Methodology

1. Base country and pay sources

Each career is first authored for Sweden, because Swedish pay data is unusually open: Statistics Sweden (SCB) publishes median gross monthly pay by occupation, and the major unions and employer organisations publish collective-agreement salary statistics per role and experience level. Public-sector roles such as police officers, nurses, teachers and physicians are calibrated against published municipal and regional pay scales.

Figures are always gross monthly pay before tax, excluding bonuses unless a bonus is a standard part of the role, in which case it is described in the profile text.

2. The fifteen-year pay curve

A single starting salary hides most of what matters. Every role therefore carries a curve with points at year 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15, shaped by three inputs: the entry level from the sources above, the observed spread between junior and senior pay in the same occupation, and the realistic promotion track (for example, a nurse specialising, a developer moving to senior or lead, a chef moving to sous and head chef).

Curves are deliberately conservative. They model a typical career, not a top performer in a top employer, and they do not assume a move into general management unless that is the normal path for the role.

3. Converting between 36 countries

When you switch country, we do not simply convert Swedish kronor at today's exchange rate. Each country carries a pay-level factor relative to Sweden, derived from national average wage levels and price levels, so the result reflects what the role typically pays in that labour market. The converted figure is then formatted in the local currency and local number convention.

This makes cross-country comparison meaningful, but it is a model. For a binding number, always check a local job posting or a national statistics office.

4. “Jobs you can do in English”

Each career and country pair carries an estimate of how much of the local job market is open to someone who does not speak the national language. It combines three factors: how language-bound the work is (a courtroom lawyer is near-total, a backend developer is not), the share of employers in that field operating internationally, and the general English proficiency of the country. Regulated professions with a statutory language requirement are capped accordingly. Typical results range from roughly 6 per cent for law to around 34 per cent for software roles in Sweden.

5. Day-in-the-life and education routes

Daily breakdowns describe a representative working day: what happens, whether it is done alone or in a team, and how often it recurs in a month. They are written from job descriptions, professional body role definitions, and published practitioner accounts of the work.

Education routes point to official national channels only: government study portals, central application services, accreditation registers and public funding bodies. We do not list private course sellers in that section, and we are not paid to include any institution.

6. Review, updates and corrections

Drafting and translation tools are used in production, and every profile is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Salary benchmarks are re-checked at least annually, and whenever a reader flags a discrepancy.

Found something wrong? Email info@careercompass-global.com with the career, the country and the figure, and we will correct it or explain the source. See also our terms and disclaimer.