hi i am new here...
i live in tasmania and i am just taking the first steps in considering moving to Finland. i was born in finland and so was my husband. we have both spent most of our lives in australia. we have 3 children : 2 girls 17 and 15 and boy 11. i am concerned will my kids adjust to the culture in finland. they want to try - they have had contact with the finnish community here in australia all their life and understand a fair bit i think. but i know from personal experience, i moved to finland at the age of 15 for 2 years i found it really difficult. ( i am 36 now) there were good and bad points...but at 17 australia seemed the easy option...
i want to make any decisions with our eyes open and all i can see is obsticles : mainly because we are not highly educated but our expectations for living are not high either- we live on a low income here. (we are hard workers...just not intellectuals and relationship is more important to us than money and status)
something is pulling me back even though i know it's not easy to move and easy to "get on your feet". is there anyone out there in a similar situation...most people i know who have moved there have had degrees and lots of money to move with. also having older children - is it a huge risk? we are a VERY adaptable close nit family....thats what makes the move a possibility in my mind. i know we would have the help of my family and relatives in finland if we did decide to go ahead.
just thinking at this stage...
Hi! Welcome to ..
Job situation is difficult even for well qualified people.
Do you still have relatives/friends here?
Thinking of your children adjusting, Finland, in the bigger cities at least, may have changed somewhat in the last 15 years. More foreigners and I guess younger people getting more used to that and more open to foreigners.
Language is important unless you can find "niche" work that doesn't need Finnish/Swedish.
Starting in 2010 more people will be leaving the workfoce than joining it (big baby boom effect will start then). This means job situation for all types including, maybe especially, unskilled will be easier.
No idea what Tasmania is like but consensus is that Finland is good for bringing up chlidren. So although jobs would be the main problem it could be a good idea if you can overcome those difficuties.
Job situation is difficult even for well qualified people.
Do you still have relatives/friends here?
Thinking of your children adjusting, Finland, in the bigger cities at least, may have changed somewhat in the last 15 years. More foreigners and I guess younger people getting more used to that and more open to foreigners.
Language is important unless you can find "niche" work that doesn't need Finnish/Swedish.
Starting in 2010 more people will be leaving the workfoce than joining it (big baby boom effect will start then). This means job situation for all types including, maybe especially, unskilled will be easier.
No idea what Tasmania is like but consensus is that Finland is good for bringing up chlidren. So although jobs would be the main problem it could be a good idea if you can overcome those difficuties.
thanks
thank you for the welcome and the reply. yes i do have family and relatives in finland and my husband and i both speak fluent finnish although we do sound a bit "aussified". tasmania is also a high unemployment state and a great place to raise kids... but we have both managed to find work very quickly, and jobs we enjoy.
my family have also said that finland is VERY different from when i was there last and that our children would have a very different experience to what i did. not to say my experience was all bad - i love finland, australia just had more opportunities at the age of 17 for me. things have changed here and every young person struggles to get a job here too.
anyway i'll keep thinking and enjoying reading of everyones experiences i can relate to alot of the comments made and feel very much "in touch" with the whole finland experience again.
my family have also said that finland is VERY different from when i was there last and that our children would have a very different experience to what i did. not to say my experience was all bad - i love finland, australia just had more opportunities at the age of 17 for me. things have changed here and every young person struggles to get a job here too.
anyway i'll keep thinking and enjoying reading of everyones experiences i can relate to alot of the comments made and feel very much "in touch" with the whole finland experience again.
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Hank W.
- The Motorhead
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Ok, No Finnish => school = damn hard. The kids will have to really cram it if they want to "get anywhere". Now the other question is, what do you guys intend/imagine of doing as work here? If you look at the http://www.mol.fi website, do you have jobs there waiting?
I think I have a dozen guys including me that would take the next plane over to Tasmania immediately if they were asked in November....
I think I have a dozen guys including me that would take the next plane over to Tasmania immediately if they were asked in November....
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
Hello and welcome Ulrika!
I've lived in Finland for a total of 4 years, and, while I am proud of what I've accomplished here (fluency in the language, started a small business, met a lot of very interesting people), it is starting to dawn on me that this is a very difficult country in which to get results and financial stability from personal motivation, so my Finnish husband and I look forward to moving back to my country (USA) within a couple of years.
Basically I'd say that Finland is an ideal place to live for needy people and those who are content with very few assets....the unemployed, those with physical or mental disorders or illnesses, those with large families, etc. Benefits, benefits, benefits galore. The holidays have holidays.
For those who are well-educated in an area other than IT, motivated, creative, assertive, and self-guided, I wouldn't recommend it. There are a number of threads on this topic, so you can get a variety of viewpoints.
Good luck in whatever you decide!
I've lived in Finland for a total of 4 years, and, while I am proud of what I've accomplished here (fluency in the language, started a small business, met a lot of very interesting people), it is starting to dawn on me that this is a very difficult country in which to get results and financial stability from personal motivation, so my Finnish husband and I look forward to moving back to my country (USA) within a couple of years.
Basically I'd say that Finland is an ideal place to live for needy people and those who are content with very few assets....the unemployed, those with physical or mental disorders or illnesses, those with large families, etc. Benefits, benefits, benefits galore. The holidays have holidays.
For those who are well-educated in an area other than IT, motivated, creative, assertive, and self-guided, I wouldn't recommend it. There are a number of threads on this topic, so you can get a variety of viewpoints.
Good luck in whatever you decide!
Former expat in Finland, now living in New Hampshire USA.
just letting you know...
we are sending our eldest daughter over next year (she will be 18) with the option of coming back to australia...my parents will give her the support she needs and that way she can see exactly what it is like. By the way her name is Caroline!!
we cant see us getting over there if we decide too in a year we want to make sure we know all the ins and outs before we jump into it. i agree and understand the difficulties you speak of : tasmania is also very very hard to get any work that pays more than unemployment money!! it is the hardest state in australia to live in - infact you cant move here without permission if you are on a low income.
also if you are not related forget getting a job most jobs go to a relative of someone and everyone is related!! i got a job at the local school which was a total miracle - but the education dept. employs on merit now and i had qualifications from finland...i did emantakoulu, which involved industial and comercial cleaning. but even still it is not full time and there are very few full time positions here no matter what you do.
i will keep reading posts here - i can relate to so much of it and i am learning alot too!!
thanks
we cant see us getting over there if we decide too in a year we want to make sure we know all the ins and outs before we jump into it. i agree and understand the difficulties you speak of : tasmania is also very very hard to get any work that pays more than unemployment money!! it is the hardest state in australia to live in - infact you cant move here without permission if you are on a low income.
also if you are not related forget getting a job most jobs go to a relative of someone and everyone is related!! i got a job at the local school which was a total miracle - but the education dept. employs on merit now and i had qualifications from finland...i did emantakoulu, which involved industial and comercial cleaning. but even still it is not full time and there are very few full time positions here no matter what you do.
i will keep reading posts here - i can relate to so much of it and i am learning alot too!!
thanks
well yes mainland aussie would be ok if work was all we were concerned about but that is never a motivation for us. i have parents in finland who are ageing as well as sister and family and all my rellies - we are not ambitious in any way. i think for our children it would be a great experience if they dont settle.
You might as well give your children a chance to experience your culture. They are at an age when they are old enough to learn and be taught, but not too old to turn around and head back to Tassie after a while if that is what they want.
Two Aussies that I have met here in Ostrobothnia have grown up in Australia with Finnish parents. They both chose to come here and experience Finland. Both have been here for over 3 years. I don't think either of them regret the move.
Two Aussies that I have met here in Ostrobothnia have grown up in Australia with Finnish parents. They both chose to come here and experience Finland. Both have been here for over 3 years. I don't think either of them regret the move.