StalinsLeftTesticle_ at 2024-03-10 17:30:32+00:00 ID: ku8ul4h

You have two options:

1. You can apply for a work and residence permit after you have gotten a job. Generally, the job either has to pay extremely well (well above average), or it has to be skilled work in high demand (the aforementioned "positive list"). Since high school teachers fall under the second category, that route is a legitimate option, but you would not be able to be hired with a foreign degree unless you both speak Danish at an advanced or near-native level, and you have relevant work experience as a high school teacher.
2. You can apply to start a business in Denmark. For this, you'd need to show that you are a successful entrepreneur looking to start an innovative company in Denmark. You'd also need to come up with funding for this, I can't recall the exact number, but it's in the hundreds of thousands of dollars as far as I remember. However, this would not let you teach in high school: this visa is contingent on you operating that business in Denmark, and you'd need to apply for a different work visa if you wanted to work as a teacher, and as such the conditions in option 1 apply.

My recommendation to you is that if you want to come to Denmark as soon as possible, don't even bother with trying to become a teacher here. It will take at least another 10 years (5 years university education, 5 years work as a high school teacher in the US). Your chances would be infinitely better if you went for some sort of technical degree in high demand and applied at one of the larger Danish companies like Novo Nordisk, Lego, Vestas, etc.

On a personal note, with all of this in mind, I would strongly, and I mean really strongly recommend against planning your future academic and work life around the goal of moving in with your Danish boyfriend as soon as possible. Earlier in my life, when I was just a bit older than you, I made this exact same mistake for a girl, and untangling that mess was a huge clusterfuck I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. And I was planning on moving from one EU country to another, so I wouldn't have had to deal with immigration regulations, either!

AntsAndThoreau at 2024-03-10 17:34:51+00:00 ID: ku8vcet

The Startup Denmark scheme is specifically for people wanting to start a business within Denmark.

You should take a look at this page. You have two paths in particular, which may help you get a residence permit. One is applying for a student residence permit to pursue a Danish education (for instance, MSc in Math) followed by a job seeking residence permit after finishing your education. The other is getting a job offer from a Danish company.

After having resided in Denmark legally for 8 uninterrupted years, you can apply for permanent residence.

LtSaLT at 2024-03-10 17:44:12+00:00 ID: ku8wyyc

The visa you are quoting there is the "Start-up scheme" which is for people who want to start a business in Denmark, so not really relevant for someone wanting to become a teacher.

The regular work visa requires you to have received a job offer in Denmark before applying/moving. Essentially, an employer needs to sponsor your visa and tell the government, "we will hire this person", that's the basis on which a work visa is granted.

It's obviously going to be pretty difficult to get a school to hire you and sponsor your visa, if you have never lived in Denmark, no proof of Danish skills and only degrees from foreign countries.

I honestly think the easiest path would be a student visa and getting your university degree in Denmark, you would then have a Danish degree and the student visa would allow you to search for jobs while actually living in the country.