Structural engineer looking for any job

Dantas · Post by **Dantas** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:57 pm

Hi everyone, I came here to get a perspective on how difficult it is to find a job in Finland, I just love the country I have been there for a bunch of times, there is something about the light and the air there.
So now I want to find a job and live there. I am 27 and I have a degree in engineering and I worked already for 9 months in structural engineering. But now I cant find any job here in Portugal and I think that now would be the perfect time for me to go to Finland.
The question is how hard would be to find a job in civil engineering? And if it is hard to find it how about in unskilled labour, anything at all, I speak Portuguese, Spanish and English fluently, I also speak intermediate Dutch and I have a ton of IT experience and knowledge. This is really hard to ask if there is any unskilled work because I have degree but I just need any kind of job.

I appreciate any input guys, thanks for reading.

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Flossy1978 · Post by **Flossy1978** » Fri Apr 08, 2016 6:43 pm

The light? You having us on? Have you been to Finland during Autumn, beginning of Spring and Winter?

Your chances of finding a job in your field are probably zero. It is nice to have a degree, but every second person in Finland is an engineer of sorts. And you don't speak Finnish. And there are more people looking for lower types of jobs than there are jobs in Finland, right now.

You have a better chance of getting a job in your home country.

mrjimsfc · Post by **mrjimsfc** » Sat Apr 09, 2016 1:27 am

If you like the light and air in Finland, you should try Iceland. Really!

Dantas · Post by **Dantas** » Sat Apr 09, 2016 2:35 am

Well I guess that is a very big no no then, that is a shame though, For me to learn finish to a good level it would take probably 1.5 to 2 years.

Thanks for the answers by the way

Sukerkin · Post by **Sukerkin** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 5:56 pm

I feel the same way about the country, Dantas ... to the extent that I am on the verge of buying a house there and trying to make the leap-of-faith from a position of security here in England to one of uncertainty and doubt in Finland.

Like you I am a non-IT, non-Comms, engineer (SCADA in my case) and can see that the pool of such seems suspiciously large in Finland. Also like you, I have made a post trying to feel out the realistic employment chances from those that have successfully made the transition and am hoping for something a little more constructive and informative than the seemingly default "Don't bother" that seems par for the course in these hallowed annals :grins:. After all, the employment statistics aren't *that* bad - I've survived worse over here in Britain, tho of course here I had the advantage of being 'native'

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wolf80 · Post by **wolf80** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:55 pm

Sukerkin wrote:I feel the same way about the country, Dantas ... to the extent that I am on the verge of buying a house there and trying to make the leap-of-faith from a position of security here in England to one of uncertainty and doubt in Finland.

Why start with buying a house here? How about you first rent an apartment and try to find a job. If you find one, and you really like it in the country even when you are living here and not just here for a couple of weeks on holiday, then you could think about making it more permanent.

Sukerkin · Post by **Sukerkin** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:52 am

Buying is actually the better option for me as it does not result in 'wasting' money on rent. I can always release the equity in the property by selling it again if things don't work out.

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:14 am

Sukerkin wrote:Buying is actually the better option for me as it does not result in 'wasting' money on rent. I can always release the equity in the property by selling it again if things don't work out.

Buying has transaction costs. You will only save over renting if you own long enough to offset the transaction costs (for example property transfer tax).

Sukerkin · Post by **Sukerkin** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 10:15 am

That is, of course, true and there is always the uncertainty about what happens to house prices which may work either in your favour or against you in relatively short term purchases. But even with only very modest changes in price, say 1% a year, it would only take a couple of years or so to cover the initial transaction costs.

I realise that the position I am in may be slightly out of the ordinary for those seeking to change countries because I am ... ahem ... more 'mature'. This counts against me in employment prospects I suspect but means I am in a better financial situation than many who look into such a move and can contemplate what may appear to be a rash course of action in buying a house in Finland outright (rather than doing what is indeed the more sensible thing and renting).

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