在瑞典带娃留学：Karolinska Institutet 两位学生家长的育儿假与福利经验访谈

How to study in Sweden as a parent – Interview!
I started my program at Karolinska Institutet with such a variety of students. From Europe, to Africa to Asia to Latin America, from 21 years to their thirties, from Pharmacists to lab rats. And also with PARENTS! I am studying alongside two of them who are doing an incredible job of juggling their studies with this other full-time job. So I asked them about their experience of becoming a parent in a foreign county with foreign rules and systems. Where did they get help? How is their time management and more!
This entry is structured into different questions that are answered from two perspectives. A Spanish/EU🇪🇸 and an Chinese/non-EU 🇨🇳 point of view.
We touch upon
-CONCERNS, ❓
-PARENTAL LEAVE, 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒
-STUDYING WITH KIDS,📚
-HOUSING 🏡 and more, so make sure you read carefully 😊
Websites at the end for more Info!
Image by me, edited with AIStarting point🏁
“What were your biggest concerns?” 🧐
🇪🇸: “I have been living a year and a half in Sweden until my first child was born. This is not a lot of time, so there was still so much to figure out. Will I get parental leave? How is the delivery handled here? However, let me say this now: Everything worked out really well. I decided to stay in Sweden for both deliveries and we live happily ever after!”
🇨🇳: Her answer was clear: VISA! It is a huge factor for a sustainable and balanced family situation. This means: best preparing when you hear the good news! For a non-EU student, waiting times for visa can be terribly long, so make sure you plan ahead.
Navigating through the Swedish system 📄
“How is maternity care and parental leave done?”
🇪🇸: “Maternity care is provided for free by the Mödravårdscentral (MVC) during pregnancy. They guide you through the whole process. You can generally choose your MVC and, depending on the region, your maternity hospital. Both of them can inform you about breastfeeding and more. What surprised me was: You cannot take your baby to preschool (förskola), which is basically the kindergarten, until the age of 1. There generally isn’t a nursery/public daycare option before that.
Therefore, a much appreciated concept is double days. Both parents can receive parental benefits while on leave at the same time for up to 60 days during the first 15 months. If you don’t have any relatives living close to help you out, that makes a huge difference! Now the magic number: the system grants each parent 240 days of parental leave per child. Most of them have to be consumed before the child turns 4 years.”
🇨🇳: One of her biggest surprises: the quality and affordability of maternity care. She appreciated the accessible healthcare service available during pregnancy and after childbirth as well as Sweden’s generous parental leave system. You can take off a long duration. In short, the good service and it being free of charge made a HUGE difference in the process. In her home country it would have been a lot more expensive.
“What financial support did you receive?” 💰
🇪🇸: In her case parental allowance was a bit more complicated. She was working as a postdoc in Sweden on a scholarship. But she contacted the governmental agency Försäkringskassan and they helped her all the way through. Luckily, the years she had previously worked in the EU were taken into account for the decision on parental allowance. This means getting more than the basic rate of SEK 250/day. However, every case is different, so it’s worth checking what applies to your own situation. Generally, you get around 80% parental allowance of your income for 390 days up to a certain limit by Försäkringskassan, while the remaining 90 days are paid at a fixed rate of SEK 180 per day.
🇨🇳: “Also, Sweden has child allowance (barnbidrag). It is a separate benefit by Försäkringskassan and is generally the same standard amount for every eligible child, regardless of income. You get this up to the 16th year of your children. There is more! Student parents can receive additional parental benefits from Centrala studiestödsnämnden (CSN) depending on their situation. It is a governmental student-financial-aid agency.”
“What help did you get from university?” 🎓
🇪🇸: “For PhD students the situation is quite good as the have a contract and are therefore considered employees. This means they may qualify for parental allowance based on their salary, meaning more than basic by Försäkringskassan. Even if you have never worked before you might still be eligible for a basic parental benefit of SEK 250 per day, depending on your circumstances. However, if you are a student, contact CSN to see if you can get financial support.”
🇨🇳: If you are an employee at your university you can get benefits by Försäkringskassan. Also, as she was employed by Karolinska Institutet, they helped her with her visa extension/residence permit. So check out CSN and your specific universities’ parental aid!
“What about Residence permit, Insurance and Housing?” 🏡
🇪🇸: As a EU-citizen her children acquired the EU citizenship and thus instantly have the right to live in Sweden. Therefore, my kids didn’t need a separate residence permit. Insurance/Healthcare for kids is generally free of charge or subsidised.
🇨🇳: “If your children acquire the Chinese citizenship, they will need a separate residence permit. Once they are registered in Sweden, healthcare for children is generally for free. Looking for housing? That is a really hard task. (In general!) People either need to wait in queues or pay a lot of money. So the best way to go about this is: If you know you are going to come to Sweden, register already for queues so you don’t have to worry about that in the future. Look at Bostad Stockholm, Boplats Gothenburg, Boplatssyd Malmö and others! Big families need more space so I really really advise you to start early 🫶🏼”
Photo: Försäkringskassan webpageTipps and tricks? ☝🏼
“How did you juggle studies with parenthood?”
🇪🇸: “My husband is now on parental leave! My mother is also here to help for a few months which takes a lot of work off my shoulders. I usually study when the kids are in school or asleep.”
🇨🇳: If there would be something she wishes to have known beforehand: “Life with children is much more difficult than I imagined.” So she is a pro in effectiveness or a magician – who knows? However, her secret is: “Its something about time management, I usually move my work to the night when my kids are sleeping.”
“What other things helped you immensely?” 🌟
🇪🇸: “öppna förskolan: A place where you can meet and spend time with other moms arranged by the municipality – life saving for your mental health when you are alone with your kid during the dark winter.”
“What advice would you give prospective parents who want to come to Sweden?”
🇪🇸: “Get as much information as possible: Contact CSN and Försäkringskassan. Buy only second hand winter clothes, babies grow too fast! I got on WhatsApp groups for English speaking mums via Facebook which helped me navigate different situations! Apply for arbetslöshetskassa (Unemployment insurance fund) as soon as you come to Sweden. You may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you previously worked in another EU country in case you need to leave your job.”
🇨🇳: “Don’t forget to register for all the insurances for the kids, and for the housing queues if you are planning to stay in Sweden.”
How about now❓
“Sweden – Yes or No?”
🇪🇸: “Yes! 🥳 I learned that you can deliver basically in any European country if you want to. I am glad I stayed, because the protocolar practices in Sweden are quite actualised and respectful.”
🇨🇳: “Absolutely! 😄 Sweden offers a really good service for ongoing parents and is free of charge.”
————–
“Which websites can I go to for more help?” 💻
Försäkringskassan – parental benefits 💰
Swedish board for student finance – Centrala studiestödsnämnden (CSN) 📚
Studying at Karolinska Institutet as a parent 📚
Swedish migration agency (Migrationsverket) 📄
1177– Support and healthcare for children ❤️
Bostad Stockholm, Boplats Gothenburg, Boplatssyd Malmö – Housing 🏡
I hope this blog took away any concerns and doubts about coming to Sweden with your family or founding a new one! Sweden will welcome you with open arms. And even if you are still unsure I hope this blog showed you that there is enough information and help out there to answer any question!
Thanks for reading! See u in Sweden I guess? 🥳
Love, Tim