The initial stages of looking at moving

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PaulHughes95
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Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:38 pm

The initial stages of looking at moving

Post by PaulHughes95 » Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:27 pm

Hello!

I'm contemplating a move to Finland for many reasons, but as it's such a relatively large task I'm having the expected doubts and questions that no amount of introspection can help with, so I thought this would be a suitable place to float them around on the off-chance anyone here can shed their wonderful wisdom on them. I'm at the very initial stages of looking at moving, having only really made it a serious consideration in the past couple of days, so there's still a lot more to think about and ask!

Firstly, Finland is the destination of choice as it's a country I've been to a couple of times and it's felt like home right from the off. From what I've experienced and heard about the lifestyle and culture out there, it seems to be an almost perfect fit. I've read plenty of success stories of people of similar ilk moving out there and absolutely loving it, hopefully I can join them! Unfortunately, the level of Finnish that I can speak/understand is incredibly limited. It's something I'm working on improving but languages and I take a while to get along...

I guess the most prominent question I have is about employment. My main field of specialism is in the Cycling Industry at a relatively high professional level, second to that is work within the Outdoors Industry with a lot of travel and expedition experience. From what I can gather, the amount of people cycling in Finland is very impressive, and the infrastructure is far greater than here in the UK. Would anyone happen to know what the cycling job industry is like in Finland, from retail to professional teams to infrastructure and Authorities?

My guess is that a lot of the Outdoors Industry is tourism related and therefore either seasonal based or temporary work?

From what I've read, some people have said that they've found it much easier to get settled and live in Finland, establishing connections and sorting employment, once they've actually arrived in Finland. Would you agree with this in general? To me, it would make sense, but it would feel much more secure to have it sorted prior to moving out there.

Aside from employment, is there anything else major I should be considering? I know of the residency permit, and by the time I'd be in a position to move my Irish citizenship/passport (dual nationality, UK/Irish) will be sorted so any Brexit-EU problems shouldn't be a factor. As I said, this is in the very beginnings of planning so if you can give any words of wisdom whatsoever, on any topic, that would be most appreciated!

Many Thanks,
Paul



The initial stages of looking at moving

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Tiina_Finn23
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Re: The initial stages of looking at moving

Post by Tiina_Finn23 » Mon Mar 19, 2018 3:06 pm

It will be incredibly hard for you to find work here (based on the information you have provided). My advice is if you are really keen to do it then go for it but I would save as much money as you possibly can to support yourself for at least a few months because it is very unlikely you will find work, especially where you're only speaking English and have no job skill to offer (a job skill which is in demand I should say).

My husband got work here easily but only because he's in a specialised area of IT. Me, on the other hand, I've been actively seeking all kinds of work and have been unemployed for 3 months. The language is very hard and I'm still struggling with words and grammar even though I have been speaking it since I was a child.

Just for some perspective: a trainee role I applied for had over 1000 applications, another basic office role which I applied for had 300 applications. Im going for "lesser" jobs than what I was doing in the UK. I've also just found out that service industry jobs need special hygiene and alcohol licenses if you go that route. Not to put you off but just so you are aware and don't drop everything and expect everything to be ok. It's very tough to get a job here.

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rinso
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Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:22 pm

Re: The initial stages of looking at moving

Post by rinso » Mon Mar 19, 2018 3:40 pm

There is no "cycling industry" in Finland. In most cases the jobs are in small companies and combined with other functions.
There are companies offering cycling tours, but I doubt if the make enough money to hire a cycling specialist.

Rasikko
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Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:16 pm

Re: The initial stages of looking at moving

Post by Rasikko » Wed Mar 21, 2018 10:05 am

Learning Finnish is extremely important. I've been told otherwise, but I'm not inclined to believe this. If you don't seriously learn the language, you aren't going to make it(no job - and the unemployment rate for foreigners is higher than the rate for Finns), unless you get lucky.

betelgeuse
Posts: 4353
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:24 am

Re: The initial stages of looking at moving

Post by betelgeuse » Thu Mar 22, 2018 6:15 pm

PaulHughes95 wrote:
Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:27 pm
I guess the most prominent question I have is about employment. My main field of specialism is in the Cycling Industry at a relatively high professional level, second to that is work within the Outdoors Industry with a lot of travel and expedition experience. From what I can gather, the amount of people cycling in Finland is very impressive, and the infrastructure is far greater than here in the UK. Would anyone happen to know what the cycling job industry is like in Finland, from retail to professional teams to infrastructure and Authorities?
You could ask the relevant associations:

https://pyoraliitto.fi
https://pyoraily.fi/suomenpyoraily/

Rosamunda
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Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 12:07 am

Re: The initial stages of looking at moving

Post by Rosamunda » Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:44 am

PaulHughes95 wrote:
Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:27 pm
Hello!
From what I can gather, the amount of people cycling in Finland is very impressive, and the infrastructure is far greater than here in the UK. Would anyone happen to know what the cycling job industry is like in Finland, from retail to professional teams to infrastructure and Authorities?

My guess is that a lot of the Outdoors Industry is tourism related and therefore either seasonal based or temporary work?
- Far fewer people cycle here than in for example Denmark. Helsinki is only just beginning to install an 'infrastructure' around the city with hire bikes and public transport (the new metro extension has space for bikes). But with snow/ice on the ground for six months of the year, winter commuting by bike is only for die-hard enthusiasts and those who can afford a good bike, good tyres and good maintenance. On the other hand, the sector is growing very fast. Public transport is expensive so a lot of people are switching to bikes. Bike theft is a problem but not as much as in some other countries. The government recently announced a subsidy for the purchase of electric bikes... It is a growing market and there may be room for some specialist knowledge. Have you contacted this group yet http://sub24helsinki.blogspot.fi/

- Everything is seasonal in Finland, not just the outdoors industry, no matter what sector you work in and no matter where you live. In the south, tourism is not really outdoors related. Tourism is big but it mostly entails herding boatloads of Baltic Cruise passengers around the city. It's a shame that the vast majority of tourists don't get outside the city but that's the nature of cruises. Further north, Lapland is booming. You could try looking for a seasonal job up there, just to see if you are ready for life in Finland.

There are Bachelors degree programmes in Tourism taught in English here. They are vocational degree programmes that include internships. With EU citizenship there would be no study fees (just living expenses). It would be an opportunity to learn some Finnish, get some local experience and a qualification. https://studyinfo.fi/app/#!/haku/*?page ... EN&tab=los

Otherwise.... welding and geriatric healthcare are the main sectors recruiting at the moment...


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