In 2021, the United Nations released its annual World Happiness Report, which ranks more than 150 countries according to their quality of life. Perhaps unexpectedly, Iceland ranked higher than nearly every country on this list, despite its location, long, dark winters, and extreme weather.
So, how can you live in Iceland and work for a foreign company remotely? Let’s dive into findings.
What Is Life Really Like In Iceland?
Iceland is small country in just about every sense. It’s located at just under 40 thousand square miles. Iceland’s population reaches just over 300 thousand, and about two thirds of its people live in or around the capital.
According to IQAir, Reykjavik ranks as one of the cleanest and eco-friendly cities in the world. In fact, Iceland also has one of the lowest crime rate in the world. With high levels of collective trust, Icelandic people keep valuables in plain sight.
So, life in Iceland doesn’t look too bad. With a high standard of living, Iceland isn’t the only carefree Nordic country. Now, let’s talk about employment in Iceland.
The Tendency to Work Remotely in Iceland
Now it’s no secret that remote working is pretty cool. Some jobs will give you the flexibility to work anywhere in the world to choose your own hours as well as just having a job that allows you to really take control over your life. But it’s also a little bit different from a traditional working environment and therefore has a slightly different set of rules and tips about how you can land that job.
In the past year, we’ve seen a handful of companies go the way of having remote workers rather than going into a physical office environment. But with remote working, there are some nuanced changes that are a little bit different from a traditional desk job.
Since the pandemic broke out, many Icelandic companies have been forced to move remote. Now a lot of people early on thought that this was going to be temporary. But what we’re seeing is that most companies are actually finding that their employees are much happier not having to spend the time and the money and all of that effort to commute back and forth.
In fact, when the majority of employees are surveyed and they say hey would you prefer to go back to a work environment or work from home the majority of employees are actually saying that they would prefer to stay remote or at least mostly remote.
But if you want to work remotely in Iceland, how to find a high-paying job? Here’s what you can actually do to land a remote job in Iceland.
How to Find Legitimate Remote Jobs in Iceland
It might be your dream to work remotely. So, we provide tips and tricks to help you with working for a foreign company remotely in Iceland.
1. Treat the Job Application Process Like It’s a Full-Time Job
Most of application process are not quick or easy to do. Some of them might take you one two or even more than two hours to finish. So, when you’re looking for a job, whether you’re unemployed or you’re just not happy in the job you have right now, treat the application process like it’s a full-time job.
Make yourself a schedule, try to spend and track your time spending forty or more hours a week on the application process, on the interview process. You need to be persistent if you want to get the job and again if you treat this like a full-time job it’s going to be a much higher probability. It’s really just a numbers game. You’re going to get better at the process, and you’re going to have a much higher likelihood of landing a job.
2. Include a Video
If you’re applying for a job, go the extra mile by putting in something like a video. Allow your personality to shine through. In just about 90 seconds to two minutes explain who you are, what you plan on bringing to the table, and why the company should consider hiring you or at least allowing you to interview.
3. Networking
If you’re looking at applying for a job, go on to LinkedIn and see if you have any personal connections or maybe second- and third-degree connections that can introduce you or make a referral for you in that company.
It might seem like this is a long shot, but it’s actually really very realistic and easy to make happen. It just takes a little bit of work.
Look In the Right Direction
Do you know about an Employer of Record? These companies have been hiring remote workers in Iceland. Let’s take a closer look at this industry.
What is an EOR?
An Employer of Record (EOR) is a third-party company that completes key employment tasks such as benefits, insurance, payroll, taxes, and immigration for another company. Essentially, it’s a way that company can outsource the actual legal side of employment to another company.
So, in the case of international searching jobs, you can refer to an Employer of Record such as Swapp Agency. We help people to work with global companies and help companies to hire amazing professionals.
Advantages of Working for a Foreign Company in Iceland Remotely with Employer of Record
1. The company culture.
A professional Employer of Record works only with reliable companies. If you like any of these companies, you can be sure that the environment that you would be working in would be something that you’d want to be part of.
2. The job diversity.
Whether you are looking for a full-time job, or part-time, an Employer of Record offers a wide variety of jobs in different locations.
3. Job flexibility.
As mentioned above, a lot of companies have been opening up gradually towards more remote job or work from home job structures.
4. Compensation insurance.
Employer of Record services offers workers’ insurance and claims when they arise.
Wrapping Up
It might be hard to find a well-paying remote job in Iceland. If you want to work for a foreign company in Iceland, contact Swapp Agency. We have been hiring remote workers for international companies. With Swapp Agency, you can be sure that you work directly with amazing legitimate companies.