you have seen it)

So, how’s your summer coming along? Having fun? I know that quite a few of you are contemplating a post-summer move to Sweden and have many questions regarding this process. I’ve already started covering some of the most basic issues, most recently – how to read apartment ads, and a while back there was a post about getting personnummer.

But the question that keeps coming back time and time again is “Once in Sweden how do I sign up for Swedish classes?”

Well, that depends on in which kommun you are going to live. Why? Different kommuner have different ways of managing their SFI programs. What’s SFI, I hear you ask? Svenska För Invandrare – Swedish for immigrants program.

So, how does it work and where do I sign up, I hear you ask?

OK, let’s take it one by one.

It works like this – All legal immigrants who have personnummer and are registered (folkbokföring) in their kommun are eligible for free Swedish classes in that kommun.

Now, because SFI works differently in different kommuner, you have to get all the details regarding those classes directly from your city office.

In some towns, SFI is a separate school and has its own teachers. In some cities the SFI program is run by Folkuniversitetet (and here you have to be careful not to get confused, because in many cities FU offers its own Swedish language classes for which you have to pay, quite much, actually), and in some places SFI is handled by Komvux (adult education school). So yeah, I can’t really tell you how it is where you’re going to live.

The quality of Swedish language instruction you will get at SFI also varies greatly from kommun to kommun. It might be excellent in one place and beyond dismal somewhere else. There are many foreigners who praise SFI and just as many who have nothing good to say about the system. So it all depends. And as in most schools, it depends on two main factors: funding and teachers. And of those two, I’d say that funding is the most important one. You can have the best teachers in the world, but they can only do so much without any money.

At some SFI schools you might be asked to buy your own books, and at others you will get a daily xeroxed handout. At some SFI schools you will have a library and a computer lab, and at others – zip, zilch, nada.

But in general, what can you expect when signing up for SFI? First, someone should check your current Swedish ability and based on that assign you to the appropriate class. Second, you’ll get put on a waiting list for that class and go home. Then, when a space becomes available, you’ll get either a letter or a phone call telling you to show up for school. But don’t trust the system, that phone call or letter may never come, if you are not being persistent. I’ve heard of people waiting patiently, only to be told months later that “Well, you never contacted us, so we thought you were no longer interested.”

In some SFIs there might not be any initial division between the levels – everybody gets more or less dumped into one big class. So you might have people who don’t know how to read and write in their mother language and people with master’s degrees from their home countries. After a few weeks, the teachers usually sort out who needs to go where.

Basically, SFI has four levels: A, B, C and D. In reality, most moderately intelligent people who know how to spell their own name start at level B, then very quickly move to level C. There is, or at least – should be, a test between levels C and D. And level D ends with a “big” national test. Don’t worry, it’s not all that hard to get to level D and pass that test. It’s not meant to get you fluent in Swedish, but merely – functional. After completing level D and passing that test, you should be able to communicate in Swedish, that’s it. It gives you the sort of communicative skills required to hold down a simple job.

If you want to, for example go to university and study in Swedish, you need to continue with your Swedish education. But we’ll cover that subject another time.

Now, if any of you have any interesting SFI stories, please, by all means, share them in the comments section!

I’ve been asked recently whether I prefer language courses or self-study, and which of those two is more effective when it comes to learning Swedish. My answer: neither. The most effective is moving to Sweden and using the language in every day life.
However, that option was not feasible for the person asking the question, and we ended up having a very interesting discussion about pros and cons of learning Swedish abroad.

I must say, right off the bat, that I am a firm believer in language courses with a live, if possible – native speaking instructor. Self-study is just not for me. Why? I’m a feeble person with a frightening lack of self-discipline required to be successful when studying a foreign language alone.

Having said that, Swedish is a surprisingly easy language (when compared for example to Spanish or Russian or Finnish) to learn using the teach-yourself system. It’s fairly straightforward as far as the grammar issues go, it’s rather similar to English (though I understand that some English speakers might disagree here, still, it’s closer to English than let’s say Hungarian), and the only major obstacle could be the funky pronunciation. That problem can be easily solved with a proper application of CDs and other listening materials.

So, even if you are like me and would much rather sit in front of the computer and watch cats playing on youtube, it’s not impossible to learn at least the basics of Swedish on your own. But to move on to a more advanced level, I think that a structured language course is helpful. Or even more than helpful – it’s indispensable.

So, how do you learn Swedish? Do you study alone? If you are not in Sweden, how difficult is it to learn Swedish where you live? Do you attend a language course? Are there any Swedish classes you would like to recommend? I am directing the question about language classes mostly to people outside of Sweden, because I can imagine that apart from big cities in big countries finding a Swedish class can be a challenge. For those in Sweden, I’m sure you’re all familiar with SFI and FU (no, this is nothing nasty – this is the somewhat unfortunate abbreviation of Folkuniversitetet).

So share with us – how do YOU learn Swedish? Tell us what works for you and what doesn’t. Your experiences and recommendations could be invaluable to another person in the same situation half way across the world.

Last time we talked about Swedish emigration to the US, but what about foreign immigration to Sweden? This is a subject that everybody has an opinion about and when discussing those opinions, tempers can run high, even among normally very reserved Swedes.

I don’t know if as an immigrant myself, I should be even discussing this subject at all. After all, my take on the issue will be vastly different from what a true Svensson might say.

And some people won’t even consider me a “real” immigrant, because as much as I love this country, I do not plan on staying in Sweden for the rest of my life, or becoming en svensk medborgare (a Swedish citizen). Personally, I believe that acquiring foreign citizenship is one issue that should not be taken lightly. Because along with the privileges of a new citizenship also come serious responsibilities, and you can’t have one without the other.

So, what is it like to be an immigrant in Sweden? Impossible to describe it in just one word, so let’s use two: not bad. It’s not entirely good either, because it’s never easy to uproot oneself and settle in a different country.

But compared to many other developed nations, Sweden takes care of its immigrants. It’s a progressive, tolerant country with a live and let-live attitude. It provides services and support to new arrivals that are hard to find in other lands. The ubiquitous SFI (svenska för invandrare) program is but one example (and one that deserves a blog post of its own).

As much as the country has to offer, it is not the land of milk and honey, or cradle to grave welfare, that many misguided new (or potential) arrivals think it to be. You have to work for that welfare, and sometimes finding work can be problematic.

Here’s an interesting article on the subject from The Local. (Yes, I know, I know… but until a new English-speaking media outlet emerges in Sweden, we are stuck with The Local. At least that way I can be sure that even those of you who are not yet fluent in Swedish can understand what is being said.)

And here are a few useful words when talking about immigration:

  • medborgare (def. medborgaren, pl. medborgare, def.pl. medborgarna) – person som hör till ett land och har vissa rättigheter och skyldigheter där (en svensk medborgare) – citizen
  • medborgarskap (def. medborgarskapet, pl. medborgarskap, def.pl. medborgarskapen) – det att vara medborgare i ett land. (De har ansökt om svenskt medborgarskap.) – citizenship

Obs! Be careful! “Medborgare” is an “en” noun, but “medborgarskap” is an “ett” noun.

  • invandrare (def. invandraren, pl. invandrare, def.pl. invandrarna) – person som bor i ett annat land än det där hon/ han är född – immigrant
  • flykting (def. flyktingen, pl. flyktingar, def.pl. flyktingarna) – person som har flytt från t.ex. ett krig (till ett annat land) – refugee
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