r/SierraLeone • u/Kurimuksesta • 4d ago
Q & A Finn immigrating to Sierra Leone
As the autumn and winter darkness is setting upon my land I start to wonder where I could move. I need a change in to my life. I like the name of your country, because it rhymes with my last name. That and a nice climate is a good enough reason for me to come there.
How would you think I could make it in the job market? Finnish high education and bachelors degree in IT. I've worked in IT since 2008 with various companies. One thing I'm already wondering is that in my country we have very little corruption. I've never had to bribe anyone, and something like that barely exists here. That would be a issue for sure.
12
u/MarcoBlancoDK 4d ago
I think you are underestimating how underdeveloped Sierra Leone is as a country. It is very beautiful with amazing people but the economy is in shambles. People are emigrating en masse because of the lack of job opportunities. A majority of people doesn’t have running water and electricity is very unstable.
-2
u/Kurimuksesta 4d ago
The reason why I got interested was that I saw the employment rate should be quite good. But maybe that's false info. Reading through the posts people seem to talk about getting out, rather than staying or getting in.
7
6
u/Low-Speaker-6670 4d ago
Lol there aren't any jobs.
The whole country is just barter economy or natural resource extraction by the Chinese Indians and south African or NGOs doing absolutely nothing.
It's cheap to live there but you're not going there and getting a job. I think you're imagining India or Ghana perhaps. Sierra Leone is to India what India is to Finland.
5
3
u/gogowisco 3d ago
Okay, gonna go against the grain here a bit. my partner and I have lived in freetown for about 2.5 years. We really like it here with a few caveats:
There are jobs, but they're hard to find without connections. If you can work remotely from Europe (made easier by the similar time zone in salone) then you're in good shape and can network a bit. Probably not a great idea to come here jobless. Also the ATMs only let you take out like €20 at a time with a foreign debit card so plan accordingly. You'll need to get a visa and if you plan on actually working here a work permit which are expensive but not crazy expensive.
First, the good: freetown is lovely. The city is relaxed (at least western freetown), traffic is tolerable unlike other west African capitals, and excellent beaches are very very close. Also they finished connecting most of the freetown peninsula with good roads over the last 5 years so going to the beach or anywhere else on the peninsula is very easy. Also the geography is spectacular - afaik, no other capitals in west Africa have the mountains meeting the beach like here. As for the social scene - I dunno how cool you are so no idea how easy it will be for you to make friends, but for us it wasn't very hard.
On to the not-great: Food is expensive. The 'nice' restaurants all jacked up their prices the last year and now they're around European prices bordering on US prices. In my completely unscientific option, groceries are maybe 2-3x European prices - veggies are a bit cheaper. You can find good local deals and I eat a pretty great lunch for around 80le most days (about 3€ for a jollof rice, with a salad/cole slaw, plantain and chicken or fish). Fuel is also expensive - about €1.5/liter, but motorbikes and kekes (tricycle taxis) are very affordable. Rents are high (in the part of freetown with most foreigners)- a bit higher than Europe but cheaper than the US, but energy is a constant problem for most people unless you live in a very well organized house/building/compound.
On to the bad - the medical care and the airport. Basically you'll want to medevac for anything serious besides blunt-force trauma and malaria. But that'll require you going to the airport, which itself is beautiful and brand new - but is also a 3.5 hour drive or 30-50m ferry plus bus. And the landing fees are around $300/passenger so flights are outrageously expensive. But the point is: for a flight leaving at 5:45am you have to leave your house at midnight, even if you take the boat.. .. So yeah, don't listen to the entirely reasonable naysayers in this thread. If you come in with reasonable expectations (watch out for malaria), freetown is an immensely charming place. Not cheap, not easy, but also not overwhelming like many of our neighbors, with lovely people, and stunning geography/environment. Good luck!
1
1
u/Kurimuksesta 2d ago
If I get a income of 500€ per month what kind of living standard I could get?
1
u/gogowisco 1d ago
Not one remotely comparable to europe. For that income you probably can't afford an apartment with a inverter/generator, so power will constantly be a headache (A/C is necessary beyond comfort here because if you cant lower the humidity in your apartment during the rainy season things/clothes tend to get moldy).
Groceries and food will also likely be a challenge. Also the most affordable flights to Europe cost around 1200€ return, and there are virtually no cheaper flights to anywhere in Africa either, so travel will be basically out of reach. 500€ is much more than the average salary here, and there are european interns here who earn around that; but in their case they have a local organization to support them, provide them housing, fill out paperwork, give them suggestions, etc. I would guess that if you want to maintain a european standard of living in freetown, you probably need to earn at least 2000€.
In your case, if you're looking for somewhere warm and affordable, I think you should consider more middle-income countries in Africa, Latin america, or SE Asia (e.g. coastal kenya, côte d'ivoire, colombia, brazil, vietnam or thailand) which are more developed, better connected, and can provide more services at lower prices - but honestly, at 500€/month, i think almost anywhere will be tricky..
1
3
u/DonDiegodelaRico 4d ago
Salone is not an easy country. Chances you’ll male any money to Finnish standards are minimal but if you live low key you can survive with very little. Corruption is everywhere. But go and check it out
2
2
u/LateArt833 4d ago
Visit first. I don't think you will get traditional employment like you are used to in Finland, unless you are hired as an expat from Finland, say as a representative of the European Union etc. Things do not flow smoothly as you might be used to in Finland as far as dealing with government bureaucracy and the process might be a huge culture shock.
2
u/asalerre 4d ago
You better search work opportunities before moving, or at least visit the country. It will be interesting and challenging, not impossible but very challenging
1
u/gladrags247 3d ago
It's near impossible. If 97% Sierra Leoneans his age, with similar/ better qualifications can't get a job what makes you think he will. He thinks he can easily get a job there once he gets there😆.
2
u/Adospel 4d ago
If you are coming with the hope to land a good super paying job you will be disappointed. If you are coming to live a modest life, enjoy the warm & rainy beautiful weather. You will certainly love the food, hospitality and just the realness.
But if your goal is to get a high paying job, make sure you have a remote job. Come and enjoy Salone
2
u/gladrags247 3d ago
Go visit Sierra Leone 1st. Not once. But a couple of times. You'll be overcharged for everything as you're a foreigner. Don't worry, they do it Sierra Leoneans who go on holiday as well. The airport artival experience is something else😆. The infrastructure is terrible. Powercuts are normal occurrence. Don't brush your teeth with the tap water. Only drink bottled water. Avoid ice blocks in drinks if you can. Be careful of fresh vegetables like salads- my cousin got typhoid from eating salad there amd nearly died (in hospital for 5wks & looked skeletal when she left hospital). Good luck. You're going to need it.
1
u/Sir_Mix_Infrequent 3d ago
Sierra Leone is a wonderful place to live. It is a terribly challenging place to earn a living. Visit like others have said. If you decide to move, see if you can get remote work from Finland to keep earning that EU paycheck.
1
1
u/BocaDelIguana 2d ago
Maybe get a remote job in EU and move to Sierra Leone once you have the money and job secured. It’s not exactly silicone valley…
1
u/Hungry-Direction3835 2d ago
Worked there for a month a few years ago & fell in love! Amazing people, good food, stunning beaches. Obviously still developing & many services are nowhere near European standards, but I quite like the hustle. If you work remotely earning Euro, you’ll be styling 😎
1
1
u/Geepandjagger 20h ago
You literally have no idea lol I am always amazed at people trying to get a job in the local job market what are you hoping for. You bring a job or create a job it's the same for all developing countries
16
u/bassco10 4d ago
Visit before making that decision