Why a nurse commutes from Sweden to California for work.(Representational picture)
Courtney El Refai, 32, lives close to Stockholm together with her husband and younger daughter however nonetheless works as a per diem nurse within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a San Francisco Bay Area hospital.
Moving from California to Sweden
El Refai moved to Sweden in December, describing it as a “actually good place to boost a household.” She and her husband pay lower than $1,500 a month for his or her condominium and use public transport as a substitute of proudly owning a automobile.
But her profession stays within the US. Every few weeks, El Refai boards a $450 round-trip flight with solely a carry-on bag and spends round 10 days in California masking her required shifts. She rents a room for $50 an evening from one other healthcare employee or house-sits at no cost throughout her keep, in accordance with a Business Insider report.
“I do know the commute is totally outrageous, however think about having six weeks off after working 10 days on a repeated sample,” she stated in a viral TikTok video.
How the tremendous commute works
As a per diem nurse, El Refai is required to work at the very least 4 eight-hour shifts in every four-week interval. She usually clusters her shifts on the finish of 1 schedule and the beginning of the following, which reduces the variety of flights and maximises her time again in Sweden.
Her scrubs and automobile are already in California, so as soon as she lands, her first day often includes grocery buying earlier than reporting for obligation. A traditional shift is eight hours, however time beyond regulation can stretch to 12.
Why the commute pays off
For El Refai, the weird association is value it. She earns greater than $100 an hour in California, whereas having fun with a decrease value of dwelling in Sweden.
“It is financially value it as a result of the wage within the Bay Area is simply so excessive, and the price of dwelling in Sweden is quite a bit lower than … California,” she advised Business Insider. “When I work for 10 days straight, it’s mainly sufficient cash to cowl a number of months of payments in Sweden.”
The setup additionally provides her extra freedom at house. “Having my per diem job provides me loads of flexibility, so I’m in a position to deal with different issues slightly than work after I’m right here in Sweden, like studying the language or making mates, spending time with my daughter, and pursuing different hobbies,” she defined.
The challenges of twin dwelling
While the approach to life seems glamorous from the skin, El Refai admits it isn’t simple.
“Everyone appears to assume that life between two nations is the dream, however let me inform you why it’s not,” she advised her 11,000 Instagram followers in a clip titled The not so glamorous lifetime of twin dwelling.
Among the downsides: frequent jet lag, the pressure of a nine-hour time distinction, and the sense of by no means feeling absolutely at house in both nation. “When I’m in Sweden, I discover it generally troublesome to maintain up with family and friends within the States, and after I’m again within the States, generally it’s onerous to maintain up with what’s taking place in Sweden,” she stated.
There’s additionally the problem of dwelling out of suitcases and continuously readjusting to life on two continents.
But for now, the professionals outweigh the cons for El Refai: a excessive wage in California, inexpensive dwelling in Sweden, and the possibility to be each a working nurse and a stay-at-home mom.
“That is one thing that no 9-to-5 job will ever give me.”
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