Russians do not need a visa to Svalbard, but due to the fact that they have to enter and leave the island through Norway, they have to apply for a national Norwegian one.
Flora and fauna of the island
The archipelago grows more than 170 various kinds tundra plants. Svalbard is home to about 500,000 polar bears and birds. The coastal valleys are popular with seals, seals and walruses. On the archipelago you can meet the smallest deer. 
All this richness, diversity and history attracts many tourists to these unique places.
Jobs and vacancies in Svalbard
There is work on Svalbard, but it cannot be called easy, as it is mainly labor in the mines. Although there are vacancies for students who want to earn extra money during the holidays. Jobs for maids, hotel administrators, bartenders and waiters are always open for them. If you speak Norwegian and Russian, a vacancy for a tour guide will be available.
The main area of activity on the island is work at the coal mining enterprise Arktikugol. The trust offers vacancies not only in coal industry but also in the national economy.
The mining village for the workers of Arktikugol has everything necessary for a quality and comfortable rest after work - modern comfortable houses, a palace of culture, a sports complex with a swimming pool, where there is always clean warm sea water, as well as shops, cafes, internet, telephone and cable TV.
An employment contract for a selected vacancy in Arktikugol is concluded first for six months, and then for 3 years. Employees are provided with certain benefits, plus free medical care. In addition to regular vacations, Arktikugol employees also have 24 days of extra time off.
The chosen vacancy at this enterprise guarantees a stable high salary with bonuses, the percentage of which depends on the time of work - starting from 20%, for those who have worked for six months and up to 100%.
Registration for the selected vacancy is carried out only in case of sufficient work experience with an existing certificate and in good physical shape, which allows working in difficult climatic conditions.
A candidate applying for a specific vacancy must provide the following papers:
- Work book - a photocopy.
- Diploma or certificate of acquiring a profession.
- A document confirming the availability of professional qualifications.
- Characteristics of the quality of work performed.
- Passport data of a Russian document and a foreign one.
- Home address information, contact phone number and e-mail.
In such harsh places are very important positive emotions. Therefore, in addition to good work, they know how to relax there. Amateur art works, competitions and competitions are held.
Norwegians also work in the archipelago at the international research center and mining village, and Poles at the research station. Greater number living in Svalbard belongs to Norway, then Russia and the rest of the Poles, who are no more than 10 people. Read more about the features of life on the island in this video.
A young anthropologist from St. Petersburg, Andrian Vlakhov, recently returned from Spitsbergen, where he spent three months collecting material for his dissertation on the Russian community in the archipelago. His area of interest is the industrial anthropology of the Arctic. He told us how people live when they are entitled to only one bottle of vodka a month, and you cannot leave the village without a gun, and why they go to such a place at all.
Modern Social sciencies, for example, social anthropology, which we still know as ethnography and consider it a record of songs and dances of the peoples of the world, actually involves the use of qualitative research methods. The generally accepted standard is to go live in a community, try to talk to each of its members, perhaps make friends. I rode without a legend, although, of course, the ideal option is when no one knows that you are an explorer.
I needed the trip because I am writing a dissertation on Svalbard. I wonder why people go to the Arctic, what they do there, why they stay to live. In fact, not so many works are devoted to life on the archipelago: Russian scientists, probably for a long time they thought that the entire population of Spitsbergen were alcoholic miners, about whom there was nothing to write about, and it was difficult for foreign researchers to work with residents of the same Russian village of Barentsburg, because no one, not only in Norwegian, almost speaks English.
Andrian Vlahov
anthropologist
Journey to Svalbard
74 000 rubles
Recorded
conversations
TIME
TRAVELS
Training
I did quite a lot of preparatory work, because a scientist cannot just go, as we say, into the field: you need to learn as much as possible about the place from all available sources, formulate questions that you will ask people, and draw up a work plan.
In addition, for a trip to Svalbard, it was important for me to establish contact with the Arktikugol trust. Not to say that the territory is restricted, but getting there is not so easy, so it was necessary to make friends with those who run everything. I came to Moscow twice to talk about the purpose of my trip, which is not surprising: a person who decides to go where normal people do not go raises questions.
The work of an anthropologist involves not only conversations with local residents, but also fixing an audioscape, photo and video shooting, and mapping, so I, of course, took the necessary equipment with me.
Of course, if you are going to the 78th degree of northern latitude, even in summer, you should take care of warm clothes. I can say that I was lucky with the weather - on some days it was 10-11 degrees Celsius, but already in September it was impossible to do without a down jacket.
Barentsburg
Scientists in Svalbard, as a rule, live in a scientific town, they set up experiments there, study algae, and almost never intersect with miners. I initially asked to be placed in a dormitory, in the same room in which the miners themselves live, so that it would be easier for me to get to know them and collect the necessary information.
Barentsburg is not a place where you can stop a person for questioning on the street. Firstly, because it is quite cold here, and secondly, in fact, as in all the border regions of Russia, many, following the old Soviet habit, are afraid of spies. As a tale: on the second week of my stay in the village, rumors reached me that I was a KGB officer and I was going to take everyone into circulation. People can be understood - it is difficult for them to imagine that someone would leave blessed St. Petersburg and come to their godforsaken Barentsburg to live here for three months without any hidden purpose.
In general, rumors are a separate issue. Let's say that gossip reached me, as if I had been seen three times at night making my way to one of the girls along the corridor of the hostel in shorts and with flowers - and this despite the fact that the nearest bouquet can only be obtained on the mainland, in Norwegian Tromsø.
This, perhaps, can be explained by the fact that at first I really talked a lot with the female half, or rather a quarter of Barentsburg - women are always more communicative and more willing to share information that may be of interest to an anthropologist.
With men the most effective method talk is quite obvious. The problem is that with drinking in Barentsburg it is tense - since Soviet times, one bottle of vodka per person has been put per month. It is not forbidden, however, to drink beer from a local brewery in unlimited quantities, but you won’t get drunk with it. As an option - go to the Norwegian part and buy everything there, but this is again a non-trivial task in Svalbard. You need to have a boarding pass for a flight, according to which you can take up to two liters of strong alcohol. By the way, one of the locals begged for my own almost immediately upon arrival - I, in fact, was not sorry. In Barentsburg itself, you can also find illegal alcohol, but from it a hangover is a thousand times stronger.
If you yourself are sober, it is not difficult to record data. But when you drink with the miners, you need to constantly remind yourself that talking about life is great, but you are also a scientist and you have certain tasks. Every time I returned to the hostel after such interviews, I tried to overcome the desire to fall asleep and first wrote down my impressions so that nothing was forgotten.
The conversation usually began with the question "What brought you here?". The first and simplest answer is the desire to earn money. For an apartment, a car, a son's wedding, a goat, a cow - whatever. Then, however, it turns out that in fact you still always wanted to see, but how is it - the Arctic, how is it - to live, when three months are polar night, three months are polar day, and the rest of the time are shift changes? Or that it’s so great to see the ocean and mountains from the window that you don’t want to leave, or that someone loved adventure literature as a child, and when the chance to go on an adventure appeared, he didn’t miss this chance. Some say that they were born in the conditional Norilsk, then lived in the Donbass for 20 years and suffered from the heat, and then they took it and moved here.
With a drink in Barentsburg, it is tense - since Soviet times, one bottle of vodka has been put per person per month.
My work is somewhat similar to the work of an investigator: I never interrupt interlocutors, but only ask leading questions. Well, for example, to find out what people do after plowing eight hours in a mine. So you came out of the slaughter - and then what? Well, I drank beer with the boys, well, I went to the rocking chair, and then? Someone enrolls in the recently opened Norwegian language circle, someone in the local library reads Ukrainian books left over from Soviet times, someone goes fishing, someone collects pebbles to bring as a gift to his wife.
When you ask people here what is missing the most, Barentsburgers never start with fresh fruits and vegetables, but always complain that there is almost nothing to do in free time. There is no normal internet in the village. Enough to write to relatives and sometimes go on Skype. Previously, at least they played movies, but now you have to pay for each rental copy, so you don’t show much. Watching TV is also boring. Therefore, a fairly rich collection of films, including pornographic ones, circulates around Barentsburg. The latter is quite popular among the locals (it is worth recalling here that three-quarters of the population are young guys). They exchange films so far, it seems, for free.
My skills in teaching Russian and English also helped me collect data. I just went to the local school and offered my help. Naturally, I didn’t ask for money: I was primarily interested in the opportunity to communicate with parents through my students. There are now two teachers in Barentsburg for all 11 grades - one for primary school and one for all other classes and subjects. The usual occupation: children from several classes gather in the audience at once, and the fifth, say, literature, the sixth - Russian, the seventh - mathematics, and the eighth - chemistry. There are a couple of people in each class, and the teacher goes from student to student throughout the lesson and explains his topic to each. Children, it must be said, are very good and much smarter than you can find in major cities on the mainland.
Quite funny takes place in Barentsburg on September 1st. Strictly speaking, it takes place not on the first, but on the ninth, because a new batch of miners is brought from vacation around August 28, and people spend the next week and a half in quarantine. On the line, the whole school, consisting of 20 people, becomes a semicircle around six first-graders and enthusiastically congratulates them on the beginning of school life.
I became very attached to the children, as they were to me. When I left, they hugged me and cried - I had to promise them to return soon.
For three months, I walked the length and breadth of the village and everything that was possible, I climbed there - all the nooks and crannies, abandoned houses, sheds - in a word, what people perceive as their everyday life. He climbed the mountain where the towers stand cellular communication, wandered along the coast of the ocean and laid out with pebbles all sorts of words dear to the heart of a Russian person. Here, of course, I broke the law, because it is forbidden to go outside the village without weapons and notifying the authorities - all because of the polar bears, which are more than people here, three thousand against two and a half. I myself did not see a bear, but during my stay in Barentsburg there was a rumor that a bear was wandering around the southern outskirts of the village. Locals generally love stories about a bear, preferably with two cubs, which used to come up to the very houses. In fact, the bears of large settlements are more likely to be afraid, but in another Russian village, according to stories, this year one bear completely lost fear and hung around the village for so long that they were already exhausted to drive it away. In Svalbard, in fact, bears are protected where better people: You can't shoot them until you try to drive them off with a flare. Although in Barentsburg they showed me the existing collection of weapons - very impressive.
Of course, I broke the law, because it is forbidden to leave the village without a weapon and notifying the authorities.
Longyearbyen
You can’t just get to the Norwegian Longyearbyen from Barentsburg. From time to time, Arktikugol organizes a "shopping tour" when people are taken there by helicopters, but more often they have to attach themselves to a Norwegian tourist ship.
Longyearbyen, like any other settlement on Svalbard, was a mining town, but it has ceased to be such for 20 years. In the early 1990s, the Norwegians realized that nothing could be built on coal mining alone and legalized private property. The local coal mining company withdrew from its jurisdiction all areas of activity that were not directly related to it, and this had a very good effect on the city.
In terms of infrastructure, Longyearbyen makes a much more pleasant impression - there are fast internet, a supermarket with the food you are used to, a hotel, several bars, a museum, a cultural center, a university center, an airport. There is even a Thai restaurant.
But in all other respects, I liked Barentsburg much more. Our village is majestic, stands on the shore of the fjord, and in Longyearbyen there are only sheds on the shore - there is no scope, or something.
Outcome
The nature of Spitsbergen made a very strong impression on me. There is nothing to compare with when you have a green-green ocean and snow-capped mountains outside your window, and in early September there is such a blizzard for three days that it is impossible to leave the house - it blows into a snowdrift.
But what impressed me the most was the people. We in megacities have lost the habit of what is still the reality of small towns - here everyone is in sight. We can always lock ourselves in our apartment and isolate ourselves from the world. In Barentsburg, this is impossible - if you do not communicate with people, after a while you will howl.
And the people here are amazingly open and sociable - even though they work in a relatively closed enterprise. An ordinary person will never leave a warm place and family to go here. You need to be a little desperate, and this desperation is in the nature of all the inhabitants of Barentsburg. Here you also fully feel what is described in books as the spirit of polar explorers: mutual assistance and the desire to help others are not just words, this is what really matters for people living in the harsh north.
At some point, my relationships with many here no longer fit into the “respondent-collector” format. I found people in Barentsburg with whom I became close and still keep in touch (thanks social networks!). Now I am corresponding with both adults and children and I hope to meet in March or April - by then I will analyze the available materials and understand what data is missing. Well, on March 20, a total solar eclipse is expected, which will be visible only in the Faroe Islands and Svalbard and nowhere else on Earth - I really want to see it. In local hotels, all the rooms for these dates were bought out in two years, but I hope there will now be a place for me in Barentsburg.
From time to time, Arktikugol organizes a "shopping tour" where people are brought to Longyearbyen by helicopter.
Svalbard - the northernmost part of Europe, only 1000 km from the North Pole - is an archipelago located between 74 and 81 degrees north latitude, well north of the Arctic Circle. The archipelago consists of islands: Svalbard (formerly Western Svalbard, the largest island), North-East Land, King Charles Land, Barents Island, Edge Island, Hope Island, Bely Island, Bear Island and many smaller islands and skerries. The total area of the archipelago is 62,000 square kilometers, two thirds of which are covered by glaciers.In the West, including Norway, the above wording is adopted: the geographical name Spitsbergen refers only to the largest island, and the entire archipelago bears the name Svalbard (translated from Norwegian - "cold land").
In the Soviet/Russian tradition and documentation, the opposite is true: the archipelago is called Svalbard, and the largest island is Svalbard.
Since this territory still belongs to Norway, Norwegian (Western) terminology will be used in this material: the entire archipelago is called Svalbard, and the largest island, and the only one inhabited, is Svalbard.
People of Svalbard
The population of Svalbard is about 2,500 people (as of 2000), lives mainly on the island of Svalbard: 1430 Norwegians, 1150 Russians and Ukrainians and 9 Poles. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen (1400 people, the majority are Norwegians), it is also the administrative center of the archipelago. Other settlements: the Russian mining villages of Barentsburg (850 people) and Pyramiden, the Norwegian international research center Ny-Ålesund (up to 100 people), the Norwegian mining village of Sveagruva (90 people) and the Polish research station Hornsund (9 people). The Norwegians of Svalbard are fluent in English, and, of course, in Norwegian. Russian is another (along with Norwegian) official language of the archipelago.Nature and climate
The climate of the archipelago is not as severe as one might think: one of the branches of the Gulf Stream approaches the western coast of the island of Svalbard, the other flows into the Barents Sea and flows around the archipelago from the south. As a result, the climate here is much milder than it could be at such a latitude. The average monthly temperature in January is minus 15.3 degrees, in July - 5.8 degrees above zero. The minimum recorded temperature is minus 46.3 degrees, the maximum is plus 21.3.During winter, the temperature sometimes stays between minus 20 and minus 30 degrees for a long time, in addition to this, cold penetrating winds blow, which enhances the effect of physiological cold. In summer, many days of fog are common. Precipitation, however, is extremely low here - 200-300 mm per year, which is why Svalbard is often called the "Arctic Desert".
Seasons
Polar night. At the end of October, the sun casts its last rays over the tundra landscapes, and Svalbard enters a time of darkness. For more than two months, from November to early February, it is dark here 24 hours a day. In Longyearbyen, the polar night lasts from October 26 to February 15. The weather, however, is good, the sky usually remains clear, the moon sends some light playing on the snow, and finally the northern lights come on. February for many best time year, when the northern lights give way to the sun, and the sky lights up in the morning with pink paint - a harbinger of the return of the day.Polar day. In April, the days get longer and longer, and soon the sun no longer sets below the horizon. In Longyearbyen, the polar day is from April 20 to August 23.
External status of Svalbard
Administrative center Svalbarda - the city of Longyearbyen, the governor of Svalbard, who is subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, is here, he is also the head of the local police and rescue services. Issues of coal mining are under the jurisdiction of a special official. The Interdepartmental Committee, headed by the Minister of Justice of Norway, deals with various administrative issues in the archipelago (by the way, the same committee for Spitsbergen has been created in Russia). All provisions of the civil and criminal code of Norway apply on the territory of SvalbardCurrently, three special committees are working in Norway on the issue of changing the status of the archipelago - its transformation into an ordinary territorial unit of Norway with the corresponding municipal authorities.
How to get to Svalbard
There are regular flights from Tromso (Norway) to Longyearbyen 5 times a week in winter and 6-7 times in summer, SAS and Braathens SAFE airlines. Flight time - 1 hour 25 minutes. The international airport is located 5 minutes by car from Longyearbyen. The airport is all-weather and year-round, the runway is 2140 m by 45 m. The Norwegians explain the crash with our Tu-154 aircraft not by bad conditions on the runway, but by the mistake of Russian pilots.Our planes transport miners, scientists, geologists, service staff and chartered by Arktikugol JSC. Usually they flew once a month from Moscow to Longyearbyen .. Now it is difficult to predict their schedule, and even more so the possibility of flying away.
There is no regular sea communication with the island of Svalbard. However, there are ships from Norwegian travel companies that make this transition: Spitsbergen Travel's ship leaves Tromsø once a week from mid-June to the end of August, 2-3 days on the way. Around the same time, private ships (even yachts) from all over the world visit Svalbard.
Internal communications are poorly developed. There is a city bus to Longyearbyen, taxis and car rentals. There is no developed network of roads outside of large settlements. Sometimes you can rent a helicopter or a small plane for excursions or trips. There is a regular flight Longyearbyen - Ny-Ålesund, once or twice a week. In winter, you can hire a snowmobile or a dog sled (!) with a guide.
Hotels beyond the Arctic Circle
All hotels on the island of Svalbard one way or another claim the title of "the northernmost in the world." But now, in February 2000, at Cape Linnaeus of the island of Svalbard, the old telecommunications station was converted into what is called "really the northernmost hotel in the world." The hotel offers 22 double rooms with shared facilities, billiards, dining room and, of course, heating (it is already much colder here than in Longyearbyen). To get here, you will have to hire snowmobiles or a dog sled, accompanied by an armed guide, to shoot back from the ferocious polar bears!For lovers of less extreme conditions, there are very decent hotels in Longyearbyen (in total there are about 280 beds in city hotels), for example:
Radisson SAS Polar Hotel(160 beds) - hotel with full service, TV in the room, conference room, restaurant "Nansen";
Funken Hotell(88 beds), traditional Svalbard style hotel, very beautiful interior and a chic restaurant overlooking the city.
For a small fee.
Bear Island. Archipelago Spitsbergen. fresher.ru
The company is looking for patriotic guide-interpreters for the Russian center of Arctic tourism in the Norwegian archipelago. Full day design work.
Have you worked as a guide-interpreter, tour guide, hiking/mountain tourism instructor in tourism, communicate in English and a little Swedish, and on the shelf is a passport, preferably with a Schengen?
Do you love nature, are you environmentally literate, responsible and tidy?
And you are a patriot?
Then it's time for the archipelago. 
Here you will be trusted to conduct excursions with groups of tourists in the Russian village of Barentsburg,communicate with tourists, sell souvenirs,translate documents for the Arktikugol trust.
Salary: 25,000 rubles.
P.S. Don't worry about shipping costs. The employer undertakes to pay for travel from Moscow to the place of work.
respond.
Some facts about life in Russian town Barentsburg ( via meduza.io).
Barentsburg is a cross between a single-industry town and a shift camp. There are few inhabitants: about 500 people live in the village, of which about 150 work underground.
Alexander Romanovsky, guide and curator of the abandoned Russian mining village of Piramida on the island of Western Svalbard. fresher.ru
Mostly residents of eastern Ukraine come to Barentsburg, who worked in the mines of Donbass.
Pyramid village. Svalbard. fresher.ru
Barentsburg has everything you need for life: shops, a hospital, a canteen, a cultural and sports complex, a coal-fired thermal power plant and a boiler house.
Like them 05.03.18 100 985 33
I moved to Svalbard in January 2015. Before that, I worked as a web designer in Russia for 10 years, but I dreamed of changing my field of activity, and at the same time my place of residence.
Nazilya Zemdikhanova
lives in the arctic
The decision to move came spontaneously after a tourist trip to the Arctic. I took off without long term plans. The first year I worked in the Russian village of Barentsburg - it was easy to find a job in the field of tourism there, having no experience. The working and living conditions in Barentsburg did not suit me, so the next year I moved to the neighboring Norwegian city of Longyearbyen, where I got a job as a hotel receptionist.
Before my arrival, the Arctic seemed to me a harsh place. It seemed like sheer deprivation and discomfort. But now I think it's more pleasant to live here than on the mainland.
History, coal and tourism
Svalbard is an archipelago between the North Pole and Europe. In Norway it is called Svalbard.
Until 1920, Svalbard was considered no man's land. In 1920, Norway received sovereignty over the archipelago, and the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden and other countries received an equal right to lead here. economic activity, use the natural resources of the islands and territorial waters.
People went to Svalbard because of the coal deposits. At the beginning of the 20th century, companies of Norwegian, Russian, Swedish and American origin founded the cities of Longyearbyen, Barentsburg, Pyramiden, Grumant, Sveagruva and Ny-Ålesund. Throughout the 20th century, coal mining was the main engine of the economy here, but at the end of 2016, fuel prices fell and the focus shifted to the development of tourism.
Tourists go to Svalbard to see the polar bear, the northern lights and the Russian ghost town of Pyramiden. There are also snowmobile safaris, dog sledding, wildlife, ship cruises, hiking and ski tours.
Weather
The year is divided into three seasons: polar night, winter and summer. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the temperature in the west of Svalbard is about 20 ° C higher than in other points at the same latitude. In winter, it is much warmer here than, for example, in the Urals.
The polar night lasts 4 months - from the end of October to the end of February. My work contract allows me to leave during the low season for a long time, so I take a vacation for 2-3 months of the polar night and go to travel to other countries or go home to Russia.
+5 °C
average temperature in Svalbard in summer
At the end of February, the sun appears and the winter season begins. It lasts until mid-May. At this time it is cold but sunny. The temperature drops to -25 ° C, and if the wind blows, then even lower. At this time, I usually wear 1-2 layers of thermal underwear, snowmobile boots, a shapeless down jacket and windproof pants.
What we here call summer lasts from June to August. The sun appears in the sky no more often than in winter, despite the name "polar day": sometimes fogs, sometimes clouds. The wind is cold, so I still wear a hat and a windproof jacket every day. In summer, the average temperature in Svalbard is +5 °C.
City of Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen, where I now live, is the most populated city in the archipelago. 2200 people live here. From the Norwegian Oslo and Tromso, planes of SAS and Norwegian airlines fly here every day. In the high season, from March to September, up to 5-6 aircraft arrive per day, including charters from other European countries. A ticket costs 600-3500 kroons (4300-25 300 R). There is also a charter from Russia, but it flies once every two months. I always fly via Oslo.
Although the city is Norwegian, the number of foreigners is increasing every year. It is not customary to use the words "expat" or "emigrant" here, since everyone has the same rights. Statistics say that every year the composition of the population changes by 25%. On average, they live in Longyearbyen for 4-7 years, and then they go back to the mainland. Someone comes to earn money, others are interested in the experience of working in the archipelago.
2200
man lives in Longyearbyen
The infrastructure allows families with children of any age to live comfortably. There are two grocery stores in Longyearbyen, shopping center, hospital, Kindergarten, school, cultural center, sports complex, cinema, restaurants, bars, hotels. There is even a university center. Everywhere can be reached on foot.
Polar bears and weapons
Svalbard is unique in that people live next door to polar bears. On the one hand, this is a risk for both people and bears. On the other hand, this allows the authorities to limit the independent activity of tourists on the island and earn money on organized tours.
I saw bears here only through binoculars, but when I go for a walk outside the city, I always take a gun with me or friends with a gun.
Last season, bears roamed right in the vicinity of Longyearbyen. News about this was published on the website of the governor. The drone of a helicopter was constantly heard - this is how bears are driven away from the city. If the animal is not frightened by the pursuit of the helicopter or is aggressive, it is temporarily euthanized and taken far north so that it does not find its way back.
I think that it makes no sense to be afraid of bears and sit in the city. With friends we go on snowmobile tours, go to the mountains, go skiing. Bears are not limited in movement, so it is impossible to predict their location. I am required by security regulations to carry a large-caliber weapon and/or flare gun. This is the only reliable way to save yourself when meeting a bear.
Buying or renting weapons in Svalbard is easy. You need a certificate of no criminal record, translated into English or Norwegian and certified by the governor of Longyearbyen. Confirmation will be sent directly to the store. If you have never held a weapon in your hands, the sales assistant will tell you how to load and unload a gun, how to shoot. Renting a Mauser 30-06 costs 190 crowns (1400 R) per day.
1400 R
per day is the cost of renting a Mauser 30-06
I don't have a personal weapon. When I work as a guide and lead a tour, I take a weapon at work. You don't need a certificate for this. The rest of the time I go to the mountains or ride snowmobiles with friends who have weapons. If I go alone, then I take the weapon from my partner.
144 600 R
can reach the size of the fine for killing a polar bear
Polar bears are listed in the Red Book, and each case of attack or murder is thoroughly investigated. Self-defense is not enough reason to kill an animal. If the investigation shows that the person did not take sufficient measures to avoid meeting the bear, and as a result killed him, then a fine will be issued. The amount of the fine is up to 20,000 kroons (144,600 R).
Visa and registration
Residents of the countries that signed the Svalbard Treaty - and there are more than 50 of them - have the right to stay and work in the archipelago without a visa. Russia is among them. But this is only on paper. In reality, you will most likely have to fly to Longyearbyen via Oslo or Tromsø, which means you will also need a Schengen visa with a reserve of days to leave. A direct charter from Moscow flies every 2 months. But even in this case, a Schengen visa is required: you need to prove that in a critical situation you will have the opportunity to fly on any flight, and not just a direct charter in two months.
The first time I received a one-year Schengen visa was when I was working in Barentsburg. The company-employer was engaged in registration, I only made insurance for a year and sent my passport to Moscow. I went to get the next visa on my own at the office of the Governor of Svalbard. It was necessary to submit registration, employment contract, bank statement and standard documents for a Schengen visa. I took a picture, handed over documents and fingerprints in 10 minutes. Two weeks later, a one-year visa was issued. Visa fee - 35 €. The payment was deducted directly from the bank account.
Registration with the tax office is required if you want to get a job, open a bank account, register a car or a snowmobile. Foreign residents are assigned a D-number - this is an analogue of the Norwegian identification number, but with restrictions. The D-number is associated with a bank, insurance, medical card and other social services.
It is important that registration in Svalbard does not give the right to reside in mainland Norway, regardless of the number of years lived in the archipelago. The rules apply to Norwegian spouses and common children.
Money and banks
The local currency is the Norwegian krone. In February 2018, 1 NOK = 7.23 R. In the summer, euros and dollars appear in unofficial circulation on Svalbard - along with cruise ship passengers. There are no currency exchange points, but they accept everywhere bank cards. Once I saw how tourists were sitting with a bag of dollars and could not pay for a hotel room.
When I got a job, I received a card from the only local bank - Sparebank. The staff are friendly and willing to help with any issue. True, they refused to give me a credit card, since I am not a citizen of Norway. The bank has two mobile applications: internet banking and one-time password generator. I use both of them constantly to pay bills, transfers and buy goods on the Internet. Annual maintenance costs 250 crowns (1800 R).
1800 R
per year costs card maintenance at the local "Sparebank"
Commission when transferring money to Russian bank- 50 kroons (360 R), for cash withdrawal at a third-party ATM - 30 kroons (220 R) + 0.5% of the withdrawal amount.
Work and salary
There is no centralized job search in Svalbard. Jobs are sought either on the websites of companies, or they come at the invitation of acquaintances and friends from the island. Specialties requiring a Norwegian education are not available to foreigners.
Longyearbyen is highly competitive in the tourism and hospitality industries. This is due to less stringent education requirements: enough of English language and similar experience to come here to work. Guides value knowledge of additional languages, such as French or German.
900 R
per hour - minimum wage in Longyearbyen
The work is regulated by the contract. The type of contract is required - it can be permanent or seasonal. Also, the contract always indicates the hourly salary, the percentage of employment from the full working week, allowances for overtime, holidays and holidays.
The minimum payment is 125 kroons (900 R) per hour. Complete work week- 37.5 hours per week. Excluding taxes, the minimum wage for a full working month is 18,750 kroons (135,600 R).
Permanent contract - indefinite. He is covered by the law on the payment of compensation in case of forced dismissal or due to illness. Five weeks a year is paid vacation. Overtime, holidays and weekends are paid additionally, it can be either 20 or 100% hourly wages.
The seasonal contract sets the terms and percentage employment. A person with an 80% contract is not allowed to work overtime. For both types of contracts, a thirteenth salary is provided.
But there are other options for contracts. My contracts both at the hotel and at work as a guide are seasonal, but not limited in percentage. If I work more than 37.5 hours a week, overtime is not paid at the rate, but is recorded in a separate month. I will receive payment when I am on vacation. This is a trick used by some employers. But even in this case, I receive allowances for evening and night hours, Sundays and holidays in accordance with the laws.
136 600 R
minimum wage for a full month before taxes
Sample salaries are:
- cook, bartender, hotel employee - 150-180 kroons per hour (1080-1300 R);
- guide, tour guide - 180-300 kroons per hour (1300-2170 R);
- officials and civil servants - 300-430 kroons per hour (2170-3100 R);
- teachers, doctors - 270-310 crowns per hour (1950-2240 R);
- civil engineer, system administrator, police officer - 300-340 kroons per hour (2170-2450 R).
taxes
To apply for a job, you need to register with tax office and get a Norwegian identification number. When living in Svalbard for more than 12 months, a resident is required to pay a flat tax rate of 16.2%. Of these, 8% is income tax and 8.2% is insurance.
The insurance is valid from the first working day and continues for another 30 days after the last one. It entitles you to sickness benefit, sick child benefit and maternity benefit. Unemployed spouses are entitled to medical services through the insurance system while they live in Svalbard.
25%
the amount of VAT in Norway, but for residents of Svalbard it has been canceled
In Norway, the VAT is 25%, in Svalbard it is not. I order electronics, clothing and sports equipment from Norwegian online stores. When paying, tax is usually deducted immediately. Sometimes it is required to issue a tax refund after receiving the parcel, but I have never used this method.
Housing
Housing in Longyearbyen is the first thing to consider if you decide to move. Tourism is developing here, the number of jobs is growing, the pace of construction of new housing does not keep pace with tourism. This led to a housing crisis. Finding at least some apartment in Longyearbyen is already a success.
47 000 R
per month, my partner and I pay for rent
Apartments here range from one-room studios to two-story apartments with two or three bedrooms. The cost of renting a one-room apartment starts from 6,500 kroons (47,000 R). A two- or three-room apartment costs 10-15 thousand crowns per month (72-108 thousand rubles). The employer will help you find an apartment, but you can also look for it yourself. Housing for rent in the Ros & Info Longyearbyen Facebook group.
To confirm solvency, it is enough to show the work contract to the landlord.
I found accommodation through friends. We live together with a young man in a two-room apartment and pay 6,500 crowns (47,000 R) per month. Our house is located in the industrial area of Longyearbyen, so we have a view of the mountains, the fjord and the landfill from the window. We are not in a hurry to move to the city center, because we keep a dog on the street and we can have a barbecue near the house. Dogs are not allowed outside in the city.
From utility bills we pay only for electricity as we live in a house without central heating. The building does not hold heat, it is blown out by the winds. During the day, the apartment manages to cool down to +8 °C. In the evenings we turn on the electric radiators. With such electricity consumption, the quarterly bill in winter is 3500-4000 kroons (25-29 thousand rubles). In summer, the apartment is warm without additional heating, so the bill is half as much.
Some of the city's housing is owned by the Longyearbyen Community Council. These apartments are not rented out, they stand idle for months, but they have a practical purpose: people from potentially dangerous areas are temporarily relocated here if an avalanche or mudflow descends there. This happens 2-3 times a year.
This is such a small apartment. rent on Facebook for 7500 CZK per month Transport
The length of paved roads in the city and its environs is 40 km. As of 2017, 1,340 cars for 2,200 people were registered in Longyearbyen, including workers and service cars.
There is a Toyota car dealership in the city, with a car service center. Repairing or maintaining a car is expensive. Sometimes it's easier to sell. For example, changing to winter tires costs 2,000 kroons (14,500 R). For visitors there is a car rental service. A day on Kia Sportage will cost 890 crowns (6400 R), on Toyota Hilux - 1050 crowns (7600 R). I don't have my own car.
The second most popular transport is a snowmobile. According to statistics, there are 2100 snowmobiles in the city. A used snowmobile can be bought for 5,000 crowns (36,200 R), or for 80,000 crowns (578,400 R). The price depends on the model, condition and year of manufacture. I bought my snowmobile for 13,000 crowns (94,000 R). During the season from February to mid-May, my mileage does not exceed 2000 km.
94 000 R
cost my snowmobile
With a consumption of 20 liters per 100 km and the cost of gasoline 9.02 crowns per liter, the fuel costs me 3600 crowns per year (26,000 R). I pay 160 kroons per month for insurance (1160 R).
From public transport in Longyearbyen there is only a bus. It is tied to the flight schedule: first it takes tourists to hotels, and then collects them. There are no other routes. For a trip lasting 5-15 minutes, an adult ticket will cost 75 crowns (540 R). For the same way, a taxi will take 150 kroons (1080 R).
unnecessary things
The territory of Svalbard is a permafrost zone, you can't bury garbage here. Therefore, recycling is a separate issue. Covered containers are intended for household waste, and snowmobiles, cars, Appliances, furniture, etc. - stored at a local landfill. It costs some money. All garbage is then taken out for disposal in Norway.
There are two more ways to get rid of things - through Facebook and free market, it's something like a flea market. Freemarket is good way get a starter kit for a home in Svalbard. Here dishes, books, shoes, clothes, interior items are transferred from one owner to another. Once every two weeks I go to the free market for flower pots, kitchen utensils and books. At the end of the tourist season, down jackets, sleeping bags, snowmobile boots appear on the free market, and hotels distribute beds, tables and chairs.
First of all, all this care about environment. Things find a new owner, and do not end up in a landfill.
The medicine
Longyearbyen Hospital has a limited staff of doctors: a physiotherapist, a surgeon, a dentist, an obstetrician, a pediatrician and two nurses. According to the experience of acquaintances, doctors try not to prescribe medicines once again, they advise to drink more water and rest. I had to be in the hospital twice. The consultation cost 152 crowns (1100 R).
Drugs in a pharmacy are sold by prescription through a special centralized medical system. You can buy without a prescription paracetamol (43 crowns - 311 R), ibuprofen (54 crowns - 390 R) and Otrivin nasal spray (64 crowns - 463 R). When I go to Russia, I buy all kinds of pills - for coughs, allergies, pain.
311 R
costs a pack of paracetamol
If someone's health really requires urgent attention from a specialist, the patient is booked a seat on the next flight to the Tromsø hospital. Tickets, hospital and sick leave are covered by health insurance. If the patient is in serious condition, he will be evacuated by helicopter from Tromsø.
I do not trust the local hospital and I try to resolve all health issues on the mainland.
Children and education
There are both babies and teenagers in Longyearbyen, but it is not possible to give birth here because of possible complications. It is customary to leave for Tromsø 1-2 weeks before the due date or give birth in your own country. If you go to give birth in Norway, this will not give any additional rights to either the child or the parents.
By law, from 49 to 59 weeks of maternity leave are paid if the work experience is 6 out of the last 10 months. Payment is equal to the average salary for the last year. The father of the child is required to take 10 weeks of maternity leave to care for the newborn.
There are two kindergartens in the city, children from one to five years go there. The cost of a place is 2500 kroons (18,000 R) per month. If a child between the ages of 1 and 2 does not attend kindergarten, the parents receive a cash allowance.
18 000 R
per month is a kindergarten for a child
School starts at age 6. Surprisingly, in Norway there is no concept of "remaining for the second year." All students are automatically promoted to the next class.
For children in the city, events are held in the house of culture, there are sports sections and a youth center.
Language
The official language is Norwegian, but knowing English is enough to feel comfortable. English is spoken at the governor's office, at the post office, and in the store. At work I usually speak English, Norwegian when I work with mail and phone calls.
When I first arrived on the island, my level of English was only enough for limited communication in the hotel. So I started learning Norwegian. The structure of the language is similar to English. I still have a hard time with pronunciation, understanding speech at the everyday level and dialects, but I can easily read modern literature and news.
I don’t feel the lack of communication in Russian: Russian-speaking people work here in shops, hotels, restaurants. Some marry citizens of Norway, others come to earn money, others have become attached to the local way of life.
Products and food
All food is brought to the island. Perishable milk and chilled meat are delivered by plane, the rest - by dry cargo ship. The assortment of the grocery store satisfies a multinational contingent: there are products from Europe, Asia, and even Mexico. On the shelves all year round fresh fruits and vegetables. Bread and cakes are baked at the local bakery. There is also a Thai grocery store, but I rarely go there.
Prices are high even by local standards:
- bread - 37 crowns (270 R);
- sterilized milk - 18 crowns (130 R);
- eggs, 18 pieces - 50 crowns (360 R);
- apples, 1 kg - 48 crowns (340 R).
About 5,000 crowns (36,200 R) per month for food for two.
If you are too lazy to cook, there are 11 establishments in Longyearbyen, including budget eateries and luxury restaurants. There are no places where only residents of the city go: first of all, all establishments are designed for tourists.
The first course in a restaurant costs 100-200 kroons (720-1470 R), the main ones - 200-400 kroons (1470-2900 R). Dessert will cost another 70-150 crowns (510-1080 R). A cup of cappuccino costs 35-50 crowns (250-360 R).
2150 R
worth a seal steak
In Svalbard, I first tasted whale, seal and deer meat. In the hotel restaurant where I work, reindeer steak is the most expensive dish on the menu: 445 CZK (3200 R). A seal steak costs 295 crowns (2150 R), from a whale - 265 crowns (1900 R). Of course, there is also fish: a trout dish - 325 kroons (2350 R), cod - 345 kroons (2500 R). Frozen meat and fish are also delivered by bulk carrier from the mainland.
Beef sandwich at a local restaurant, 219 crowns (1600 R) Alcohol
Alcohol in Svalbard is sold according to quotas. It so happened historically: in the days of the coal industry, these measures were introduced so that the miners would not become an inveterate drunkard in the conditions of the polar night. Like a century ago, residents of the city must present an alcohol card in order to buy alcohol.
You can buy with the card per month:
- Up to 2 liters of strong alcohol or 4 liters of fortified wine.
- Up to 0.5 l of fortified wine.
- 24 cans of beer.
- Wine in reasonable quantities.
The alcohol section is a duty-free shop. For tourists, there is also a monthly quota for the purchase of alcohol. To buy a bottle of wine, tourists need to present a plane ticket.
Alcohol prices are as follows:
- a can of beer - 8-15 crowns (60-110 R);
- vodka "Russian Standard" 0.5 l - 85 kroons (615 R);
- wine - from 70 crowns (505 R).
A certain percentage of alcohol sales goes to the city. This money is distributed in the form of grants for socially significant and entertainment projects. For example, in 2017, 2.7 million crowns (19.5 million rubles) received from the sale of alcohol went to sports events, school and kindergarten educational projects, the needs of the Red Cross, and so on. Information on profit and distribution of money is in the public domain.
Crime
In Longyearbyen one ceases to be afraid for life and property. There are no homeless people and beggars in the city, all residents mostly work and have enough money to live on. Cars and houses are all left open. I lock the house and take my car keys only if I'm leaving for the mainland.
When you see people nearby with firearms in their hands, you are still sure of their adequacy. If someone does something, he will not run away from the island anywhere - this knowledge acts as a limiter.
253 000 R
can reach a fine for drunk driving. But mostly tourists are fined, not local residents.
The crime statistics in Longyearbyen include both theft and car theft. Usually they are made by drunken tourists.
For drunk driving, a fine of 12-35 thousand crowns (87-253 thousand rubles) and deprivation of a driver's license. The blood alcohol limit is 0.02 ppm. A policeman can't pay off a bribe here. Authorities also carry out raids in search of drugs. The fine for the seizure of drugs is 4000-9000 kroons (28,900-65,000 R). Possible deportation.
Leisure
The answer to the question of how to spend leisure time depends on the weather. In clear weather, you can go snowmobiling or dog sledding. Around the city, mountains and valleys are a paradise for lovers of mountain or cross-country skiing. In summer you can go hiking, boating, kayaking.
On polar nights and bad weather, I go to the gym. There is a 25 meter swimming pool and gym, climbing wall and room for team games. Local residents themselves initiate and conduct yoga, kickboxing, table tennis classes. For an annual gym membership, I pay 1950 kroons (14,100 R).
Norwegians are a nation of skiers. Skiing is very popular in Svalbard. A special machine paves the track through the city for personal training. In April, a ski marathon is held, both amateurs and Olympians participate in it - about 900 people in total. Races are held in summer: marathon, trail competitions.
The music festivals Polar Jazz and Dark Season Blues bring diversity to cultural life. A ticket for 4 days of the jazz festival costs 1800 crowns (13,000 R).
Eventually
For some, Svalbard is isolation, a test of harsh climate, polar night and high cost. For me, this is a calm, confident life in an ecological environment with the ability to engage in any activity right outside the doorstep. The cold and the absence of trees do not bother me. When I want to change the situation, I buy a plane ticket and fly to warm countries or to my family in Russia.
With all the expenses here, I manage to save 20-40% of my salary and not live on the principle of “paycheck to paycheck”. I do not plan to leave yet: I am interested in watching how the Arctic develops and being a witness of global warming.
