Want to know some details

Hi Gopi,
When I saw your questions, I was very tempted to quote you links to different pages I googled up. Many of the questions you are asking have been covered by others in this forum.

Anyway, I work in IT and saw many Indian applicants through our door. Many failed and few get the jobs. So I will share with you what I know.

Getting a job within 20-30 days is very hard. Firstly, because of the economy and secondly, due to competition. I am not sure if you surf the internet but if you do, you will see that a lot of Indian citizens with good paper qualifications are applying for the Green Card or jobs here. So unless you stand out from the rest or have a niche, it is hard to convince the employer to hire you and not the rest.

From my experience, some of the top concerns of employers here (of hiring us Asians) are
1)Communication
2)If we can fit into the work environment
3)If we are independent enough.

I would say, no. 3 is the most common problem because in Denmark, most organisations are flat and people manage their own work. This is very different from Asia.

Do think about these points.

As for the pay, you have not revealed what programming language you specialize in. In any case, software developers without any management responsibilities earn between DKK25000 to DKK 50000 depending on how good you are and if you have a good reputatation in the work market already.

If you get a job which offers you the minimal, you can be assured that it can be adjusted upwards if you perform. In most companies, employees are better protected in Denmark than in Asia.

You can check this link to assess how much you should be getting, It is an estimate.

The tax you have to pay is depending on your salary level. If you earn about DKK25000, your take home pay is about DKK 18,000. If you earn DKK50000, your take home pay is about DKK30000.

Earning money in Denmark...Let's just say that if you are a normal employee, the more you work, the more taxes you pay. So most of the rich people in Denmark are business owners. This is due to lower corporate taxes and the many deductible items for corporates.

Cost of living can be estimated as such.
Rental of apartment (50-60 meter sq) in Copenhagen is about DKK5-6k. Or rental of room can be slightly cheaper. Note that most will require that you pay a deposit of 3 months)
Food, even if you don't eat out, cost about DKK3000-Dkk4000

There are other miscellaneous expenses you may have to consider if you want to have a minimally decent lifestyle. Maybe the occasional movie or chai. Let's say this takes up about DKK2000.

The economy is not good right now. The economists expect unemployment to stay high throughout 2010. So I urge you to try to look for a job before coming here. Otherwise, it will be expensive to wait it out here.

Is it good to move to Denmark? I ask myself this everyday! Good thing is I always arrive to the same answer i.e. it depends on what you want.

If you want to permanently migrate here, it can be very good. The work-life balance is good. The family life is good. The air is clean and it is a safe place.
Generally, you start to pay into the welfare system. And if you stay long enough, you benefit from it too.

However, if you think about making a quick buck here, it may disappoint you. This means that you start to pay into the system and will not get much back from it.

This is due to you paying normal taxes like a Dane and not being entitled to the same rights. If you hold a work permit, you are not entitled to take off like a Dane, to university and be paid student allowance. To earn a permanenet resident, it takes 7 years. In Sweden, if I am not mistaken, it is only 3 years.

Most things which are tax deductible in Asia are not here. For example, education materials, money to your parents back home.

You also start to contribute to your pension fund when you start working. If you withdraw this pension money before your 60th birthday, you have to pay 60% tax (flat) on the whole amount. Of course, if you stay here until you are 60 years old, then it is tax free.

In addition, Denmark is not like the US or the UK. Although most Danes speak English, they are not so willing to do that if you live here. So you have to pick up danish to have a good life.

I wish you good luck and hope it works out for you.
I am currently blogging on job search in Denmark.
So check in if you find it helpful.