The weight of invisibility

A #ForgottenGold Story.

Photographs: Jen Jul / Celine Martin-Pedersen

Text: Aamna Tauheed

“Nine years ago, I left Alaska with the hope and belief that I would have a better quality of life and professional opportunities in Denmark, but I was wrong. My life in Denmark has become more stressful and exhausting during these years,” says teary-eyed Jen while sharing her story. Jen’s feelings are not exclusive; many educated and multilingual internationals living in Denmark share these sentiments.

Foreigners come with the belief that, aside from familial love, social and professional skills will help them establish lives and a friendly community in a new country, but the majority are still struggling. They don’t feel welcomed in Danish society because it is challenging for Danes to make friends outside their circle, leading to a persistent sense of disconnect.

Finding professional opportunities in Denmark is one of the biggest challenges for internationals. People who moved across continents, hoping to add value to a new society, later silently bear the weight of continuous social and job rejections in Denmark. These individuals are the faces of our #TheForgottenGold movement—a growing initiative to highlight the struggles of overlooked skilled International Professionals.

Jen is also among immigrants who constantly struggle, trying to survive rather than thrive and wishing to quench their thirst for a prosperous life with a stable career. That’s why we are showcasing her story in our series highlighting her difficulties as an expat in Denmark.

Desire for a smooth beginning

Jen, a doting mom of five kids, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generalist and an MBA from Alaska, joined us on a video call to share her life in Denmark as an International, despite living here for a long time.

Jen lives in Denmark with her Danish spouse, a professional musician, and their children. Love and marriage brought her here from Alaska, and she stayed here for family because her kids feel secure. She shared these details when we discussed her reasons for moving to Denmark in 2016.

When she moved to Denmark, she carried her dreams along with her other belongings. She was hopeful that a good mix of warmth, ambition, and professional skills would improve her life in Denmark. However, it became a paradox. The traditionally cold behaviour in a new country has created a sense of emptiness and dejection. Today, she identifies as a minority in Denmark, and her desire to live happily and peacefully seems challenging. Lack of social acceptance, a different and complex language and cultural barriers are the apparent reasons for her anguish and resentment. She always feels disconnected from the Danish environment because Danes are hard to befriend, and building a community in Denmark is a daunting task for internationals.

“I did everything right, from learning a language to adopting a new culture, but Denmark still refuses to accept me. The cultural fit holds me back more than the language, and I consider returning to the USA or Alaska every day. Family love and the hope for better days keep me here.” Pain and disappointment were visible in her voice and face during the conversation.

Professional invisibility and constant rejections

“Before moving to Denmark, everyone, including my husband, said that finding a good job wouldn’t be hard for me here. I am qualified and have extensive work experience in the USA. I hold a degree in Business Administration and have worked for corporations in the United States for over twenty years. My life in Alaska and the USA wasn't perfect, but I was working and thriving professionally. I worked on a senior position, know how to work hard and run a family financially.”

Like many expats, Jen arrived in Denmark with extensive professional experience and a sound work ethic. She applied for multiple jobs but received only a handful of interviews. A few of her acquaintances suggested that she remove her picture from the CV before sending the job applications. She followed that strategy and received some interview calls, but faced constant rejection during the recruitment process. According to her, she did everything "right" to rebuild her career in Denmark, but the system didn’t meet her halfway.

In Jen's words: “People like me, educated, skilled and multilingual have given everything to this country but received nothing in return. We don’t fit in the Danish boxes because we differ from the imaginary picture they created for their next hire. We’re not from their social networks because networking is key to getting a respectable Danish job. We’re either too much for them or not enough all at.”

In these nine years, she only did one job in Greenland and left it after facing discriminatory behaviour at her workplace. Jen shared that she had experienced discrimination before, but not that blatantly. That workplace had a consistent vibe of superiority and an inferiority complex, and it affected her mental health as well. While speaking the local language at her workplace, her Danish was not perfect, even though she tried; however, she was judged before speaking due to her accent, appearance, and age. She never got a chance to exhibit her skills.

Professional stability and finding a job that matches her competencies are a constant struggle for her, as is the case for many international professionals living in Denmark. This whole journey of job seeking is psychologically and physically taxing for her.

Jen's experience reflects what systemic segregation looks like, or the hidden cost of a dream of rebuilding life in a new country. It doesn’t always scream with slurs or overt discrimination. Instead, it whispers through unanswered job applications, silent treatment, ghosting, and cold behaviour from company recruiters and hiring managers towards international talent in Denmark.

After years of continuous effort, it is still difficult for her to manage groceries and tell her children to wait for the shoes they need. Denmark is an expensive country to live in, and her family hasn’t explored Denmark yet or visited nearby countries because they lack sufficient money, and the children are aware of this.

These circumstances have become her reason for choosing the new path of entrepreneurship.

"I did everything right, from learning a language to adopting a new culture, but Denmark still refuses to accept me. The cultural fit holds me back more than the language, and I consider returning to the USA or Alaska every day. Family love and the hope for better days keep me here."

A sudden plan of entrepreneurship

Launching a podcast and starting a journey in entrepreneurship isn’t Jen`s plan, but her way of staying active in the Danish job market. “I didn’t choose this path unintentionally, and highlighting the challenges of immigrants in Denmark was the purpose of initiating the podcast. Speaking up for myself and others was my strategy for survival. Similarly, the mission to simplify Artificial Intelligence, especially for people (mothers of my age), was a lifeline when the system shuts everything off my face," she says.

Even after beginning her journey as an entrepreneur and podcaster, she still bears the burden of invisibility in the Danish job market. She continues to seek opportunities and collaborations where she feels accepted and can showcase her skills and competencies as an educated international professional. All she needs is one opportunity.

Beyond the hashtag

Jen hasn’t demanded a 6-figure salary for her professional success in Denmark. She is only looking for a company that recognises her worth and allows her to contribute professionally. "I want to thrive professionally and personally. I yearn to experience the softness of life again and have sufficient breathing space, where I don’t have to worry constantly about how much money I have left in my bank account. I want to podcast. I want to cook. I want peace and to set a good example for my children.” She says in a firm tone at the end of our conversation.

There’s a deep sense of humanity in Jen`s wish. She is not asking for sympathy or charity. She has raised her voice to get her fundamental right to live with dignity and social recognition.

Jen's story and our #TheForgottenGold movement are more than just a hashtag. It’s a voice that demands better hiring practices, integration policies, and greater realisation of the challenges that international talent living in Denmark faces.

The system needs to shift, and policies should be redesigned so that locals and internationals can grow together and bridge the gap between them. Until that changes, Denmark risks losing economic opportunity and talented individuals.