As soon as you enter Denmark as a foreigner, the first thing you ask yourself is how you can earn a living. You will have to figure out how to pay your bills, live a good life, and still have something left over to save.
With a legal residence in Denmark, you will undoubtedly lack for nothing to do. Get a variety of job opportunities ranging from jobs for people with and without education, to skilled and technical jobs, and everything in between. Jobs in Denmark pay well compared to other countries in the world. Even with a good salary, you will find that you have to earn more money to have something left for yourself.
Why you need extra income as a foreigner in Denmark
You can come to Denmark as a student, employee, or family reunion, but in either case you must work and earn money. Denmark is a country where work is highly regarded and employees are respected.
Professionals in critical sectors like engineering, medicine, food science, executives and the like earn more than kr. 35000 after tax, but this money has so many requirements to meet. You will pay mortgage, car loan, and utilities, and what's left may be just the little you need for your car each day.
At the end of each month, you find that in your main job, where you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, you don't earn just enough to support your daily life. If you look closely at the structure of the Danish system, it is that the government taxes you heavily and then does most of the work for you. For example, you do not pay for hospital and child education and may even be eligible for housing allowance.
So, the Danish economy ensures that the salary you carry home at the end of the month is not reduced by the relatively high price index for food, maintaining cars, servicing loans, etc. flows back again. You, who still have people abroad who look up to you for support, may not even have moolah left when you pay bills. So you need to do a little more.
If you have a project going on at home, you must of course earn more money in Denmark and send it so that nothing stalls. Honestly, a salary from one main job in Denmark helps you only to a limited extent.
What jobs are there in Denmark as an additional source of income?
Besides your main job in Denmark, you need to be creative to find other ways to earn money. It's good to find time to rest, but it's even better to find an extra job to make more money.
1. Seasonal work in summer houses
Vacations in Scandinavia are a big deal, and there are so many summer houses being built along the sandy beaches in Denmark. This is where families and spouses come to spend their vacations and relax. In most cases, summer homes need helpers to help clean and set up for guests.
Summer house jobs in Denmark are mainly on Fridays through Sundays, and you're free to take as many houses as your energy allows. These jobs will be much better paid than the normal jobs. Some pay up to kr. 180 per hour, that's good money. If you take a job in the summer houses during the summer season, this is a big jackpot for you. Maybe you will take your own vacation when everyone else has gone back to work.
2. Office cleaning jobs in Denmark
Office cleaning is a task that many people in Denmark take on because it is so convenient. Most offices close around 1700 hours on a normal day. This means that if you had a normal job, by the time you have to start cleaning, you have already come home and even rested a bit.
With office cleaning in Denmark, there is not a lot of pressure, and people can work at their own pace, provided the rooms are left in good condition so they are ready for the workers the next day. This is another trick that even professional workers don't shy away from.
3. Collecting pant bottles in Denmark
In Denmark, bottles, especially cans and plastic bottles, have a bar code that requires them to be returned so that money kept at the time of purchase can be refunded. Interestingly, this approach should help encourage recycling, but people in Denmark are weird – many prefer to throw their bottles in the trash can and walk away.
A bottle can cost in Denmark kr. 1, kr. 1.50 or kr. 3 depending on the size and whether it is plastic or a can. When you're on foot or on a scooter, you can usually collect so many bottles, especially in the summer when people are eating out. At the end of a single round in the city, you'll likely be up to kr. 100 for your bottles.
Bottle collecting is also a way to exercise and keep fit. So you win twice if you travel by bike, scooter or on foot.
4. Take a hobby job in Denmark
These days, there are so many online hobby jobs you can do after your workday is over. For example, if you know graphic design, social media marketing, making podcast, providing product reviews and the like. These are jobs that are done remotely and all you need is a computer and a stable internet connection.
At the end of the month, you may have like kr. 8000 euros from your hobby, which then significantly relieve your budget.
Value of a part-time job in Denmark
In Denmark there is never anything for free. People literally work their asses off to earn half a crown, and you have to too. If you only do one job a day, you can only pay your bills, but not more.
An additional job brings you more money and a bit of financial freedom. The only thing is that you as a person need to practice financial discipline to spend the extra money wisely. As you know, it's never about how much money you make, but what you use it for. So be wise.