Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

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ilkin
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Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by ilkin » Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:02 pm

Hello,
Me and my boyfriend are considering to move to Finland. But we are not sure that we can find jobs on our profession. I'm an architect and my boyfriend is getting his education to be a psychologist. We really need to know that if these jobs are in demand in Finland. Thanks.



Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

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DMC
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by DMC » Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:05 am

FWIW I have met 2 non-Finnish qualified architects in Finland. Neither was working as an architect. One was working as a hairdresser and the other was in software development. Architecture seems to be a hard field to break into.
Does your boyfriend speak fluent Finnish or Swedish? I imagine that would be essential to work as a psychologist - or at least the demand for non-speaking psychologists is likely to be very low. Especially for a newly-qualified psychologist.

leisl
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by leisl » Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:24 am

Start by going to www.monster.fi and www.mol.fi and see how many job applications you can find that are written in English. Because these are the ones where Finnish is not required. Now remember that you have to be the BEST person for the job (if a Finn applies for the job at the same time, they have more skills than you because they speak both languages).

You probably already know it's going to be really hard, but I think the answer to your question is no. I knew a neuropsychologist and with her bachelor's and most of her master's completed, she was unable to find ANY job in Finland related to her studies. She did 6 weeks' volunteer work with a large psychology practice but unfortunately they weren't able to take her on as a paid employee because her Finnish was only level B2. She managed to feed herself by working as a hotel chambermaid. During her PhD work she got research work with Helsinki University, but that was more about having the required mentor for publishing papers. And that was after 7 years here... a long time to wait trying to get bachelor's-related work.

If you are both EU, get a job before you move. Otherwise you'll (probably) just spend all your savings then have to move back again. :(

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wolf80
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by wolf80 » Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:53 pm

ilkin wrote:Hello,
Me and my boyfriend are considering to move to Finland. But we are not sure that we can find jobs on our profession. I'm an architect and my boyfriend is getting his education to be a psychologist. We really need to know that if these jobs are in demand in Finland. Thanks.
As an architect, without speaking the language and knowing the Finnish building code, I see practically no chance to work here in your own profession. If you spoke the language you might be able to find an internship and maybe later a job, especially if you are from the EU and/or have the degree from a renowned university.

For your boyfriend, there are quite many jobs for psychologists, but also many psychologists to fill them. Again, no chance without the language, that profession is depending on communication skills more than any other, so he would need to speak the language at native speaker level. And that is extremely hard to achieve and even then would take a long time. Psychologists are mostly hired by schools and communities. Any open position within commuting distance to a bigger city will have a high number of applicants, so it will be impossible to get for a foreigner. The best chances would be job offers in the deep, deep countryside, especially in Eastern and Northern Finland, where even most Finnish psychologists don't want to work. But even here he would need to speak Finnish of course.

In general, if neither of you speaks Finnish it would be insane to move here. You will not get jobs in your professions, and most likely not any job at all. The economy is poor, unemployment high, competition for the few jobs for foreigners very high. The most likely scenario is that you come, won't find a job, burn through your savings in one of the most expensive countries on the planet, and then leave disappointed and poor without having achieved anything.

From which country are you, what languages do you speak, etc? Can you give a bit more of background information?

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rinso
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by rinso » Tue Feb 16, 2016 4:17 pm

n general, if neither of you speaks Finnish it would be insane to move here. You will not get jobs in your professions, and most likely not any job at all. The economy is poor, unemployment high, competition for the few jobs for foreigners very high.
And with the influx of migrants from the war torn areas, there is a growing tendency to find them jobs where Finnish is not required. Making those jobs even less accessible for other immigrants.

ilkin
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by ilkin » Tue Feb 16, 2016 7:13 pm

wolf80 wrote:
ilkin wrote:Hello,
Me and my boyfriend are considering to move to Finland. But we are not sure that we can find jobs on our profession. I'm an architect and my boyfriend is getting his education to be a psychologist. We really need to know that if these jobs are in demand in Finland. Thanks.
As an architect, without speaking the language and knowing the Finnish building code, I see practically no chance to work here in your own profession. If you spoke the language you might be able to find an internship and maybe later a job, especially if you are from the EU and/or have the degree from a renowned university.

For your boyfriend, there are quite many jobs for psychologists, but also many psychologists to fill them. Again, no chance without the language, that profession is depending on communication skills more than any other, so he would need to speak the language at native speaker level. And that is extremely hard to achieve and even then would take a long time. Psychologists are mostly hired by schools and communities. Any open position within commuting distance to a bigger city will have a high number of applicants, so it will be impossible to get for a foreigner. The best chances would be job offers in the deep, deep countryside, especially in Eastern and Northern Finland, where even most Finnish psychologists don't want to work. But even here he would need to speak Finnish of course.

In general, if neither of you speaks Finnish it would be insane to move here. You will not get jobs in your professions, and most likely not any job at all. The economy is poor, unemployment high, competition for the few jobs for foreigners very high. The most likely scenario is that you come, won't find a job, burn through your savings in one of the most expensive countries on the planet, and then leave disappointed and poor without having achieved anything.

From which country are you, what languages do you speak, etc? Can you give a bit more of background information?
We are planning to move in 4-5 years. Because he is still going to school and I'm planning to come to finland to get my masters or phd so I can learn some Finnish and maybe get an internship so I can learn about finnish building code and other important things. Right now we are both trying to learn finnish in elementry level on our own effort because there are no language courses. We are not from EU we live in Turkey I only speak english and turkish but my boyfriend speaks turkish kurdish english spanish and portuguese. So I imagine that it would be easier for him to learn another language :) I really wonder that which line of work is really needed in Finland right now?

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wolf80
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by wolf80 » Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:35 pm

ilkin wrote:We are planning to move in 4-5 years.
While it is good to plan ahead, it seems rather unpredictable how the Finnish economy will be in 5 years. Looking at recent developments, and the current right-wing government, it most likely will be even worse, definitely when it comes to access to the country for foreigners. Why does it have to be Finland anyway?
ilkin wrote:Because he is still going to school and I'm planning to come to finland to get my masters or phd so I can learn some Finnish and maybe get an internship so I can learn about finnish building code and other important things.
That's so far in the future, it seems like you just started your Bachelor degree? And your boyfriend is still in highschool? I would wait and see if you actually stay in your current professions, how the situation is in 4-5 years, and also if you are still together then (sorry, but a bit of realism is also needed)!
ilkin wrote:Right now we are both trying to learn finnish in elementry level on our own effort because there are no language courses. We are not from EU we live in Turkey I only speak english and turkish but my boyfriend speaks turkish kurdish english spanish and portuguese. So I imagine that it would be easier for him to learn another language :)
And how is learning Finnish going? It's one of the hardest languages to learn, you would have to learn it intensively for several years. And abroad it is extra hard, without people to talk to and exercise your language skills.

Honestly, why does it have to be Finland so badly?? The job expectations? They are horrible and not likely to improve. The social system? Also not as good as foreigners think, and also you would need paying jobs here to qualify for that. The charming weather? The North looks good in pictures, but most people from warm countries freeze their asses off here and have a very hard time coping with the darkness from Autumn to Spring. The welcoming people? Finns don't talk much, and are by far not as fond of foreigners as you might believe, especially as the economy is bad.
ilkin wrote:I really wonder that which line of work is really needed in Finland right now?
None. Sorry, but that's how it is. Or almost none. Best chances foreigners have are normally in IT, but the competition is incredibly high in that field, don't count on getting a job there. If you are a medical doctor with a degree from an acceptable university, and you speak Finnish, then you might have a good chance. Architects and psychologists are not really needed additionally, sorry.
Last edited by wolf80 on Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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wolf80
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by wolf80 » Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:40 pm

double post

ilkin
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by ilkin » Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:34 pm

I have my bachelors degree on architecture right now and my boyfriend is in university. So no not high school. We really wanted finland because we thought that economy is good and living conditions are better than here. When I work here as an architect more than half of my salary goes to gas for my car and I have to drive a car because public transportation is horrible. People are mean and seriously I can't live here. We hear that northen countries have better quality of life and I hear a lot of news that goverment take care of people and healt system are better than here also education. I dont know I mostly want it because I hear that people are nice.

leisl
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by leisl » Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:23 pm

Do you realise that if Turkey is still non-EU, you won't even have the right to work here? Yes, you could be a student and try to find work part-time, but if you are here doing a master's you will probably not get fluent by the time you run out of savings. Internships in Finland are generally paid. They will choose the intern who can speak Finnish fluently.

If you don't come here as a student nobody can offer you a job here unless they can't fill it with someone from the EU.

And no Finnish will not be easy for either of you, it's still going to take at least a few years of living here.

Here's the lines of work needed in Finland right now: qualified Islam teachers, qualified Arabic-to-Finnish translators, qualified nurses and people who've completed practical nursing training (ie they can look after elderly and disabled people). I'm not even joking or being rude. I haven't heard anything else in the news about other fields having shortages.

Rosamunda
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by Rosamunda » Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:38 pm

....nursery nurses, kindergarten teachers (lastenhoitaja) and on mol there seem to be quite a few jobs for specialised engineers (I guess for the nuclear power programme).

Unemployment is going to get better before it gets worse. I have three kids who will probably struggle to find decent jobs when they finish their studies. Luckily they do speak several languages so I guess they will move where the work is.

Many foreigners who do come here eventually become self employed. A tough choice but the only way to survive for many.


***Breaking News*** http://yle.fi/uutiset/more_building_job ... 16/8678303

A lot of construction workers are hired by foreign subcontractors. Not sure how many Finnish residents will actually get work out of this.
Last edited by Rosamunda on Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ilkin
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by ilkin » Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:45 pm

I dont think turkey will ever be in eu so Im going to be needed a working permit. But I still have time to learn finnish. I really am not as pessimistic as you are. Ofcourse you live there and you know everything about it but I still think that it cant be worse than here.
Also really? Qualified islam teacher? Why would anybody need that. Just read kuran everything is in that

ilkin
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by ilkin » Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:48 pm

Rosamunda wrote:....nursery nurses, kindergarten teachers (lastenhoitaja) and on mol there seem to be quite a few jobs for specialised engineers (I guess for the nuclear power programme).

Unemployment is going to get better before it gets worse. I have three kids who will probably struggle to find decent jobs when they finish their studies. Luckily they do speak several languages so I guess they will move where the work is.

Many foreigners who do come here eventually become self employed. A tough choice but the only way to survive for many.
Really :( thats really bad İts really worse than what we have been hearing about finland. I thought goverment take care of the unemployed people?

leisl
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by leisl » Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:21 pm

ilkin wrote: Really :( thats really bad İts really worse than what we have been hearing about finland. I thought goverment take care of the unemployed people?
The government takes care of unemployed FINNS. Not "people who think it looks like a nice place to live". (Or people who have earned the right to get benefits, usually by having paid taxes.)

Not to be mean, but everyone seems to think Finland is a magic paradise with wonderful education. It's only wonderful education for Finnish children. Not for adults, not for teenagers, and not a magic paradise for pretty much anyone else. It's a hard, hard place to adapt to and deal with, for most people. Maybe if your home country is being bombed or in famine, then Finland's pretty awesome. But for most, it can feel like big sacrifices to stay. You know, like giving up a career or becoming self-employed in a totally unqualified field. Want to scrub floors or drive a taxi for twenty years, qualified lawyer Jones? Finland can help you do that.
ilkin wrote:I dont think turkey will ever be in eu so Im going to be needed a working permit. But I still have time to learn finnish.
These things are not related, you can't get a (working) residence permit by speaking Finnish, I don't think you're understanding. They can't even offer you a job unless nobody in the EU can fill the job. Your only choice would be that master's here. Which would be in English. Which probably still won't get you any job offers here, because everybody wants to be a psychologist, the USA has thousands of them out of work and they can't come here and get a job either. But the master's, you at least get an extra year extension to look for work (so if the master's takes you one year, you will need to bring about 14000 euro with you when you arrive so that you can eat, time to start saving up).
ilkin wrote:Also really? Qualified islam teacher? Why would anybody need that. Just read kuran everything is in that
Under Finnish law if enough children state a particular religion when enrolling at school, the school must provide them with religious instruction for that religion. So yes. There is a shortage of them.

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wolf80
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Re: Will I be able to find a job in Finland?

Post by wolf80 » Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:54 pm

leisl wrote:Which probably still won't get you any job offers here, because everybody wants to be a psychologist, the USA has thousands of them out of work and they can't come here and get a job either. But the master's, you at least get an extra year extension to look for work (so if the master's takes you one year, you will need to bring about 14000 euro with you when you arrive so that you can eat, time to start saving up).
The problem here also is that a foreign psychologist NEEDS to speak Finnish at C2-level, but ideally native speaker-level. How can you work with the people if you don't understand the slang words and all the intricate details in a language that tell you what the person is saying. But yes, if somebody manages that there are some jobs, in small communities hundreds of kilometers from the next city, close to the Russian border or up North where the reindeer live. But still, practically not achievable for a foreigner.


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