Construction jobs abroad: minimum pay in ten countries, and what to check before you go

Of the ten countries compared on this page, Norway: 239.61 NOK an hour without experience and 264.32 NOK for a skilled worker, about 21.8 - 24.1 EUR, set by law. The Danish agreement rate comes closest, but it is not law and binds only the employers who signed it. Switzerland and Iceland are not in the comparison. Take-home pay also depends on tax and rent, so compare the rate, the hours and what is left.

Not if you are an EU or EEA citizen. You can work in any EU or EEA country without a visa or permit. In Norway you register with the police if you stay longer than 3 months, and it is free. British citizens and citizens of countries outside the EU and EEA need a permit.

Yes, but no longer through free movement. Since Brexit a British citizen needs a work permit for Norway and for EU countries, usually as a skilled worker with a job offer, unless they were already living there before. I place EU and EEA citizens only, so I cannot help with a permit.

In Norway the law guarantees 239.61 NOK an hour even with no experience in the trade, and 249.00 NOK after one year. Finland's lowest pay group gets 12.59 EUR, the Dutch agreement floor is 18.95 EUR and Germany's general minimum wage is 13.90 EUR an hour. Labouring on formwork, rebar or scaffolding is the usual way in.

On Nordic sites with international crews the working language is English, and basic English is enough; in Norway the safety induction must be given in a language you understand. In Germany it is hard without German or a crew with an interpreter. Norwegian is not required on any of my partners' sites.

Usually not. In Norway a room in a workers' house costs about 5,000-5,500 NOK a month and the worker pays it; the law limits what may be deducted from pay, and the amount must be in the contract. "Everything included" without a contract is a warning sign, not a bonus.

Ask for the company registration number and look it up in the national register: Brønnøysundregistrene in Norway, Bolagsverket in Sweden, YTJ in Finland. Then compare the rate with the legal floor in that country and ask for the contract in a language you understand before you go. If any of the three is impossible, do not go.

Norway builds all year: foundations are poured under heated covers, and in a tunnel there is no weather. In hard frost outdoor work stops for a few days and the crew moves indoors. Sweden and Finland also build through the winter. In Germany the bad-weather period runs from December to March, with a seasonal short-time allowance (Saison-Kurzarbeitergeld) for lost hours.

Nothing, ever, for the worker. In Norway it is illegal to charge a worker for placement, and the employer pays for the service. If someone asks you for money for a job in Norway, you are not dealing with an employer.

Norway only. The other nine countries are on this page as a sourced comparison so you can decide for yourself. If you choose Norway, apply once and I reply with concrete terms.