Meet Courtney: The Nurse Commuting 5,300 Miles to Work

Do you think you have a long commute? Then you haven't heard of Courtney El Refai. She regularly commutes 5,300 miles—from her home in Knivsta to her job in California. – I like it, says the 32-year-old.

After American Courtney El Refai, 32, met a Swedish man, she moved to Sweden. For the past six months, the couple has lived in Knivsta, in the Uppsala region, with their two-year-old daughter.

But she didn't leave everything behind on the other side of the Atlantic—she kept her job in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

– We moved to Sweden a few years ago when I was pregnant. I had quit my job and we had sold everything we owned, but it didn't work out, so we returned to the USA. When we moved back again, I thought it would be easier to keep my job, says Courtney.

Commuting – 5,300 Miles

This means she regularly commutes the more than 5,300 miles between her home in Sweden and her workplace in the USA.

– The flight takes between 11 and 14 hours. I usually have a layover in Copenhagen because there are direct flights from there to San Francisco, says Courtney.

The unique situation is possible because her job as a nurse in a neonatal unit allows her to decide when to work. The employment form is called per diem, which means working as needed without fixed scheduled times.

– I usually gather all my shifts at the end of the month. Sometimes it means I work eight to ten days in a row, but I usually have a rest day in between. After that, I'm off for about six weeks, which allows me to be home in Sweden during that time. This year, I've been to the USA three times, says Courtney.

“Earning More Working Part-Time in the USA”

A common question she gets is whether the arrangement is financially viable, she explains.

– And it is. I actually earn more working part-time in the USA than I would working full-time as a nurse in Sweden. I wouldn't fly so far to work if it wasn't profitable.

But there are, of course, some downsides, Courtney explains.

– The biggest is probably that I need to fly so often, considering how bad it is for the environment. Being away from my family in Sweden for such long periods can also be tough.

Courtney doesn't have a nursing license in Sweden, which means she currently can't work in healthcare here. Even if she were to get the license in the future, she doesn't think she would abandon her current lifestyle.

– I think even if I start working in Sweden in the future, I probably wouldn't want a traditional nine-to-five job. I will likely continue to keep my job in California because the requirements there are so flexible.