FAQs

Where is Belgrade?

Belgrade is located in South East Europe and is the capital and largest city in Serbia. Located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, Belgrade is an interesting mix of culture, architecture and food. Think of it as the perfect mix of East and West. But don’t take our word for it, read what Lonely Planet says.

How big is Belgrade?

Belgrade is the biggest city in Serbia and is one of the biggest cultural, economic and political hubs in South East Europe. In terms of population, its metro area has about 1.7 million people, which compares to 7.6 million for the San Francisco Bay Area and 8.8 million for Greater London. Its size means that commuting times are far more manageable than bigger cities and never tend to exceed 45 minutes. 

What’s the weather like?

Temperatures during the summer, which lasts from June to September, are usually around the 30°C/80°F mark. Winters, which last from December to February, are on average around 5°C/45°F. Throughout the year, we get an incredible total of 2,112 of sunny hours. On average, the sun shines 48.2% of the time during daylight hours!

What language do people speak?

The official language in Belgrade is Serbian — a language of Slavic origin, which is very similar to Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin. Don’t speak Serbian? Not a problem. Most people in Belgrade speak English. In fact, Serbia ranked 17th in the EF English Proficiency Index, well ahead of other European countries, such as Spain (ranked 25th), Italy (ranked 28th) and France (ranked 29th). If you or your family are interested in learning Serbian, we offer both free in-person and online classes.

What currency is used?

The official currency in Belgrade is the Serbian Dinar (RSD). See the current exchange rates with the US Dollar, the Euro and the British Pound. All major foreign currencies can be exchanged in banks and currency exchange offices throughout the country. Likewise, ATMs are readily available and can be used 24/7/365.

How affordable is living in Belgrade?

If you are wondering how much you can expect to pay for rent or your weekly grocery shop, head over to Numbeo to compare the cost of living in Serbia to your country.

In which timezone is Belgrade?

Belgrade lies in the Central European Time (CET) timezone, which means that local time is UTC+1. We’re in the same timezone as Berlin and Paris, 1 hour ahead of London and 6 hours ahead of New York.

How accessible is Belgrade?

Traveling to and from Belgrade is very easy. Belgrade airport, which is located 18km/11mi from the city center, offers over 50 destinations worldwide, including direct flights to all European countries, the USA and the UAE.

Will you help me relocate to Belgrade?

Yes. Once your offer goes through, our team will take care of making your transitions as smooth as possible. We will deal with arranging your travel, temporary accommodation, shipping and legal paperwork for you and your family. Read more about moving to Belgrade here.

Will you help me move my pet(s)?

Yes, we will! Your pets are part of you family, too!

Do I need a Serbian work permit & visa?

Most likely yes. This is a simple process that we will take care of entirely. Upon your arrival in Serbia, we will obtain the adequate paperwork for you and your family to live in Serbia. You can read more about the papers required here.

Me and my partner are not married, can they get a residence permit?

No worries, we’ve got you covered! We will assist you in the process of getting a residence permit for your partner, as well. Just a couple of additional documents will be needed and you’re good to go!

Will you help me find housing?

Yes. We’ll work with you and with local agencies to find the right place for you and your family. If you’re an expat, we’ll also cover the costs for one year of transitionary housing and extended housing for senior-level positions.

Which neighborhoods do you recommend living in?

The most popular neighborhoods are those of Vračar, Dorćol, Dedinje and New Belgrade. Vračar and Dorćol are closer to downtown Belgrade and may be better for you if you want to enjoy the city’s social scene. Dedinje may be better if you have a young family because most of the international schools are based there. Alternatively, New Belgrade is great because it flanks both the Sava and Danube rivers, which means plenty of green spaces, but it is also a short walk from the Nordeus office.

Will you help me with repatriation?

Whether you decide to retire in Belgrade or move on to your next adventure a few years down the road, we’ve got you covered. We’ll help you move you back home with all the same services that were used for your relocation.

What’s it like to live in Belgrade?

Living in Belgrade is awesome! It’s a very safe place and enjoyable place to live. The city offers a great quality of life and its cost of living is one of the lowest in Europe. To give you an example, rent is 92% lower here than in San Francisco, 86% lower than in London and 63% lower than in Berlin. Get a more in-depth comparison here.

What is the healthcare like and what do you cover?

We offer a premium coverage medical insurance package to all our people, as well as their dependents. This will give you access to all needed medical, dental and vision services, the best doctors and clinics in the private sector. For more information on what is covered, please get in touch with us.

What international schools are there in Belgrade?

Belgrade is home to a large amount of top international schools. These include the Chartwell International School, the International School of Belgrade, the Prima International School, the Brook Hill International School, the Deutsche Schule Belgrad and the Ecole Francaise de Belgrade. International kindergartens include the International Primary School, the International Preschool Belgrade and the International Nursery Belgrade.

Are there English-speaking babysitters in Belgrade?

Yes. There are a whole bunch of options for English speaking babysitters. A favorite service among our expats is The Babysitter’s Club.

How easy is it to get around Belgrade?

Belgrade’s urban area is well connected with a wide public transportation network of buses and trams where a 90-minute ride costs €0.70/$0.80USD. Here is a link to Belgrade’s public transportation map. Although Uber currently doesn’t operate in Serbia, other similar services exist, such as NaxisTaxi and Car:Go. There are also plenty of regular taxi cabs that are very affordable. If you want to drive, you’ll need an EU driving license or an International Driving Permit.

What do people do for fun in Belgrade?

Belgrade is an awesome place to have a good time. Belgrade really is a city of discovery where new bars, restaurants, clubs, shops and galleries are constantly popping up. It also has a thriving arts and music scene, plenty of parks and forests and sports facilities for all kinds of enthusiasts.

Which events do you recommend?

A whole bunch of music, film and arts festivals take place every year in Belgrade. Check out these links for more information: EXIT Summer Music Festival, Belgrade Jazz Festival, FEST International Film Festival, Belgrade Dance Festival, Belgrade Cultural Center and Belgrade Youth Center.

What is there to do outdoors?

Belgrade has plenty of outdoor recreation and sports to choose from. Its riverbanks offers plenty of space to go running, biking or for a nice walk. Other beautiful green spaces include Kalemegdan, Ada Ciganlija, Ratno Ostrvo and Košutnjak. For those with kids, there are outdoor playgrounds in most parks.

What language do we speak in Nordeus?

We use English for all our office communication. This means that all documents, emails, Slack messages and meetings are held in English. Should you want to learn Serbian, we offer both in-person and online classes for our Expats and their families.

Can I choose my tech?

Yes you can. We have a wide selection of tech for you to pick from and are constantly adding to it based on feedback from our teams. We want you to have all the tools and latest technology you need to get your job done.

What kind of L&D opportunities do you offer?

We see the value in investing in our people and that’s why we take L&D seriously. Not only do we have dedicated HR partners who act as consultants for all people related topics, we offer unlimited opportunities in terms of professional growth. This includes paid travel to conferences and trainings worldwide, unlimited access to books and online courses. The bottom line: if it’s important to you, it’s important to us.

What kind of working hours do you have?

Nordeans are awesome people who are passionate about what they do and responsible to get the work done. That’s why we don’t have fixed working hours. As long as you get the job done and are able to be a team player, we empower you to work in a way that’s best for you. Coincidentally, that’s why we also offer unlimited vacations.

Do you really offer unlimited vacations?!

Yes we do! Vacations are not only crucial to our happiness and health, they also boost productivity. Because we operate on a culture of trust where the focus is on achieving great results, unlimited vacations works great for us. We’re sure you’ll love it too!

Do you sponsor trips back home for expats?

Yes. We offer our expats and their families two return trips to their home countries a year.

What kind of activities do you put on?

Having fun is a big part of who we are. We organise plenty of weekly activities, such as football, basketball and yoga. 

How are your compensation packages?

We use home-country compensation data to create competitive compensation packages for all our people.

Why are you hiring expats?

We focus on hiring, developing and retaining the best people in the world for our roles. Due to the nature of the industry, that very often means hiring internationally. And that’s cool with us. We love the diversity our people bring.

How can I apply?

Easy! Go over to our careers page and check out our open positions. Follow the instructions and apply.

How did you as a company respond to the pandemic?

Back in March, before the lockdown took place, everyone was sent home to set up their home offices and prepare their space for remote work. Being in the digital industry, we managed to transition to fully remote overnight. During the summer of last year, we decided to open up the office to 20% of the company, or around 30 people, to aid those who needed a safe space to be productive. That meant one person per room while following all the precautionary measures. Here, you can read more about our approach from summer 2020.

What were some of your learnings during WFH?

You can click here to find out the WFH perspective from the point of view of the Nordeans as well as some of our initial learnings.

How did you manage to keep everyone at Nordeus engaged during WFH?

A bunch of caring people at Nordeus have managed to keep us engaged by putting together online celebrations of company milestones, socially distanced activities during the summer of 2021 such as drive-in cinema, kayaking, and many more. Follow us on social media to be the first to see what we have been up to!

Some other initiatives we introduced during WFH were:
– Flexible Fridays with no organized meetings.
– Two weeks off for the whole company as an additional mental break from work.
– Food delivery prepared by our in-house catering. They delivered more than 75.000 meals over the course of 42 weeks while supporting 50 small businesses that have been affected by the pandemic.
– Location-free working. Keeping in mind that 20 nationalities work at Nordeus, this proved especially convenient for our expat colleagues who got a chance to spend time with their families and work from Brazil, Portugal, Japan, Italy, Poland and many other countries.

Did you hire during WFH?

Our hiring has not halted during the work from home, quite the contrary. We are happy to say we are even more numerous than at the start of the pandemic. We hired around 40 people since working from home, more than half being women. We cannot wait for them to get the full Nordeus experience, feel our culture, our energy, our values, in a way all of us have felt when we joined.  One of our biggest strengths at Nordeus is our culture. There is no better way to experience it than to come to our office and spend time with us because the atmosphere at Nordeus is something we are very proud of. That cannot be felt through the screens.

What is your criteria for planning the return to the office?

There are many different sources we have taken into consideration, before making an informed decision to gradually return to our home away from home.

Here is the criteria we are taking into consideration when returning back to the office:

– Immunization of our employees – around 80% of our employees have been fully vaccinated on a volunteer basis.
– External sources – government guidance, global and local health agencies (WHO and government health institutions), epidemiological data modeling and predictions, practices of world’s leading companies, outside health expertise (e.g. HSE outsourcer) and consultation with a leading immunization expert.
– Last but not least, the sentiment of our people and our specific situations. The majority of our people are looking for a change of scenery and regaining social interaction, safely. The overall sentiment has been positive, especially coming from our new hires that have joined during the working from home period who can’t wait to get the full Nordeus experience, feel our culture, our energy, our values, in a way all of us have felt when we joined.

What is your overall work from office strategy?

There are many different pieces of puzzles we are putting together, and are giving the best to customize our approach according to the company size, culture and specific circumstances.

We will experiment in the next few months and try to replicate “normal” working conditions under controlled and safe circumstances. In short, we will remain flexible, taking into account both the local and global situation, official metrics, the advice of the experts in the field, as well as the sentiment of our people.

Thursdays and Fridays will be remote workdays while Friday will remain the no-meeting day, a practice that we introduced during WFH and has proven effective ever since. In case of the situation changes,  we will adjust our approach accordingly, and if there is a need, we are ready to switch back to WFH immediately at any point in time. 

Our focus has been and will remain on the well-being of our people and their families.

Have all your employees been vaccinated?

Currently, over 80% of our people have been fully vaccinated on a volunteer-based approach.

What are some health and safety precautions you are taking in the office?

Even before the pandemic, our office space was designed to respond to flexible and comfortable working conditions for 250 people and there are 170 of us currently at Nordeus. That means that with 6.000 m2, Nordeans can enjoy 25 m2 of personal space each with the official recommendation being 10-12 m2 per person.

Apart from actively looking at the situation both locally and globally, there are a number of precautions we will keep in place in the office as we gradually head back. Here are some of them:

– Four people per office. In case they have been fully vaccinated they can take off their masks.
– Wearing masks when in our shared space.
– Keeping the safe 2m distance when in our shared space.
– Masks and disinfectants are available at every corner of our office for the convenience of our people.
– Our space maintenance has been taken to another level during the pandemic and we continue taking it very seriously. There’s a 100% fresh flow intake through our ventilation system and also a possibility for natural ventilation.

Does this mean you are working exclusively from the office?

Every person’s circumstances are different, and we are taking them into account in order to remain flexible and be able to customize our back-to-the-office approach. We are leaving this up to the individual and their manager to figure out the best way to accommodate those that are unable to join us in the office.

What is next?

No one knows what the future holds, but we want to test and experiment with our ways of working in a safe and controlled environment while the circumstances allow it. During the work from home, we have introduced a lot of tools that nurture cooperation and knowledge sharing such as interactive whiteboards suitable for workshops and cross-team collaboration. Some of these practices we will definitely continue to implement in the future, no matter if we are in the office or at home. Furthermore, the team has focused on upgrading the current workplace technology to support the hybrid mode of working. In case of the situation changes, we are ready to switch back to WFH immediately at any point in time.