Finland
The outlook for UK graduates securing jobs in Finland is positive. The post-war baby-boom generations are reaching retirement and Finland is welcoming people from abroad to fill the gaps.
It is a good idea to start looking for employment before you move to Finland, although it is not vital to do so. International jobseekers are able to register with the Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) which offers advice on getting a job and helps with applications. A registration form can be completed online but this can only be done in Finnish.
Applications for jobs in Finland are usually made by a CV which should always be sent with a covering letter, although application forms are becoming more popular (including online applications), especially with larger companies. Applications can also be made through the TE Office and CVs can be posted on their CV-netti service, although this is only available in Finnish or Swedish.
Your CV or application form should always reflect your qualifications, work experience and relevant qualities for a job. A covering letter should be no longer than one side of A4, and a graduate CV no longer than two pages. Only include relevant information for the job applied. A Finnish CV is similar to that used in the UK.
Professional experience may be worth more than formal qualifications, so emphasise work experience as much as possible. As in the UK, employers are interested in your reasons for applying and are looking for evidence of teamwork, communication, IT and language skills (such as Finnish, Swedish, German, English and Russian). Some employers accept applications in English - this is often stated in the advertisement, though if possible, write your CV in one of Finland's official languages (Finnish or Swedish).
Eurograduate - the European Career Guide has a working abroad section that gives information on the application process in Finland with an example of a Finnish CV.
The amount of interviews you will have for each job varies depending on the company. You should use the Finnish language in the interview if possible and be direct, confident and concise. Smart business dress is usually expected on these occasions. There is an increasing use of group activities and psychometric tests, especially by larger organisations. Assessment centres are used for management positions and are also becoming increasingly popular for public sector jobs.
If you wish to compare your professional, vocational or technical qualifications with Finnish qualifications, consult the ENIC-NARIC website.
The Employment and Economic Development Office helps immigrants to find out how their foreign qualifications or degrees meet the requirements set by Finnish working life and what additional training might be required.
If you are planning to live and work in Finland, check your UK tax and National Insurance position with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to ensure that you are not losing any UK pension rights.
Many vacancies are filled through unofficial channels and only about one-third of jobs are actually advertised. They are found via personal networks or speculative applications. Although in the past speculative applications were mainly for larger companies, they are now becoming more common for all companies. Making direct enquiries by telephone usually gets a better response than written enquiries.
CIMO (Centre for International Mobility), organises and administers many of the scholarship, exchange and practical training programmes available in Finland. This includes their own trainee programmes as well as ones offered in trade centres, cultural institutes, international organisations and the civil service.
Traineeships are open to international graduates as well as students who have completed at least one year of university study. They are most common during the summer (June-August), but may also take place at other times of the year. The minimum training period is one month and the maximum is 18 months. See Discover Finland for further information.
CIMO (Centre for International Mobility) is the national agency for IAESTE (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) in Finland, which arranges about 200 exchanges a year with other IAESTE countries.
It is used by students wishing to obtain technical experience abroad. The majority of the exchanges take place between May and September and last between eight to twelve weeks. Applications are made through the IAESTE office in the student’s home country.
CIMO is also the national coordinator of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. If you are in vocational training your institution may offer this project which is used to arrange training exchanges. Contact your university department for more information.
For graduates interested in teaching English, there are opportunities in private schools and kindergartens, folk schools and colleges. There is also the option of freelancing. Visit Keltaiset Sivut - Yellow Pages Finland to find organisations that run English language schools in Finland (use the search criteria: kieliopisto).
The programme operates in Finland and offers voluntary work in community service projects. The majority of projects last between six to twelve months. See the website for further information.
Other volunteering opportunities that exist in Finland, include projects with International Voluntary Service (IVS) in Britain, British Council - Finland and Concordia International Volunteers.
There are many opportunities for seasonal, summer work. Roles are available in the horticultural, agricultural, catering and tourism sectors. Part-time work is not as common in Finland as in other European countries.
Gap Year opportunities include administration or hospitality roles at hotels, ski resorts or even Santa Claus' Village in Lapland. Childcare and au pair opportunities with local families are also available. More information can be found on Esprit Santa's Lapland, Natives and gap year.
The Finnish higher education system consists of polytechnics and universities. The Ministry of Education and Culture Finland steer the activities of polytechnics and universities by means of performance management.
Universities are autonomous and so are independent in their affairs and research. Degrees and Masters degrees offered are similar to those in the UK.
Polytechnics have close contact with businesses and industries at a regional level. The degrees offered by polytechnics have an occupational emphasis, designed to meet the needs of the working world.
Full-time Bachelors degrees last three years and Masters degrees take two years. Both Bachelors and Masters degree courses are classified as undergraduate degrees in Finland.
Postgraduate degrees are the Licentiate degree, which lasts two years and the Doctoral thesis, which can be done in four years but often takes longer. Doctoral studies are closely linked with research work done at universities and international institutions. Students may start working for a Doctorate once they have completed a Masters degree.
The Discover Finland website has an international study programmes database, which gives information on courses taught in English in Finnish universities and polytechnics.
There are 16 universities in Finland. Ten are multi-faculty, two are universities of technology, one is a school of economics and business administration and the remaining three are art academies. There are 25 polytechnics which operate under the Ministry of Education and Culture. A list of universities and polytechnics in Finland are available from CIMO (Centre for International Mobility) and Universities Worldwide.
World university rankings may be found on the Top Universities website and at Times Higher Education.
Higher education institutions in Finland decide independently on the eligibility of foreign qualifications, so it is necessary to contact the admissions office at the institution you are applying to. Usually, if you would be eligible to apply for higher education in your home country you would be eligible to apply for it in Finland. You may be invited to take part in an entrance examination in Finland. For some Masters degrees at polytechnics, a degree and three years of work experience is required.
Application dates vary depending on institution, course and your country of residence (some have no application deadlines) and it is necessary to contact the institution you wish to apply to for more details. You should apply in plenty of time. The academic year runs from September to May.
Applications are made directly to the university you wish to attend. Forms are available from the universities and polytechnics. For contact details, visit Discover Finland.
Some universities use the University Admissions Finland Application System, which is an online admissions service. Check the website of the relevant institution to see if this is an option.
Each course and institution has different application procedures, but in general you may be required to complete a ‘motivation letter’ or personal statement and provide copies of your degree transcript.
There are no tuition fees for Finnish or EU/EEA citizens in Finnish universities or polytechnics. Non-EU/EEA citizens may have to pay tuition fees for some selected English language Masters degrees. This may start on a trial basis in 2010-2012.
The student unions in universities charge an annual membership fee of about €42-84 to cover their activities. Membership is compulsory for those who are studying for their Bachelors or Masters degrees, but optional for those doing a Doctorate. Student union membership in polytechnics is also optional.
Students in both universities and polytechnics have to pay for their books and other materials, plus their accommodation and living expenses. The average total monthly living expenses for a student are around €700 (Source: Discover Finland).
The following websites contain information about scholarships:
UK students on undergraduate degree programmes or postgraduate Masters and some PhD programmes may be interested in spending time studying in Finland through Erasmus. This programme is open to all subject areas but check with your institution's Erasmus coordinator first (usually based in the international office) to see which countries they have links with and in which subject areas.
As part of the Bologna Process, a Finnish postgraduate course is directly comparable to the UK equivalent. Full details on comparing international qualifications are also available from the UK National Recognition Information Centre (NARIC), which gives information and advice on vocational, academic and professional qualifications from over 180 countries.
EU nationals do not need a visa or work permit but they should register their right of residence with the local police if staying for longer than three months. Non-EU nationals should check with their embassy about regulations for working in Finland and consult the Employment and Economic Development Office for more information.
EU nationals do not need to apply for a visa or work permit. If you plan to stay in Finland for longer than three months to work or study, you should register your right of residence with the local police. A written registration certificate is issued once it has been proven that the preconditions for residence have been met. See the Employment and Economic Development Office for more information.
If you are from a non-EU country, applications may be made from your home country via the Finnish Immigration Service. If you are living in the UK, go to British Embassy Finland.
You might also find it helpful to contact your ministry of foreign affairs (or your own embassy if you are not living in your home country) to ask whether there are any issues to be taken into account when considering working in Finland.
An EU citizen automatically has the right to permanent residency in Finland after living there for an uninterrupted period of five years. They may receive a certificate of the right to permanent residence.
Almost every big municipality has its own employment office (työvoimatoimistot) that provides information about jobs throughout Finland, vocational guidance and career planning services. Additionally, they can give you information about study opportunities, the labour market, professions and job profiles. Some have special units for students and graduates and cooperate closely with educational institutions, sometimes even having a presence in the university careers service.
Many employment offices in the larger municipalities have international labour advisers or EURES - European Job Mobility Portal advisers, trained to help and advise people from other countries looking for jobs in Finland. As well as the EURES advisers, most of the other staff members speak or understand English. All local employment office services are free.
Details of employment offices are available on the Employment and Economic Development Office website. It is also possible to write to the relevant employment office before going to Finland for details of job and training opportunities.
There are careers services at every university in Finland, similar to the UK. They are usually called rekrytointipalvelut (urapalvelut and työllistymispalvelut are other terms used in Finnish, Arbetsforum and Ekonomforum in Swedish). Their main aim is to facilitate recruitment, which they do by means of career counselling, career fairs and web pages, which provide links for students to employers, vacancies and other relevant information.
Students and employers may place CVs and vacancies on some careers services websites themselves. Subject to a preliminary interview, students may sometimes also become part of a confidential CV database, which is searched by the career service at the request of employers. All career services encourage networking and self-marketing skills and run courses in effective job seeking.
The facilities and services offered by each university careers service are normally restricted to students of that university. Contact details for the university careers services may be found on the Aarresaari website, which is a network of academic career services representing around 18 Finnish universities.
The British Embassy Finland provides help if you get into difficulty in Finland, offering a range of advice and services, including issuing replacement passports, help if you have been a victim of crime and details of local services.
The emergency number, 112, is used for ambulances, the fire brigade, police and emergency social services.
Find the latest travel advice and a travellers' checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.
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